Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted a photo from the Gdańsk Independence Day parade, saying the sense of unity and joy did not reach everyone—a remark made minutes after President Karol Nawrocki’s speech in Warsaw.
Tusk’s Gdańsk Photo and Its Timing
Donald Tusk attended the Independence Day celebrations in Gdańsk, where he gave a brief speech and joined the parade. He shared a photo of the crowd gathered on Długi Targ street and wrote that in Gdańsk it was about unity and joy, but that the feeling had not reached everyone. The post appeared a few dozen minutes after President Karol Nawrocki delivered his speech in Warsaw, leading some to interpret Tusk’s comments as a response to Nawrocki’s remarks.
Nawrocki’s Controversial Independence Day Speech
Karol Nawrocki’s address focused on Poland’s 1,000‑year history and the Christian values he said underpinned the Commonwealth. He questioned why Poland should accept what he saw as foreign ideologies infiltrating schools and the education system, and warned against becoming a “puppet bird” that simply repeats Western ideas. He framed himself as a supporter of Poland within the European Union while insisting that the first priority is Poland and its people. He also stated that some Polish politicians are ready to surrender the country’s freedom, independence, and sovereignty to foreign institutions, tribunals, and EU agents one step at a time.
Political Reactions to Nawrocki’s Remarks
Robert Kropiwnicki of the Citizens’ Coalition commented that Nawrocki’s approach had shifted from Silesian rhetoric to an “innocent whisper” and warned the President might earn the nickname “megaphone.” Dariusz Joński, a party colleague, criticized the turning of the national holiday into a political rally, calling it propaganda. Tomasz Trela of the New Left called Nawrocki’s conduct a disgraceful political stunt, labeling him a “disgraceful man.”