THE 2018 WORLD CUP AND THE POSITIVE POTENTIAL OF FOOTBALL

The FIFA Football World Cup will kick off on 14 June.‎ The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association has participated in several events preceding the big event.

Co-founder of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association Rafal Pankowski was invited by the prestigious Cambridge Union debating society to speak at a debate on the forthcoming World Cup in Russia, including the challenges of racism and xenophobia‎, on 10 May.

– ‘Should we boycott the World Cup in Russia?’ – asked the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ representative during the Cambridge debate. – ‘It would be a better idea to use the opportunity to promote intercultural dialogue and peace, to empower Russian civil society, the progressive fan movement and human rights groups, especially the ethnic minorities, before, during, and after the tournament. Much more should be done in this field.’

Dr Pankowski was the coordinator of the Respect Diversity – Football Unites campaign in Poland and Ukraine during UEFA Euro 2012. He has participated in the consultations on racism and xenophobia in preparation for the World Cup in Russia, organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

ln the run up to the tournament, the work of ‘NEVER AGAIN’ in counteracting the scourge of racism in East European football was also showcased at the international workshop on ‘Rethinking Radicalisation: Frontline Perspectives’‎ held at the Centre for Youth Studies, Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg (Russia) under the auspices of the European-wide research project Dialogue About Radicalization and Equality (DARE) on 22-25 May 2018. The ‎‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association’s presentation was entitled ‘The potential of sports events in tackling racism and xenophobia: Experiences of the Respect Diversity – Football Unites programme’.

Also in the run-up to the World Cup, the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association has been a partner of the Polish Film Festival in Russia. More than 100 films are shown, including a special section devoted to the social aspects of football such as Kasia Adamik’s acclaimed ‘The Offsiders’ about the Homeless World Cup.

The Festival features meetings, film workshops, concerts and exhibitions. It started in Moscow on 17-24 May. After that it sets out on a trail into the Russian interior and will visit cities such as Yekaterinburg, Barnaul, Novorosiysk, Tver, Rostov on Don, Krasnodar, Orenburg, Nizhny Novogrod, Great Novogrod, Great Wielkim, Torżhok, Petrozavodsk, Visokovsk and Biysk.

Since 1996, the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association has conducted the first anti-racism campaign in Eastern European football, ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out of the Stadiums’ and is a founding member of the Fare network.

Additional information:

www.nigdywiecej.org
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ

9 kwietnia 2018

COMMEMORATING THE KISHINEV POGROM

In April 2018, the 115th anniversary of the Kishinev Pogrom is marked. This year, the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association and the Jewish Cultural Center KEDEM launch an awareness campaign, which includes a series of articles and materials disseminated in both local and international mass-media. A thematic exhibition has been inaugurated in the central park in Chisinau (Kishinev), the capital of Moldova, and then displayed in the local schools.

‘On reading the first newspapers reports I perceived the monstrosity of the event and experienced a mixed feeling of compassion for the innocent victims and amazement at the extent of human brutality…’ (Leo Tolstoy about the Kishinev Pogrom of 1903).

Jews have lived on the territory of present-day Moldova (known as Bessarabia) for over 600 years, contributing to the development of the country. During this period, the local community experienced various times, including difficult ones. The 1903 Kishinev Pogrom made the town sadly known all over the world.

According to the data of the 1897 official census carried out in the Russian Empire, there were 230,000 Jews living in the Province of Bessarabia amounting to over 12% of the total population. In Kishinev the percentage was even higher and reached 46% of the population.

The pretext for the Pogrom was centuries old blood libel; Jews were blamed for killing a boy in Dubossary, a town not far from Kishinev. The antisemitic propaganda used it and called for revenge. The Pogrom broke out on Easter and lasted three days. 49 people were killed, about 600 wounded, almost one third of buildings that belonged to Jews – destroyed or damaged.

The Kishinev Pogrom foreshadowed further persecutions of Jews, a series of pogroms in Bessarabia and neighbouring Ukraine in 1905, a prefiguration of the Holocaust. Bloody pogroms of 1903-1905 led to mass emigration of Jews from the Russian Empire to Eretz Israel, USA, South Africa, Latin America and Canada. As Theodor Herzl wrote after the Kishinev Pogrom, ‘The feeling of unity among the Jewish people has not found a manifestation so powerful or so tragic for many centuries.’

