adminWARSAW. – Poland was in hot water yesterday after ultra-nationalist rioters went on the rampage outside the Russian embassy in Warsaw, igniting a diplomatic row with Moscow. The violence, which marred Polish independence day on Monday, reflects growing far-right and anti-Russian sentiment in Poland, an ex-communist country and European Union member.
The havoc erupted as between 20 000 and 50 000 people surged through Warsaw in a march organised by far-right groups, many wearing balaclavas and carrying lighted flares.
The protest turned violent as rioters set alight two cars and a guard’s booth outside the Russian embassy. Twelve police officers were hospitalised after demonstrators threw stones and bottles, while 72 protesters were detained.
The Russian foreign ministry yesterday summoned Polish Ambassador Wojciech Zajaczkowski and demanded an apology.
It also criticised what it labelled a delayed police response to the unrest and called for the “punishment of the guilty and for such provocations not to be allowed to happen in the future”, according to a ministry statement.
Russia’s ambassador in Poland, Alexander Alexeyev, for his part requested a meeting with the foreign ministry and told reporters he regretted the “permanent, hysterical anti-Russian campaign” in Poland.
The Polish foreign ministry expressed its “deep regret over the violent behaviour and incidents that occurred near the embassy.”
The two countries have a history of complicated relations marked by centuries of conflicts. Post-Communist Poland’s integration into the West as an EU and Nato member is an ongoing source of tension. – AFP.
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