Polish police sending their dinner forks in pay protest

A "hunger pay" protest has been announced by Polish police on their internet forum.

Organizers of "Operation Fork" are appealing to underpaid, pissed off cops to send old aluminium forks in packages to the National Police HQ in Warsaw. Those involved also claim that their action is to highlight the lack of action by police unions in asserting their demands.

Vived images of how forks have been used historically for political/religious purposes in the Middle Ages came to mind when reading about this story. Cops, those ever-reliable bastions of the State - who protect scumbag politicians and their corporate paymasters - would do well to remember the history of the 'heretic's fork.' The State doesn't take kindly to dissent, not even amongst their own dependable servants.

The Inquisition's favourite torture device consisted of a length of metal with two opposed bi-pronged "forks" as well as a strap. To begin with, one end was pushed under the chin, the second into the sternum, the strap attaching the device to the neck. The victim was thus unable to move his/her head while their neck was at capacity extension. Pain was brutally maximised.

So maybe this brief reflection on the history of the fork is a good analogy for how things will turn out in the police protest.

How willing are they to push their political masters for extra pay? And is there any chance at all, even the slightest, that some participants will see the State for what they truly are - manipulators of their labour who direct them to quell anarchy in the name of their own crappy version of 'law and order.' Of course anarchist and worker rights activists would find it impossible to actively support cops getting higher pay if it's just so they can have more expensive holidays after they imprison and beat our comrades.

But if the issues are for basic bread and butter rights then I wish them all the best. In a sense, I hope they are forced to confront their riot squad comrades and all hell breaks loose at Cop Headquarters. Maybe some of them will leave the rank and file State protection service. And then we will join them on the barricades to finish the job!

Or will they ultimately just welcome back their forks from State or union agents who are likely to backstab them and cheat them from achieving their demands? Will they rejoin the wrong side of the barricade and utter them infamous historical words: "I recant."