Far-Right Marchers Shout ‘Jews Out’ At Polish Rally
Image by Getty Images
WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — Holocaust commemoration activists in Poland complained to prosecutors that participants shouted “Jews out” and other anti-Semitic slogans at an Independence Day march in Warsaw.
A small minority of the approximately 60,000 people who participated in the annual march Saturday used racist language, Jonny Daniels, founder of the From the Depths group, told JTA Monday, when he filed the complaint.
“Poland cannot allow this to happen,” he said, adding the racists “hijacked” the event organized each year by the Association for Independence March, a local nongovernmental organization that works with city government authorities to produce the event.
From the Depths documented at least one banner reading “pure White blood” at the event, as well as people shouting, “Seig Heil,” and, “Remove Jewry from power,” Daniels said. He asked police to prosecute the alleged offenders, whom From the Depths could not identify but whom Daniels said the government could easily track down.
If charged and convicted of acts of discrimination or incitement to hatred, participants in the march could face up to three years in prison.
Polish Culture Minister Piotr Gliński condemned the slogans and banners mentioning race in a statement. It did not mention the anti-Semitic slogans specifically.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
