By David Gold
April 13 – The Never Again Association, in cooperation with Football Against Prejudices, has released a report documenting the scale of racist and discriminatory behavior in Poland and Ukraine, the host countries for the 2012 European Championships, in the last 18 months.
The report, entitled “Hateful”, details 195 incidents, 133 of which took place in Poland, with the majority relating to fascist and far right symbolism, as well as a significant number of anti-semitic and anti-black cases.
The authors say that the incidents “give cause for concern,” in particular the denial of the problem in the region.
The report says: “It is amazing to note that even in the face of such overwhelming evidence, activists are still too often encountering a refusal to accept even the most obvious problems.”
Rafal Pankowski, head of the FARE project, said: “These figures are only the very tip of the iceberg but they demonstrate the scale of the problems of racism and intolerance we face in Eastern Europe.
“We found that hatred of Jews remains a point of principle for many fan groups in Poland, even though they are a tiny minority of the population.
“In Ukraine we urge extreme vigilance by the authorities towards the presence of far-right groups, who we believe will be active and visible during the Euros next year.
“However putting the sense of gloom aside, we also have evidence that our work to challenge and educate over a long period of time is coming to fruition.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734851365labto1734851365ofdlr1734851365owedi1734851365sni@d1734851365log.d1734851365ivad1734851365
Related stories
March 2011: UEFA admit to concerns over hooliganism and infrastructure for Euro 2012 finals