Poles are taking to the streets across the country to preserve press freedom.

On Sunday, Poles went to city centers around the country to defend a US-owned television network that is being targeted by the country’s right-wing administration, as well as to preserve media freedom in a European Union country where democratic values are fading.

Older Poles were among the protestors, who had fought the country’s communist system for decades and now fear that the democracy they helped establish is being eroded. Many Poles feel Poland’s populist right-wing government is moving away from the West and toward an authoritarian model similar to Turkey or Russia, with moves to gain political control over the judiciary and stifle critical media.

The leader of the biggest opposition party, Donald Tusk, has urged Poles to unite and replace their leadership.

“Let’s get rid of this power!” Tusk, a former Polish prime minister and former president of the European Union, addressed the gathering in Warsaw.

The demonstrations were scheduled after Poland’s parliament passed a law on Friday that would require Discovery Inc. to relinquish its controlling stake in TVN, the country’s largest television network.

The lower house of parliament had approved it in the summer, but the Senate had vetoed it. The law was brought back to parliament without warning, and the lower house overrode the Senate’s veto.

The bill’s fate now rests with President Andrzej Duda. On Sunday, the largest protest took place in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw, with demonstrators calling for Duda to veto the measure.

Government leaders have justified the legislation, claiming that it is critical for national security that no firm outside of Europe has control over companies that assist shape public opinion.

TVN has an all-news station, TVN24, and its main channel, TVN, features a regular evening news program with millions of viewers that provides essential government reporting. Critics say Poland’s right-wing government is simply trying to stifle a news organization that attempts to hold power accountable.

On Sunday, a series of speakers accused the Polish government of eroding the country’s democratic roots, with audiences chanting “Free media!”

The ruling party is attempting to silence the media in order to steal Poland’s next elections, which are scheduled for 2023, according to Jarosaw Kurski, deputy editor of Gazeta Wyborcza, a liberal newspaper that has exposed a string of government scandals and has been sued numerous times by government allies.

“The mafia has seized control of the country.” “They want to be able to control every aspect of public life,” Kurski explained.

The US, a strong ally of Poland, had lobbied parliament not to enact the legislation. Bix Aliu, the US charge d’affaires, said the bill’s passing had left the US “very dissatisfied” and encouraged Duda to “use his leadership to preserve free expression and industry.”

Duda, who is aligned with the ruling party, declared in the summer that he would not support it, but said on Friday that he needed more time to think about it.

Joanna Glowczyk Zobek, a Warsaw protester, said the authorities would probably ignore the demonstrations, “but let the world see that in Poland there are not only supporters of Law and Justice, supporters of dull propaganda, but there are also ordinary people who want to be citizens of Europe and have good relations with the entire world.”

On Sunday, TVN started an online petition urging Duda to veto the measure, which had been signed by 2 million individuals in the country of 38 million by the evening.

“The onslaught on media freedom has far-reaching implications for Poland’s future,” the plea states. “Mutual ties with the United States, our country’s greatest ally and guarantor of security, are being shattered. It’s not going to happen!”

In a statement, Discovery also promised to “relentlessly battle for our business.”