100,000 take part in controversial Poland independence march, authorities say – as it happened

4.14pm GMT
Closing summary

… and on that note, it’s a wrap!

68-year-old Catherine Connolly has inaugurated her term as the 10th president of Ireland, saying she wants to be “a steady hand” and “a catalyst for change,” “reflecting our desire for a republic that lives up to its name” (13:00, 14:02, 14:25). She also warned against “existential” threats from climate change and armed conflicts, stressing Ireland’s neutrality (13:48, 13:51, 13:54, 14:01).
Around 100,000 people, including Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki, have taken part in the controversial Independence March in the Polish capital of Warsaw this afternoon, according to early police estimates, as the country celebrated 107th anniversary of its independence (15:03, 15:33, 16:01, 16:56).
Thousands also took part in Armistice Day commemorations in France, led by French president Emmanuel Macron (11:38).
And happy birthday to German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who turns 70 today, and hosts a big birthday bash this evening as he faces growing questions about his track record in government (16:40).

And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

3.56pm GMT
100,000 people taking part in Polish Independence March, authorities say

Warsaw police estimate that around 100,000 people are taking part in the Independence March in the Polish capital (15:03), Poland’s public broadcaster TVP said.

Updated at 3.56pm GMT

3.40pm GMT
Germany's chancellor Merz turns 70 with growing scrutiny on his track record in office

in Berlin
Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz celebrates his 70th today, making him the oldest head of government in the EU and joining global septuagenarian leaders club including China’s Xi Jinping and presidents Donald Trump of the US and Vladimir Putin of Russia.
Taking a beating in opinion polls and facing stiff competition from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, Merz told media he would treat it as a “normal work day”.
After a slightly extended breakfast with his wife, Charlotte, Merz reported to his desk at the chancellery in central Berlin and from 5pm will join a reception of 300 of his closest political allies and a few family members.
Former chancellor Angela Merkel, a Christian Democrat who governed Germany for 16 years, was originally not on the guest list. Her office last month confirmed the snub. “Former chancellor Dr Merkel would not be able to attend anyway due to a trip abroad.” She is in Israel this week to accept an honorary doctorate.
A spokesperson for the former chancellor said an invitation later arrived and Merkel sent him a handwritten birthday greeting.
Merz and Merkel have been locked in a bitter political rivalry for more than 20 years after she iced him out of key posts, leading him to quit politics for over a decade.
Since he took office in May, Merz has touted his hardline immigration stance as an intentional break with Merkel’s “We can do it” welcome at the height of the 2015-16 refugee influx. Merkel has repeatedly voiced criticism of his border policy and views on integration.
Merz has reserved this evening for loved ones. “As a family person, I look forward to celebrating my birthday with my wife, the children and grandchildren,” he said.
He is the first German chancellor to turn 70 in office – postwar West German leader Konrad Adenauer was elected at 73 – and attributes his relatively youthful appearance to cycling, golfing and eating well.
“I basically don’t drink alcohol any more,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
While he says he works 16 hours a day, he reserves six hours for sleep and tries to get out in the fresh air in his home region of Sauerland on weekends.
With the economy in the doldrums and the ruling coalition with the Social Democrats at loggerheads, political consultant Johannes Hillje put Merz’s weakness in office not down to clearing the 70 mark but to his often impulsive rhetoric, leading to a German neologism merzen, meaning talking big with little to show for it.
“This discrepancy between rhetoric and results has nothing to do with his age, but rather with his character,” he told public broadcaster rbb. “But I believe he needs to find a better balance, because so far this has caused a great deal of frustration and disappointment.”

Updated at 4.03pm GMT

3.28pm GMT
German man with alleged neo-Nazi links arrested over darknet assassination calls

Germany’s chief federal prosecutor has announced the arrest of a German-Polish national with alleged neo-Nazi ties who is accused of calling on the darknet for the assassination of top politicians and seeking donations for bounties on their heads.
More than 20 people were on the list of potential targets, including former chancellors Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz as well as judges and ex-government ministers, local media reported.
On his platform Assassination Politics, the 49-year-old suspect, identified only as Martin S, is alleged to have published personal data of prominent people as well as “charge sheets” and “death sentences”.
The suspect, who was arrested late on Monday in the western city of Dortmund, where he lives with his family, faces charges including financing terrorism, inciting others to commit a serious act of violence that endangers the state and committing the dangerous dissemination of personal data.

