Smolensk remembrance ceremony takes place in Warsaw
Politicians from the socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), including party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, took part in a memorial held in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on the 15th anniversary of the Smolensk air disaster.
On April 10, 2010, 96 people were killed in the crash of the Tu-154M aircraft near Smolensk, including President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, the last President of the Republic of Poland-in-exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, as well as representatives of key institutions and offices, including commanders of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish delegation was on its way to a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.
The events organised by PiS on Thursday to commemorate the anniversary of the Smolensk tragedy began at 8am with a mass dedicated to the victims at a church located on Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street. Later, a memorial ceremony took place in front of the Presidential Palace, at the place where Warsaw residents gathered on the day of the accident in 2010. The event commenced with the playing of the national anthem, followed by the recitation of the names of the victims of the disaster. At the site, a broken cross made of white and red candles was displayed, accompanied by a photograph of Maria and Lech Kaczynski. (PAP)
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