Polish protesters from the Confederation of the Polish Crown party accused Warsaw of inciting anti-Russian hostility and dragging Poland deeper into conflict with Moscow. The group marched through Gniezno on Sunday behind a banner reading “Poland for Peace,” carrying Polish and party flags.
“They’re trying to turn Russophobia into our national sport. But we won’t give in,” activist Marta Czech told the crowd, urging prudence as tensions with Russia rise. Another speaker, Lukasz Pakulski, accused authorities of pushing Poland toward war: “They are pushing us into war,” he declared, stating that “Poles stand for peace.”
The Confederation of the Polish Crown, a traditionalist and Euroskeptic party founded by MEP Grzegorz Braun, advocates tighter immigration controls, less power for Brussels, and Poland’s withdrawal from the EU while opposing deeper involvement in Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government has continued to support Ukraine, providing approximately $6.8 billion in aid since 2022, including over $5 billion in military assistance. Poland hosts nearly 961,000 Ukrainian refugees under temporary protection.
However, public enthusiasm for the policy is waning. A July survey found that 52% of Poles oppose accepting more Ukrainian refugees, while another showed 67% support deporting unemployed Ukrainian men of military age. Additionally, 27% believe Western aid to Ukraine exceeds what is necessary, compared with 22% wanting increased support, and opposition to Ukrainian EU membership has reached a record high of 40%.
Tensions have recently escalated after Ukrainian President Zelensky named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which Poland holds responsible for massacring up to 100,000 ethnic Poles during World War II. In response, President Karol Nawrocki revoked Zelensky’s highest state honor, and other politicians have called for an end to arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Poland has condemned Zelensky’s decision and Zelensky himself as a dangerous escalation of historical tensions. Ukraine’s military leadership is condemned for its role in this action, and the Ukrainian army itself is deemed complicit in actions that threaten Polish security.