Poles gathered on Saturday in the Baltic port city of Gdansk to bid an emotional farewell to murdered liberal mayor Pawel Adamowicz, whose public stabbing has raised questions about hate speech in politics in the country.

Around 3,500 people, including President Andrzej Duda and EU Council President Donald Tusk, a longtime friend of Adamowicz, attended the ceremony at St Mary's Church, one of the largest brick churches in the world, where his casket will be permanently located.

Polish Nobel Peace laureate Lech Walesa also attended the ceremony, being held on what Duda has declared a day of national mourning.&nbsp;

Adamowicz, 53, was stabbed in the heart in front of hundreds of people at a charity fundraiser last weekend by an ex-convict wielding a knife.

"It's a sad day for the people of Gdansk. We feel we have lost a father," said Tomasz Ceglinski.

"I am 24 years old and he was in power for all of my life," he said. "Every year, we saw changes in the city: investments, new roads, shopping centres and cultural institutions all thanks to him. It's my duty to be here," he told AFP.

The mayor's 27-year-old attacker, who reportedly has a history of mental illness, had previously been sentenced to more than five years in jail for armed robbery.

Recently released, the man claimed he was wrongly imprisoned by the previous government -- led by the centrist Civic Platform (PO) party, to which Adamowicz once belonged.

For many Poles, the mayor's murder was fuelled by online hate speech and toxic divisions between the main political parties.

"It's hatred that killed Pawel," PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna told lawmakers on Wednesday.&nbsp;

"A well-organised, crazy hatred directed at a man who with the help of thousands of Gdansk residents was building this great, proud and free city," he added.

Politicians from PO and the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party have traded barbs for years, as have their supporters online, with critics accusing the government of tacitly condoning the atmosphere of hostility.&nbsp;

Numerous media outlets have compared Adamowicz's murder to the 1922 assassination of president Gabriel Narutowicz by a fanatical nationalist at a time of rampant hatred.&nbsp;

Since Adamowicz's death, police have detained several individuals for uttering or writing threats against other politicians.

Political violence

Scores of mayors from across Poland and abroad attended the funeral. Giant screens around the church allowed city residents to watch the funeral.&nbsp;

Tens of thousands of people have already queued for hours to see the late mayor's casket, covered in white flowers and the city's red flag, and to sign a book of condolence at the city's European Solidarity Centre.

Gdansk, a city of around half a million people, was the cradle of Poland's anti-communist Solidarity movement in the 1980s.

Adamowicz, mayor of Gdansk for two decades, was backed by the PO party in 2018 municipal polls and won re-election with 64 per cent of the vote.

The capital Warsaw has named Adamowicz an honorary citizen.

The attack on Adamowicz is unusual as political violence is rare in Poland.

The last attack on a political figure was in 2010 when a man fatally shot an aide at a regional PiS office before stabbing another employee, who survived.

Poles gathered on Saturday in the Baltic port city of Gdansk to bid an emotional farewell to murdered liberal mayor Pawel Adamowicz, whose public stabbing has raised questions about hate speech in politics in the country.

