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Tens of thousands of people joined President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk for the silent march through the historic centre of Krakow on the evening of November 9 2026. The event organised by Mayor Lukasz Gibala began at the junction of the Main Market Square and Sławkowska Street where the first shots were fired during the attack two days earlier according to Reuters. Participants stopped to light candles at three locations where victims died before the procession ended near the Town Hall Tower with a trumpeter playing The Sound of Silence and Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś offering a prayer. Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told TVN24 that 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.
The shooting on November 7 involved a 24-year-old man identified as Michał Oksiński who drove onto the square and opened fire at random from his vehicle killing six people and wounding 15 others The Guardian reported. The victims included four Polish citizens three of them women a 32-year-old British man and a 51-year-old Austrian woman while those injured came from Britain Austria Germany Portugal and Russia according to the interior ministry. Oksiński was shot by police at the scene taken to hospital where he died on the morning of the march and authorities later found the bodies of his parents and sister at the family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski believed killed by him beforehand Euronews detailed.
Polish prosecutors have launched a terrorism investigation into the attack with early indications that the perpetrator held radical far-right views Notes From Poland reported. The government has announced a review of gun permit requirements in a country that maintains some of the strictest firearms regulations in Europe and has historically experienced low levels of gun violence. This incident represents an unprecedented mass shooting in Poland prompting two days of national mourning declared by the president and widespread shock across the nation.
The march followed part of the route taken by the shooter with mourners maintaining silence throughout as they paid respects at flower-covered memorials Bloomberg reported. Tusk wrote on X that tonight in Cracow thousands of Poles gathered to pay tribute to the victims of the November 7 attack and may they rest in peace. Despite their ongoing disputes over matters including the Constitutional Court the nationalist president and centrist prime minister appeared together at the event in a display that echoed descriptions of Polish unity on show in silent march to honour Krakow shooting victims.
Police statistics show that Poland issued a record 50709 new gun permits in 2025 bringing the total number of registered civilian firearms above 1 million for the first time according to Notes From Poland. The country still registers one of the lowest rates of civilian gun ownership in the European Union at roughly 2.5 firearms per 100 inhabitants based on Small Arms Survey data. The attack has intensified calls for tighter oversight including mandatory regular medical and psychological examinations for permit holders as proposed by some lawmakers in the ruling coalition.
International reactions included a telegram of condolences from Pope Francis relayed through Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to Archbishop Ryś as conveyed by Polish Radio. Investigations continue to establish whether the shooter acted alone and to clarify the full scope of his motives with the prosecutor’s office stating it remains too early to reach firm conclusions. The event concluded the period of national mourning as Poland begins to address broader questions around public safety and extremism raised by the tragedy.
