Hundreds joined a march by nationalist teams in Poland’s capital Warsaw in what organisers described because the “largest patriotic demonstration in Europe”.
Contributors carried Poland’s white-and-red flag and a few burned flares and held Celtic crosses as they marched alongside a route main from town centre to the Nationwide Stadium on Saturday.
The occasion, held yearly as Poland celebrates its Independence Day vacation, occurred lower than a month after the pro-European opposition secured a majority in parliamentary elections.
Whereas many patriotic occasions happen throughout the nation of 38 million annually, the yearly Independence March has come to dominate information protection as a result of it has typically been marred by xenophobic slogans and violence.
The occasion has, prior to now drawn, far-right sympathisers from different European international locations, together with Hungary and Italy. Amongst these collaborating this yr was Paul Golding, the chief of Britain First, a small far-right celebration in the UK.
Soccer supporters have been distinguished among the many marchers, some holding banners with far-right slogans. Anti-abortion rights teams have been additionally current on the occasion, the place Christian symbols have been on show.
Police eliminated local weather protesters who positioned themselves alongside the route of the march.
![A participant in Poland's Independence Day march organised by nationalist groups holds a crucifix in Warsaw, Poland on November 11, 2023. [Wojtek Radwanski / AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/far-right-1699725467.jpeg?resize=770%2C514)
Decrease turnout
This yr’s occasion was attended by some 40,000 and handed off peacefully, the Warsaw mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, stated.
It got here as nationalist forces have seen their worldview rejected by voters. In October’s election, voters turned out in enormous numbers to embrace centrist, average conservative, and left-wing events after eight years of rule by a nationalist conservative celebration that was at odds with the European Union.
In recent times, the annual Independence March has attracted as much as 250,000 contributors.
The decrease turnout was the results of inner splits between leaders of the rally, in addition to of a spectacular electoral defeat suffered final month by the far-right Confederation Social gathering, which is historically allied with the occasion.
The celebration received simply 18 seats within the 460-seat Sejm, the Polish parliament. In the meantime, Legislation and Justice (PiS), the governing right-wing nationalist celebration whose leaders joined the march prior to now, received probably the most votes however fell wanting a parliamentary majority.
Many on the political proper consider that the outcomes of the election, wherein the coalition of the liberal Civic Platform, conservative Third Method, and left-wing Lewica got here out as winners, will result in the gradual erosion of the nation’s independence.
“We can expect – with a high probability – a change in EU treaties, which will affect Poland’s sovereignty and Poland’s independence in the international arena, and in particular within the [European Union],” Bartosz Malewski, head of the Independence March affiliation, instructed reporters in October.
“This slogan also expresses our position on the need to emphasise sovereignty and the threat to sovereignty.”
Different march contributors agree.
Grzegorz Cwik, from the nationalist Niklot affiliation, instructed Al Jazeera he fears the “federalisation of the European Union, cuts of military spending, and dismantling of social programmes”.
On Friday, the nation’s opposition events signed a coalition deal, paving the way in which for them to kind a brand new authorities after profitable the vast majority of votes final month. However they should wait.
President Andrzej Duda has given PiS, which took extra votes than any single celebration within the elections, the primary shot at forming a authorities.
Donald Tusk, the opposition coalition’s candidate to be the following prime minister, appealed for nationwide unity in a message on X, stressing that the vacation is one which belongs to all Poles.
“If someone uses the word nation to divide and sow hatred, he is acting against the nation,” stated Tusk, who didn’t be part of the march. “Today, our nation is celebrating independence. The whole nation, all of Poland.”
The Independence Day vacation celebrates the restoration of Poland’s nationwide sovereignty in 1918, on the finish of World Struggle I and after 123 years of rule by Prussia, Austria and Russia.