Tens of thousands attend Polish nationalist march days after shootings

Blanketing Warsaw in red and white, tens of thousands of far-right sympathisers were out in force for Poland's annual Independence Day march. This year's gathering came just days after a mass shooting in Krakow. Extra police were deployed in the capital, though participants were confident it would be a peaceful event. I suspect that this march will be the most peaceful one so far. It serves as a tribute to those who lost their lives and as a gesture of respect towards their families. At least that's how I see it. We want what is best for the country, so let this march be an expression of our devotion and love for our homeland, rather than an extension of all these existing conflicts. Speakers at the event raised historic and Christian themes and denounced toxic ideologies that circulate on the internet. Nationalist conservative president Karol Nawrocki also joined the march. Political tensions were heightened after the Polish justice minister on Tuesday said the suspect in the Krakow shooting may have been motivated by far-right ideology. Some members of Narodowe and Justice Party have accused the centrist government of lying about the suspect's motives. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for unity on the national holiday. Our entire history is composed of both joyful and challenging days, of periods of peace and of struggle. Yet on this day, November 11th, all our hearts beat in white and red. Wednesday's march also took place amid a political battle pitting Tusk's government against the nationalist right over the country's highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal. The governing coalition says it wants to correct political reforms and appointments made by the far-right, which it deems contrary to democratic standards. But nationalists have accused Tusk of undermining constitutional order.