Warsaw Independence March: hundreds of thousands and a divided Poland

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Warsaw on Nov. 11, the national holiday, for the annual Independence March: 250,000 according to city hall, half a million according to the organizers. The procession once again showed how divided Polish society is, and a dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal and a tragedy in Kraków have only added to the tension.

Celebration and hatred in the same column

According to a correspondent who attended the march, a sea of red-and-white flags shared the street with anti-government placards and openly hostile slogans against foreigners, migrants, LGBT people and Jews. Families with children and elderly people marched alongside participants in balaclavas, in protective gear and with racist or far-right symbols.

The march in its present form has been held since 2009. It was founded by nationalist organizations that, according to an extremism expert, continue the tradition of interwar fascist-leaning and antisemitic groups. The procession has long been surrounded by controversy, and in the past there were clashes with police. This year, among other things, “LGBT-free zone” stickers were spotted.

The rally took on a distinctly anti-government tone ahead of parliamentary elections that are due in Poland in a year. Krzysztof Bosak, deputy speaker of the Sejm and leader of the opposition Confederation, effectively delivered a campaign speech and urged patriots to unite and change the government. PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński proposed a joint list of right-wing parties, including the most radical ones.

One court and two irreconcilable camps

The roots of the conflict go back to 2015, when the outgoing majority elected five new judges to the Constitutional Tribunal, two of them ahead of schedule. PiS, which came to power, did not recognize three of the judges elected under the rules and pushed through its own candidates. Years of political control over the court followed, and European institutions later also questioned its independence.

Donald Tusk’s current government promised to restore the rule of law, but its actions are also disputed. President Karol Nawrocki refused to swear in some of the new judges. At the end of October, one of the judges announced that the court’s former leadership had been removed. Police cordoned off the building, and Nawrocki cut short a trip abroad, arrived at the court at night and argued sharply with the judge. The opposition called it an attempted coup, while the authorities said they were putting the judiciary in order.

No solution is in sight yet. The Polish People’s Party, a member of the coalition, proposes amending the constitution and completely renewing the court’s membership by agreement between the government, the opposition and the president, but the necessary consensus is lacking.

Who will govern Poland

The slogan of this year’s march was “A Pole is master in Poland.” According to the correspondent, the organizers used it to protest against migration, foreign influence and the European Union. The right-wing forces are not uniform, though; they differ, for example, in their views on Russia.

In an October poll, more than half of respondents trusted President Nawrocki, while only a little over a third trusted Prime Minister Tusk. Even so, Tusk’s Civic Coalition leads in pre-election polls, while PiS has weakened and split. But even a Civic Coalition victory would not guarantee Tusk a government: much will be decided by the smaller parties.

Kraków shooting: motive unclear

The country was also shaken by the shooting in the center of Kraków on Saturday, when an attacker killed several random passersby. The 24-year-old gunman died on Monday, and the motive is under investigation. Police are looking, among other things, at material about the Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik found on his computer.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said soon after the shooting that the attacker was interested in far-right ideologies, but his words drew criticism for jumping to conclusions. The tragedy brought calls to overcome political divisions, but, in the correspondent’s view, there are no signs yet that the tension will ease.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz