A similar get-together took place the year before, offering a chance for like-minded people to share contacts and thoughts in an informal setting. It was encouraging to see so many attendees as a part of formal groupings, reflecting the increasingly organised nature of our movement.
From the Polish side, Konfederacja MP Robert Grajny was there, the youth wing of Grzegorz Braun’s monarchist Korona party were present, as was the grouping Polonia Unita, primarily promoting Poles living abroad returning to their ancestral homeland.
Representatives from England’s Homeland Party, including spokesman Alec Cave, and the National Party from Ireland, including Keith Woods, were also in attendance. Both are the only groupings from their respective countries which are explicitly nationalist-registered political parties.
Keith Woods
German street activists Generation Identity were present, as was the experienced AfD politician Gunnar Lindemann. There were also various Brits, Americans, Swedes and Greeks, creating a jovial evening.
The March
The following day, everyone hit the streets of Warsaw for the main event: Europe’s largest patriotic march. Red and white flags and attire stretched down Jerozolimskie Street for as far as the eye could see.
Polish patriots and nationalists, young and old, were as boisterous as ever, belting out the Polish national anthem and chants in favour of God, honour, homeland, Polish heroes, family, heterosexuality, and songs mocking liberalism and the government.
The march has become a blend of themes, ranging from the serious and sometimes solemn to the satirical and fun. Marchers had a taste of the latter halfway across Poniatowski Bridge, when a man appeared in an apartment block window wearing a Grzegorz Braun mask, brandishing a fire extinguisher and merrily waving to passers-by.
It’s a genuinely unifying and affirming procession. The aesthetics are spectacular with the banners and pyrotechnics but it’s the opportunity to be amongst so many like-minded people that is especially uplifting.
It’s an annual reminder that despite relentless ubiquitous messaging to the contrary, vast numbers of people remain steadfast in their love and pride of their nation and hold a true desire to preserve their people and unique culture.
