Violence erupts at polish independence day march

Clashes have broken out in Warsaw as riot police confronted right-wing nationalists during a Polish Independence Day march. The right-wing protesters were preparing to start their march in the center of Warsaw when some threw firecrackers and projectiles at police in riot gear who had cordoned off the area, the BBC reported. Police responded by beating marchers with truncheons, forcing them to disperse. As many as 20,000 people are believed to be taking part in the march through the Polish capital. At least 200 people were arrested last year after clashes broke out as anti-fascist groups tried to blockade the nationalist’s march. Last year’s march dwarfed its predecessors, with numbers swollen by football supporters outraged by a government clampdown on violent fans. Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has also organised his own Independence Day march with military veterans in an attempt to reclaim the day from what he called “extremists and hooligans”. The 11 November celebration marks the day in 1918 when Poland regained its independence, 123 years after it was divided between Russia, Prussia and the Austrian Empire.