Protest Movements in Pandemics: Dynamics of 4C Social Responses to COVID-19 Governance in Poland

Wojciech Ufel; Anna Cichecka; Mateusz Karolak

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Chapter 4 Protest Movements in Pandemics: Dynamics of 4C Social Responses to COVID-19 Governance in Poland

In: The Organisation of Irresponsibility?

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Wojciech Ufel

Wojciech Ufel
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Anna Cichecka

Anna Cichecka
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Mateusz Karolak

Mateusz Karolak
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 74–104

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004747784_005

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Abstract

This chapter examines the dynamics of state-society relations in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of two protest movements: the Women’s Strike (Strajk Kobiet) and the Entrepreneur’s Strike (Strajk Przedsiębiorców). Building on prior research that analysed state policies and public discourse, this study introduces new qualitative data from interviews with activists involved in these movements. Utilising the 4C framework – compliance, complement, contestation, and correction – we explore how these groups engaged with and resisted pandemic governance. The Women’s Strike mobilised against restrictions on reproductive rights, evolving into a broader anti-government movement, while the Entrepreneur’s Strike opposed economic lockdown measures, ultimately aligning with libertarian and far-right actors. The findings challenge existing theories of crisis governance, offering a more nuanced interpretation of Giorgio Agamben’s “state of exception” and Bob Jessop’s “romantic public irony.” While the pandemic revealed state overreach, including police violence and repression, it also highlighted limits to authoritarian consolidation. Additionally, the study underscores class-based differences in protest strategies, with the Entrepreneur’s Strike prioritising economic self-interest over collective democratic concerns. This chapter contributes to debates on contentious politics in crises, demonstrating how grassroots mobilisation both contests and negotiates governance in moments of uncertainty.

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The Organisation of Irresponsibility?

Reassessing COVID-19 in Europe

Series: Studies in Critical Social Sciences, Volume: 347

Cover The Organisation of Irresponsibility?

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004747784

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 20 Nov 2025

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- Social Sciences

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Chapter 4 Protest Movements in Pandemics: Dynamics of 4C Social Responses to COVID-19 Governance in Poland

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The Organisation of Irresponsibility?

Reassessing COVID-19 in Europe

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