Current:Home > StocksPolish nationalists hold Independence Day march in Warsaw after voters reject their worldview-InfoLens
Polish nationalists hold Independence Day march in Warsaw after voters reject their worldview
View Date:2024-12-23 10:54:40
WARSAW. Poland (AP) — Thousands of people walked through Warsaw on Saturday in a march organized by nationalist groups as Poland celebrated its Independence Day holiday, 105 years after the nation regained its statehood at the end of World War I.
Participants carried Poland’s white-and-red flag and some burned flares as they marched along a route leading from the city center to the National Stadium.
While many patriotic events take place across the nation of 38 million each year, the yearly Independence March has come to dominate news coverage because it has sometimes been marred by xenophobic slogans and violence.
This year’s event was attended by some 40,000 and passed off peacefully, the Warsaw mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, said.
It came as nationalist forces have seen their worldview rejected by voters. In a national election last month, voters turned out in huge numbers to embrace centrist, moderate conservative and left-wing parties after eight years of rule by a nationalist conservative party that was at odds with the European Union.
The far-right Confederation party, which is ideologically linked to the Independence March, won just 18 seats in the 460-seat Sejm, the Polish parliament. Meanwhile, Law and Justice, the ruling right-wing nationalist party whose leaders joined the march in the past, won the most votes but fell short of a parliamentary majority.
Donald Tusk, the winning coalition’s candidate to be the next prime minister, appealed for national unity in a message on X, stressing that the holiday is one that belongs to all Poles.
“If someone uses the word nation to divide and sow hatred, he is acting against the nation,” said Tusk, who did not join the march. “Today our nation is celebrating independence. The whole nation, all of Poland.”
The Independence Day holiday celebrates the restoration of Poland’s national sovereignty in 1918, at the end of World War I and after 123 years of rule by Prussia, Austria and Russia.
President Andrzej Duda delivered a speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where he warned that Russian imperialism once again threatens not just Ukraine but the wider region.
“Russian imperialism will go further: it will want to seize more nations, taking away their freedom and their states,” Duda said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent Poland a message on X, formerly Twitter, telling Poles: “May your independence be invincible and eternal.”
The march has in the past drawn far-right sympathizers from other European countries, including Hungary and Italy. Among those taking part this year was Paul Golding, the leader of Britain First, a small far-right party in the U.K.
Football supporters were prominent among the marchers, some holding banners with far-right slogans. However, many families also took part, and there were no arrests. Police removed climate protesters who placed themselves along the route of the march.
veryGood! (32345)
Related
- The Office's Kate Flannery Defends John Krasinski's Sexiest Man Alive Win
- Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to last through hurricane season
- Man pleads guilty in betting scheme that ensnared ex-NBA player Jontay Porter
- Roots Actor John Amos’ Cause of Death Revealed
- Early Black Friday Deals: 70% Off Apple, Dyson, Tarte, Barefoot Dreams, Le Creuset & More + Free Shipping
- Covid PTSD? Amid port strike some consumers are panic-buying goods like toilet paper
- NCAA antitrust settlement effort challenged by lawyer from Ed O'Bannon case
- How Black leaders in New York are grappling with Eric Adams and representation
- John Robinson, former USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams coach, dies at 89
- Jury mulling fate of 3 former Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating
Ranking
- Kendall Jenner Is Back to Being a Brunette After Ditching Blonde Hair
- Prosecutors drop case against third man in Chicago police officer’s death
- The hurricane destroyed their towns. These North Carolina moms are saving each other.
- ‘Pure Greed’: A Legal System That Gives Corporations Special Rights Has Come for Honduras
- OneTaste Founder Nicole Daedone Speaks Out on Sex Cult Allegations Against Orgasmic Meditation Company
- Pete Rose takes photo with Reds legends, signs autographs day before his death
- Comedian Jeff Wittek Says He Saw Live Sex at Sean Diddy Combs' Freak-Off Party
- Target's 2024 top toy list with LEGO, Barbie exclusives; many toys under $20
Recommendation
-
Kentucky officer reprimanded for firing non-lethal rounds in 2020 protests under investigation again
-
Big game hunters face federal wildlife charges for expeditions that killed mountain lions
-
Why Olivia Munn's New Photo of Her and John Mulaney's Baby Girl Marks a Milestone in Her Health Journey
-
Virginia House candidates debate abortion and affordability as congressional election nears
-
Ben Foster Files for Divorce From Laura Prepon After 6 Years of Marriage
-
Becky Hammon likens Liberty to Spurs as Aces trail 0-2: 'They feel like something was stolen'
-
Jennifer Aniston Addresses the Most Shocking Rumors About Herself—And Some Are True
-
Amazon, Target and other retailers are ramping up hiring for the holiday shopping season