A protest against Karol Nawrocki's veto against the SAFE programme was held in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on Sunday. The demonstration was organised by the Committee for the Defence of Democracy under the slogan “We want to be SAFE”, and the assembly began at 2 p.m. in Krakowskie Przedmieście.
According to a study from a place outside the Palace, respective 100 to respective 1000 people gathered. TVN24 wrote about respective 1000 participants and showed banners with slogans aimed at the president's decision, including "It smells like veto with a Russian sock” and "Faces are not all to be in the palace."
Protest in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw after Nawrocki vetoe in the SAFE case. photograph by Adam Mazguła
Protest following the President's decision
The direct reason for the demonstration was veto of March 12, 2026. On that day, Nawrocki refused to sign the Act of February 27, 2026 on the Financial Instrument for Enhancing SAFE Security. The decision blocked the statutory way of Poland utilizing funds from the EU defence instrument.
In the relations of organizers and the media, the protest was a political opposition to this decision. The slogan “We want to be SAFE” referred straight to a programme that the government considers to be 1 of the tools for financing defence investments.
What SAFE is
SAFE, or safety Action for Europe, is an EU financial instrument adopted by the EU Council on 27 May 2025. The programme is intended to supply associate States with up to EUR 150 billion of long-term loans for defence and military preparedness investments.
According to available information, Poland was to gain access to around EUR 43.7 billion under this mechanism.
What the government did after the vetoe
The day after the President's decision, on 13 March, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on the programme "Army Poland". The government reported that it was an action plan following the veto of the law allowing the usage of funds from SAFE, and defence and finance and economy ministers were authorised to sign an agreement on this mechanism.
The government communication states that the programme is intended to strengthen the defence capacity of the state and the deterrence capacity, and to support the national arms industry. In practice, this means trying to keep access to finance Despite the presidential veto To the bill.
DF, thefad.pl Source: Adam Mazguła