Thousands attend funeral of slain Polish Mayor

Thousands of people on Saturday attended the funeral of Pawel Adamowicz, the Mayor of the Polish city of Gdansk, who succumbed to his injuries earlier this week after being stabbed by an assailant while taking part in a public charity event.

Adamowicz, 53, a well-known critic of his country's right-wing government, was laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gdansk, the Baltic port city where he was Mayor for 20 years.

Among notable attendees at the service were President Andrzej Duda and European Council President and former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the BBC reported.

Also in attendance were Polish Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President Lech Walesa.

Adamowicz was known for his liberal policies and for being an opposition voice against the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is currently in government.

The funeral ceremony was broadcast on large screens set up in several cities across Poland. Banners displaying black and white images of Adamowicz were draped over buildings across the country.

Adamowicz was attacked on stage on Sunday evening in front of hundreds of people while attending the Great Orchestra of Christmas charity -- an annual event where volunteers raise money for medical equipment in hospitals.

The assailant took the microphone to say that he had been wrongly imprisoned and tortured, apparently blaming Civic Platform, a centre-right political party to which the late Gdansk Mayor once belonged.

The alleged killer, who has previous convictions, was immediately apprehended.

Adamowicz died the following day from wounds to his chest after undergoing emergency surgery for five hours.

--IANS

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