WARSAW, Poland -- European Council President Donald Tusk on Saturday urged Poland's ruling party to respect the country's constitution, people and democratic practices as two days of anti-government protests spread from Warsaw to two other cities.
Protesters rallied outside the presidential palace and the parliament building in Warsaw for a second day Saturday over a government plan to restrict journalists' access to lawmakers in parliament.
Overnight, police forcibly removed demonstrators blocking exit routes from the legislature, while inside the chamber, opposition lawmakers delayed proceedings by refusing to yield the podium. As thousands again took to the streets of Warsaw and other cities to protest, President Andrzej Duda urged both sides to help restore calm and offered to mediate, while ruling party officials sought a meeting with media representatives.
The protests came as political tensions were rising over the conservative Law and Justice party's new policies under Chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
In power for a little more than a year, the Law and Justice party has been accused by the European Commission, the European Union's executive body, of eroding the rule of law, and the party's policies triggered Poland's first credit downgrade by S&P Global Ratings. Lawmakers last week passed new curbs on public gatherings, and they plan to overhaul nongovernmental organizations and limit reporting in parliament, adding to concerns over democratic standards 27 years after the collapse of communism.
Tusk, Poland's former prime minister, invoked the word "dictatorship" and reminded his audience of Polish protests under communism that ended in bloodshed.
"I appeal to those who hold real power in our country to respect the people, the principles and values of the constitution, the standing procedures and good practices," Tusk said in Wroclaw, southwest Poland, where he was attending a cultural event.
He warned that whoever was undermining the "European model of democracy" in Poland was "exposing us all to strategic risks."
A few hours later, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said in a nationwide televised address that the opposition was guided by a sense of "helplessness and frustration" over having lost power and that it was hurting Poland with its actions.
"Noise, perturbation, destabilization have, alas, become the tools of the opposition parties," Szydlo said, appealing for dialogue, responsibility and calm.
The crowd of a few thousand in Warsaw chanted "Freedom! Equality! Democracy!" and waved Polish and EU flags, a reflection of the pro-European views of many liberal, urban Poles who oppose the ruling party.
"This conflict is entering a new, more aggressive phase," said Szymon Roginski, a photographer who joined the protest with his two young sons. "Every day we hear news that makes us understand that we are further and further away from democracy. People have had enough."
The ruling party, which has increased welfare spending, still remains popular with many Poles, particularly those who live outside the cities on modest incomes.
Some protesters held up copies of the constitution to show that they believe it was not being observed by the ruling party. They also chanted "Solidarity," reflecting how many link the protests to the anti-communist opposition of the past.
Ryszard Petru, head of the Modern opposition party, told the crowd in Warsaw that Poles would not accept the "dictators" who are trying to restrict the access of journalists to parliament. He even suggested an early election.
Opposition lawmakers protested the government's media plan Friday, blocking a vote on the budget. Governing party members then voted in another hall. The opposition says the vote was flawed and illegal.
Opposition lawmakers have demanded a repeat vote on Tuesday.
The Senate speaker was to meet with media representatives to discuss the new rules for reporters.
Information for this article was contributed by Maciej Martewicz, Konrad Krasuski and Marek Strzelecki of Bloomberg News.
A Section on 12/18/2016