Romney in Warsaw: photo - PAP Tomasz Gzell
Romney is in the Polish capital as part of a three-stage tour of the UK, Israel and Poland but has refused to answer questions from the media throughout the trip, which began last Friday in London.
As Romney walked away from laying a wreath at the Tomb to the Unknown Soldier with Warsaw president, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Walz, in the centre of Warsaw, foreign reporters called out to Barack Obama’s rival in the November presidential elections, asking him, among other questions, about the series of “gaffes” which plagued the Republican in the first leg of his trip in London.
After more attempts from reporters to have their questions answered, the former Massachusetts governor’s press secretary, Rick Gorka, appeared to lose his cool, shouting at the journalists: “Kiss my ass. This is a Holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect," CNN reports.
Speech
Romney had met with Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski and Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski on Tuesday before making a speech at the Warsaw University Library.
"I think we must be faithful to those who are loyal to America,” Romney said of Poland’s alliance with the United States.
“Solidarity was a great movement that freed the nations. Solidarity is what will help Poland and the United States to meet the challenges of the future,” he added.
The Republican candidate recalled that his trip to Europe began with Great Britain and ended in Poland. Hr called both countries "pillars of NATO - the biggest alliance, which keeps the peace for over half a century."
He also gave a tribute to the participants of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the occupying German N
+azi forces, the anniversary of the beginning of which is celebrated on 1 August.
"On the eve of the 68th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising against the Germans, I pay tribute to the 200,000 Poles who were killed. The city was almost destroyed, but the spirit survives,” he said.
On the first day of his visit to Poland, Romney met with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and former president Lech Walesa. (pg)