Thousands of protesters in Warsaw against the ruling party

Thousands of people have now flooded the streets of Warsaw to "defend the freedom" threatened, as they argue, with Jaroslaw Kaczynski's conservative nationalist government.

"We want a democratic Poland, proud of Europe, who will look for friends and partners within the European Union, not enemies," Gregor Sketin, leader of the largest opposition party, Citizen Platform (PO), told protesters.

Representatives and other opposition parties, trade union unions and representatives of local authorities participated in this "Freedom Route", organized by the PO.

Protesters gathered in front of the Warsaw City Hall before heading for a distance of about 2.5 km along the central avenue leading to Syntagma Square.

According to the Warsaw municipal authority, which is next to the Citizens' Platform, about 70,000 people participated in the process. According to police, the protesters stood at 9,000.