Legia Warsaw display provocative anti-Nazi banner to mark anniversary of Warsaw Uprising ahead of Champions League clash
LEGIA WARSAW fans unveiled a highly provocative banner ahead of their Champions League clash with Astana to mark the anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.
The banner showed a crying child with a Nazi solider holding a gun to his head and the caption: “During the Warsaw Uprising Germans killed 160,000 people. Thousands of them were children.”
EPA Legia Warsaw fans displayed a provocative banner to mark the 73rd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising[/caption]
AFP The Polish resistance mounted an offensive against Nazi Germany – but hundreds of thousands were murdered in mass executions[/caption]
The banner, which also had a Polish flag and the year 1944 in the background, was to mark the 73rd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, a key event in the war in Europe in World War II.
Legia also held a minute’s silence before kick-off.
The Warsaw Uprising began on August 1, 1944, and saw Polish resistance forces attempt to drive the Nazi army out of the city as Soviet forces arrived from the East.
But after 63 days – as Soviet leader Josef Stalin withheld troops in the hope the city would fall – hundreds of thousands were killed, mostly in mass executions by the Nazis and large parts of the city were completely destroyed.
Legia eventually beat Kazakh side Astana 1-0, although they were knocked out of the Champions League because of a 3-1 loss in the first leg.
The club, however, are likely to face an investigation by Uefa for the banner.
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Legia Warsaw ultras appear to attack stewards with pepper spray during Champions League tie
EPA Legia's most famous result - a 3-3 draw with Real Madrid - was played behind closed doors after Legia crowd trouble[/caption]
EPA The Polish champions were fined in 2014 for depicting Uefa chiefs as greedy pigs[/caption]
EPA Polish people marked the anniversary on Tuesday[/caption]
Getty - Contributor Huge parts of Warsaw were destroyed by intense fighting[/caption]
Reuters The offensive lasted just 63 days as Soviet forces failed to reach the city[/caption]
The Polish champions are no strangers to controversy because of their Ultras.
Legia have also been fined in the past for racist and anti-semitic chanting at home matches.
They also received a hefty fine for depicting Uefa as greedy pigs after they were kicked out of the Champions League for fielding an ineligible player in 2014.
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