Several dozen opposition MPs on Friday occupied the rostrum in the Polish parliament in a noisy protest during a key vote on next year’s budget bill.

Commotion broke out when Michał Szczerba, a deputy for the opposition Civic Platform (PO) party, was excluded from debate after speaking out about planned new rules on journalists’ access to parliament.

Szczerba brandished a card with the inscription: "Free media in parliament."

He was excluded from debate after the ignored the Speaker’s instructions to leave the rostrum.

On Friday, parliament was set to debate and later vote on next year’s budget bill, which must be voted through this year. The sitting on Friday was expected to be the last before recess for the Christmas holidays.

At the time of writing it was not clear whether there would be a further sitting on Saturday or Monday, due to the protest.

PO MP Agnieszka Pomaska said that deputies “will protest as long as it takes”.

Parliamentary hooliganism'

Addressing journalists, the head of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jarosław Kaczyński, said that by blocking the rostrum, the opposition was committing “parliamentary hooliganism”.

“We will not be terrorised; we will certainly pass the budget,” he added.

'Free media in parliament'

Dozens of Polish media outlets and opposition politicians protested on Friday against new rules on access by journalists to the parliament building in Warsaw which are set to come into force on 1 January, 2017.

Broadcasters will be provided studio space within a separate building some distance away from parliament to conduct interviews with MPs.

All journalists - except those from five selected stations - would only be allowed to conduct audio interviews, but no other cameras will be able to enter the building. At present journalists have access to much of the parliament building, where they can ask MPs questions.

Kaczyński said that the bustle of journalists inside parliament has led him to "be hit in the head by cameras several times".

(pk/rg)

Source: IAR