CHWDP or HWDP is a frequently used
Polish acronym or initialism of the
Polish phrase , literally meaning "(put a) dick up the
police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
's ass." This
anti-authoritarian
Anti-authoritarianism is opposition to authoritarianism. Anti-authoritarians usually believe in full equality before the law and strong civil liberties. Sometimes the term is used interchangeably with anarchism, an ideology which entails opposing a ...
and
anti-police slogan, often written on walls in Poland, is used as a vulgar form of provocation against the police and authorities.
The initialism was largely popularised by
Polish hip hop music and
Polish anarchists, where it is often used in lyrics and as
graffiti
Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
. It is a specific expression of protest against the authorities, and against "the system" in general. It is more or less analogous to the English language expressions
ACAB and “fuck the police”.
In
Polish orthography
Polish orthography is the system of writing the Polish language. The language is written using the Polish alphabet, which derives from the Latin alphabet, but includes some additional letters with diacritics. The orthography is mostly phonetic, o ...
,
Ch is a digraph. However as ''
chuj'' is pronounced the same as ''huj'', the acronym HWDP is commonly seen.
Popularity
The slogan is already very widespread in Poland, and its popularity is spreading to other countries, most notably Slovakia and Germany.
Alternate expansions
One of the ways in which the popularity of the initialism is easily noticed is that it was given many alternative expansions. Still, the basic meaning is generally known. Others are merely jokes that are sometimes used to avoid awkward situations and to relieve the tension, e.g. when people who propagate this abbreviation talk with the police or by the policemen who want to avoid embarrassment when they are asked to expand the abbreviation during interviews.
Spread on the Internet
However, the popularity of this initialism is not limited to it being spraypainted on the walls in Poland. In fact, the initialism has also spread among the Internet users, both Polish and foreign.
Gallery
File:HWDP.jpg, A two-metre-tall inscription of HWDP, on a wall in Zielona Góra
Zielona Góra (; ''Green Mountain''; ) is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (). The region is closely associated with vineyards and holds an annual Zielona Góra Wine Fest, Wine Fest. Zie ...
File:Zabrze Chrysler Crossfire.jpg, Car in Poland with CHWDP license plate
File:Bilbord Galerii Rusz przy CSW w Toruniu.jpg, Sign in Toruń
Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
, claiming the initialism stands for (harmony, freedom, goodness, beauty)
See also
*
ACAB
References
External links
*
* {{cite news , last1=Szubrycht , first1=Jakub , title=HWDP! Skąd ten gniew? Antypolicyjnych piosenek nie da się zliczyć , trans-title=HWDP! Where does this anger come from? Anti-police songs cannot be counted , url=https://wyborcza.pl/7,75410,26314942,piosenki-o-policji.html , access-date=23 January 2021 , work=Gazeta Wyborcza , date=19 September 2020 , language=Polish
Graffiti and unauthorised signage
Counterculture
Law enforcement in Poland
Profanity
Polish youth culture
Protests against police brutality
Polish profanity