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Warsaw Refuses to Pay for Damage to Russian Embassy

Polish nationalists burn the gate of the Russian embassy in Warsaw. @DanielaMalecKor

Warsaw said it won't pay compensation for damage done to the Russian Embassy by nationalists during a march on Nov. 11, Poland's Independence Day.

When the march — organized annually by Polish nationalist and ultra right organizations — reached the Russian Embassy a group of people torched a police security booth and threw stones and firecrackers at the embassy building.

Moscow has demanded an official apology and financial compensation of $11,000 from the Polish Foreign Ministry to cover the cost of repairs.

Although Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski apologized for the attack, Warsaw City Hall said Tuesday that it was not responsible for the hooliganism and that it also incurred damages to the tune of $40,000, RIA Novosti reported. A City Hall spokesman said the authorities intend to sue the march's organizers for compensation.

The organizers also deny responsibility for the riots, however. Tomas Palash, leader of the Polish Youth nationalist movement, and one of the march's organizers, said that he didn't understand how the city's authorities could punish the organizers for the actions of "hooligans and provocateurs," adding that the individuals who caused the damage should pay compensation.

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