In light of the recent nationwide protests in Poland, the largest since the transformative events of 1989, the steering committee of the Copernicus Center for Polish Studies at the University of Michigan voices its support for institutions of higher learning targeted for reprisal by the Ministry of Education, and we condemn efforts by the ruling Law and Justice Party to erode the institutions of liberal democracy in Poland. These efforts have included converting formerly independent public media into broadcasters of state propaganda, transferring leadership of museums and research institutes from nonpartisan specialists to party loyalists, and thwarting the independence of the judiciary, contravening both democratic values and European Union law. We believe that Polish society is best positioned to address the challenges of the twenty-first century when the state prioritizes protecting human rights and the rule of law before considerations of political expediency. We support the protesters' effort to return Poland to that path.