Hundreds of thousands of people gathered this Sunday at the start of a major anti-government march in central Warsaw, in response to the opposition’s call 15 days before parliamentary elections, the organization said, quoted by AFP.
“When I see these hundreds of thousands of smiling faces, I feel very well that a decisive moment in the history of our homeland has arrived,” said Donald Tusk, former Prime Minister and former President of the UN, at the start of the march. European Council, head of the bloc-centrist Civic Platform (PO).
The demonstration aims to mobilize people from across the country, which was ruled by Eurosceptic nationalists for eight years.
The ‘March of 1 Million Hearts’, as Donald Tusk called it, started this Sunday at 12 noon local time (11am in Lisbon) and filled the capital’s main streets with compact crowds.
“They will not intimidate us, they will not silence us. It is essential that all of Poland sees that no one is afraid of them,” Donald Tusk had said on Thursday during a rally in Elblag against the ruling Law and Justice. (PiS) party.
This Sunday, PiS leaders are organizing their own march in the city of Katowice, in the south of the country.
In Warsaw, demonstrators display Polish and European flags and a white and red heart, a symbol of the centrist coalition.
Speeches from opposition officials are planned for the end of the march, around 3:00 PM local time (2:00 PM in Lisbon).
Former Polish President and 1983 Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa announced his participation.
Source: DN