Related: German man with alleged neo-Nazi links arrested over darknet assassination calls

3.16pm GMT
Lithuanian minister recommends refusing offer of talks with Belarus on border crossings

Lithuanian foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys said he recommended refusing talks with Belarus on reopening border checkpoints between the countries, after Belarus’ president told his foreign minister to hold talks with Lithuania on the matter, Reuters reported.
The border crossings between Lithuania and Belarus will remain closed for most travellers until the end of November in response to recent airspace disruptions from smugglers’ balloons, Lithuania said earlier.

3.14pm GMT

Let’s now take a look at other events across Europe.

3.01pm GMT
Polish Independence March in Warsaw - in pictures

People attend a march to mark the 107th anniversary of Polish independence, in Warsaw, Poland. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

Updated at 3.04pm GMT

2.33pm GMT

To give you a better idea of the atmosphere at the Warsaw demonstration, Sławomir Mentzen, leader of the far-right Confederation party which is involved in its organisation, said in a social media post that “the crowds at the Independence March are showing their devotion to the Fatherland.”

“We are proud to be Poles and will always defend our nation against foreign powers! Long live a strong, proud, and independent Poland!”

He also posted a picture of himself standing with a red hand flare in front of a banner, saying:

“Poland demands today – send Tusk back to Berlin!”

The banner refers to the conservatives and far right’s criticism of prime minister Donald Tusk’s approach to Polish-German relations.
Mentzen came third in the Polish presidential election in May, with 14.8% of the vote, and could play a key role in the government-forming process after the next parliamentary election in 2027.

Related: ‘The same faces, swapping places’: Polish candidates aim to break two-party hold on power

2.11pm GMT

Poland’s conservative nationalist president Karol Nawrocki is now confirmed as taking part in the Independence March, posting a video of himself walking the streets of Warsaw with a white-red flag as part of the procession.
In contrast, his predecessor, conservative Andrzej Duda, steered clear of the event, joining it only once – in 2018 – when it was part of a larger, 250,000-strong and partially state-organised commemoration of Poland’s 100 years of independence.

2.03pm GMT
Crowds gather in Warsaw as controversial Independence March gets under way

Meanwhile over in Poland, tens of thousands of people are taking part in the Independence March in Warsaw, organised primarily by nationalist and far-right groups under the slogan “One nation, strong Poland.”
Despite the solemn occasion of the 107th anniversary of the Polish independence day, the event continues to deeply polarise the general public as it attracts thousands of conservatives Poles willing to celebrate the country’s history, but also fringe, far-right and radical groups.
An SW Research poll for Rzeczpospolita showed that 45% of Poles have a positive view of the march, but 28% is of the opposite view. 26% have no opinion about the event.
Some far-right slogans can be also seen on flags carried on the fringes of the march, including “Stop immigration, time for deportation.”
In the past, the event had been marred by violent clashes with police and counterprotesters, with controversies about reported attendance of other far-right groups from across Europe.
Official state commemorations took place earlier today, with president Karol Nawrocki and senior government ministers taking part in a formal ceremony at Piłsudski Square in Warsaw.
Earlier in the morning, Nawrocki also laid wreaths at monuments commemorating Poland’s founding figures, and he was expected to join the march during the afternoon.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk attended a separate event in his home town of Gdańsk.
There was also a sports element, with 20,000 runners taking part in the Independence Day Run in Warsaw early morning, and thousands joining other events across the country.

Updated at 2.14pm GMT

1.25pm GMT
Connolly’s inaugural address as Ireland's president – snap analysis

in Dublin
A finely balanced inaugural address by Ireland’s new president.
Catherine Connolly’s reference to the “dominant narrative” excluding “critical thinking”, and not addressing people’s concerns, was a coded rebuke to some government policies. So too was the reference to housing being a fundamental right in the context of a severe housing shortage.
Her lauding of Irish neutrality can be interpreted as a marker to a government that is eying engagement with European security initiatives.
Overall, however, Connolly stayed within the boundaries of the largely ceremonial position.
Her conclusion (14:02) continued that balancing act.

1.15pm GMT

And in one of Connolly’s engagements in her new role, we are getting a flypast above the Dublin Castle!
She then proceeds to inspect the guard of honour.

1.02pm GMT
'Steady hand' but also 'catalyst for change,' Connolly outlines her presidency vision

Ending her speech, Connolly says:

“To conclude, I believe the president should be a unifying president, a steady hand, yes, but also a catalyst for change, reflecting our desire for a republic that lives up to its name.
I will embrace the role of the president with dignity, determination and courage.”

And that’s it.
She leaves St Patrick’s Hall to warm applause from the guests, as she formally begins her term.

