Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate Panorama

In 11 days' time, Europe's biggest festival of football, kicks off.

But just how safe will some fans be? Bloody hell.

I am concerned that they will be targeted by racists and fascists

and antisemites in Poland and in the Ukraine. The European

football's governing body says it has zero tolerance.

I think this is embarrassing and it embarrasses the whole country.

Panorama spends a month inside Poland and the Ukraine. We see the

fans who routinely abuse. What kind of things do they say?

Bad words. Like (BLEEP). The terraces where the fans give

fascist salutes. The ground where the supporters are beaten for the

colour of their skin. We were supporting the whole team.

The families of two black England players have already said they

won't go. Tonight a former captain condemns

UEFA's choice of host nations. Would you recommend families to

travel to Euro 2012? No chance. Stay at home. Watch it on TV. Don't

even risk it. UEFA has a vision, a vision of a

united European family of football. This June, the family of football

has chosen to pay a visit to Eastern Europe.

Poland, Europe. But with 100 years of footballing

history, and they have some of the most passionate fans in the world.

They have the stadiums, the speck kal, but they have a big problem, a

reputation for violence and racism. So, does the family of football,

really know what it is letting itself in for? I've spent a month

watching league matches across these two countries to find out.

My first stop.is Widzew, a city the size of Birmingham. It is not a

host city for Euro 2012, but I've been told to see the dark heart of

Polish football, I should come and watch the Widzew Derby.

LKS, versus Widzew. For this match, the visiting fans have been banned

from the LKS stadium. It is an hour before kick-off, the fans start

running battles with the police who just want to get them into the

stadium. It seems that a lot of them

definitely came here to fight, but there are no away fans, they are

banned from the match that turned on the police.

They have started to target us for a little while there, throwing

stones and fire crackers. It seems like anyone is a target if you are

Every team in Poland has a hard- core of supporters. They call

themselves Ultras. They create noise and atmosphere at the games,

and they love to abuse the opposition.

At this match, I was shocked to hear the terraces chanting that the

None of the Ultras would talk to me, but I did speak to a fan who did

not join in the chanting. Tell me about the antiSemitic chanting,

what is that about? They don't think that they insult Jewish

people, they just use it as a weapon to attack the opposite fans

and the opposite club. But they must think badly of Jews

if they think this is an insult? Yeah, they know this is an insult.

In Widzew, two teams trade the word "Jew" as an insult, both on the

pitch and in a tat for tat graffiti wall. All this in a city, where

during the Second World War, the Nazis all but exterminated its

230,000 Jews, for some football fans, the word Jew is now used for

someone who deserves to be defeated and even killed.

I lived in Widzew. I was shocked on the main street where I saw that

Jews should be assigned to the gas. The idea that people walked past

this every day and let that happen, it was difficult for me.

Jonathan Ornstein has lived here for many years. He believes that

football hooligans are yet to catch up with wider Polish sod. --

society. I think they are looking to

demonise the other team. The imagery that they are using is the

Jewish talk. I think it embarrasses the whole country.

My next step was Warsaw, the Polish capital and host city for Euro 2012.

This is where the opening ceremony is to take place. Where the fans

from all across Europe will be welcomed.

Warsaw's biggest team is Legia. They have one of the largest

followings in the Polish Premiership.

However, this particular branch of the family of football also has a

skeleton in the closet. If you're arriving here by train,

this is the greeting you'll get. Further down the platform, it does

not say "welcome to Warsaw" it says "welcome to hell" This graffiti

celebrates the White Legion. One of many violent groups organised

around football. Across the city they spray devotion to their team

and to their politics. What we have here is racist

graffiti. It also contains a very important

racist symbol, the so-called Celtic cross, the white power sign. This

symbol you can see often during the matches.

Jacek Purski's work is supported by UEFA to monitor and combat racism

among the fans. It is illegal to display such hate

symbols during the football matches. According to the Polish law,

putting this symbol at this wall is illegal. It promise oats fascism,

it promise oats racism. In Widzew, I had seen racist

banners pledging white pride and heard fans citing terms and monkey

sounds on the pitch. Are you familiar with the monkey

sounds? Yeah, but you try to ignore it. Many people are doing it.. I

have problems with the players on the field. I try not to focus on it

and try to go on my way. What sort of things do they say to

you? Bad words like you are a (BLEEP) monkey or something like

that. Is there a system to go to? Someone

to report it to? The only person to report it is the referee, he does

not do anything. He will just say to keep going. Racist symbols and

antiSemitic chants have been a part of football for years. There are no

official figures but a report vealed that in 2010, there were 133

serious hate rimes inside the stadiums.

