A shooting in Krakow left six people dead and 15 wounded on Saturday, November 7, as Poland entered a politically charged week that includes a major nationalist march and a high-stakes court meeting. Police said Monday that the suspect had died in hospital.
Polish prosecutors opened an investigation into a suspected act of terrorism. Three more people, identified as the suspect’s family members, were found dead at a home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski on the same day. The investigation includes those deaths, according to Polskie Radio.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the suspect had been fascinated by far-right ideologies, a characterization that drew criticism from the conservative and nationalist opposition. Authorities have not established an ideological motive in the information reported so far.
Disputes over courts and the Independence March
The shooting has coincided with a dispute between Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government and its opponents over appointments to the Constitutional Tribunal. A key meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. The governing coalition says it is seeking to reverse politicized appointments and reforms made by the previous nationalist government; the opposition accuses it of weakening the constitutional order.
The Law and Justice party (PiS), which governed from 2015 to 2023, canceled protests planned for Monday and Tuesday after the shooting. Demonstrations could return later in the week, as the confrontation over the court continues.
Wednesday’s annual Independence March is another focus of concern. The event draws a broad range of right-wing supporters, including Catholic conservatives and far-right groups. President Karol Nawrocki has said he will attend, while some observers fear marchers could leave the agreed route and head toward the Constitutional Tribunal.
Tusk said no one intended to ban the march and urged participants to avoid aggression and stay away from counter-demonstrations. Political scientist Ewa Marciniak told France 24 that tragedies such as the Krakow shooting can sharpen divisions, particularly as Poland approaches parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn 2027. Further details on the political disputes and planned march were reported by France 24.
Clayton Ward 
Reid Bentley