On 10 September 2021, during the 137th monthly commemoration of the Smolensk air disaster, activists from Lotna Brygada Opozycji (LBO) carried out a peaceful artistic intervention on Piłsudski Square in Warsaw. Next to the Pomnik Ofiar Tragedii Smoleńskiej (Monument to the Victims of the Smolensk Tragedy), they assembled a temporary structure made of cardboard boxes, referred to as the “Cardboard Stairs.” The installation, built from around thirty-five boxes and standing four metres high...
The New Nationalism at the Heart of Europe is a large photo and video-art project, in which Tomáš Rafa maps the public manifestations of nationalism, extreme right, racism and lack of tolerance in different countries. Since 2009, the artist documents meetings of radical and revolutionary groups, but also the anti-government and anti-extremist demonstrations, marches and supporting events for the rights of the minorities or clashes of anti-Fascists with supporters of ultra right movements. read more
In the summer of 2015, the area surrounding Budapest’s Keleti Railway Station became an unexpected and harrowing epicenter of the European refugee crisis. Thousands of refugees, primarily from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, found themselves stranded at Keleti Station Square, transforming the area into a makeshift camp and a vivid illustration of the human toll of war and displacement. As the number of refugees arriving in Budapest surged, the Hungarian government decided to suspend all...
On October 12, 2023, a commemorative gathering was held on Zámocká Street in Bratislava to mark the first anniversary of the terrorist attack outside the LGBTQ+ bar Tepláreň, where Juraj Vankulič and Matúš Horváth tragically lost their lives. The event, titled “Matúš and Juraj, We Will Not Forget,” drew hundreds of attendees who came to honor the victims and show support for the LGBTQ+ community. Prime Minister Ľudovít Ódor delivered a speech at the gathering, emphasizing the importance of...
On 17 May 2014, hundreds of people gathered in central Warsaw for the “Marsz Szmat” (Slut Walk), a public demonstration against sexual violence, victim-blaming, and the social stigma faced by survivors of assault. The march began near the Polish Parliament and moved through the city centre, filling the streets with chants and banners demanding respect for women’s rights and bodily autonomy. Participants carried placards declaring that the responsibility for sexual assault always lies with the...
On 17 July 2010, Warsaw hosted EuroPride 2010, the first time this major pan-European LGBT pride event took place in a former communist country. The parade, themed “Liberty, Equality, Tolerance”, drew approximately 8 000 participants according to police estimates and progressed through the city centre. At the same time, in the morning hours, the nationalist Marsz Grunwaldzki took place, organised by a right-wing youth group, marking the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald...
On September 1, 2015, an anti-immigrant protest organized by the far-right People’s Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS) and its leader Marian Kotleba took place in the city of Trnava. Around two hundred supporters gathered at Trojičné Square, chanting nationalist slogans and displaying anti-immigrant banners. The rally remained mostly peaceful, although one incident occurred when protesters tore a sign reading “I’m ashamed of you” from a young man’s hands. After the demonstration ended, a group of...
Tens of thousands of nationalists marched in a demonstration organized by far-right groups in Warsaw on November 11th, 2017, as Poles celebrated their country’s Independence Day. The far-right march has become one of the largest such demonstrations in Europe, overshadowing official state observances and other patriotic events. Participants carried banners depicting a far-right symbol dating to the 1930s and expressed sympathy for xenophobic or white supremacist ideas. Speakers spoke of...
Berlin Wedding, Germany, 30th April 2012 7,000 police officers were deployed on Monday and Tuesday to keep the demonstrations under control. Traditionally, the violent “anticapitalist Walpurgis Night demo” has passed through Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg. This time, it was unexpectedly relocated to the Sprengelkiez and Brüsseler Kiez in Wedding, an area between the Wedding S-Bahn station, the northern shore of the Berlin-Spandauer Shipping Canal, and See- and Müllerstraße. This...
NEW YORK, USA, 29.02.2012. A few dozen Occupy Wall Street protestors marched on the world headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. on Wednesday, a lukewarm kick off to a nationwide day of revival for the movement loosely organized around denouncing economic inequality. Police on motorcycles escorted the peaceful but loud group of about 50 protestors marching from the park outside the New York Public Library to nearby Pfizer, close to Grand Central Terminal.“Shame on Pfizer...
01.05.2017 Brno residents are not planning to block the 1 May march by the ultra-right convened by the Workers’ Youth this year. Instead, they are calling on people through Facebook to organize creative, entertaining, non-violent activities in the city center on 1 May under the slogan “You can’t salute the Nazis if you’re having a good time” (“Kdo si hraje, nehajluje”). In recent years, 1 May in Brno has repeatedly become a scene of neo-Nazi provocation...
On 11 November 2013, Warsaw once again witnessed the Marsz Niepodległości (Independence March), one of Europe’s largest far-right gatherings. Under the slogan Idzie nowe pokolenie! (“A new generation is coming!”), the organisers—Młodzież Wszechpolska and ONR—presented the event as the symbolic rise of a renewed nationalist youth. Tens of thousands joined the march, filling the city centre with Polish flags, flares and chants calling for national sovereignty and cultural purity. Although framed...
On June 16, 2019, the Polish city of Częstochowa hosted its annual Equality March (Marsz Równości), a vibrant event advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity. Held under the slogan “Love Without Borders,” the march brought together a diverse crowd of supporters, marking a significant moment for LGBTQ+ visibility and equality in a deeply traditional region. A Bold Statement in a Symbolic City Częstochowa, home to the revered Jasna Góra Monastery and Poland’s Black Madonna...