– ‘What can we do now, 115 years after?! The message is very clear: we have to counteract inter-ethnic and inter-religious intolerance, combat antisemitism using all the possible means, work with the authorities, reach out and engage the youth, the media, speaking out loud about such tragedies that changed our history to avoid repetition’ – stated Alexander Bilinkis, the President of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova.

– ‘There are certain lessons to be learnt from the Kishinev pogroms in 1903 and 1905, especially today when we observe a rise of antisemitism and xenophobia in Europe. Historically multicultural societies such as Moldova are not immune from that. We as the NEVER AGAIN Association feel a duty to join the campaign and spread the word internationally’ – said Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association.

The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an independent organization established in Warsaw in 1996. The mission of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is to promote multicultural understanding and to contribute to the development of a democratic civil society in Poland and in the broader region of Central and Eastern Europe.

Additional information:

www.nigdywiecej.org
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ

25 marca 201827 marca 2018

“NEVER AGAIN” TARGETED FOR SPEAKING OUT AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

The “NEVER AGAIN” Association spoke out against the current wave of antisemitism in Poland and it became a target of a hostile campaign by a Polish official.

Since late January, Poland has witnessed a series of outrageous statements in media and politics in connection with debates around the so-called “history law” prohibiting defamation of “the Polish state and nation”.

For example, Beata Mazurek, the Polish Parliament’s deputy Speaker and spokesperson of the ruling party tweeted the words: “From now on it will be difficult to look at Jews with sympathy and friendship”. Jacek Zalek, a deputy chairman of the ruling party faction in the Parliament, said in a televised interview: if the Poles are held responsible for the 1941 Jedwabne pogrom “than one might conclude that if the Jewish police was responsible for leading Jews to the gas chambers, than the Jews themselves created the Holocaust for themselves.” Kornel Morawiecki MP said in a recent interview: “Do you know who chased the Jews away to the Warsaw Ghetto? The Germans, you think? No. The Jews themselves went because they were told that there would be an enclave, that they would not have to deal with those nasty Poles.” The “NEVER AGAIN” Association has documented dozens of similar comments made in the last weeks.

Members of the “NEVER AGAIN” Association have protested against the wave of antisemitism through numerous interventions in Polish and international media. They also took part in several high-level international meetings where they discussed the current situation. The meetings included the Polish-British Belvedere Forum held in London on 19-20 February with the participation of officials and intellectuals, including Professor Norman Davies and the UK Envoy for Holocaust Issues Sir Eric Pickles. “NEVER AGAIN” was also represented at the round-table of the European Council for Tolerance and Reconciliation held in Monaco on 5-6 March with the participation of former British prime minister Tony Blair, Prince Albert of Monaco, and historian Sir Antony Beevor, among others.

On 19-21 March, the “NEVER AGAIN” Association was represented at the Global Forum for Combatting Antisemitism held in Jerusalem with the participation of the President of Bulgaria Roumen Radev, former French prime minister Manuel Valls, the president of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder and numerous other figures. “NEVER AGAIN” co-founder Rafal Pankowski was invited to speak on the Forum’s panel about historical revisionism and antisemitism in Eastern Europe. His presentation consisted mostly of examples of controversial statements made by public figures in the last weeks, with minimum commentary. He pointed to the existence of Polish civil society initiatives against antisemitism as a positive sign and he was subsequently congratulated for his talk by numerous conference participants.

Upon conclusion of the Global Forum, a hostile social media campaign was launched by Andrzej Pawluszek, an adviser to the Polish Prime Minister. Pawluszek was also present at the Forum, but did not take the floor. Instead, he published a number of tweets calling the “NEVER AGAIN” presentation “an incredible scandal”. He alleged “Pankowski did not have much to say, nothing concrete, he just quoted supposedly <antisemitic> statements of politicians.” He also added: “It is sad that a Pole had nothing nice to say about his own country.”

