Racism on football stadiums

Alert DateApril 23, 2008 Country: Poland Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia
General Type: Racist violence, Racist discourse Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants, Ethnic minorities, Majority Strands: Racism Key Areas: Racist violence - Hate Speech Statistics

Timeline

  • Anti-Semitic incidents during the football match

    On 11 April 2008, after the match of Orange Ekstraklasa between Widzew Łódź and ŁKS Łódź, the ŁKS player A.M. run onto the pitch to celebrate the victory dressed in a T-shirt with the inscription "Śmierć żydzewskiej kurwie"(‘Death to the Żydzew’s whore’; ‘żydzewska’ is an adjective derived from combination of two words ‘Żyd’, i.e. a Jew, and Widzew). Afterwards, the player explained that it had been one of the supporters who had persuad...

  • Scandal during football match

      During the derby Ekstraklasa Cup match between Wisła Kraków and Cracovia, fans shouted racist slogans; when a Cracovia player was carried from the pitch on a stretcher, it was accompanied by the shouts ‘Take him to the crematory’. Further, the fans made monkey-like sounds at two black players of Wisła. After the conclusion of the game, Wisła players four times began to shout ‘Always better than you’ which supporters ended with words ‘fucking Jews’....

  • Anti-Semitism at football stadiums

      Anti-Semitic incidents were observed during the cross-town rivalry of football teams from Rzeszow (Resovia and Stal). A banner appeared in the stands occupied by Resovia fans with the slogan ‘Death to beak noses’, as well as a huge canvas with the caricature of a Jew wearing a skull cap in the colours of blue and white, which are the colours of the Stal team. Source: Gazeta.pl http://rzeszow.gazeta.pl/rzeszow/1,34962,7880908,Antysemickie_hasla_na_trybunach_Resovii.h...

  • Stop Racism in Sports’ Journalist Competition

    The Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment, in partnership with the European Community Representation in Poland, announced the second edition of the ‘Stop Racism in Sport’ competition. The objective of this competition is to fight racial, national or ethnic discrimination in sports, develop tolerance among sport fans and increase journalists’ awareness of the issue. The competition is for professional journalists working for newspapers and electronic media, both lo...

  • Preventing racism during Euro 2012

    In connection with the forthcoming European Football Championships 2012, which will take place in Poland, the Human Rights Defender has sent a letter to the Minister of Sport inquiring to what extent relevant public services are prepared to counteract discrimination and racism that may occur at the stadiums. Source: Human Rights Defender http://www.sprawy-generalne.brpo.gov.pl/szczegoly.php?pismo=1594469  

  • Controversial Slogan During Futball Match

    During the UEFA Europa League football match between Polish club Legia Warszawa and Israel's Hapoel Tel Aviv, the Polish fans hung out a huge banner with the slogan “Jihad Legia”. The inscription was stylized to imitate Arabic lettering. The fans did not respond to the warning of the speaker who informed them about the ban on racist practices. The UEFA repre...

  • Fans attacked a Nigerian football player

    On Saturday, September 29, there was a brutal racist incident during a football match between Jagiellonia Bialystok and Pogoń Szczecin – fans of Jagiellonia Bialystok spit on and insulted their own team’s player, Ugochukwu Ukaha, who originates from Nigeria. The incident occurred when the players and coaches came up to the fans to thank them for their support. The Jagiellonia club authorities condemned the incident and took the decision to break off cooperation with the supporters’ asso...

Racism on football stadiums
Polish football stadiums are specific location where hate speech and racism is visible. Hate speech is directed against all ‘alien’ players and consists of shouting racist slogans, hanging banners with such slogans as well as adding Nazi symbols and stylistics to club flags and banners. In other instances, this behaviour has an anti-Semitic tint. However, it is important to note that this anti-Semitic behaviour is not directed against the clubs with players of Jewish origin or against particular persons who are actually of Jewish descent. The use of anti-Semitic rhetoric in this context is well illustrated by a cross-town rivalry of teams from Łodź. On 11 April 2008, after the match of Orange Ekstraklasa between Widzew Łódź and ŁKS Łódź, the ŁKS player A.M. run onto the pitch to celebrate the victory dressed in a T-shirt with the inscription Śmierć żydzewskiej kurwie [‘Death to the Żydzew’s whore’; ‘żydzewska’ is an adjective derived from combination of two words ‘Żyd’, i.e. a Jew, and Widzew].However, at times, the anti-Semitic slogans include praising leaders of the Third Reich (Hitler, Hess) or references to the Holocaust. For instance, during the derby Ekstraklasa Cup match between Wisła Kraków and Cracovia, when a Cracovia player was carried from the pitch on a stretcher, it was accompanied by the shouts ‘Take him to the crematory’. Foreign players, in particular those of African origin, become victims of racist backchat and physical attacks; they are sometimes being thrown at with bananas, which is supposed to have humiliating symbolic meaning.

Source: Polish Express http://polishexpress.polacy.co.uk/art,bbc_rasizm_na_polskich_stadionach,175.html

Source: Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights

Source: Never Again Association