The opposition and the media that support it have repeatedly called the participants of the Independence March extreme right-wing, fascists, poor, uneducated people who let themselves be seduced by the right-wing, and have been accused of using hate speech and stirring up brawls. Meanwhile, a study conducted by the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences shows a different picture.

The analysis of Małgorzata Łukianow and Piotr Kocyba shows that 68.4% of the participants of the Independence March are university graduates, based on research conducted under the supervision of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and in cooperation with the Center for Research on Prejudices of the University of Warsaw.

Only 0.5% of demonstrators completed their education at primary school, 4.4% declared their vocational education and 16.5% declared their secondary education.

Moreover, the average net income of a participant of this event is PLN 5545 (with the average remuneration in the fourth quarter of 2018 amounting to PLN 3531 according to the Central Statistical Office), while the median is PLN 4000 (PLN 2512 in 2017 according to the Central Statistical Office). 72% of the participants of the Independence March voted for Law and Justice in 2015.

These results show that a participant of the Independence March is a middle-aged person with at least a Master’s degree and earning much more than the national average. So how does it relate to the image of a hooligan dressed in tracksuits and a picture created by the opposition and its friendly media?

According to the organizers, the last march on November 11th was attended by over 150 thousand people. The city authorities give the number of 50 thousand.

Tłum. K.J.