Aug 12, 2025
A sold-out concert by Belarusian rapper Max Korzh at Warsaw’s National Stadium on Saturday, August 9th descended into chaos and controversy, resulting in mass arrests and reigniting historical tensions between Poland and Ukraine.
Polish police detained 109 attendees throughout the evening, with most facing charges related to drug possession, unlawful entry, and assaults on security personnel. The situation grew more volatile when concertgoers began rushing from seating areas to the standing section near the stage, overwhelming event security and creating dangerous crowd conditions.
The controversy deepened significantly when videos surfaced showing audience members displaying the red-and-black flag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a nationalist group from World War II. While the UPA fought for Ukrainian independence, they were also responsible for the Volhynia massacres that killed up to 100,000 Polish civilians in an ethnic cleansing that Poland officially recognizes as genocide.
Marek Magierowski, Poland’s former ambassador to the United States, expressed outrage on social media, noting the presence of “hundreds of able-bodied, conscription-age Ukrainians” at the concert while a war rages in their homeland. He particularly condemned the display of the UPA flag as “an outrageous insult to most Poles.”
In response to the incident, stadium operators filed an official complaint with prosecutors regarding the display of what they termed “totalitarian symbols.” In their statement, they strongly condemned any content promoting hatred or extremist ideologies. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński commended police for their decisive actions and warned that foreign nationals involved in criminal behavior could face deportation procedures.
The legal implications are significant under Polish law, which currently prohibits promotion of fascist or communist symbols with penalties of up to three years imprisonment. This incident has brought renewed attention to a proposed amendment that would extend these prohibitions to include “Banderism,” the political movement of controversial Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera, whose followers participated in the Volhynia massacres.
Korzh, who performs primarily in Russian, has developed a substantial following among Belarusian and Ukrainian emigrants in Poland due to his opposition to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The concert’s timing coincided with the fifth anniversary of Belarus’s disputed 2019 presidential election that sparked massive protests against Lukashenko’s regime.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday, August 12th, that Poland will expel 57 Ukrainians and six Belarusians for participating in “disturbances, aggressive behaviour” and “certain provocations” at the Saturday concert.
The 63 individuals “will have to leave the country voluntarily or by force,” Tusk said, adding that everyone must respect the law no matter their nationality.
The PM, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, added that Poland “cannot allow anti-Ukrainian sentiments to be stirred up” as “a conflict between Poland and Ukraine would certainly be a gift for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”
europeanconservative.com
A sold-out concert by Belarusian rapper Max Korzh at Warsaw’s National Stadium on Saturday, August 9th descended into chaos and controversy, resulting in mass arrests and reigniting historical tensions between Poland and Ukraine.
Polish police detained 109 attendees throughout the evening, with most facing charges related to drug possession, unlawful entry, and assaults on security personnel. The situation grew more volatile when concertgoers began rushing from seating areas to the standing section near the stage, overwhelming event security and creating dangerous crowd conditions.
The controversy deepened significantly when videos surfaced showing audience members displaying the red-and-black flag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a nationalist group from World War II. While the UPA fought for Ukrainian independence, they were also responsible for the Volhynia massacres that killed up to 100,000 Polish civilians in an ethnic cleansing that Poland officially recognizes as genocide.
Marek Magierowski, Poland’s former ambassador to the United States, expressed outrage on social media, noting the presence of “hundreds of able-bodied, conscription-age Ukrainians” at the concert while a war rages in their homeland. He particularly condemned the display of the UPA flag as “an outrageous insult to most Poles.”
In response to the incident, stadium operators filed an official complaint with prosecutors regarding the display of what they termed “totalitarian symbols.” In their statement, they strongly condemned any content promoting hatred or extremist ideologies. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński commended police for their decisive actions and warned that foreign nationals involved in criminal behavior could face deportation procedures.
The legal implications are significant under Polish law, which currently prohibits promotion of fascist or communist symbols with penalties of up to three years imprisonment. This incident has brought renewed attention to a proposed amendment that would extend these prohibitions to include “Banderism,” the political movement of controversial Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera, whose followers participated in the Volhynia massacres.
Korzh, who performs primarily in Russian, has developed a substantial following among Belarusian and Ukrainian emigrants in Poland due to his opposition to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The concert’s timing coincided with the fifth anniversary of Belarus’s disputed 2019 presidential election that sparked massive protests against Lukashenko’s regime.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday, August 12th, that Poland will expel 57 Ukrainians and six Belarusians for participating in “disturbances, aggressive behaviour” and “certain provocations” at the Saturday concert.
The 63 individuals “will have to leave the country voluntarily or by force,” Tusk said, adding that everyone must respect the law no matter their nationality.
The PM, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, added that Poland “cannot allow anti-Ukrainian sentiments to be stirred up” as “a conflict between Poland and Ukraine would certainly be a gift for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”
Ukrainians Fly WWII Flag Associated with Mass Murder of Poles at Warsaw Concert
Donald Tusk said on Tuesday Poland will expel 57 Ukrainians and six Belarusians who were behind “certain provocations.”
europeanconservative.com
