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Many participants arrived by car or motorcycle so as not to break the rules of social distance. But several thousand more activists marched. Some of them threw fireworks, stones and bottles at riot police, as well as windows with LGBT flags or symbols used by protesters against the country’s conservative government. There was a fire in an apartment, but firefighters got it under control. No one was injured during the incident.
The protesters, many of whom were not wearing masks, waved Polish flags and chanted: “God, glory and fatherland!”
According to the Warsaw police, some people have been arrested and several officers have been injured.
The police used rubber bullets against protesters in the event of clashes.
“Officials had to act decisively to clear the way for ambulances and machines carrying artificial lung ventilators that had been blocked by hooligans,” police said in a statement.
The mayor of the liberal capital, Rafal Trzaskowski, had banned the march, having previously declared it illegal by a court. The decision was motivated by the ban on gatherings of more than five people presented to stop the accelerated spread of the coronavirus.
The government also urged not to participate in the march.
The action took place as thousands of Poles protested daily across the country against the right-wing government, which last month supported the tightening of the already strict abortion law. The protesters are also demanding more rights for the LGBT community and want the government to resign.
Annual mass Independence Day marches organized by far-right groups often escalate into clashes with left-wing groups and the police.
The national holiday of November 11 is dedicated to commemorating the restoration of Polish independence after the First World War. The government generally encourages participation in commemorative events.
On Wednesday, Independence Day, President Andrzej Duda and other leaders of the country attended a Catholic mass in Warsaw, and a changing of the guard ceremony was held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
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