Pawluszek’s smears were retwitted by, among others, Deputy Speaker of the Senate Adam Bielan and Krzysztof Ziemiec, the anchor of the main news programme on state-controlled TV. Rafal Ziemkiewicz, a Polish TV commentator notorious for using antisemitic language who has 155,000 twitter followers, posted his own comment in response: “the problem is the home-made rascal”.

Pawluszek’s campaign was also taken up by Krzysztof Bosak, a deputy leader of the extreme-right Nationalist Movement party (Ruch Narodowy, RN), who has 140,000 followers on twitter. He began his own series of posts by exclaiming: “Warning, another representative of academia defaming Poland”. Bosak’s post was retweeted by, among others, Sebastian Kaleta, a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Justice.

Not surprisingly, the above mentioned posts resulted in a large number of hostile and threatening comments, for example:

“Why can’t we put TNT in the ass of this Pankowski?”

To Pawluszek: “Couldn’t you punch him in the face on our behalf? We would collect money for a possible punishment.”

“Pankowski went there to earn his Judas’ shekels.”

“Disgusting, who employs him?”

“But is this gentleman really Polish? Or maybe he only has Polish documents? It would explain his behaviour!”

“A Pole? He is just a Polish-speaking Jewish mongrel dog.”

“There are full-blooded Poles, but there are also such lice, misfits and shabes goyim who cannot be called Poles.”

“We must identify all those pseudo-Poles and show them to society. Only the truth will set us free.”

Rafal Pankowski, who is a sociology professor at Warsaw’s Collegium Civitas, said: – “I am disappointed Mr Pawluszek did not wish to discuss any issues at the Global Forum in Jerusalem, but resorted to an online campaign. Such behaviour is unworthy of a public official, but it is unfortunately emblematic of the current climate of xenophobia.”

The “NEVER AGAIN” Association is an independent organization established in Warsaw in 1996. The mission of the “NEVER AGAIN” Association is to promote multicultural understanding and to contribute to the development of a democratic civil society in Poland and in the broader region of Central and Eastern Europe. It received personal endorsements from figures such as Jan Karski, Simon Wiesenthal and Barack Obama, among others.

Additional information:

www.nigdywiecej.org
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ

6 stycznia 201816 stycznia 2018

‘MUSIC AGAINST RACISM’ STILL PLAYING – NEWS FROM THE ‘NEVER AGAIN’ ASSOCIATION

Twenty years ago the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association issued its first compilation album under the heading ‘Music Against Racism’. To mark the anniversary, the full contents of the historic release has been uploaded on YouTube .

The ‘Music Against Racism’ campaign was a brainchild of the late Marcin Kornak (1968-2014), ‘NEVER AGAIN’s founder, a poet and an activist. Inspired by the British ‘Rock Against Racism’ initiative, Marcin managed to encourage numerous Polish bands and singers to join the movement against racist violence.

The first album in the Music Against Racism series has become a rare collectible by now. It featured tracks by top-notch Polish rock bands who donated songs dealing with the issues of hatred and intolerance. The first stellar review was published on the pages of Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland’s main quality daily newspaper. The campaign was subsequently ranked one of four most important musical events of the year in a poll by readers of Brum, a popular music monthly. More albums in the series followed over the years, bringing together artists of various genres, from the rapper Liroy to the folk band Trebunie-Tutki, which in itself was a statement of diversity and tolerance. Furthermore, the action was supported by UK-based Chumbawamba and Zion Train, bands known for their activism. As Marcin Kornak commented later on: ‘Many people took Music Against Racism and its message as something personal and important in their lives.’

Jerzy Owsiak, a longtime ally of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association and organizer of the annual Polish Woodstock Festival, said: ‘I think this action, Music Against Racism, is great. The role of music is so huge. There is no better way to reach people than through music. This is the best kind of education, the best kind of awareness.’

‘We could see what was going on in Poland back then, we saw the violence at gigs and thus we fully committed ourselves to Music Against Racism. It was the only music-based action which tried to raise awareness and talked about things which others failed to mention, like fascism,’ says Robert Matera of the seminal Polish band Dezerter.

