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Israeli football fans sparked outrage in Poland after displaying a banner reading “Murderers since 1939” during a Europa Conference League match against a Polish team on Thursday. The provocative message, prominently unfurled by supporters of Israeli club Maccabi Haifa during their fixture against Rakow Czestochowa in Debrecen, Hungary, drew immediate condemnation from Polish officials. The game was played in Hungary for security reasons.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a former head of the country’s Institute of National Remembrance, took to X to express his dismay. “The scandalous banner displayed by Maccabi Haifa fans insults the memory of Polish citizens – victims of World War Two, including 3 million Jews,” he wrote, adding: “Stupidity that no words can justify.”
Marcin Kierwinski, Poland’s Interior Minister, echoed the sentiment, stating: “Anti-Polonism and the scandalous distortion of Polish history by Israeli hooligans demand strong condemnation.”
The Israeli Embassy in Warsaw also condemned the banner, asserting: “There is no place for such words and actions, from any side, neither at the stadium nor anywhere else. Never! These shameful incidents do not reflect the spirit of the majority of Israeli fans.”
The year 1939 marks the beginning of the Second World War, during which Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany. The country’s 3.2 million Jewish population, the largest in Europe at the war’s outset, was almost entirely annihilated, many in Nazi German death camps. A further 3 million non-Jewish Polish citizens also perished during the occupation. Historical disputes surrounding the Second World War and the Holocaust have frequently strained relations between Poland and Israel. While studies have indicated complicity by some Poles in the killing of Jews by Nazi Germany, many Poles vehemently reject such findings, viewing them as an attempt to dishonour a nation that suffered immensely.
The banner may have been a response to one displayed by fans of the Polish club during last week’s first leg, which read: “Israel is killing and the world is silent,” referencing the ongoing conflict in Gaza. That conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent offensive against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
Europe’s football governing body, UEFA, has initiated disciplinary proceedings against both clubs for “transmitting a message not fit for a sports event.” Maccabi Haifa have also been charged with improper conduct. Rakow Czestochowa won the second leg 2-0, securing a 2-1 aggregate victory to qualify for the playoffs later this month.