Giving Compass' Take:

• Since taking office, the far-right Law and Justice Party (PiS) has dramatically changed Poland's political structure. According to News Deeply, the new leadership has passed a plethora of laws that weaken the Polish judiciary and restrict human rights, leading to a number of protests throughout the country.

• This is yet another example of extremism taking over European politics. Those studying the mechanisms of civil society in that continent and elsewhere around the world need to pay close attention and demand international oversight.

• Read about Poland's placement on 2018's Fragile States Index.

Thousands of women dressed in black took to the streets of Poland in March, braving freezing temperatures to protest against the government’s attempt to ban most forms of abortion.

Carrying red hand-shaped placards that read “STOP,” the women chanted anti-government slogans and criticized lawmakers for this second attempt at restricting the country’s abortion law, which is already one of the most strict in Europe.

“I am extremely furious,” said Kasia Strek, a Polish photographer and activist who lives part time in France. She has spent the past year documenting stories about reproductive rights in Poland and other European countries. “I am lucky to be a Polish woman who lives outside of Poland but there are many more who are not so fortunate and they are the most vulnerable.”

The protest was one in a wave of demonstrations that have hit Poland since the October 2015 election, where the far-right Law and Justice Party (PiS) won 37 percent of the vote and a parliamentary majority. Since taking office they have introduced a raft of laws and policies that restrict human rights and weaken the Polish judiciary, while clamping down on media and other cultural institutions that speak against the party.

Read the full article about protests in Poland by Flora Bagenal at News Deeply.