The rally came as Poland celebrated its regaining of independence on November 11, 1918, following the end of World War I. The anniversary falls on the same day other countries commemorate Armistice Day.
This year’s march started in central Warsaw at 2pm following a mass rendition of the national anthem, and was headed by motorcyclists and historical re-enactment enthusiasts, some dressed as hussars.
Organizers estimated turnout at around 100,000 and said interest in the event had been higher than in past years.
The march’s route, as in the past, runs from the Rondo Dmowskiego roundabout in downtown Warsaw, across Poniatowski Bridge to the PGE National Stadium, and is expected to last about two hours.
Some participants lit red flares while others carried banners bearing patriotic slogans.
In the past, the march had been marred by violence and has been criticized for attracting the far-right.
The leader of Poland’s nationalist-conservative Law and Justice opposition party, Jarosław Kaczyński, said party members and supporters would be taking part in order for the “patriotic camp to be united.”
“First and foremost, for Poland to endure, for the Polish state to endure, for the Polish nation to endure and for Poland to be a sovereign country and for the nation to be a group that is not subjected to all sorts of leftist experiments that destroy the basic social structures, the national identity,” Kaczyński told a press conference ahead of the march.
Prior to the offset of this year’s event, police detained 75 people, most for possession of prohibited pyrotechnics.
Ahead of the rally, the U.S. embassy in Poland cautioned American citizens to remain alert, keep a low profile and avoid the route of the march