-- hate crimes. Jacek Purski was a co-author who

documented the offensive chants Today he's helping Euro 2012

stewards learn to recognise racism. It can be an uphill struing until a

country where ethnic and religious minorities are all but invisible.

-- it can be an uphill struggle. A lot of work has been done. The

situation is going in a good direction. Of course, we hope to

have a peaceful, non-racist Euro 2012, but still around the league

matches, from time to time, some incidents occur.

Incidents like one that took place here. This is Rzeszow, a small town

in Southern Poland. Two years ago, fans displayed a

huge banner declaring "death to hook noses" at the time it went

unpunish, though a year later, the Polish FA fined the club and a

senior official lost his job. Even so, we filmed a repeat performance

over a month ago. This time a banner declared the presence of the

antiJew front. Although nothing was done in the

match, the police later arrested the man holding the banner. The

club was fined �1,000. The supporters were give an two-match

ban. There's been a push as of late,

obviously before the Euro, they don't want Poland to be embarrassed.

We will see what happens with that, but I think there needs to be a

deeper, more pro-longed effort to eradicate not just anti Semitism,

but xenophobia. That is part of a larger issue here.

This is Krakow, a city that is football crazy.

This medieval city is to be home to the England squad during Euro 2012.

It's another town where hooligans have hi-jacked the word "Jew."

Tonight it is the Krakow Derby, Wisla vs Cracovia.

Also known as the Holy War, for the intense rivalry between the two

takes. -- teams.

Just a few seats away from mine, I spot two which is which is fans.

Both are wearing what look like anti Semitic T-shirts. Polish

Ultras were not willing to speak on camera. I secretly filmed a chat at

halt. So, this is a Pole

Polish club? Your club? Yesment yes. I got it.

Soon, the war of words turned into a war of missiles. The opposing

hooligans vented their anger on the Watching the match was Nick Lowles

from Hope Not Hate. An antiracist monitoring group. He had flown out

to see what the British fans could expect from Poland.

As we saw tonight, people had T- shirts on, they were not confronted

by stewards. My concern is what happens outside of the stadium. The

positive thing with English football is that increasing numbers

of Asian fans are travelling to support England. I'm concerned that

they will be targeted by racists and fascists and antisemites in

Poland and the Ukraine. It is not just Eastern Europe where

racism in football is an issue. Charges of racism has hit the

headlines across the country. Especially in the UK.

John Terry is to go to trial facing ariesism remark. Whatever the

outcome, one man who has faced racism at first-hand is another

former England captain, Sol Campbell. I showed him our footage,

to see how the countries come paired.

It is incredible how organised it All the chants of killing Jews it

is sickening to the core. I'm glad it is not like that in England. I

know it was at one stage, but in the 21 century, this is on another

Leaving Poland behind, I wondered if what I found in Ukraine could

This is the capital, Kiev. It is where the Euro 2012 finals are

going to be played. Ukraine looks ready to host the euros, but were

their fans ready to welcome waves of visitors from all across Europe?

I went to a Premier League match, UEFA say they have zero tolerance

of racism on the terraces. Yet these distant cousins in the family

of football seemed to have zero tolerance for anyone who was not

white. While police and stewards look on, a relative of one black

That is just so sad. It is incredible. The thing about it is

that it is little kids, girls and boys. As recently as 2008, Sol

Campbell was racially abused at a Premiership match. Those fans were

arrested and prosecuted, but at this match in Ukraine police did

nothing. I cannot believe it, it just makes me feel sick, and I just

feel empty. I feel hurtful, because I know what those guys are going

through. I would hate to live in a place like that, just going in to

play a football game, you know, being subjected to all this abuse,

and no-one is doing anything about Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city and

This is the Metalist Stadium, soon to host Portuguese, Dutch, Danish

What went on here I had only seen in films about the Second World War.

Massed ranks, all doing a Nazi salute.

During the first half, I saw men, women, girls and boys of all ages,

giving the Hitler salute and shouting Sieg Heil. I have spoken

to a few have the fans here, and they have confirmed that they are

saying Sieg Heil because Hitler hated Jews and blacks, and that is

With Euro 2012 just around the corner, what were the police

planning to do about this? How concerned are you about the

possibility of racist displays inside the Metalist Stadium?

TRANSLATION: Regarding Kharkiv and the whole of the Ukraine, up until

now, we have not had any such incidents. There have been on, and

I hope that during the Euro 2012 Championship we will not have any.

