Security concerns have forced Warsaw’s mayor, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, to ban a march organised by Polish far-right groups. The march was set to be held on November 11 to celebrate the country’s independence, and more than 100,000 people were expected to attend.
“Warsaw has suffered enough through aggressive nationalism,” said Mrs Gronkiewicz-Waltz. “The 100th anniversary of Poland’s independence shouldn’t look like this, hence my decision to forbid it.”
A similar rally has been held annually in the Polish capital on Independence Day for a number of years, but last year’s event was marked by violence. Some marchers carried racist and anti-Islamic banners calling for a ‘White Poland’ and a ‘White Europe’ and displayed white supremacist symbols. Marchers also attacked peaceful counter-protesters. President Andrzej Duda had already said that he planned to stay away from this year’s event.
“We don’t understand the decision of Mayor Gronkiewicz-Waltz. Even if the courts confirm her decision to ban the march, we will still meet. The march will take place,” said Tomasz Dorosz, the leader of Poland’s National Radical Camp, one of the extremist groups which organises the march.
Poland’s second republic was established on November 11, 1918, after more than a century of rule by Prussia, the Austro-Hungarian empire and Russia.
Just two things here: It’s not far right and it’s not banned. The President decreed that it’s a state event, which puts it outside of all regional control. The Liberal Mayor didn’t even have the legal powers to ban the march – they belong to the regional governor, who was not involved.
Last year it was infiltrated by masked Liberal thugs who held up racist banners. Before the Liberals were voted out after a generation in power, they used undercover police to act as agents provocateurs and to act with extreme violence. For example, the Interior Minister ordered his undercover men to set fire to the gatehouse at the Russian embassy – his officials were later secretly recorded laughing about it. Other Liberal thugs attacked mourners waiting outside the presidential palace to pay their last respects to the people who were slain when the presidential plane was blown up in Smolensk, Russia in 2010. My wife was there.
The Head of Security for the City of Warsaw graduated from the Felix Dzherzhinsky Academy for the Secret Police back in the Good Ol’ Days of Soviet Liberalism.
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