Outrageous Israeli fan banner in Debrecen sparks outrage among Poles – VIDEO
A banner displayed by Israeli football supporters in Debrecen has ignited outrage in Poland, labelling Poles as “murderers since 1939.” The incident has raised questions about historical understanding and the context behind the provocation.
Controversial Israeli fan banner in Debrecen
As is widely known, World War II began on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany, under Hitler, invaded Poland. On 17 September, the Soviet Union joined the invasion and, much like in the late 18th century—only without Austrian involvement—divided the country after the heroic yet hopeless Polish resistance was crushed. It seems, however, that this history has either failed to reach Israeli elementary and secondary school history classes or has been seriously distorted.
At the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen two days ago, fans of the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa unfurled a banner that read, “Murderers since 1939.” Their opponents, however, were not Germans—as unjust as the message would be even in that context, since the sons are not to be blamed for the crimes of their fathers—but Poles. For security reasons, the Maccabi Haifa team faced Raków Częstochowa in Debrecen in a UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round match. The Polish side won the match, an Israeli player was sent off, and the victory was clinched with a goal by Hungarian national team player Péter Baráth.
Retaliation linked to Gaza?
It appears some Israeli supporters were less focused on the match itself and more intent on retaliating for what they saw as a provocation in the previous round. Polish fans had displayed a banner that read, “Israel is murdering and the world is silent,” presumably a reference to the war in Gaza (and associated famine) and the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Polish football authorities demand action
The controversial fan banner could have serious consequences for the Israeli team and its supporters. Hungarian police have launched an investigation, while both the president of the Polish Football Association and the Raków coach have called for penalties against Haifa, according to Telex.
Poland’s enormous sacrifice in World War II
Unsurprisingly, the banner triggered outrage among Polish public figures. Karol Nawrocki, recently appointed head of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance, stated that the message was scandalous and offensive to the memory of Poland’s World War II victims, including the approximately three million Polish Jews murdered during the Holocaust.
It’s worth noting that we can only hope few in Israeli society actually believe that, because Nazi Germany’s death camps were located in occupied Poland, Poles share in the guilt. Nazi leadership deliberately placed these extermination sites outside Germany’s borders to avoid operating them at home or being held accountable by their own citizens.
In proportion to its population, Poland—divided and fully occupied by the Nazis—suffered the highest losses in World War II: nearly 15% of its 1939 population perished. For comparison, Hungary ranks third, with 6.49% losses.
Polish fans respond — WITH VIDEO
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński stated that the banner does not reflect the views of the majority of Israeli fans, calling it a disgraceful distortion of Polish history.
Polish fans did not let the insult go unanswered. After the match, they pelted one of the Israeli supporter buses with stones. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Here’s a video of the incident:
זה האוטובוס של אוהדי מכבי חיפה אחרי המשחק מול ראקוב. באמצע כביש מהיר עקפו אותם חבורה של אוהדים פולנים שעקבו אחריהם עוד מתחנת דלק בה עצרו, והתחילו לזרוק אבנים על האוטובוס ולנסות לפגוע בהם. הם הצליחו לברוח לבסוף, ובנס אף אחד לא נפגע, אבל זה אירוע קשה שהיה יכול להיגמר אחרת pic.twitter.com/Ovu2K7FUoX
— Yotam Koren (@yotam_koren) August 15, 2025
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Are You insane? Karol Nawrocki is a President of Poland at the moment.
For clarification from Grok: “As of August 17, 2025, the current head of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) is not explicitly named in the provided information, as Karol Nawrocki, who was the president of the IPN until August 6, 2025, became the President of Poland on that date. No successor is mentioned in the available sources, so it is unclear who assumed the role of IPN president after Nawrocki’s departure. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, you may need to check the official IPN website or recent news sources”