Warsaw court clears way for Uprising March as cyclical event, overrules voivode's rejection
The Warsaw District Court on 24 July 2026 overturned the Masovian Voivode's decision, restoring the path for the annual Warsaw Uprising March to be held as a cyclical assembly on 1 August.
Court reverses administrative refusal
The Warsaw District Court on 24 July 2026 ruled in favour of the association Rota Marszu Niepodległości, overturning the Masovian Voivode's refusal to grant cyclical assembly status to this year's Warsaw Uprising March. The voivode had declined the application, arguing that the continuity of the organiser was broken and therefore the statutory conditions were not met. The court found otherwise, though the written justification of the judgment is still awaited.
We are waiting for the scan of the judgment with the grounds.
The voivode's reasoning
The voivode's spokesperson, Luiza Jurgiel-Żyła, explained that the refusal rested solely on a legal technicality: to obtain cyclical status under the Assembly Act, the same entity must have organised the gathering for the preceding three years. In 2025, although the event was held under the name of the same association, the voivode concluded that the de facto organiser had changed, thus breaking the required continuity. She stressed that the decision did not concern the purpose or conduct of the march itself.
The basis for the refusal was exclusively the issue of maintaining the organiser's identity.
Bąkiewicz: truth and justice prevailed
Robert Bąkiewicz, leader of Rota Marszu Niepodległości and a long-time figure in patriotic demonstrations, immediately welcomed the ruling on social media. He described the earlier refusal as an absurd attempt to block the assembly and credited the outcome to the support of sympathisers and donors who financed the legal battle.
The scandalous decision of the Masovian Voivode has been overturned! The absurd attempt to block our assembly has crumbled. Truth and justice have prevailed!
Bąkiewicz added that no political pressure would prevent Poles from paying tribute to the uprising heroes.
A multi-year legal tangle
The legal status of the Warsaw Uprising March has been contested for several years. In June 2023, the Supreme Court overturned earlier Warsaw court decisions that had denied cyclical status and restored the then-voivode's decision granting it. Prior to that, in July 2022, the Warsaw Court of Appeal had dismissed complaints brought by the organisers, the voivode, and the regional prosecutor against a lower court's refusal to allow cyclical assemblies. The association had secured approval for the years 2022–2024, but Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski appealed against the voivode's decision at that time. The current ruling adds another chapter to this chain of litigation.
- Warsaw Court of Appeal dismisses complaints by organisers, voivode and prosecutor, upholding a lower court's refusal to allow cyclical assemblies.
- Supreme Court overturns Warsaw courts' decisions, restoring the voivode's earlier grant of cyclical status.
- Warsaw District Court overturns the Masovian Voivode's refusal to grant cyclical status for the 2026 edition.
What happens on 1 August
The march is set to proceed regardless. Participants will gather at Rondo Dmowskiego at 17:00, the symbolic 'W' Hour, and then walk through the streets of Śródmieście to honour the insurgents. Whether the event ultimately takes place as a cyclical assembly or is notified under a different procedure depends on the written grounds of the District Court's judgment, which the organisers and authorities are now awaiting.