In fact, Ukrainian fans are very friendly. At the Metalist Stadium,

I saw approximately 2000 people do the Nazi salute to their team.

no, it is not a Nazi salute. It is... They were pointing in the

direction of the opponents, so it looked like they were pointing with

the right hand to the fans, kind of attracting attention to themselves.

So it is not Nazi. Sieg Heil! Perhaps something had been lost in

translation. I was sure of what I had seen, football fans doing Nazi

salutes. Across town, I met up with a football fanatic who is also part

of a far-right organisation. hide in his place in the market,

nobody can find us, any cops, any government guys. By Dean did not

have any time for UEFA's vision of a multicultural family of football.

-- Vadym. The Celtic cross, show. It is not founded today because we

have a match, just people relaxing. Does it annoy you if you have a

black player playing for you? Do The whole bar was a shrine to far-

right extremism. They had Celtic crosses, swastikas and white power

symbols. There was also worked and help they -- there was also an

unhealthy obsession with Nazi Germany, but it was harder to pin

down exactly what Vadym believed in. Are you a Nazi? Do you support some

Vadym is a recruiter for a group called Patriot of Ukraine. This is

a Patriot video, where they claim to be running out illegal

Do you recruit from the stands? Do you find new members? Oh, yeah!

could see why football terraces could be fertile recruiting grounds

for the Patriots. Since the break- up of the Soviet Union, right-wing

politics and hooliganism have gone At this match, I spotted two fans

with Patriot logos on their T- shirts. It was not long before the

It was a gesture I would see at I had another appointment with the

Patriots, this time to see how they took football hooligans and trained

We are meeting a trainer in the use You keep it secret?

I had seen videos of Patriot events where they had rallied hundreds of

supporters, but at this training session there were just a handful

There are no reliable figures for Patriot membership, but they do

have a presence in all the Euro What makes them dangerous is not

only their extreme right-wing views, but they're clearly ready for

British government advice for Euro 2012 is for black or Asian fans to

take extra care in Ukraine because of the possibility of racist

Officially, Patriots say they do not condone attacks on foreigners,

but when I spoke to one recruit, that did not sound so clear cut.

TRANSLATION: We are learning to shoot, and we are learning tactical

combat, and military preparation, and we can take all this training

onto the streets. I can also add, because my face is hidden, that

these skills have already been used I have no way of knowing how much

of what they say is just bluster, but earlier this month in the host

city of Kharkiv, there were two stabbings, and both victims were

Nigerian students. Last month, UEFA responded to the

possibility of racist attacks. They announced funding for so-called

inclusivity zones, secure Areas outside of stadiums where

supporters of all backgrounds can feel safe. But have they done

enough to combat racism before the tournament begins? We asked for an

interview with Michel Platini, the president of UEFA, but we were told

that he was too busy to speak to us. However, in a statement, UEFA told

Back at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv, it was the final game of

the season. Of the pitch, it was said to be the most violent. This

is one of the stadiums that will be hosting matches in Euro 2012.

Tonight, it is hosting a match between two of the country's

biggest teams. Now, the local police have told me they have never

seen any evidence of racism on Vadym from the Patriots took me

into one of the most volatile parts of the stadium, the Ultras' stand.

Why are you in competition with that side of the stadium? Bloody

hell! It was not long before it lived up

Bloody hell! I am getting out of here!

Things went from bad to worse. With no segregation in the stadium,

scuffles are breaking out between rival fans all over. Suddenly, at

the Metalist hooligans spotted a new target, a small group of their

Only these supporters were not Innocent people, innocent, look at

them, it is just gangland! And no- one is helping, no police is

helping. Look at that. Look at That is absolutely disgusting. I

cannot believe that. No-one has come... At last, someone is helping

him. It is lawless! It is lawless! I want to cry for them. I want to

cry for them, because someone is living there, thinking, is someone

going to kill me today because of my colour? These Indian students

have been studying in Ukraine for the last few years. They sat in the

family section, thinking it would be safe. Ukrainian football does

find clubs when fans misbehave, but it set was unable to tell us if any

action had been taken over this incident. At Euro 2012, UEFA say

the Ukrainians will have primary So it was very planned? They

trapped you? Gosh. Are the police going to help you to get home

safely? They are not going to help Do you think UEFA were wrong, then,

to choose Poland and Ukraine? think they were wrong, because what

they should say is that, until we see a massive improvement, that you

have sorted that, you're never going to get his tournament. You do

not deserve these prestigious tournaments in your country. Would

you recommend families to travel to Euro 2012? No chance. Stay at home,

watch it on TV. Don't even risk it, because you could end up coming

back in a coffin. UEFA say that the legacy of Euro 2012 will be to help