Tens of thousands attend Polish nationalist march days afer shootings

In other news now, just several days ago, an assailant gunned down six innocent people in Poland after having killed three of his own family members first. Though officials have cautioned that he didn't have any known association with any specific group, they have been clear that he held far-right nationalist views. Well, that did not prevent tens of thousands of far-right supporters from marching in Poland today. The Independence Day march has long been a source ...a source of tension between right-wing parties and the now-ruling centrist... who have been warning that this march can be a platform for racism and anti-Semitism. So for more, France 24's international affairs editor, Philip Turrell, joins me now on set. Hi, Philip. So tell us more then about today's annual Independence Day march. Well, this, of course, is all to do with the end of the First World War in 1918. Just like you were saying, Emmanuel Macron laying that wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. But it's been sort of taken over by protests. ...protesters, individuals associated with what they call the Confederation in Poland, which is a far-right group that sits amongst the opposition in Parliament. And this has turned out to be a standoff between the Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, and his centrist civic coalition, which runs everyday business in Poland, and then the more far-right president. Who is in charge, Karol Naroski, who has been taking part in this protest today. But it's also been joined by other far right and far left groups as well. I'll give you the list of some of the National Conservative Law and Justice, the Peace PIS movement, the Central Right Development Plus, the Radical Right Confederation of the Polish Crown and the president himself appearing for the second time at this protest march today. Now, this is all to do with a standoff against... As I was saying, the prime minister, Donald Tusk, because they say that he is too close to the European Union. They want a breakaway. This is all about Polish nationalism, Polish sovereignty. They say that the the march organizers say this is to emphasize their opposition to what they talk. They call foreign influence in Poland, notably that Poland should be a nation state and no longer a member of the European Union and not be run by major corporations. That is what is coming along here. saying in your introduction it's just a few days after this shooting in Poland of six people including a British national by a Polish man called Michał Osinski who was a 24 year old who is known to have been a fan of Anders Behring Breivik the A neo-Nazi in Norway who killed 77 people in 2011, he died as a result of the shooting. The Polish killer, Michał Osinski, died as a result of that shooting last Saturday. But this has severely, I think, shocked the people of Poland that the country could be victim to someone like this. who has been a fan of far-right ideology and would go right as far as trying to kill people in the street. So what does this all mean then for Donald Tusk? Well, he is under threat. There are elections coming up next year, parliamentary elections, and I think the far-right and the far-left in Poland see this as a... Stepping stone towards them trying to take power, trying to get rid of Donald Tusk and unseat his government and to install a much more far right movement in charge in Poland when the elections come up next year. This has all been exacerbated by a political battle over the legitimacy of the country's highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal that the president has appointed or appointed. Some far right justices there, they have been sacked now by Donald Tusk's party and more moderate judges have been put in their places, has annoyed the far right in the country. They say that the prime minister is intervening where he should not and that the Constitutional Court should be left on its own. So that is also on the bone of contention for the protesters and has, I think, brought more people out in the street today against Donald Tusk in Poland. Philip Taylor, our international affairs editor, thank you very much for that context then.