Far-right Polish Independence Day march goes ahead despite court ban

Thousands of far-right sympathisers marched through Warsaw on Thursday in an annual Independence Day gathering after Poland's nationalist rulers helped challenge a court ban on the event.

Critics say in lending a hand to the march, an event marked by occasional violence, the Law and Justice (PiS) government is supporting the far-right, as Poland faces an unprecedented migration pressure along its eastern border.

It has also become a point of friction between the liberal opposition on one side and the PiS government and far-right organisers on the other.

Critics accuse PiS of inciting anti-migrant sentiment and homophobia.

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