Polish President Karol Nawrocki joins thousands of right-wing demonstractors at an annual march in the capital to mark Independence Day
WARSAW, Poland -- Polish President Karol Nawrocki joined hundreds of thousands of right-wing demonstrators, waving red-and-white national flags and chanting slogans, at an annual march on Wednesday to mark the country's Independence Day.
The demonstration organized by nationalists came amid concerns about violent extremism after a deadly shooting in the touristic center of southwestern Krakow on Saturday, which authorities attributed to a far-right gunman.
Vociferous speeches ahead of the march cited historic and Christian themes while evoking Poland's past subjugation under Germany and the Soviet Union. One speaker denounced “toxic ideologies” circulating on the Internet. A message of patriotism resounded throughout.
As the march got under way, Nawrocki — a staunch conservative and nationalist — joined in from the back: He did not address the full crowd. Horns blared, voices shouted, and orange flares spewed smoke under cloudy skies.
The PAP news agency cited Jarosław Misztal, director of the Warsaw Security Center, as saying some 250,000 people took part, with no major incidents, while march organizers put turnout at half a million or more.
The president opted instead to deliver remarks earlier at an official commemoration at Pilsudski Square, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown…
