Thousands of people have gathered in Warsaw for an annual far-right march to mark Independence Day, with a handful holding pro-white or anti-gay rights banners and firing red flares. Demonstrators, including families with children – as well as representatives of far-right groups – waved white and red Polish flags and chanted “God, Honor, Country” as they marched through central Warsaw on Friday amid a heavy police presence. The annual event has become a point of friction between far-right groups and supporters of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government on one side and their liberal opponents on the other. Since coming to power in 2015, PiS has introduced a range of conservative legislation, including the introduction of an almost total ban on abortion. Detail of a person’s clothing is seen as people attend a march to mark the 104th anniversary of Poland’s independence in Warsaw [Kacper Pempel/Reuters] Critics at home and abroad have accused her of promoting homophobia during the election campaigns. “Poland will only be independent if everyone’s rights to life are equal and abortion is completely banned,” said one of the participants, Magorzata Kurzeja, 42, an abortion rights activist. Warsaw city hall has tried several times to ban or prevent the march, but the March for Independence association, the organizer, has successfully challenged court rulings. People carry Polish flags and flares during a march to mark the 104th anniversary of Poland’s independence in Warsaw [Kacper Pempel/Reuters]