Updated at 1.03pm GMT

1.01pm GMT

Connolly, in line with what she argued in the campaign (12:24), also argues for Irish to be the working language of Ireland, with a part of her speech in that language.

12.54pm GMT

Connolly continues:

“I look forward to paying my first official visit to the North and meeting with people from all communities and celebrating the rich and heritage and traditions of all who live there.
I am particularly conscious of Article Three of the constitution, which sets out in detail the firm wish of the Irish people, the Irish nation, to have a united Ireland, albeit with the conditions set out very clearly in that article concerned.
As President, I will foster an inclusive and open dialogue across the island in a manner that highlights and recognises our similarities and respects our differences.”

She also pays tribute to “our large and growing diaspora,” saying “there is hardly a family on this island that does not have a personal experience of migration.”

“On every continent, our immigrants have put their ingenuity and hard work at the service of new homelands, yet they have kept their love of Ireland and its culture deep in their hearts. I hope over the next seven years that there will be many opportunities for me to celebrate with them and share our experiences the experiences.”

Updated at 12.56pm GMT

12.51pm GMT
We face ‘existential threat’ of climate change, ongoing wars, Connolly warns

But Connolly’s speech then turns to challenges facing Ireland.
She says:

“Now, in 2025, as I assume the privilege of office, we face existential threat of climate change and the threat of ongoing wars, both, of course, are inextricably linked.
As I speak, I am acutely conscious of the 165 million people currently forcibly displaced from their homes and countries due to war, famine and climate change. We cannot turn back the clock, nor close our eyes to these realities.
These are the challenges of our times, and our actions, our inaction, will determine the world our children and grandchildren will inherit. It is both an individual and a collective challenge and one which obliges us to reflect on the way we live and interact with our world and with each other.”

She pays tribute to te Remembrance Day today, saying “it gives us the opportunity to pause and to reflect on the horrors of war.”
She says:

“The normalisation of war and genocide has never been and will never be acceptable to us as a sovereign independent nation.
With the long and cherished tradition of neutrality and an uninterrupted record of peacekeeping since 1958, Ireland is particularly well placed to lead and articulate alternative diplomatic solutions to conflict and war.
Indeed, our experience of colonisation and resistance of a catastrophic man made famine and forced immigration gives us a lived understanding of dispossession, hunger and war and a mandate for Ireland to lead.”

She says “we can and should take real pride in the success of the Good Friday agreement, knowing that this is recognised far and wide, and is a model for the peaceful resolution of conflict.”

Updated at 12.56pm GMT

12.48pm GMT
'We can breath and relax' now, president Connolly jokes

Adding a bit of personal touch to what is a formal ceremony, Connolly begins her speech joking: “we can breath a little and relax” now.
She then says:

“I stand before you humbly and proudly as the 10th president of this beautiful country.
The people have spoken and have given their president a powerful mandate to articulate their vision for a new republic, a republic worthy of its name, where everyone is valued, and diversity is cherished; where sustainable solutions are urgently implemented, and where a home is a fundamental human right.
The change that led to this joyful day began with a small group of elected representatives and volunteers, facing what appeared to be insurmountable challenges. We were led to believe that it was too great a leap that our ideas were too far out, too, left, at odds with the prevailing narrative.
In shared conversations all over the country, wowever, it became evident that the dominant narrative did not reflect or represent people’s values and concerns. Time and time again, people spoke of how it served to silence, to other, to label, to exclude and to stifle critical thinking.

She adds that “along with meaningful engagement, we saw the emergence of hope, the emergence of joy, along with the courage and determination of people to use their voices to shape a country that we can be proud of.”
She pledges to “ensure that all voices are represented, heard and valued and promote a public discourse that nourishes inclusivity, tolerance and active citizenship.”
She also pays tribute to the first female Irish president, Mary Robinson, who is in attendance.

Related: Mary Robinson elected first female president of Ireland – archive, 1990

12.44pm GMT

Taisoeach Micheál Martin gives a brief speech, welcoming the new president into the office.
He says that “in the context of a record of outstanding public service, I have no doubt that President Connelly will serve our country well.”
He adds he looks forward to working together “in the time ahead as Ireland continues to play a significant role on the global stage, and as we look forward to hosting the European Union presidency in the second half of 2026.”
He also reminds that “you also represent the longest unbroken chain of democratically elected heads of state in any European country.”
“Over the last nine decades, our country has overcome many extraordinary challenges. Where other countries fell into the hands of extremism, the Irish people remained resilient in their commitment to our democracy,” he says.
He also thanks the outgoing president Michael D. Higgins and his wife, Sabina, for their service.

