German police break up Polish nationalist procession to WWII memorial site

Jun 17, 2026 | History, Law, Politics

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Police in Berlin intervened to forcibly break up a procession by Robert Bąkiewicz, a prominent Polish nationalist, and his followers, who were attempting to carry a large cross to a memorial site for Polish victims of Nazi Germany.

The German authorities said that Bąkiewicz did not have permission to hold the event. However, his supporters – including senior figures from Poland’s opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party – have accused the police of brutality and called on the Polish government to respond.

Bąkiewicz and a group of men wearing yellow vests emblazoned with the logo of his Border Defence Movement (ROG) were filmed signing a famous Polish patriotic song, Rota, based on a 1908 poem written in opposition to attempts at Germanisation of Poles under Prussian rule.

“The German will not spit in our face,” they sang, before attempting to carry the cross to the site in Berlin where the German authorities are planning to build a memorial to Polish victims of German occupation during World War Two.

However, police stopped the procession, telling the group they did not have permission to hold it. In a statement, Berlin police said that they had told the group, through an interpreter, that they could either hold a stationary demonstration or proceed individually to the memorial site.

The group instead attempted to continue their march with a cross, resulting in intervention by the police, who confirmed they had “used coercive measures” against participants, who were handcuffed but then released.

Bakiewicz’s daughter, Blanka, later claimed that her father and another member of the group had been hospitalised “in very bad condition” as a result of the police’s actions. She said her father may have a broken rib and a concussion.

She and a large number of supporters of Robert Bąkiewicz gathered outside the German embassy in Warsaw to protest. Among them were senior figures from the national-conservative PiS, which is Poland’s main opposition party.

Bąkiewicz in 2023 stood as a parliamentary candidate for PiS and maintains close relations with the party. Previously, he was the main organiser of the nationalist Independence March held each year on 11 November in Warsaw as well as leader of the National Radical Camp (ONR), a far-right group.

Among those to gather outside the German embassy was Przemysław Czarnek, one of PiS’s deputy leaders, who condemned the German police’s “brutal intervention” and called for “an immediate reaction from the Polish government”.

Likewise, Marcin Przydacz, a senior aide to opposition-aligned President Karol Nawrocki, said it was “absolutely unacceptable” to see “Polish citizens harassed, pushed around, and treated in [this] manner by the German police”, reports news website Interia. He also called for government action.

 

On Tuesday evening, the foreign ministry’s spokesman, Maciej Wewiór, said that a Polish consul in Berlin was “on the spot” and seeking to “establish the circumstances of the incident and reasons for the detentions”.

On Wednesday morning, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski published a post on social media that, while not mentioning Bąkiewicz specifically, was clearly aimed at him.

“In connection with the upcoming holiday season,” wrote Sikorski, he reminded Poles abroad that “local laws must be observed and instructions from security services must be followed”.

“Poland’s consuls provide assistance but cannot always protect against the consequences of imprudent behaviour,” he added. “I wish you successful holidays and a safe return to the country!”

Speaking in parliament later on Wednesday, defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz condemned Bąkiewicz’s actions as “provocations launched solely to destroy relations between Poland and its allies” and which serve the interests of Russia, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

 

Bąkiewicz has a long history of clashes with the law in Poland, too. In 2023, he was convicted for his involvement in a “hooligan act” of violence against a prominent protester for women’s and LGBT rights. In 2025, PiS-aligned President Andrzej Duda partially pardoned Bąkewicz of that conviction.

Last month, in a separate case, he was again convicted of causing bodily harm to another female protester while he was leading a group defending churches from demonstrations against Poland’s near-total abortion ban. That conviction is not yet binding and can still be appealed.

Meanwhile, in January this year, Bąkiewicz was indicted to stand trial on various criminal charges relating to the actions of his ROG movement, including insulting Polish border officers and inciting hatred against Germans and immigrants.

The following month, he was again indicted for three further alleged crimes, including inciting the murder of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He denies the charges and claims to be the victim of a political prosecution.


Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Republika (screenshot)

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