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Photo report of the 2022 Polish Independence Day March

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Poland – For more than a decade, each year on the 11th of November, the major event happening in the Polish capital city is the Independence March (Marsz Niepodległości). For most people, 11 November 1918 means the end of the war, but for Poland it is the day it regained its independence after 123 years of Russian, Prussian, German and Austrian partition. Organised by a patriotic association close to the Polish national right, the march is nonetheless non-partisan, and all Polish patriots and friends of Poland are welcome.

Many families, youth, elderly, and women join with the patriots, nationalists and football fans every year, thus showing a united face of Poland that we wanted to present here through a selection of photographs.

The participants gathered at the foot of the Palace of Culture in Warsaw while prayers were said. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
A father and son during the Independence March. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Two young women talk during the march, one with a Polish flag on her shoulders. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Some politicians take part in the march, such as PiS MP Dominik Tarczyński. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Many women attend the march. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Along the way, many locals wave to the crowd. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
A Pole wearing a sweatshirt evoking the Polish-Hungarian friendship. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Many elderly people also participate in the event. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
A man has a tattoo on his neck, meaning “We remember” in Polish, the first letter being the symbol of the Warsaw insurgents of 1944. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Numerous smoke bombs and pyrotechnic elements create a unique atmosphere during the entire march. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
A Polish family attending the 11 November commemorations and the Independence March. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
A group of Poles displayed a banner against Bandera, a Ukrainian nationalist figure and initiator of the ethnic cleansing of Poles in Volhynia. Several participants came to ask for explanations, sometimes vehemently, as the banner was seen as an anti-Ukrainian provocation by some. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
A young Polish couple who came to attend the Independence March. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Encounter of French readers of the Visegrád Post! Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
A flag of the Virgin Mary, carried by Catholics reciting psalms. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
From the Poniatowski Bridge, a participant observes the huge crowd. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Catholic activists carrying a banner saying “Poland is Catholic, not secular”. In the background, an anti-abortion banner showing the shredded body of an aborted foetus. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
As night falls, the participants arrive at the national stadium. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Banner against the Ukrainization of Poland. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, several million Ukrainians have joined the two to three million already living in Poland. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
National Socialist, LGBT and communist symbols crossed out on the banners of the participants of the Independence March. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Two young Poles have just lit a torch. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
Many re-enactors participate in the event. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy
An football ultra poses in front of the national stadium. Photo: Visegrád Post / Ferenc Almássy