Far-right marchers shouted “Jews out” and other racist slogans at Independence Day events in Poland, drawing condemnation from Jewish groups.
At the March of Independence in Warsaw on Saturday, participants held signs with racist slogans, including “White Europe, Europe must be white.” Some shouted “Sieg Heil” and “Remove Jewry from power.” Among the marchers were individuals who wore masks, waved red-and-white Polish flags and burned flares.
Police estimated that 60,000 people participated in the annual march, which is organized by nationalist groups and marked 99 years of Polish independence. A small minority of the marchers came from outside of Poland.
Poland’s interior minister expressed pride in the event.
“It was a beautiful sight,” Mariusz Błaszczak said. “We are proud that so many Poles have decided to take part in a celebration connected to the Independence Day holiday.”
Culture Minister Piotr Gliński condemned the slogans and banners that mentioned race without referring to anti-Semitism.
“We do not support such slogans,” he said, referencing what he termed “use of ethnic and racist terminology to describe the concept of the Polish nation.”
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