Thousands participate in silent march after Krakow mass shooting that shocked the nation
WARSAW -
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that → participate → nation
Thousands of people took part in a silent march through Krakow on the evening of Nov 9 along with Poland’s president and prime minister as the country tries to come to terms with an unprecedented mass shooting, in which a Polish man killed six people on the southern city’s main square.
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man → take → square
Relations between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki are tense, but they appear to want a display of national unity over an incident that has shocked Poland and left rival political camps bitterly disputing the killer’s motives.
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that → appear → motives
“For Poland, this is always a sign of hope: that while we may hold different views, we are still capable of cooperating, engaging in dialogue, and seeking out what unites us,” Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told TVN24.
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Kamysz → hold → TVN24
“We are capable of showing solidarity during difficult times.
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We → show → times
Together, we can support those who need such support,” he added.
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he → support → support
March participants followed part of the route the shooter drove while firing and lit memorial candles at the spots where people were killed on Nov 7.
“Tonight in Cracow thousands of Poles gathered to pay tribute to the victims of November 7 attack,” Tusk wrote on X.
The suspected gunman died in hospital on Nov 9 after being shot and arrested by police minutes after they said he opened fire from his car in Krakow’s historic main square, a popular tourist destination.
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he → follow → square
The government said the man, identified by prosecutors as 24-year-old Michal Oksinski from the south-eastern town of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, may have been inspired by far-right ideology.
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man → say → ideology
But officials appeared to backtrack on Nov 9.
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officials → appear → Nov
“Until the matter is fully clarified and the authorities are in possession of complete information, it is best to refrain from making comments, even if there are some initial indications,” government spokesperson Adam Szlapka told TVN24.
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Szlapka → clarify → TVN24
Both the shooter and his father held gun permits, and several firearms were found in the family apartment and the assailant’s car, prosecutors said.
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prosecutors → hold → apartment
The bodies of his father, mother and sister were found in their family home on Nov 7, and officials say they were also likely killed by Oksinski.
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they → find → Oksinski
Dispute over killer’s motives
The nationalist opposition rejected the suggestion of a far-right link to the killings, with Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski saying those claims were a “blatant lie.”
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claims → reject → killings
National Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Przemyslaw Nowak told a press conference that investigators did not yet know what motivated the killer.
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what → tell → killer
He said that a yellow flag featuring a snake and the words “Don’t tread on me,” known as the Gadsden flag, was found in Oksinski’s room.
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flag → say → room
The Gadsden flag was first used during the American Revolution in the 18th century.
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flag → use → century
Nowak said the flag was associated with “various meanings related to freedom or rebellion” but was not widely known as being linked to any form of extremism.
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flag → say → extremism
Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said there were many different emblems on the perpetrator’s clothing that had already been partially examined and interpreted.
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that → say → clothing
Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said despite the death of the shooter, the investigation would continue, and would aim to establish if he acted alone or was inspired by any group.
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he → say → group
“Evidence is being collected, but I will not show or disclose it.
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I → collect → it
I ask for restraint,” Zurek told Radio Zet.
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Zurek → ask → Zet
Poland’s Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC) said it had detained five Polish citizens and one Ukrainian who had posted threatening or alarming content online following the attack.
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who → combat → attack
It said the detainees were aged 15 to 36.
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detainees → say → ?
Galecka said the CBZC and the police were on high alert for potential copycats.
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CBZC → say → copycats
Nation in shock
Poland had never experienced such a mass shooting.
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Poland → experience → shooting
Scenes of blood and bodies strewn across the historic heart of one of its main tourist attractions have shocked a nation that has long viewed itself as safer than Western European neighbours that have experienced similar attacks.
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that → strew → attacks
“A total of four firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition were discovered in the vehicle and in the possession of Michal Oksinski,” Nowak said.
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Nowak → discover → Oksinski
“We secured a very large number of spent casings.
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We → secure → casings
In total, at least several dozen shots were fired — possibly even several hundred.”
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shots → fire → total
Nowak said the two police officers injured in the attack had regained consciousness.
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officers → say → consciousness
Tusk wrote on X that when police officer Artur Moranski woke up, his first words were, “Is Kuba alive?” — referring to fellow injured officer Jakub Kulik.
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Kuba → write → Kulik
The government will review regulations on requirements for people with gun permits following the tragedy, Zurek said.
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Zurek → review → tragedy
The Aporia
