Poland marks centenary of its national rebirth

Nationalism soars and 200,000 march as country recalls years of occupation

WARSAW, POLAND — Poland’s president, prime minister and other top political figures led an Independence Day march Sunday as part of a day of centenary celebrations, trailed by a huge crowd led by nationalist groups.

Some 200,000 people marched in Warsaw to mark the 100th anniversary of Poland’s rebirth as an independent state at the end of The First World War, according to an initial police estimate.

President Andrzej Duda,

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the leader of the conservative ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, walked in a crowd fronted by soldiers carrying a huge flag with the words “For You Poland.”

Walking a small distance behind them was another crowd of nationalists and their supporters, many of them burning firecrackers and flares, creating flashes of red light and smoke.

Most in that contingent carried national flags, but some held flags of the National Radical Camp, a far-right group and one of the main march organizers. The camp’s flag has a falanga, a far-right symbol dating to the 1930s of a stylized hand with a sword.

There were also a few flags of Forza Nuova, an Italian group whose leader, Roberto Fiore, describes himself as fascist.

Among the slogans that some participants shouted were “U.S.A., empire of evil” and “Poland, white and Catholic.” Members of one nationalist group, All-Polish Youth, burned a European Union flag.

Over the past decade, nationalist organizations have held Independence Day marches on Nov. 11 that have included racist slogans, flares and in some years, acts of aggression.

This year, in honour of the centennial, state officials sought to hold one big government-led march for Sunday’s ceremonies. At first, negotiations broke down over requests for the groups to leave banners at home, but an agreement on a joint march was reached on Friday.

Duda and the government faced criticism from liberal opposition politicians for their willingness to negotiate with nationalists, including some who have made anti-Semitic comments. After some individuals showed up with extremist emblems, the state officials — surrounded by security — appeared to be trying to keep some distance from the nationalists, marching ahead of them on the same route.

But at the start of the march Duda said, “Let this be our joint march, let it be a march for everyone, a march where everyone wants to be and feels good, marching for Poland.”

As the Polish president spoke, he was at times obscured by the heavy smoke from the flares.

Throughout the day, solemn ceremonies and masses were held in cities and small towns to commemorate the nation’s regained statehood after 123 years of foreign rule.

The national flag fluttered from buildings and people remembered the father of Polish independence, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski.