In Poland, thousands join nationalist Independence Day march

11 November 2019, 7:20 pm

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Thousands of Poles join in a yearly Independence Day march organized by nationalist groups, an event that has grown over the past decade as the far right across Europe has strengthened and gained a degree of social acceptance.

Participants burn flares and shoot off firecrackers, creating a thick cloud of smoke in the national colors of white and red. There is no immediate police estimate for the size of this year’s march in Warsaw, but it appears by be smaller than in 2017 or 2018, when tens of thousands took part.

As participants march, a group of counter-protesters protected by police sing “Bella ciao,” an Italian anti-fascist resistance anthem, and chant “Warsaw free from fascism,” among other slogans.

— AP