12.38pm GMT
Catherine Connolly is 10th president of Ireland

And we’re now on to the main part of the ceremony, with Connolly making a formal declaration required to take the office.

In the presence of Almighty God I, Catherine Connolly, do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will maintain the Constitution of Ireland and uphold its laws, that I will fulfil my duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and that I will dedicate my abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland. May God direct and sustain me.

(Connolly has chosen to make it in Irish.)
She’s just read it and signed it now, formally becoming the 10th president of Ireland.
The presidential standard rises over the Dublin Castle.

12.16pm GMT

The Christian, Jewish, Islamic and humanist officiating representatives commence the service of prayer and reflection as part of the inauguration ceremony in St Patrick’s Hall.
A Church of Ireland Anglican archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, prayed for “discernment, wisdom, and grace” for the president-elect and called for collaboration “to ensure that Ireland become a society and that the world become a place of justice, love and peace.”
Irish Catholic archbishop of Dublin prelate Dermot Farrell prayed for “the values of decency, fairness and mutual respect [to] thrive in our communities.”
Other religious leaders follow.

Updated at 12.20pm GMT

12.01pm GMT

… or you can watch this video to get a brief profile of Ireland’s new president.

12.00pm GMT
Who is Catherine Connolly? – profile

The independent candidate’s smooth campaign has enthused younger voters but her views on Nato and Hamas may concern European allies.
She pledged to be a “president for all” after securing 63% of the first preference votes, a stunning result that shook the political establishment and will make her the republic’s 10th head of state.
“I will be a voice for peace, a voice that builds on our policy of neutrality, a voice that articulates the existential threat posed by climate change,” she said at Dublin Castle night after being declared the victor of the election.
The 68-year-old former barrister vowed to advocate for those who had no voice.
“Our public and democracy needs constructive questioning,” she said, speaking in Irish and English. “Together, we can shape a new republic that values everybody, that values and champions diversity and that takes confidence in our own identity.”

Related: Leftwinger Catherine Connolly wins Ireland presidential election by landslide

The presidency is a largely ceremonial post, but opponents worry Connolly could offend Ireland’s European allies and shudder at what she might say to Donald Trump.
She has accused Nato of warmongering, likened Germany’s arms spending to the 1930s, voted against EU treaties and said Hamas is “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people”. Outsiders have compared her to Jeremy Corbyn.
Born in the working-class Galway suburb of Shantalla, Connolly was nine when her mother died, leaving her father, a carpenter and shipbuilder, to raise 14 children. Connolly tried to fill the void by telling herself it was better to be without a mother. “As life went on, I realised that was a coping mechanism that served me to a point, but not well,” she told Hot Press magazine. “It takes nearly a lifetime to understand, actually, the importance of a mother and the consequences of losing her.”
After earning a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Leeds she returned to Galway, completed a law degree and practised as a barrister and clinical psychologist.
She married, had two sons, and was elected to Galway city council for the Labour party in 1999. She served as mayor in 2004 and wanted to run for the Dáil but her potential running mate, Higgins, reportedly did not want another Labour candidate in the multi-seat constituency, leaving her blocked.
Connolly left the party and was elected as an independent TD, or MP, in 2016. In parliament she lambasted inequality and western intervention in conflicts, including Syria, which she visited in 2018. “She was outspoken and quite radical but in person quite affable,” recalled one Fine Gael member. Some former Labour colleagues, however, called her dogmatic and inflexible.
In 2020 Connolly became the first woman elected as parliament’s leas-cheann comhairle, or deputy speaker. This elevated her profile, but when she announced in July that she would run for president it seemed quixotic. Only two tiny parties, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, backed her.

Related: Catherine Connolly: the outspoken leftwinger set to be Ireland’s next president

11.51am GMT
Watch Irish presidential inauguration in Dublin

You can watch the live stream of the Irish presidential inauguration here:

11.50am GMT
Irish president-elect Connolly arrives for inauguration ceremony in Dublin

Irish president-elect Catherine Connolly has just arrived at the Dublin Castle for her presidential inauguration.
The ceremony is about to get under way in the next few minutes.
As our Ireland correspondent Rory Carroll explained around the time of her election:

