WARSAW (Reuters) -Israeli soccer fans held up a banner reading “Murderers since 1939” during a match against a Polish team on Thursday, causing outrage in Poland as the president said it insulted the memory of Poles, including Jews, killed in World War Two.
Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany in World War Two. The country’s 3.2 million Jewish population was the largest in Europe at the start of the war. Almost all were killed, many of them in Nazi German death camps, and a further 3 million non-Jewish citizens also died during the occupation.
Historical disputes over World War Two and the Holocaust have strained relations between Poland and Israel in the past.
Studies have shown complicity by some Poles in the killing of Jews by Nazi Germany, but many Poles reject such findings, saying they are an attempt to dishonour a country that suffered immensely during the war.
The “Murderers since 1939” banner was displayed prominently across a row of seats by fans of Israeli club Maccabi Haifa during their Europa Conference League match against Rakow Czestochowa, which was played in Debrecen in Hungary for security reasons.
“The scandalous banner displayed by Maccabi Haifa fans insults the memory of Polish citizens – victims of World War Two, including 3 million Jews,” Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a former head of the country’s Institute of National Remembrance, wrote on X. “Stupidity that no words can justify.”
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said “Anti-Polonism and the scandalous distortion of Polish history by Israeli hooligans demand strong condemnation”.
The Israeli Embassy in Warsaw also condemned the banner.
“There is no place for such words and actions, from any side, neither at the stadium nor anywhere else. Never!” the embassy wrote on X. “These shameful incidents do not reflect the spirit of the majority of Israeli fans.”
The banner may have been made in response to one displayed in last week’s first leg by fans of the Polish club which read: “Israel is killing and the world is silent,” referring to the conflict in Gaza.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
Europe’s soccer governing body UEFA said disciplinary proceedings have been opened 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, giving them a 2-1 victory on aggregate to qualify for the playoffs later this month.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish, additional reporting by Rohith Nair; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Pritha Sarkar)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.