Polish Independence Day events 'peaceful and safe': interior minister
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
12.11.2017 10:31
Saturday's Independence Day events across the country were peaceful and safe, Poland's Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has said.
Mariusz Błaszczk. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka.
Warsaw events were secured by some 8,600 police, 2,500 of which were brought in from outside the capital, while a further 6,900 were put to work in other locations across Poland.
“Independence Day... was safe. We could see wide and red in the streets of Warsaw, it was a beautiful sight. We are proud that so many Poles decided to take part in events,” Błaszczak said.
He also thanked police chief Jarosław Szymczyk for ensuring security.
According to official figures, more than 65,000 people took part in 308 events nationwide, and 60,000 took part in an Independence March in Warsaw.
Agnieszka Kłąb, an official from Warsaw City Hall, said about 30,000 people attended the Independence March in the capital, “far fewer” than last year.
She also said there were “no fewer pyrotechnics” than last year, adding that the flares used in the march were banned.
In recent years, the march on Independence Day, 11 November, has ended with outbreaks of violence and clashes with the police.
(vb/pk)
Source: PAP