THE Euro 2012 Football Championship in Poland and Ukraine that is kicking off on June 8th has stimulated great enthusiasm for the beautiful game and an unprecedented construction boom with new stadia and a long-awaited transport upgrade to the host nations. But it is overshadowed by rumours and accusations that racism and anti-Semitism are rife in both countries. Football fans all over Europe who are on their way to the championship games are asking themselves: how bad are racial prejudices in Poland and Ukraine? And should we stay at home?
A BBC Panorama documentary entitled “Stadiums of Hate” that was first aired on June 4th showed football fans in Ukraine beating up south Asians at a match as officials were looking on, Ukrainian skinheads in fight training with a far-right organisation in the forest, hooligans making Nazi salutes and a police officer denying that Nazi salutes had been made. The scenes in Poland showed a group of fans making monkey impressions at a black footballer, and the word “Jew” being used in a derogatory manner.
These images are shown to a shocked Sol Campbell, a black former England football captain. “You could end up coming back in a coffin,” he said. His advice to fans is to “stay home, watch it on TV... don't even risk it.”
The Polish and Ukrainian governments stated that the BBC grossly exaggerated the reality on the ground by selecting worst cases and presenting them in isolation. No racist attacks against British people have been reported to the British embassy in Warsaw for at least three years. The explanation is not that black people don't go to Poland anyway: John Godson, one of Poland's two black MPs, said in an interview in Wprost magazine: “I believe that Poland is a tolerant country. Very much on this matter has changed and continues to change for the better. Poles have ever more opportunity to come into contact with foreigners - such as dark-skinned people - and that is better for them. Recall that in the election 30,000 people voted for me. Do you need any other proof of the tolerance of Poles?”
It seems that BBC reporters were highly selective in their reporting in the Panorama documentary. On June 6th, Jonathan Ornstein, the executive director of the Jewish Community Centre of Krakow, sent to our correspondent in Warsaw the following statement:
Krakow, June 6, 2012.
As an American-born Jew living happily and safely in Poland and working
diligently to build Jewish life in that country, I am furious at the way the BBC
has exploited me as a source. The organization used me and others to
manipulate the serious subject of anti-Semitism for its own sensationalist
agenda; in doing so, the BBC has insulted all Polish people and done a
disservice to the growing, thriving Jewish community of Poland.
I have reason to believe the BBC similarly misrepresented the black African
football players it used as sources in the same programme.
Moreover, the BBC knowingly cheated its own audience - the British people
- by concocting a false horror story about Poland. In doing so, the BBC has
spread fear, ignorance, prejudice and hatred.
I would urge the BBC to become more aware of its own negative stereotyping
of Poles, before it goes pointing the finger of judgment.
On April 30th, 2012 I was interviewed by Chris Rogers for a BBC Panorama
program about racism and anti-Semitism in Polish and Ukrainian football
ahead of the Euro2012 football championships taking place in those two
countries. The interview lasted approximately one hour during which I
emphasized that the small number of football fans in Poland engaging in
anti-Semitic and racist behavior do not represent Polish society as a whole. I
stressed throughout the interview the remarkable progress Poland has made
in the 11 years I've been living here and carefully explained that the Krakow
Jewish community, with whom I work closely in my capacity of Director of the
Jewish Community Centre, feels safe and well integrated into broader Polish
society.
I suggested to the reporting team that they interview the two Israeli footballers
who played for Wisla Krakow this season and were active members of the
Jewish community so that they could hear firsthand about their positive
experiences. The reporters responded that this line of inquiry “didn't fit their
story”, a response which perplexed me at the time.
The tendentious programme which aired on BBC One on May 28th “Stadiums
of Hate”, a name which I was not aware of while being interviewed,
completely disregarded anything positive I said and aired only comments
critical of Poland. I am profoundly disturbed by this unethical form of
journalism.
I cannot speak about Ukraine and the revolting images filmed there but
the Poland I have lived in for the past 11 years, while certainly not devoid
of problems with tolerance, has made great strides in that area and in my
opinion has been unfairly portrayed by the BBC. The report is so tendentious
that Poles cannot recognize themselves in it. Had the report been more
nuanced and closer to the reality, they would have been forced to accept that
problems do exist and support solutions currently in place.
To recover some of its journalistic integrity, I call on the BBC to air a follow
up episode that truly represents the state of anti-Semitism in Poland, but also
highlights the increasing support for pluralism in Polish society by accurately
reporting interviewees' comments.
Jonathan Ornstein
Executive Director
Jewish Community Centre of Krakow
