Thousands of white nationalists march on Independence Day

As many as 60,000 people, including many far-right white supremacists, marched in Warsaw on Polish Independence Day on Saturday. Many smaller marches took place in other Polish cities that day, with some of them also prominently displaying racist banners and symbols. Demonstrators with faces covered chanted “White Poland,” “White Europe,” and “Refugees get out!.” Often times raising their hands in a fascist gesture and holding banners with Celtic crosses, a popular symbol among white supremacists. One demonstrator interviewed by state television TVP said he was on the march to “remove Jewry from power.” Many people in the crowd told local and international media they were not part of the radical-nationalist groups but were attending in celebration of Independence Day. While political support for the group remains small, its critics argue that the Polish government, which has struck a nationalistic tone and linked immigrants to crime and disease, has fostered an atmosphere of intolerance and xenophobia that has emboldened it. Police estimate that 60,000 people took part in the nationalist demonstrate, which the Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak called “peaceful.” Police blocked most of the attempts by people protesting against the fascist overtones of the event and arrested several people trying to block the march. The official slogan for the march was “We want God.”