As part of Corax’s 8M broadcast day, we spoke to Paulina from the Polish grassroots initiative Wschód. The context is our examination of the rise of right-wing and authoritarian forces – including here in Saxony-Anhalt – and the question of what this means in concrete terms for feminist, queer and emancipatory movements.
Wschód is an intersectional activist network from Poland. The initiative combines political resistance against right-wing and conservative politics with demands for social, democratic and ecological change. A particular focus is on feminist mobilisation and reaching out to women and queer people in rural areas.
Wschód became known, among other things, for a campaign ahead of the last elections in Poland in 2023: With the video “Cicho już byłyśmy” – “We’ve been quiet enough” – they called on women and queer people in particular to take part in the elections despite political frustration. The campaign reached millions of people and helped to significantly increase voter turnout – a key factor in the change of political power after eight years of PiS government.
In the interview, Paulina talks about these experiences, about feminist strategies against the far right, and about why intersectional perspectives are crucial for successful grassroots work