Massive march in Warsaw protests against Poland’s nationalist government

Berlin, Oct 1 (EFE).- Two weeks before Poland’s parliamentary elections, hundreds of thousands of people marched in Warsaw on Sunday against the policies of the nationalist ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS).

The “Million Hearts March” was organized by the center-right opposition Civic Platform, led by former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and supported by other opposition parties.

“The entire route of the four-kilometer march is crowded with participants, including side streets. According to surveillance records, we estimate about a million people,” said Monika Beuth, a spokeswoman for the city of Warsaw.

At the “peak moment” of the march, about one million people gathered, Jakub Leduchowski, a second spokesperson told the Polish news agency PAP, citing data from the Polish capital’s security center.

Meanwhile, police, citing unofficial figures, said there were up to 100,000 people on the march route at around 12:00 local time, with more protesters joining later.

The city spokeswoman said that according to the police, there were no disturbances during the march.

“This force will no longer be stopped by anything (…) Let no one in power be deceived. This change is inevitable, for the better,” said Tusk, who is also a former president of the European Council (2014-19), as he launched the march in Warsaw.

The PiS, in power since 2015, leads the polls by a clear margin ahead of the 15th election, although it may need a coalition partner (such as the far-right Confederation of Liberty and Independence) to form a government.

Tusk’s Civic Platform is in second place in the polls.

egw/ics

(photo)