Warsaw’s Independence Day march exposes Poland’s political divide

Among the marchers was Ireneusz, who travelled from Szczecin carrying an AI-generated placard depicting President Karol Nawrocki. Outside the Constitutional Tribunal, he said: “They have taken over an independent institution, they got in through the back door … All our independence is under threat at this moment.”

The tribunal has again become a focus of a dispute between Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Their struggle for power reflects broader divisions in Polish society, with voters split between the right-wing bloc—including far-right groups that backed Nawrocki’s presidential bid—and Tusk’s Civic Coalition. Protests are taking place ahead of parliamentary elections next autumn.