Krzysztof ‘Grabaz’ Grabowski, Poland’s leading singer-songwriter declares: ‘I have always supported and I will always support NEVER AGAIN in their fight against racism and bigotry.’

Joanna Naranowicz of the punk-rock band Qulturka, closely associated with ‘NEVER AGAIN’, says: ‘It’s a great honour to play for Music Against Racism and represent its message, even more valid now than back in the day.’ The campaign’s motto is still used for concerts and festivals, while many musicians put its logo (an open white-and-black hand) on their releases. Artists and promoters who wish to join the initiative can contact the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association at redakcja@nigdywiecej.org .

The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an independent organization established in Warsaw in 1996. Its mission is to promote multicultural understanding and to contribute to the development of a democratic civil society.

Additional information:

www.nigdywiecej.org
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ

‘Music Against Racism’ – the first compilation record released by the NEVER AGAIN Association (1997):

9 listopada 2017

ANTI-RACISTS FACE THE COURTS IN POLAND

A member of the anti-racist ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association, Anna Tatar will have to defend herself in court because of critical statements she made about an extreme-right music festival.

The organizers of the Eagle’s Nest festival allege a criminal offence of defamation. The proceedings were commenced in the Kielce District Court and in October 2017 they were transferred to the Regional Court for Warsaw. The maximum possible punishment for the offence is a one-year prison sentence.

The case arose out of an interview which Ms Tatar gave in the mainstream internet news portal Onet.pl in 2016. She stated that ‘during The Eagle’s Nest festival fascist ideas are promoted and such events must not take place in Poland.’

The Eagle’s Nest festival has taken place in Poland annually since 2013. The participants include both Polish and foreign bands but the common thread between their repertoires is racial hatred. Some of the groups have been affiliated to the international neo-nazi network Blood and Honour. They have included All Bandits, Nordica, Stalag and Obled (previously known as Konkwista 88). The last band has a song about fighting ‘for blood and honour, for white pride and the Celtic cross.’ Similar sentiments appear in their song ‘The White Violets’ where the lyrics are: ‘We shall not allow the spoiling of our pure blood, we are the Slavic power.’ The documented responses to such songs from the festival audience include frequent Sieg Heil salutes.

Dr Anna Tatar has been a long-term co-editor of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ magazine. She authored a PhD thesis at Warsaw University in the field of Holocaust literature on the subject of ‘The Polish-Jewish relations in the works of Hanna Krall.’

The court action against Anna Tatar is not the only one. Leszek Scioch, an active member of ‘NEVER AGAIN’, also protested against the public expressions of neo-fascist ideology and has been accused of breaking the law recently. On 15 August 2017 in Warsaw he took part in a peaceful protest against the march organized by the extremist groups, All-Polish Youth (Mlodziez Wszechpolska, MW) and the National-Radical Camp (Oboz Narodowo-Radykalny, ONR). Mr Scioch was in a group of people who sat in the middle of Nowy Swiat Street in Warsaw along which the march was proceeding. The police forcibly removed them and a few weeks later he was called to the police station and charged with the offence of ‘preventing a lawful demonstration celebrating the victory of the Polish soldiers over the Red Army.’ In his opinion this description of the events is a gross misrepresentation of what happened. He pleaded ‘not-guilty’ and is now awaiting trial.

Another ‘NEVER AGAIN’ activist, Rafal Maszkowski, participated on 29 April 2017 in a protest against the demonstration commemorating the anniversary of the establishment of the fascist National-Radical Camp in 1934. The ONR members were marching on the streets of the Polish capital shouting slogans such as ‘Death to the enemies of the Fatherland’, ‘No Islam, terrorists, Muslims in our country’ and ‘The white warriors are coming.’ Mr Maszkowski joined a group of people sitting in the street and holding hands in front of the march. As he recalls: ‘the police forcibly removed us one by one and carried us to a fenced off area. However, the officers took no action against the marching fascists.’

– ‘The activities of the extreme right in Poland are getting more and more bold and ostentatious. The musical festivals and marches which they organize allegedly to celebrate various national holidays are but an umbrella for the rallies of neo-nazis from all over Europe. It is depressing to see that the anti-racist activists are facing consequences in the courts’ – said Anna Tatar.

