Warsaw, Nov 19 (AP) Warsaw's mayor criticised police for using tear gas on mostly female protesters at the latest in a string of women-led protests against a top court ruling restricting abortion.

Political tensions have been extremely high in Poland since the constitutional court ruled last month to impose a near total ban on abortion. Mass street protests have so far prevented the government from enforcing the ruling.

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Meanwhile, a standoff with the European Union and a surge in coronavirus infections — with a record number of 637 deaths in one day recorded Thursday — as well as frustration over the government's handling of the pandemic are all contributing to a sense of deepening crisis in the country.

“Tear gas against women? Really, Polish police?” Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski wrote on Twitter after a protest in Warsaw that was smaller than many of the demonstrations of past weeks.

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“The use of direct coercion must be justified and proportionate, it must be a last resort. I believe there was no reason to use it against women's and youth demonstrations. There were many more policemen than protesters,” Trzaskowski wrote. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)