WARSAW, Nov 11, (Net) : Poland’s Independence Day march, a major annual gathering of nationalists and the far right, takes place Wednesday in the tense aftermath of an unprecedented mass shooting that rocked the country.
Organisers expect a record attendance for the march, which commemorates the regaining of Polish independence in 1918, ending 123 years of partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria.
It is a magnet for nationalists, conservatives and far-right activists from across the country, who converge on Warsaw for the rally.
Poland’s conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki has attended these marches in both his official capacity and as a private citizen.
While generally peaceful, some rallies in the past have been marred by clashes with police or counter-demonstrators.
“We estimate that there will be more than half a million Poles. And of course also guests from abroad,” Rafal Buca, a spokesman for the organisers, told AFP.
Warsaw is on high alert after the shooting in Poland’s second city Krakow, which shocked the country of 38 million.
On Saturday, a 24-year-old killed nine people and wounded 15 others.
On Tuesday, justice minister Waldemar Zurek said the killer was interested in neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011.
The march also comes amid a battle pitting Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government against the nationalist right over the country’s highest court — the Constitutional Tribunal.
The court’s legitimacy has been disputed for years because of controversial appointments made under previous right-wing governments.
Nationalists have accused Tusk of undermining the constitutional order, while the governing coalition says it wants to correct “political” reforms and appointments made by the far right, which it deems contrary to democratic standards.
Right-wing demonstrators have been camping outside the tribunal for several weeks.
Riot police moved onto the tribunal site to block access, and a judge newly appointed by the ruling majority announced she was assuming the role on an interim basis, suspending the sitting president, who is close to the right-wing and Poland’s president.
Authorities fear political tensions could spill over into the streets and some demonstrators may decide to storm the Constitutional Tribunal.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Tusk called on participants to refrain from “any act of aggression” and urged their opponents to abandon counter-demonstrations.
Marchers have been banned from carrying weapons on Wednesday and there will be concrete blocks on certain roads in the city centre.
Police said they were ready to guarantee the safety of the event and reported arresting eight people for posting “information intended to create a climate of threat”.