“So for the next seven years Ireland will have a head of state who believes in equality and ring-fencing Irish neutrality from what she calls western “militarism” and genocide enablement. In Britain some have compared Connolly to Jeremy Corbyn and marvel – or groan – that an EU state has veered left when so many other countries have drifted right or far-right.
The election however does not fit such neat packaging. It is, no mistake, an earthquake that shakes the authority and confidence of the government and bolsters the possibility of a leftwing alliance at the next general election. But it does not represent an ideological shift.
The presidency is a largely ceremonial office. Mary Robinson turned it into a more visible platform, and Mary McAleese and Michael D Higgins continued that trend, but whomever occupies Áras an Uachtaráin, the residence in the Phoenix Park, is very constrained.
Voters twice elected Higgins – himself an outspoken leftwinger from Galway – but gave executive power to successive coalitions dominated by Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil.
Connolly can highlight topics, set a tone, make symbolic gestures, perhaps skirmish with the government on policy issues, but she will be bound by the constitution, and has promised to respect those limits.”

11.35am GMT
Guests arrive for presidential inauguration in Ireland - in pictures

11.24am GMT
Hopes of Irish language revival in public life as Catherine Connolly takes office

In another big ceremony today, Catherine Connolly is set to be inaugurated as Ireland’s 10th president in Dublin.
As our Ireland correspondent Rory Carroll explains:

When the independent leftwing politician is inaugurated as Ireland’s president on Tuesday, she will carry hopes of a transformational Gaelic revival.
The former barrister from Galway made Gaelic a central part of her election campaign and has indicated she wishes to make it the working language of the presidency. “I will do my best to bring Irish in from the margins and use it,” Connolly told the Irish language station Raidió na Gaeltachta.
The 68-year-old shocked the centre-right political establishment last month when she won a landslide in the election to succeed Michael D Higgins as Ireland’s 10th president. Her candidacy united opposition leftwing parties, energised young voters and won 64% of the vote.

Related: Hopes of Irish language revival in public life as Catherine Connolly takes office

Updated at 2.29pm GMT

11.02am GMT
Watch French Armistice Day commemorations in Paris

You can follow the French commemorations here (and at the top of the page):

10.38am GMT
French Armistice Day commemorations get under way - in pictures

10.17am GMT
Ukraine's military says there are 300 Russian troops in Pokrovsk

Ukraine’s military said about 300 Russian soldiers were inside the embattled town of Pokrovsk, and that Moscow had intensified efforts to get more troops in over the past few days, using dense fog for cover, Reuters reported.
“Their goal remains unchanged – to reach the northern borders of Pokrovsk and then attempt to encircle the agglomeration,” Ukraine’s 7th paratrooper corps said on Facebook.
Fierce battles around Pokrovsk, once a key Ukrainian road and rail hub but now a ruined town, have been raging for months as Moscow grinds forward slowly in eastern Ukraine.

9.58am GMT
Ukraine hits Russia's oil refinery, warehouse overnight

Separately, Ukraine’s military said it struck Russia’s Saratov oil refinery overnight, causing explosions and a large fire in the area around the site, Reuters reported.
It also hit a “Sea Oil Terminal” in Russian-occupied Crimea and a warehouse in occupied Donetsk, according to a post from Ukraine’s General Staff on the Telegram messaging app.

9.38am GMT
Russia says it foiled Ukrainian-British plot to steal armed MiG-31 jet

Speaking of Ukraine, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed it had foiled a plot by Ukrainian and British spies to tempt Russian pilots to steal a MiG-31 jet armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile for $3m, state media reported on Tuesday.
Reuters reported that the RIA news agency cited the FSB as claiming that the hijacked jet was to be flown toward a Nato airbase in the Romanian city of Constanța, where it could have been shot down by air defences, the agency reported.
State TV showed pictures of messages and recordings of a man who they said was working for Ukrainian and British intelligence and had offered $3 million to a Russian pilot to fly a MiG to Europe and that the pilot had also been offered citizenship.
The Guardian and Reuters could not independently verify the Russian claims.

9.23am GMT
Morning opening: Marking Armistice Day

A number of European countries – including Belgium, France and Poland – are celebrating Armistice Day today, which in Poland’s case also marks the anniversary of the country regaining its independence in 1918.
We will keep an eye on commemorative events, including the ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris hosted by France’s Emmanuel Macron, and a major march in the Polish capital of Warsaw. I will bring you the latest from these events.
But we will also look at the latest on Ukraine, with another night of Russian attacks on the country and Romania reporting a Russian drone incursion overnight, five kilometres from the border with Ukraine. But Romanian president Nicușor Dan insisted it was an accident and played down the significance of the event.
It’s Tuesday, 11 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.

Updated at 9.41am GMT