Poland celebrates its independence this Friday, November 11. Like every year, a great patriotic march is organized in the streets of Warsaw. An opportunity for Poles from all over the country to reaffirm their support for the traditions of the country, in particular the Catholic religion.
With our correspondent in Warsaw, Martin Chabal
In the middle of a group of Catholic demonstrators, lifting a statue of the Virgin Mary, Igor holds a gigantic banner. Above, we can see what is for him, an abandoned fetus in the middle of a pile of garbage. ” Today we hold this flag because we want to show that abortion is against life, and we want people to be alive he says.
Abortion in Poland is almost illegal, and for Igor, this is something that should make the country proud. This is also the main reason for his coming here. “ Of course, people are dying in Ukraine. But there are also many deaths because of abortion! And that’s what we’re trying to prove today “, he continues.
A group with a rainbow flag
Faced with these anti-abortion and very often anti-LGBT slogans, a small group of Poles came to demonstrate with a rainbow flag, a symbol of LGBT+. They are in their fifties, just like Ania. ” We want to show that we are different, that we are not nationalists and fascists like all these people. We try to fight for the future of our grandchildren “, she slips.
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Ania dreams of a more tolerant demonstration. Two years ago, a Molotov cocktail was thrown by a far-right group into an apartment displaying the rainbow flag. Despite everything, Ania is not afraid to wave her banner among the Polish flags.