Poles gathered on Saturday in the Baltic port city of Gdansk to bid an emotional farewell to murdered liberal mayor Pawel Adamowicz, whose public stabbing has raised questions about hate speech in politics in the country. Around 3,500 people, including President Andrzej Duda and EU Council President Donald Tusk, a longtime friend of Adamowicz, attended the ceremony at St Mary's Church, one of the largest brick churches in the world, where his casket will be permanently located. Polish Nobel Peace laureate Lech Walesa also attended the ceremony, being held on what Duda has declared a day of national mourning. Adamowicz, 53, was stabbed in the heart in front of hundreds of people at a charity fundraiser last weekend by an ex-convict wielding a knife. "It's a sad day for the people of Gdansk. We feel we have lost a father," said Tomasz Ceglinski. "I am 24 years old and he was in power for all of my life," he said. "Every year, we saw changes in the city: investments, new roads, shopping centres and cultural institutions all thanks to him. It's my duty to be here," he told AFP. The mayor's 27-year-old attacker, who reportedly has a history of mental illness, had previously been sentenced to more than five years in jail for armed robbery. Recently released, the man claimed he was wrongly imprisoned by the previous government -- led by the centrist Civic Platform (PO) party, to which Adamowicz once belonged. For many Poles, the mayor's murder was fuelled by online hate speech and toxic divisions between the main political parties. "It's hatred that killed Pawel," PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna told lawmakers on Wednesday. "A well-organised, crazy hatred directed at a man who with the help of thousands of Gdansk residents was building this great, proud and free city," he added. Politicians from PO and the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party have traded barbs for years, as have their supporters online, with critics accusing the government of tacitly condoning the atmosphere of hostility. Numerous media outlets have compared Adamowicz's murder to the 1922 assassination of president Gabriel Narutowicz by a fanatical nationalist at a time of rampant hatred. Since Adamowicz's death, police have detained several individuals for uttering or writing threats against other politicians. Political violence Scores of mayors from across Poland and abroad attended the funeral. Giant screens around the church allowed city residents to watch the funeral. Tens of thousands of people have already queued for hours to see the late mayor's casket, covered in white flowers and the city's red flag, and to sign a book of condolence at the city's European Solidarity Centre. Gdansk, a city of around half a million people, was the cradle of Poland's anti-communist Solidarity movement in the 1980s. Adamowicz, mayor of Gdansk for two decades, was backed by the PO party in 2018 municipal polls and won re-election with 64 per cent of the vote. The capital Warsaw has named Adamowicz an honorary citizen. The attack on Adamowicz is unusual as political violence is rare in Poland. The last attack on a political figure was in 2010 when a man fatally shot an aide at a regional PiS office before stabbing another employee, who survived.

In tears and shock, Poland bids farewell to murdered mayor

The centrist mayor of the Polish port city of Gdansk died on Monday, a day after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/europe/poland-mayor-stabbed-during-charity-event-undergoes-surgery-190091">a man stabbed him in the heart in front of hundreds of people at a charity event</a>.

"Despite all our efforts, we failed to save him," said Doctor Tomasz Stefaniak, director of Gdansk University hospital, quoted by the Polish PAP news agency.

Anti-violence rallies are being planned nationwide after Sunday's shock attack on Mayor Pawel Adamowicz, known for his liberal views and opposition to Poland's governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

The 53-year-old had been in a very critical condition after he suffered a serious wound to the heart and cuts to his diaphragm and abdominal organs, according to surgeons who operated on him for five hours.

Video footage showed the attacker, who police said was wearing a press badge, bursting on to the podium and launching himself at Adamowicz, who had been waving sparklers with others on stage as the fundraiser was winding down on Sunday evening.

After knifing the mayor several times, the man turned to the crowd with his arms raised triumphantly but was quickly tackled to the ground by security guards and arrested.

'Atmosphere of aggression' 
Paramedics resuscitated Adamowicz at the scene before rushing him to the hospital.

Gdansk residents flooded blood donation centres following news that Adamowicz had received 15 litres (32 pints) of blood and required more of the rare O Rh- type.

"There is an atmosphere of aggression in Poland," a blood donor who identified himself only as Zygmunt told AFP, reflecting on the broader context of the attack.&nbsp;

A local police spokesman said the detained man was a 27-year-old who lived in Gdansk, a Baltic coast city with a population of around half a million that was the cradle of Poland's anti-communist Solidarity movement in the 1980s.

In a video recording of the attack posted on YouTube, the suspect was seen seizing the microphone and claiming he had been wrongly jailed by the previous centrist government of the Civic Platform (PO) party and tortured.

"That's why Adamowicz dies," he said.

One witness told broadcaster TVN that the man appeared "happy with what he had done".

Mayor for two decades 
Adamowicz had been mayor of Gdansk for two decades and the opposition Civic Platform, the arch-rival of the governing PiS, had supported his re-election in 2018 municipal polls.

Since winning office in 2015, the PiS has systematically blamed PO politicians for an array of issues, ranging from VAT fraud to the 2010 crash of a Polish presidential jet in Russia that claimed the life of then president Lech Kaczynski, the identical twin brother of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Sunday's fundraising event was part of a popular annual nationwide drive to purchase medical equipment for children and featured a colourful stage set-up including lights, smoke and pyrotechnics.

