In a striking scene on Saturday evening, fans of Legia Warsaw, known for their vocal opinions on various social, political, and historical issues, unveiled a display that touched upon the topic of migration in Poland.
The pre-match ceremony against Zagłębie Lubin, marking the start of the new season of Poland’s top football league, Ekstraklasa, featured a banner with the words “Refugees Welcome.” However, the seemingly welcoming message came with a twist.
The banner depicted three figures greeting migrants: two men, one holding a baseball bat and the other a hammer, and a young woman with a long blonde braid and a cross necklace, holding a pig’s head on a plate.
This imagery has been interpreted as a harsh critique of the EU migration pact, which mandates member states, including Poland, to accept illegal immigrants. The term “Refugees Welcome” is also the name of a movement that began in Germany in 2014, aimed at helping refugees who arrived in Europe at the time.
Legia Warsaw supporters have previously expressed their stance on the issue of mass and uncontrolled migration, most notably last October with a banner stating, “We don’t want Berlin, Lampedusa, France here – zero tolerance for migrants!”
Recently, the fans also targeted Warsaw’s mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, with a banner that read, “Trzaskowski keep your hands off the cross,” in response to a decree banning the display of crosses in Warsaw’s municipal buildings and prohibiting city employees from displaying religious symbols on their desks.