Despite the pressure, the activities of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association do not cease or diminish. In the autumn of 2017, ‘NEVER AGAIN’ protested against the planned visit of Richard Spencer, a US ‘alt-right’ leader who had been expecting to take part in the 11 November Independence Day celebrations in Warsaw.

Additional information:

www.nigdywiecej.org

www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity

www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ

2 października 2017

“NEVER AGAIN” RECEIVES AWARDS AMID PLETHORA OF ACTIVITIES

Co-founder of the anti-fascist “NEVER AGAIN” Association Rafal Pankowski was awarded the prestigious annual Human Rights Distinction by Poland’s Ombudsman Dr Adam Bodnar in a ceremony held in Warsaw’s Old Town on 25 September.

The celebratory speech was delivered by Marian Turski, a Lodz Ghetto and Auschwitz survivor who is Chairman of the Council for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and Deputy Chairman of the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute as well as a member of the International Auschwitz Council.

– “I am honoured and grateful for the award and wish to dedicate it to the memory of Marcin Kornak, the late leader of NEVER AGAIN, my closest friend” – said Rafal Pankowski who is a Professor in Sociology at Warsaw’s Collegium Civitas. – “I remember our joint efforts tackling racism, antisemitism and the far right undertaken together with our allies Adam Bodnar and Marian Turski more than twenty years ago. Unfortunately, some of the threats to the democratic culture we signaled back in the 1990s are materializing in front of our eyes nowadays, but we must move from despair to hope.”

Coincidentally, the Australian-based Jerzy Boniecki Foundation has also decided to give its prize to Rafal Pankowski in a separate ceremony held at the Warsaw Uprising Museum on 30 September. The prize was awarded “for educational, public and cultural activity in favour of racial, ethnic and religious tolerance and for the efforts in the construction of civil society and democracy.” The candidate was nominated by Professor Jan Pakulski of the University of Tasmania.

The awards came during “NEVER AGAIN”s busy period of activity on both national and international level.

On 17-22 September, “NEVER AGAIN” member Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska participated in the programme on “The European Holocaust Research Infrastructure” held in Lviv (Ukraine) by the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (Amsterdam) in cooperation with the Center for Holocaust Studies at the Institute for Contemporary History (Munich) and the Center for Urban History of East-Central Europe (Lviv).

On 27 September, the “NEVER AGAIN” Association, together with the History Meeting House (Warsaw) and the Heinrich Boell Foundation (Phnom Penh), co-organized a film screening and discussion on “The Khmer Rouge genocide and Cambodian society” with the participation of expert speakers from Cambodia, Germany and the USA.

On 26-27 September, Dr Anna Tatar represented “NEVER AGAIN” during the conference on “Models of Civil Society” held at the European Parliament in Brussels.

On 27 September, “NEVER AGAIN” activist Stanislaw Czerczak led the discussion on sports, tolerance and identity during the film festival “Regional Identity” organized by the Zbigniew Herbert Library and the “Europe Direct” Centre of European Information in Gorzow Wielkopolski.

On 28 September, Dr Maciej Kaluza participated on behalf of “NEVER AGAIN” in a discussion about the current rise of Islamophobia with imam Youssef Chadid, organized by the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow. In this context, Monika Bobako’s book “Islamophobia as technology of power” was published with the support of the “NEVER AGAIN” Association on 21 September.

On 29 September, Rafal Pankowski presented experiences of the “NEVER AGAIN” Association during the conference on “Promoting diversity and a discrimination free environment in host cities during and after the FIFA World Cup 2018” organized in Moscow by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Moscow City Council. He discussed the achievements and legacy of the “RESPECT Diversity” programme implemented by “NEVER AGAIN” around the Euro 2012 Football Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

On 1 October, Rafal Pankowski will speak at a debate entitled “How to stop xenophobia?” organized by Poland’s main daily newspaper “Gazeta Wyborcza” at the University of Warsaw as part of the Festival of Science. On the same day, through its “Music Against Racism” campaign, “NEVER AGAIN” supports the anti-racist music concert “Grand Festival Robrege” held in front of the Palace of Culture and Sciences in the Warsaw city centre, headlined by the French artist Manu Digital and the Polish reggae legend, Izrael.

