State Violence and Repression Against Climate Activists in Poland

Poland has a vibrant history of protests and civil society engagement, including on issues of climate change, but the recent decade (the years between 2015 and 2025) has been marked by repeated confrontations between activists and security forces, as well as tacit state inaction in the face of violence against protesters. Despite the fact that according to 2018  climate survey conducted for the European Investment Bank 75% of Poles declare that they are worried about the climate change, climate activism in the country has been met with a mix of public hostility, policing practices, and legal repression. The relationship between environmental mobilization and state authority has been fraught at best, and at times downright hostile.

One emblematic example of how authorities handle contentious activism was the detention of the activists of Ostatnie Pokolenie (Last Generation) after a symbolic action in August 2025 which took place in front of the gate to the shipyard where Solidarity movement emerged in 1980s and which subsequently became a symbol of Poland’s democratic history. The activists threw orange paint on the gate day before the official anniversary commemorations of the Solidarity union were about to take place. As explained by the representative of OP Melania Krakowiak in an interview with Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza the choice of the place of action was deliberate:

We stand on the shoulders of giants. The revolutionary movement that was "Solidarity" is the best model for changing an unjust system. … The Last Generation continues the Polish tradition of nonviolent resistance. Like it or not, we are the heirs of August 1980. We will not treat it as a monument, because it is our duty to shout: this fight is not over yet! Like Solidarity, we demand that Poland be led out of this crisis. (Aktywiści oblali farbą postulaty Solidarności. Zostali zatrzymani)

Police detained the protesters and announced that they will be charged with damaging a historic site, which can result in up to 8 years in prison sentence. Some reporters were also detained, allegedly because they could not show documents that would prove they were working for the press. The response exemplifies how authorities treat demonstrations, especially those that combine climate protest with symbolic disruption of national memory sites. Such protests are perceived as a threat to national narratives, while the legacy of the past mass movements is seen as something that the state owns and protects rather than something shared with the citizens.

In the Polish climate movement, groups such as Ostatnie Pokolenie or Młodzieżowy Strajk Klimatyczny (the Youth Climate Strike) have repeatedly drawn attention — and at times, repression — for their tactics. The actions of Ostatnie Pokolenie, including blockades of major roadways, symbolic acts of occupation or throwing paint on monuments, have often provoked law enforcement responses that involved detentions and police presence to clear protest sites. State responses include also non-action in cases when protesters themselves are threatened. In July 2024, activists from Ostatnie Pokolenie staged a blockade of a busy Warsaw street, only to be met with violence from some frustrated drivers. The police reportedly “turned a blind eye” to the attacks by motorists, thus climate activists themselves bore the brunt of physical confrontation on the street. Critics argue that such tacit inaction by police effectively allows civilian violence against protesters to occur with impunity, deepening the sense of state neglect or complicity.

There are also several cases involving Ostatnie Pokolenie (such as public disruption at a concert) which remain ongoing and without a pronouncement of guilt or acquittal as of early 2026. One such case where no final verdict has yet been issued is the criminal case against the two Ostatnie Pokolenie activists accused of pouring an orange substance on the Warsaw Mermaid statue in March 2024. The trial began in May 2025 and since the prosecutors allege the act caused damage valued at over 360 000 PLN they have sought penalties of up to eight years’ imprisonment.

Even when protest remains peaceful and no property is damaged, activists still face the threat of legal repercussions. Blocking infrastructure to draw attention to climate issues — whether roadways or the entrances to government ministries — can lead to detention on public order charges or criminal accusations. In several cases, activists engaged in peaceful civil disobedience have reported being detained or facing potential charges simply for their disruptive methods, underscoring tension between constitutional rights to assembly and public order policing. The policing and repression of climate activists in Poland appears to be part and parcel of a much broader trend towards restrictions in civic space in Europe and beyond. For example, researchers studying Great Britain such as Raphael Schlembach or Eveline Lubbers indicate a tendency to stigmatize environmental activism as domestic terrorism and to utilize advanced surveillance techniques and severe legal measures against non-violent activists. This trend has been observed to escalate in recent decades. Amnesty International’s 2024 report on the state of the right to protest in 21 European countries has confirmed concerns about freedom of assembly and the trends towards overregulation, hostility and discrimination.

Photo of the protest in Warsaw courtesy of Ostatnie Pokolenie

These patterns reveal a complex and sometimes contradictory environment for climate activism in Poland. On the one hand, grassroots movements have continued to organize and expand their reach, mobilizing youth and linking climate demands to broader calls for environmental justice. On the other hand, activists face repression that ranges from detention and policing to tacit allowance of violence against them, especially when their actions challenge economic or political interests, such as continued reliance on fossil fuels or narratives of national priority. As climate impacts become increasingly visible — with extreme weather events and political debates over energy policy at the fore — the ways in which the Polish state responds to climate dissent will continue to shape the possibilities for environmental citizenship, democratic participation, and movements for climate justice.

Elżbieta Korolczuk