English Section

PM Tusk criticises far-right tone of Poland’s Independence March, calls president’s presence “a grim joke”

13.11.2025 15:05
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has condemned the tone of this year’s Independence March, accusing some participants of promoting anti-Western and pro-Russian attitudes.
Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk
Poland's Prime Minister Donald TuskPhoto: PAP/Andrzej Jackowski

In a post on social media on Thursday, Tusk said parties linked to right-wing MPs Sławomir Mentzen, Przemysław Wipler, Grzegorz Braun and Krzysztof Fritz had mocked him with chants telling him to “go to Berlin.”

“What was less amusing,” he wrote, “was that for those marching, the enemies seemed to be the West, the European Union and Ukraine - not Russia. The grim joke is that leading them was the President of the Republic.”

The annual march, held on November 11 to mark Poland’s Independence Day, drew tens of thousands of participants in central Warsaw. According to city officials, around 100,000 people took part, though organisers claimed as many as 300,000.

President Karol Nawrocki’s participation in the event sparked controversy, with critics accusing him of lending legitimacy to nationalist and far-right groups.

According to a report by the analytical collective Res Futura, nearly 70% of online commentary about the march was negative, with many Poles calling on the president to remain above partisan divisions and distance himself from extremist circles.

(mp)

Source: Polish Radio/PAP/Res Futura/X/@donaldtusk/@visegrad24