Śląsk Wrocław soccer ultras display anti-Ukrainian banners during their team’s match — photo
A demonstration by Polish soccer fans during a recent match is raising fears of a backlash against the nearly 1 million Ukrainians who have sought refuge in Poland from Russia’s full-scale invasion and war in Ukraine.
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During the second round of the Polish soccer championship on July 29, Śląsk Wrocław faced a disappointing home defeat against Zagłębie, with a score of 1:2.
But the match result was overshadowed by a troubling display off the pitch.
Throughout the match, a group of the home team’s “ultras” fans displayed disturbing anti-Ukrainian posters in the stands, carrying messages such as “Ukrainians massacred children in Volhynia” and “Stop the Ukrainianization of Poland.”
In addition to the banners, some Polish supporters also made insulting remarks about Ukrainian nationalist figure Stepan Bandera and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army – a Ukrainian national resistance army that fought both the Soviet Army and German Nazi invaders in Ukraine during the Second World War and in the decade after it.
The incident is gaining attention, particularly considering that on Sept. 9, the Ukrainian national team is scheduled to play against England in a Euro-2024 qualifying match at the Śląsk Wrocław stadium in Wrocław.
Some 8 million Ukrainians are estimated to have become refugees in other countries following the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion and war on Feb. 24, 2022.
Read also: Supporter of Russia sent for psychiatric examination in Poland
Poland is one of the largest host countries of Ukrainian refugees in Europe, having taken in nearly 1 million Ukrainians, according to market and consumer data company Statista.
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