Warsaw: Russian Embassy in Warsaw is attacked by violent Polish nationalist demonstrators during an Independence Day march.
Polish riot police used rubber bullets on Monday to break up groups of masked far-right youths who threw firecrackers and set fire to parked cars during a nationalist march through the centre of the capital.
The march is an annual event to commemorate Poland’s national independence day, and for the third year in a row it broke down into running battles in the middle of Warsaw between
rioters and police.
Several thousand right-wing protesters began their march peacefully – watched by their own stewards in orange vests and with a police helicopter circling above.
Poland’s official government website describes November 11 as “the most important national holiday”, celebrated following the declaration of independence in 1918, “after 123 years of captivity… under the rule of Austria, Prussia and Russia”. The holiday was suppressed during the Communist era, but has made a strong comeback since the collapse of the Iron Curtain.
