"We were brought here by solidarity and a wish to support fellow Poles, to contribute with our presence to the overall attendance in the manifestation," said one of them, Dawid.
"We also want to show, that the two nations can co-exist in solidarity. We have a long and wonderful common history and we should not lose sight of it for some silly quarrels," said his companion, Kasjan.
Both men said they were convinced that all issues could be settles peacefully. "We had a complicated history, but these days, I think, we can come to an agreement, to settle our problems. Both our countries are part of the European Union. Sometimes certain things bother us, but centuries-old common history, common kings and struggles should not be forgotten," said Kasjan from Warsaw.
They said they were part of a group of about fifty that had come to Vilnius in one bus. According to them, more people might have come, but there had not been much information about the event in Poland. The trip was organized via Facebook, while mainstream media had been rather silent.
"We have heard someone saying that the Poles were coming to destroy something, to loot, so one of the reasons we are here is to show that in fact we are peaceful. We like Lithuanians and we just love Vilnius very much," the two guys fro Warsaw smiled.
Their appearance suggested nothing of the attributes commonly associated with radical right-wing zealots - shaved heads, national flags, aggressive behavior, etc. Nor did they stand out from the rest of the crowd.
