Marta Lempart

Marta Mirosława Lempart (born 1979) is a Polish women's rights activist and the founder of the All-Poland Women's Strike.

Marta Lempart
The Polish women's rights activist Marta Lempart
Marta Lempart in 2018.
Born1979
Lwówek Śląski, Poland
NationalityPolish
OccupationWomen's rights activist
OrganizationAll-Poland Women's Strike
Known forInvolvement in feminist and secular anti-government protests in Poland

Active since 2016 in widespread protests against tightening abortion laws under the conservative Law and Justice party, Lempart has been targeted by the government with arrests and legal charges, and faced death threats from opponents of the protests.

Her work has also included advocating for equal rights for members of Poland's LGBT community and for people with disabilities. She is a vocal proponent of secularism and the separation of church and state.

Early life and career

Marta Lempart was born in 1979 in Lwówek Śląski, Poland.[1][2][3] She is formally trained as a lawyer.[1][4]

Lempart held a minor role in the Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Policy during the Civic Platform's time in power, during which time she worked to improve disability rights in the country.[5][6] She then worked in real estate development.[6]

After the conservative Law and Justice party came to power in 2015, Lempart began working with the Committee for the Defence of Democracy, a pro-European NGO.[7]

Activism

Lempart's activism centers on feminism and secularism.[2]

In 2016, she co-founded the All-Poland Women's Strike, a social movement in support of women's rights, during preparations for the pro-abortion-access Black Protests.[7][4][8] She describes the group's aims as including better abortion access, stronger women’s rights and LGBT rights, separation of church and state, and better health care.[1]

Marta Lempart at a Pride Parade
Marta Lempart (right) and fellow activists attend a Pride Parade in 2018.

Lempart ran for local office in Wrocław in 2018, but she did not gain a seat.[9][10] She also ran unsuccessfully for the European Parliament the following year.[5]

The All-Poland Women's Strike, which she continues to lead,[4][11] was one of the major forces behind the 2020–2021 women's strike protests in Poland, an anti-government protest movement in response to tightening abortion laws.[1][8][12] Lempart encouraged Catholics to take a stand against their church during the protests, which drew significant pushback.[13]

She has been arrested various times throughout her years of activism, and charged with dozens of offenses.[4][7] In February 2021, the Polish government charged Lempart with criminal felonies for her role in the women's strike protests and criticism of the Catholic Church, which she described as a form of political pressure on her movement.[12] She has also received death threats from critics, forcing her to go into hiding away from her home.[2]

Personal life

Lempart identifies as a lesbian.[6][14] Her partner, Natalia Pancewicz, is also involved in feminist activism.[4][9]

References
  1. Plucinska, Joanna; Ptak, Alicja (2020-11-02). "Polish abortion protest leader seeks inspiration from Belarus". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  2. Bayer, Florian (2020-11-14). ""We are at war": an interview with the leader of Poland's abortion protests". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  3. "Marta Lempart potwierdza swój udział w proteście w Lwówku Śląskim". Lwówecki.info (in Polish). 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  4. Ptacin, Mira (2021-02-11). "After a Near-Total Ban on Abortions in Poland, Marta Lempart Has Been on the Front Line of the Protests". Vogue. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  5. Trubanová, Mária (2020-10-29). "Inspiring Thursday: Marta Lempart". WAVE Blog. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  6. Strybel, Robert (2021-01-22). "Who is Marta Lempart?". Am-Pol Eagle. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  7. Lempart, Marta (2020-12-02). "Marta Lempart on leading Poland's abortion rights protests". Financial Times. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  8. "Police raid offices of women's groups in Poland after protests". The Guardian. 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  9. Błaszkiewicz, Karolina (2020-11-20). "Marta Lempart może liczyć na partnerkę. Kim jest Natalia Pancewicz?". Kobieta (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  10. "Wybory samorządowe 2018". Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  11. Santora, Marc (2020-07-27). "Poland Considers Leaving Treaty on Domestic Violence, Spurring Outcry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  12. "Women's rights activist charged for role in Polish protests". Associated Press. 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  13. "Lempart o dewastowaniu kościołów: Trzeba robić to, co się czuje". TVP (in Polish). 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  14. Lempart, Marta (2019-07-24). "LGBT+ to ja. I nie zniknę". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-03-02.
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