A sign calling for Jews to be sent to the gas chambers was discovered among several pro-Palestinian protesters at the Uniwersytet Jagielloński, the oldest university in Poland, Israel’s Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne shared on social media on Friday.
“While the Jewish state fights to make the world a safer place, Israel-haters in Krakow @JagiellonskiUni apparently want to murder Jews by gas, as was done in nearby Auschwitz,” Livne wrote. “I call on the Polish authorities to look closely into the events taking place on this campus.”
While the Jewish state fights to make the world a safer place, Israel-haters in Krakow @JagiellonskiUni apparently want to murder Jews by gas, as was done in nearby Auschwitz. I call on the Polish authorities to look closely into the events taking place on this campus. pic.twitter.com/dnu9O4Bry5
— Amb. Yacov Livne (@YacovLivne) October 18, 2024
Krakow Mayor Aleksander Miszalski responded to the post, “condemning the language used here” but adding “It is rather heavy-handed to label Poland or Krakowians as anti-Semitic or racist. Kraków continues to implement inclusive policies supporting national, ethnic and religious minorities.”
As the mayor of Kraków, I strongly condemn the language used here. According to information provided by @JagiellonskiUni, the banner appeared overnight. For weeks, young people have been protesting against the war on the university grounds. The other displayed slogans are an…
— Aleksander Miszalski (@Miszalski_) October 18, 2024
It is unclear to what accusation Mayor Miszalski is referring to, as the ambassador’s post does not seem to label Poland or Krakowians as antisemitic.
Incident under police investigation
Stressing that the university is “autonomous and independent of the authorities,” the Polish official assured that he had been informed that the banner had been removed and that the incident was being investigated by local police.
The poster also drew condemnation from the American Jewish Committee’s Central European offices who claimed that it displayed the crossover between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
“For those who claim that ‘antizionism has nothing to do with antisemitism’ – is slogan ‘Gas the Jews’ at the fence of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, once home to a vibrant Jewish community, enough to react?” they wrote.
For those who claim that “antizionism has nothing to do with antisemitism” – is slogan “Gas the Jews” at the fence of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, once home to a vibrant Jewish community, enough to react?What need to happen to call out antisemitism when it occurs? pic.twitter.com/g1S16aS2i4
— AJC Central Europe (@AJC_CE) October 17, 2024