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Polish PM urges Nov. 11 Independence March to be called off

05.11.2020 08:10
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has appealed for an Independence March planned for November 11 in Warsaw to be called off amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.
Robert Bąkiewicz.
Robert Bąkiewicz. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzel

The head of the Independence March Association, Robert Bąkiewicz, has insisted the rally take will place despite the epidemic, adding that organizers will encourage participants to wear masks “and comply with the restrictions in force.”

Large gatherings have been forbidden in Poland under rules aiming to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The Independence March has in the past been criticised by liberals for attracting the far-right, but praised by conservative politicians as a show of Polish patriotism.

Meanwhile, in defiance of the ban on mass gatherings, tens of thousands of women, liberals and anti-government demonstrators have been taking to the streets around the country daily to protest against an October 22 ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal which signalled a near-total ban on abortion in Poland.

Morawiecki on Wednesday announced a swathe of new restrictions aiming to curb the COVID-19 epidemic as both new infections and deaths hit a record.

He appealed to Poles to stay at home and for employees to work remotely.

(pk)

Source: PAP