2018-11-12 01:12 update: 2018-11-15, 10:11
Photo PAP/Paweł Supernak
On Sunday, on the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its Independence, an estimated 250,000 people, led by the President and Prime minister marched through the streets of Warsaw. It was a White and Red March under the slogan "For you Poland".
The march began at 15.00 with a speech by the President and the singing of the National anthem. "Thank you for coming here for Poland, that you have brought with you white and red flags, that we are all here and are standing under them, under the colours for which our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers- generations of Poles shed their blood, so that we could today carry them freely - so that we can gather beneath them. There is a place here for everyone - this is our flag, our state flag, our national flag, our white and red flag" said President Andrzej Duda.
At the head of the march, a banner was carried with the slogan "For You Poland." In addition to the President, The Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Culture Piotr Gliński, Head of the Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, Minister of Interior and Administration Joachim Brudzinski, and the Law and Justice Party (PiS) Chairman Jarosław Kaczyński all marched to the sounds of patriotic songs. Young people, families with children and seniors citizens all took part in the march. Thousands of white and red flags fluttered over the participants heads. All along the route there were people who greeted the marchers. While In the procession, one could meet people from many different parts of Poland.
A young participant, holding a Polish flag in his hand, proposed along the way. The chosen young lady accepted his proposal, received a bouquet of white and red roses and the happy couple received congratulated from the Prime Minister.
So many people took part in the march that when its head reached the Washington roundabout, the last participants were just starting to move from the Dmowski roundabout, a distance of around three kilometers.
A resident of Lodz told PAP, that she had come to the capital, because she felt it was her patriotic duty. A middle-aged couple said that they decided to participate in the march as it was the anniversary of Poland's independence. "We are Poles, and the 100th anniversary of regaining our Independence is something worth celebrating and its definitely better to celebrate together with everyone here, than alone at home." "The atmosphere was very good, we are happy," said the man. A young couple with two children, who were participants of the 11th of November march for the first time said "it was OK". "The children have managed the entire route and they experienced what a sense of community is".
The head of the Office for Veterans and Victims of Oppression Jan Józef Kasprzyk at the Washington roundabout (the end of the March) thanked the participants of the White and Red March "For You Poland" for their presence and attitude.
The Command of the Warsaw army Garrison (the organizers of the March) informed after 7.00 pm informed that the last participants had left the Poniatowski bridge. Therefore, the State Ceremony was officially over.
The Ministry of the Interior and the Minister in charge of coordinating Special Services, in a joint statement on Sunday evening, informed that the services did not record any serious public disturbances during the State celebrations on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence.
Some incidents did happened. A group of participants of the march organized by the Association of the Independence March, threw around a dozen flares in the direction of the "Citizens of the Republic of Poland"(a radical opposition group) standing and protesting along the route of the march. Participants of the march and the protesters were separated by a police cordon, the army and some trucks. However, people holding banners and black flags with the inscriptions "Polish nationalism" burned an "Antify" flag. On the other hand, an EU flag was burned on the Poniatowski bridge. On one car with a sound system mounted on it, there was a banner which read: "Islam is enemy of Europe", "Delete Islam".
Participants of the same organization carried banners, on which one could read, among other slogans "Patriotism is the greatest strength of the Polish nation"; "God -Honor - Our Homeland"; "Forza Nuova". They also carried portraits of political leaders of that time (1918) such as Roman Dmowski. They also lit flares.
Groups of participants shouted slogans such as: "White and red are invincible colours"; "Honor and Glory to our Heroes"; "Lwów and Vilnius always Polish"(these two cities belonged to Poland until 1945); "We remember Pilecki," (a Polish officer tortured and murdered by the Communists). "Communists will hang on trees - instead of leaves"; "Our way is Nationalism"; "We will always always remember the "Żołnierze Wykleci" (soldiers who did not give up their arms after the end of the war but continued their fight against the communists as partisans); "Roman Dmowski, the liberato of Polandr"; "Save Europe from emigration."
The head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery, Michał Dworczyk, referring to the content of some banners and cries of the participants of the gathering organized by the, Independence March Association said- A few hooligans can not spoil the celebrations of several hundred thousand Poles.
"A quarter of a million Poles in the capital have shown today that we are able to unite and celebrate Poland's anniversary. I would particularly like to thank, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of the Interior, for the safe celebration of our Independence Centenary, my thanks also go to the "Gazeta Polska" (a daily newspaper) clubs and all those who participated in todays March!" - Dworczyk later wrote on Twitter.
In turn, the Government spokesperson Joanna Kopcińska told PAP after the end of the march: "We are glad that the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its Independence has passed in a calm atmosphere, without disturbance." She also added, the sight of hundreds of thousands of white and red flags is very "symbolic and building" .
One March was formally formed from two separate ones - one organized by the Government and the other by the Association of the Independence March. (PAP)
authors: Katarzyna Lechowicz-Dyl, Olga Zakolska, Karolina Kropiwiec, Hanna Złotorowicz, Paweł Żebrowski, Grzegorz Bruszewski, Krzysztof Kowalczyk, Norbert Nowotnik, Aleksander Główczewski
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