Warsaw Independence March set to go ahead on 11 November after Kraków attack

The attack in Kraków

On Saturday, 7 November, an attacker drove onto the Main Square in Kraków near Sławkowska Street and opened fire on passers-by. Reports published on 8 November put the toll at six people killed and 16 wounded. Two of the dead were foreign nationals and four were Poles. The wounded include citizens of the United Kingdom, Austria, Portugal, Russia and Germany, as well as two police officers who shot the attacker and detained him. Poland is under two days of national mourning for the victims.

Killed6

Wounded16

Killed

6 people

Wounded

16 people

Data from the article text

Organizers refuse to cancel

The Independence March association, led by chairman Bartosz Malewski, says the march will go ahead through Warsaw on 11 November as planned. In a statement the organizers offered condolences to the victims' families, thanked the police officers who stopped the attacker and objected to what they called the politicization of the tragedy. They also criticized officials who, according to the statement, attributed political motives to the attacker from the first hours without showing the public any evidence. Spokesman Rafał Buca made the same case on social media.

“The Independence March will go ahead! Those calling for its cancellation have no imagination. Hundreds of thousands of people will come regardless of what someone orders from above.”

The organizers argue that cancelling a public event under the pressure of terror would send a dangerous message that violence can paralyze social life, and could encourage copycats. They add that people from across Poland and abroad have long planned to travel to the capital. An organized march with a fixed route, timetable and stewards, they say, serves the safety of participants and residents better.

Government and security measures

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that nobody intends to ban the march, which is due to pass through Warsaw's streets on 11 November. He appealed to participants to refrain from aggression, to show respect for police officers, and to drop counter-demonstrations, which he said could make it harder for the services to keep order. His message ended with this line:

“In this sad moment I count on your responsibility and deep reflection.”

Karolina Gałecka, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration (MSWiA), told TVP Info that the ministry had no information about cancelling the 11 November events and could not confirm what would happen to the march. Preparations predate the attack: on 5 November the ministry held a briefing with police, the fire service and other services, where Minister Marcin Kierwiński ordered forces and resources deployed for the march and the other events. Planned measures in Warsaw include more police on duty, barriers on Trakt Królewski, and a ban on carrying weapons on 11 November as well as a ban on carrying and using fireworks. Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski has already acted on police recommendations, according to the ministry, and President Karol Nawrocki has confirmed he will attend the march.

What comes next

The Independence March is scheduled for Wednesday, 11 November, in Warsaw, under this year's slogan Polak w Polsce gospodarzem. The organizers have asked participants to follow official announcements, stay calm and obey instructions from the march's stewards. Officials say security is being expanded in the capital, and the organizers say the route and timetable are already set. The march's organizers say remembrance of the victims will accompany this year's celebrations.