Tens of Thousands March in Poland's Independence Day Parade Amidst National Tensions

Tens of thousands of nationalist supporters gathered in Warsaw, Poland's capital, for an Independence Day march on November 11, 2026. The event took place days after a shooting in Krakow resulted in six fatalities. Participants, carrying Polish flags, assembled in the city center as police secured the demonstration.

The Independence Day march, a yearly commemoration of Poland's regained independence in 1918 after over a century of partition by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, has historically been a point of contention between right-wing groups and the centrist government. The march has drawn criticism for its association with anti-Semitic and anti-immigration rhetoric, while its proponents describe it as an assertion of national pride under the slogan “A Pole is the host in Poland”.

Organizers anticipated a record turnout, with foreign nationalist groups, including Spain’s Revuelta and members of Hungary’s Mi Hazank party, expected to attend. Poland’s conservative-nationalist President Karol Nawrocki was present at the march, having participated in previous years both officially and privately. President Nawrocki stated, “Poland “does not exist today so that the political elites can grant themselves the right to manage citizens … against the will of the nation”, referencing the current centrist administration.

Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged for restraint amidst heightened political divisions. This appeal followed statements from ministers suggesting that the individual responsible for the fatal shooting in Krakow on Saturday, November 7, which killed six people and injured over a dozen, may have been influenced by far-right ideology. Prime Minister Tusk remarked, “We may hold different views, we may keep each other in check, and at times we may even be political opponents. Anyone who truly cares about Poland must understand that this space, defined by independence, freedom and a secure Republic, is a common good.”

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek reported on Tuesday that the killer had shown interest in Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks. The 24-year-old gunman died in a hospital after being shot and arrested by police on Saturday when he opened fire from his vehicle.