“NEVER AGAIN” is an independent monitoring and educational organization established in Warsaw in 1996. It deals with the commemoration of the Holocaust as well as contemporary issues of diversity and tolerance.

Additional information:

www.nigdywiecej.org
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ

15 września 2017

“NEVER AGAIN” SUPPORTS HOLOCAUST AWARENESS IN EASTERN EUROPE

The “NEVER AGAIN” Association, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Jewish Community of Moldova and the Oral History Institute in Chisinau co-organized a series of lectures and discussions with the distinguished historian and War and Society professor at Princeton University, Jan Tomasz Gross.

The initiative took place in Chisinau (Kishinev), the symbolic site of several centuries of life in a multicultural society as well as the anti-Jewish pogroms in 1903, 1905 and 1941.‎

The events took place at the “House of Nationalities” – the Interethnic Relations Bureau of Moldova (on 13 September) and at the Moldova State University (on 14 September). They were accompanied by numerous interviews, publications and media broadcasts. There was also an additional lecture by a “NEVER AGAIN” member on critical history and identity studies at the Mark Bloch Library/Higher Anthropological School on 11 September, which was attended by dozens of intellectuals, journalists and officials.

The discussions were framed around the publication of Jan Tomasz Gross’s most recent book “Golden Harvest: Events at the Periphery of the Holocaust” in Russian by the St.Petersburg-based renowned publishing house Nestor History with the assistance of the “NEVER AGAIN” Association (translated by Leonid Mosionjnik). Excerpts from the book in Romanian were published by platzforma.md (translated by Viorica Ursu and Vitalie Sprinceana).

The dialogues were held in English, Russian and Romanian/Moldovan languages. ‎The discussion on 13 September was preceded by a special performance of Nicoletta Esinencu’s ‘Clear History’ by Theatre Spalatorie – Moldova’s foremost alternative theatre group, dealing with the often forgotten issue of the Holocaust in Bessarabia.

Jan Tomasz Gross was born in Warsaw in 1947 and emigrated from Poland having participated in student protests of 1968. In 1975 he defended his doctoral thesis at Yale University. Not only has he served as a guest lecturer at the most prestigious American universities, including Harvard and Stanford, but also at universities in Paris, Vienna, Krakow, Tel-Aviv and other cities. His most recent books “Neighbours” (2001), “Fear” (2006) and “Golden Harvest” (2011) have played a breakthrough role in the consciousness of Eastern European societies. He has drawn attention to the role of the local population (the neighbours) in the Holocaust across Europe. He has inspired many Polish and European historians to study the complexity of the Holocaust and initiated a debate concerning the relations between Jews and their Christian neighbours, antisemitism and post-war violence against Jews in Poland and beyond. The Polish edition of “Golden Harvest” (written with Irena Grudzinska-Gross) became the most important book event in Poland in 2011, when it was published by Znak publishing house in Krakow. The authors were awarded Sybil Halpern Milton Book Prize for the best book on the Holocaust written in 2011 by the German Studies Association (USA).

– “The debate continues and has become essential to the critical identity of Eastern European countries in the post-totalitarian era” – said Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska who has coordinated the initiative on behalf of the “NEVER AGAIN” Association.

Mark Weitzman of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in New York wrote in his essay prepared especially for the “NEVER AGAIN” Association: “There are historians like Jan and Irena Gross who use history to force us to confront our consciences and to take an unblinking look at the destructive power of unexamined inherited traditions and distorted national myths. We are in their debt for their courage; we would greatly enhance our world if we could follow their examples.”

“NEVER AGAIN” is a Warsaw-based Polish and East European NGO established in 1996, dealing with the commemoration of the Holocaust as well as contemporary issues of diversity and tolerance.

Additional information:

www.nigdywiecej.org
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ

4 sierpnia 2017

PEACE, LOVE, AND FOOTBALL AT POLISH WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL

During the biggest free festival in Europe, held on 3-5 August, representatives of “NEVER AGAIN” are carrying out educational activities focusing on the growing problem of bigotry and violence.

