As every year, the Independence March took place today in Warsaw. Hundreds of thousands of Poles came to the capital to show their pride in their country, which regained its independence 107 years ago. Among them was British creator Patrick Ney, who has lived in Poland for many years.
“Poles know the price of freedom. They paid for it with blood, with hunger, with the tears of mothers. Poles understand this word not as an abstraction, not as something from a textbook — they understand it as a memory that hurts. That’s why I believe Poles understand something that the West has long forgotten — the price of freedom,” said Ney during his speech at the Independence March.
Patrick Ney addressed hundreds of thousands of Polish patriots in Warsaw, visibly moved as he spoke in Polish.
“Today I’m not speaking as a Briton — I’m speaking as a Pole. ‘Why did you move to Poland?’ — that’s what everyone asked me 15 years ago, when, after visiting Poland a few times, I decided to move here permanently. And I must admit, that decision wasn’t rational — it was a decision made out of love. When I held that one-way ticket in my hand, I didn’t know what awaited me. But I knew — I felt — that Poland would become my place on Earth. So when I got off the plane, the first thing I did was kneel down and kiss the ground,”
he recalled.
He emphasized that his journey to becoming Polish took many years.
“But I have to tell you — no one asks me anymore why I live here,” he said.
“The British, Americans, and others realize what an incredible progress we’ve made in the last 30 years of freedom. And I think I know why — because Poles, through all of it, know the price of freedom. They paid for it with blood, hunger, and mothers’ tears. Poles understand this word not as an abstraction, but as a painful memory. That’s why I believe Poles understand something the West has long forgotten — the price of freedom,” Ney stressed.
“That’s why I love you — not only for the way you rebuilt your country in the last 30 years, but above all because you taught me what the price of freedom is. And because you show the world that freedom is worth defending, that values like family, tradition, and homeland are still worth something. For all that and more, I love you — for welcoming me with open arms, and most of all, for giving me the chance to become one of you. That’s why I believe there’s no greater honor than to say today: I am a Pole,” the Brit concluded.