Organizers of the Independence March say a record number of participants will march in Warsaw on Wednesday, 11 November. These are the association’s declarations, not data from the services or the city hall.
Slogan, route and times
The march will take place on the 108th anniversary of regaining independence under the slogan “Pole is the master in Poland!” According to the programme of the “Marsz Niepodleglosci” Association, participants will gather at 2:00 p.m. at Dmowski Roundabout, where they will sing the national anthem. The march is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.
The route runs along Jerozolimskie Avenue and across the Poniatowski Bridge to the meadows of the National Stadium. There, approximately from 4:30 p.m., the “Independence Stage” is due to host artistic performances and speeches. At 6:00 p.m. a display by the All-Polish Youth is planned, and the event will end at 8:00 p.m.
Earlier, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Independence Town operates by the Palace of Culture and Science. At 11:00 a.m., a Mass for the Homeland will be celebrated at the Church of All Saints on Grzybowski Square, and at 12:45 p.m. a Rosary prayer will take place at Dmowski Roundabout.
Assembly status and notifications to city hall
The march has the status of a recurring assembly, for which consent was issued by the Mazovian Voivode. As of 4 November, city hall had also received notifications of 20 other assemblies planned for 11 November. The law allows further notifications to be filed, so this number may still rise.
On the day of the march, a ban on carrying all kinds of weapons applies in the capital. Detailed traffic arrangements and changes to public transport have not yet been published. In previous years, among other things, a section of Jerozolimskie Avenue and the Poniatowski Bridge were closed.
Record turnout: organizers’ declarations
Organizers speak of a march several times larger than the previous one, even up to half a million participants. They also announce the attendance of the president and leaders of right-wing groupings, including Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Grzegorz Braun. As of publication, there are no official estimates from the police or city hall regarding the expected number of participants. The police and the city usually publish their own figures only on the day of the march.
Appeal from the Presidential Chancellery
On Tuesday, 3 November, presidential spokesman Rafal Leskiewicz, in a statement published by the Presidential Chancellery, called the march a “festival of Polish democracy” and rejected describing it as a march of fascists. He appealed to participants not to give in to provocateurs, and said the march was peaceful in character.
