Poland nationalist march draws tens of thousands

Tens of thousands of Polish nationalist sympathisers gathered in Warsaw on Wednesday for the annual Independence Day March, days after a deadly shooting spree in Krakow put the capital on high alert.

The march is held each November 11 to mark Poland regaining independence in 1918 after 123 years of partition by Russia, Prussia and Austria. Past rallies have generally been peaceful, though some have been marred by clashes with police or counter-demonstrators.

Before the march, crowds gathered at an “independence town” of booths and tents in front of Warsaw's cultural palace. Some booths sold commemorative magnets with Polish flags or Independence Day slogans, while others displayed Celtic crosses and extreme-right slogans. Self-described patriotic books on sale included eurosceptic, anti-Ukrainian and anti-semitic titles.

Marchers carried Polish flags and wore red and white, the national colours, in temperatures of about 3C.

Police said they were ready to guarantee safety and reported eight arrests over posts they said contained information intended to create a climate of threat. Marchers were banned from carrying weapons, and concrete blocks were placed on some roads in the city centre.

Warsaw was on high alert after the Krakow shootings. A 24-year-old opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle in a packed market square on Saturday, killing six people and wounding 15 before he was fatally wounded by police. The bodies of his parents and a sister were found at the family home.

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said on Tuesday that the killer had been interested in neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011.

The march also took place during a political battle between Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist government and the nationalist right over Poland's Constitutional Tribunal. The court's legitimacy has been disputed for years because of controversial appointments made under previous right-wing governments.

The governing coalition says it wants to correct reforms and appointments it considers political and contrary to democratic standards. Nationalists have accused Tusk of undermining constitutional order, and right-wing protesters have camped outside the tribunal for several weeks.

Last week, riot police moved onto the tribunal site to block access. A judge appointed by the ruling majority said she was assuming the court presidency on an interim basis and suspended the sitting president, who is close to conservative-nationalist President Karol Nawrocki.

Authorities feared political tensions could spill into the streets and that some demonstrators might try to storm the tribunal.

Tusk called for unity on the national holiday, saying Poland had gone through difficult days. Nawrocki said Poles needed a “strong and effective state” to live “in freedom and sovereignty,” and criticised what he described as political elites managing citizens against the will of the nation.

Masses, a military parade and concerts were also taking place in Warsaw, organised by state authorities or the centrist city hall.