At this year’s Woodstock Festival Poland, the “NEVER AGAIN” Association holds an Anti-Racist Football Championship under the slogan: “Let’s kick racism out of stadiums.” The tournament was officially opened by The Polish Civil Rights Ombudsman, Dr Adam Bodnar. The Ombudsman took part in the opening match.

The annual Woodstock Festival Poland takes place in Kostrzyn near the Polish-German border. It has been named after the legendary festival of 1969, which featured Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin and made cultural history as a symbol of the peace movement. This year, several hundred thousand people are taking part in the Woodstock Festival Poland. Performers include New Model Army (UK) and Nine Treasures, a Mongolian-Chinese band, which delivers a mix of traditional music and punk rock sound.

During the festival, “NEVER AGAIN” is hosting meetings with numerous bands involved with the “Music Against Racism” campaign, initiated by the late Marcin Kornak, the founder of the “NEVER AGAIN” Association. The musicians are drawing attention to the anti-racist message in rock music. Woodstock participants are also taking part in workshops conducted at the “NEVER AGAIN” info stand where they discuss ways of reacting to hate speech and discrimination.

Staszek Czerczak, a “NEVER AGAIN” activist, explained: “During the meetings at the festival we discuss issues such as peace in the world and in our own lives. What could be more wonderful than the idea of respect for diversity?”

This year’s Anti-Racist Football Championship was organised in partnership with the Municipal Centre for Sport and Recreation in Kostrzyn and the “Gazeta Lubuska” daily.

The “NEVER AGAIN” Association was founded by Marcin Kornak in 1996 as an independent organization that monitors xenophobic incidents and publishes the anti-racist magazine “NIGDY WIECEJ”. It also conducts educational campaigns such as “Music Against Racism” and “Let’s Kick Racism out of the Stadiums”. “NEVER AGAIN” has been personally supported by figures such as Barack Obama and recently the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.

Additional information:

www.nigdywiecej.org
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ

28 maja 2017

OBAMA, MERKEL AND THE ‘NEVER AGAIN’ ASSOCIATION AT KIRCHENTAG

The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association participated in Germany’s international Kirchentag alongside Barack Obama and Angela Merkel.

Kirchentag 2017 is a series of panel discussions, concerts and film screenings, all concerned with human rights, tolerance and intercultural dialogue, organized by the German Evangelical Church in Berlin and Potsdam from 24^th to 28^th May. The speakers at this year’s event included, among others, the former president of the USA Barack Obama, the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, the Israeli writer Amos Oz, and the Islamic feminist from Malaysia Rozana Isa.

‎A co-founder of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association, Rafal Pankowski, participated in the panel discussion about hate speech, which took place as part of Kirchentag in the plenary session hall of the regional parliament of Brandenburg on 26^th May. The discussion was illustrated by a theatre performance dealing with xenophobia and stereotypes. Victims of intolerance were commemorated by a minute of silence. Other participants in the panel included Michal Bilewicz from the University of Warsaw, Magdalena Kicinska from Poland’s main daily ‘Gazeta Wyborcza’, Philipp Fritz from ‘Berliner Zeitung’ and Florian Kellermann from Deutschlandradio.

Rafal Pankowski invited the audience to participate in the next edition of ‘Polish Woodstock’, Europe’s biggest music festival, which takes place near the Polish-German border, where the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association organizes its annual football tournament under the motto: ‘Let’s kick racism out of the stadiums’. – ‘This is a manifestation of the existence of a tolerant and open Poland’ – said the representative of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association, and his speech was interrupted by applause.

– ‘We face a common challenge to create a positive vision, solidarity over national and religious divisions’ – said Rafal Pankowski.

This year’s Kirchentag was organized as part of celebrations to commemorate the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation initiated by Martin Luther. The panel in which both Barack Obama and Angela Merkel participated was met with special attention as the first European public appearance of the former President since last year’s election in the United States.

The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an anti-racist educational and monitoring organization established in Poland in 1996.

More information:

www.nigdywiecej.org
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