'Doubts about his sanity' 
The suspect had previously been sentenced to more than five years in prison for four armed attacks on banks in Gdansk, justice officials said.

Prosecutors said the suspect would undergo a psychological assessment due to "doubts about his sanity".

Police were investigating how the attacker had been able to breach security to reach the podium, local police spokeswoman Joanna Kowalik-Kosinska told reporters.&nbsp;

"We know that he used an identifier with the inscription 'Press'," she said. "Now we have to establish how it was obtained, was the accreditation in his name and was he really entitled to be there at that time?"

This type of attack is rare in Poland. A similar incident occurred in 2010 when an assailant gunned down an aide at a regional PiS office before stabbing another PiS employee, who survived.

The centrist mayor of the Polish port city of Gdansk died on Monday, a day after a man stabbed him in the heart in front of hundreds of people at a charity event.

The centrist mayor of the Polish port city of Gdansk died on Monday, a day after a man stabbed him in the heart in front of hundreds of people at a charity event. "Despite all our efforts, we failed to save him," said Doctor Tomasz Stefaniak, director of Gdansk University hospital, quoted by the Polish PAP news agency. Anti-violence rallies are being planned nationwide after Sunday's shock attack on Mayor Pawel Adamowicz, known for his liberal views and opposition to Poland's governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party. The 53-year-old had been in a very critical condition after he suffered a serious wound to the heart and cuts to his diaphragm and abdominal organs, according to surgeons who operated on him for five hours. Video footage showed the attacker, who police said was wearing a press badge, bursting on to the podium and launching himself at Adamowicz, who had been waving sparklers with others on stage as the fundraiser was winding down on Sunday evening. After knifing the mayor several times, the man turned to the crowd with his arms raised triumphantly but was quickly tackled to the ground by security guards and arrested. 'Atmosphere of aggression' Paramedics resuscitated Adamowicz at the scene before rushing him to the hospital. Gdansk residents flooded blood donation centres following news that Adamowicz had received 15 litres (32 pints) of blood and required more of the rare O Rh- type. "There is an atmosphere of aggression in Poland," a blood donor who identified himself only as Zygmunt told AFP, reflecting on the broader context of the attack. A local police spokesman said the detained man was a 27-year-old who lived in Gdansk, a Baltic coast city with a population of around half a million that was the cradle of Poland's anti-communist Solidarity movement in the 1980s. In a video recording of the attack posted on YouTube, the suspect was seen seizing the microphone and claiming he had been wrongly jailed by the previous centrist government of the Civic Platform (PO) party and tortured. "That's why Adamowicz dies," he said. One witness told broadcaster TVN that the man appeared "happy with what he had done". Mayor for two decades Adamowicz had been mayor of Gdansk for two decades and the opposition Civic Platform, the arch-rival of the governing PiS, had supported his re-election in 2018 municipal polls. Since winning office in 2015, the PiS has systematically blamed PO politicians for an array of issues, ranging from VAT fraud to the 2010 crash of a Polish presidential jet in Russia that claimed the life of then president Lech Kaczynski, the identical twin brother of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Sunday's fundraising event was part of a popular annual nationwide drive to purchase medical equipment for children and featured a colourful stage set-up including lights, smoke and pyrotechnics. 'Doubts about his sanity' The suspect had previously been sentenced to more than five years in prison for four armed attacks on banks in Gdansk, justice officials said. Prosecutors said the suspect would undergo a psychological assessment due to "doubts about his sanity". Police were investigating how the attacker had been able to breach security to reach the podium, local police spokeswoman Joanna Kowalik-Kosinska told reporters. "We know that he used an identifier with the inscription 'Press'," she said. "Now we have to establish how it was obtained, was the accreditation in his name and was he really entitled to be there at that time?" This type of attack is rare in Poland. A similar incident occurred in 2010 when an assailant gunned down an aide at a regional PiS office before stabbing another PiS employee, who survived.

Polish mayor dies of stab wounds after attack

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In tears and shock, Poland bids farewell to murdered mayor

Polish mayor dies of stab wounds after attack