Bar in Poland introduces system for women to report feeling threatened by ordering “Angel Shot”

A bar in the Polish city of Wrocław has informed women that, if they feel in danger, they can report it to staff by ordering a certain drink. Similar “Angel Shot” systems are already common in some other countries, but the idea has now sparked discussion in Poland.

A poster displayed in the women’s toilet of Karavan Bar says: “If you feel unsafe or you need help, ask for an ‘Angel Shot’ drink”. If someone orders a straight Angel Shot, staff will call for a taxi; if they order one with ice, staff will escort them out of the venue; and if they order one with lime, staff will call the police.

A photograph of the poster was widely shared on social media this week, including by Robert Biedroń, a leader of The Left (Lewica), Poland’s second-largest opposition group. “Good idea?” he asked his followers.

The original social media user who shared it, a woman called Aneta on Twitter, praised the initiative, calling it a “great idea”. Many other comments also expressed support.

However, others were critical, with comments suggesting it was part of a “toxic” culture of “women making themselves into victims at every step”. Others also asked why the initiative was aimed only at women and not men, who can also require help.

Bar staff interviewed by the Wirtualna Polska news services also expressed mixed opinions. Maciej Lipski, the owner of a bar in Gdynia, said that he was considering introducing the Angel Shot system after it was suggested by one of his bartenders.

“Most often, it is the man who chooses the place for a date, which may be completely unknown to his partner,” says Lipski. “In an emergency, the first contact person will be the waiter or bartender and it would be great if they knew what to do after accepting a simple order.”

However, Ola Chmielewska, who has worked behind the bar at a club in Warsaw for two years, was more sceptical of the idea. She notes that staff are already extremely busy and may not always be able to properly respond to such coded calls for help.

“Often there is so much to do that you forget the beer someone ordered 20 minutes ago,” she says. “In that case, nothing serious happens, but forgetting an ‘Angel Shot’ would have much more serious consequences…I don’t think I’d like to take on that responsibility.”

She suggested that perhaps the system could work if staff were specially trained, but says that in general she feels it is better if people simply report concerns directly to staff, without using the Angel Shot code.

But Michalina, a woman who has experienced harassment from men while out in bars and clubs, told Wirtualna Polska that she would appreciate being able to use an Angel Shot system in such cases.

Last year, a Polish high school student, Krystyna Paszko, won an EU award for her initiative during the pandemic to create a fake online cosmetics shop that victims of domestic violence can use to seek help without alerting their abuser.

Her service, which was modelled on a similar idea in France, used a coded system. If someone asked about cosmetics, it meant that they needed support. But if they placed an order for home delivery, providing their address, it was a signal for the police to be called.

A government-commissioned study found in 2020 that 63% of women in Poland have experienced some form of domestic violence, including 5% who had suffered sexual violence.

Main image credit: Taylor Davidson/Unsplash

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.