In the USA on the 4th of July. In Australia on 26th of January. In France on 14th of July. In US: BBQ, beer, fireworks and family celebration. In Australia: barbeque, hologram visuals, and fireworks. In France: Paris Street festival, an army parade and obviously… Fireworks. However, how is it celebrated in Poland and Warsaw? Is there something you should know about?
Unfortunately it’s not all sunshine and fireworks. Don’t get me wrong, it is a needed and respected holiday, but at the same time it’s sad what people do with it in Warsaw. Every year a big national parade is happening in the center of Poland capital city. What is the most unfortunate, for the last couple of years it brings on destruction of the city center. I am no apocalypse maniac or some kind of hardcore pessimist, but it is not the most representative of all Polish events. Before we go into the background of that, let me state a fair warning. CHECK WHERE AND WHEN THE MARCH IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE.
Trust me, you don’t want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite that communication issues may be crucial, so really, trust me check it, you’ll be just fine. Ok, to be fair not every part of the march is necessarily dangerous, however some disturbances may occur, in almost any section of it. Why? What for? Let me explain.
What is sad, it is partly about politics. In Poland the people are pretty lazy in terms of social/political responsibilities. We have only 50% active voters, which creates a strong extreme left and right winged social groups. Most popular parties are mainstream oriented to get as many votes as possible. That creates extremes. They feel like they should be acknowledged and listened to. Mostly we are talking about right-wing and the nationalists parties. But as we know most active social groups have nothing to do with democracy. Amount is the key. So, we have a strong, national minority, which is frustrated and lacks representatives in parliament. Every year they use Independence Day as a form of manifest to show that they exist. Way in which they are doing it is condemnation worthy. Destruction, chaos and fear and international shame is what we get almost every year.
This year, after the election, more right wing parties have their representatives at the parliament, so maybe this year will be different, but still it is good to know where the atmosphere might be a bit warmed up. In other cities however, riots are less likely to happen, so Warsaw is an inglorious exception in Poland.
In other parts of Poland, celebration mostly stays under control of local authorities. It is as happy and proud as it should be. Common examples are : Wrocław, Kraków and Gdańsk where celebration is respected and proceeds calmly. To conclude. If you feel patriotic – attend it at your own risk. If you lack adrenaline – attend it. But, if you want to stay safe and silent – put up the Polish flag and watch the riots on the TV screen, they are transmitted annually.
[1] 11 listopada 2011 r. Zamieszki podczas obchodów Święta Niepodległości w Warszawie (Fot. Wojciech Olkuonik / Agencja Gazeta) / 11th of November 2011. Riots during Independence Day in Warsaw. (photo. Wojciech Olkuonik / Agencja Gazeta)
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