For more than a year, a vicious and openly antisemitic campaign has been unfolding inside parts of the Polish punk and so called antifascist scene. Its targets are Wiktor and the band Jude. What began as abuse has turned into threats. Threats of beatings. Dehumanisation. Slurs about being “circumcised”. Jewish identity turned into an insult, then into a justification for violence.

The breaking point came in Katowice. Groups calling themselves antifascist announced that the proceeds from a Jude concert would be used for “bullet in the Zionist direction”. The band did not know. The audience did not know. This was not metaphor. It was hate. Plain, old fashioned antisemitism aimed at people who have spent decades physically confronting fascists and helping build Poland’s punk and underground culture.

Wiktor is not a newcomer. Fascists have threatened him with death. He has faced them in real life, not online. He once appeared on the Redwatch list of “leftists to kill”, described as “dangerous in direct confrontation”. Today, eerily similar lists of “Zionists to kill” are circulating among people who claim to be antifascist. History does not repeat itself quietly.

The harassment started over a year ago with a Warsaw activist calling himself antifascist. Daniel. He boasts about graffiti reading “Jews are fascists” and “the Star of David is a swastika”. Online he writes that anyone with an Israeli passport serves Netanyahu. He shouts “Free Palestine” while calling for violence against Jews. He threatened Wiktor openly. He stalked concerts to harm band members. He posted photos showing himself lying in wait.

Daniel repeatedly threatened Wiktor with physical violence and directed antisemitic slurs at him, calling him „circumcised.” Among other things, he wrote:

„He’s going to get his ass kicked. The guys from Syrena Squat and I are going to show him what we’re capable of.” „I shit on you, Wiktor. Wiktor, you’re a Jewish nationalist, (…) a leader of Jewish fascists (…) there’s only a few of you, just you and the girl you poke with your circumcised dick once a month.”

During a concert in Warsaw, he posted photos showing himself and a friend lying in wait to jump him. Elsewhere, he publicly threatened to throw acid on him.

In this story, Daniel is not the cause, but the product. He didn’t come out of nowhere. He was radicalized in an environment where left-wing antisemitism was dripped in for months: normalized, excused, and masked by slogans about Palestine and anti-Zionism. By the time this man lost all restraint, he believed he was doing the right thing because nobody ever told him „stop.”

At the time, we informed people in the punk scene and the venues where the band Jude was performing about the danger of Daniel’s threats and his antisemitism. Daniel kept vowing that he wouldn’t let those shows happen and that he would beat Wiktor up there. No one reacted to the warnings.

One of many examples of the sick antisemitic propaganda spewed by people claiming to be anti-fascists or anarchists is the case of the Anarchist Federation promoting the group „Fauda.” Their activity consisted of publishing graphics calling for the murder of Jews—essentially Hamas imagery with the logo swapped out for „anarchist” symbols.

When the largest „anarchist” group in Poland promotes content like this, it is no surprise that someone eventually turned that rhetoric into action and real threats. Furthermore, threats—or more accurately, public calls for Wiktor to kill himself—were posted online by the group „Łódź for Palestine.”

We didn’t go public with Daniel’s case because we were overwhelmed with other matters; the list of issues requiring investigation and intervention is constantly growing. But the truth is also that we didn’t want Daniel’s actions to make the entire Polish punk and anti-fascist scene even more synonymous with antisemitism—especially since some members of Sitwa identify with punk and alternative culture, and we are all united against fascism.

This is where the greatest responsibility of the anti-fascist movement and the punk scene lies. The moment threats of violence, incitement to assault, dehumanizing language, and open praise for Hamas appeared, there was only one thing to do: remove Daniel and his associates from the scene and the movement. They should have been cut off, clearly and publicly condemned, in an attempt to stop the spiral of hatred. Instead, there was a year of silence. Daniel continued to show up at shows, clubs, and protests. He shouted through megaphones, took part in street blockades, and posed for photos with artists and activists. Anti-fascist groups saw his posts filled with threats and antisemitism.

No one reacted. No one set boundaries. No one decided that antisemitism is fundamentally incompatible with anti-fascism. And now, something even worse has happened. Leading groups that call themselves anti-fascist have not only failed to clean up their own house, but they have adopted this narrative and officially escalated it.

Wiktor describes the situation with Daniel clearly: “We treated his threats as more of a joke. He was just an unstable, loud-mouthed guy shouting threats. There are others out there who are much more calculating—smarter scammers, professional activists, and censors.”

The antisemitic witch-hunt, previously led by an unreliable radical and his circle of friends, has now been elevated to the official position of the movement.

The post published during the Jude concert in Katowice by Czarny Śląsk, Silesia Riot Crew, 161 Crew, Muzyka Antyfaszystowska, and their associated activists is no longer just a fringe occurrence or a „lone individual snapping.” It is a deliberate political decision—a decision to wrap the language of pogroms in anti-fascist slogans and stick it onto the punk scene.

They wrote:

What is this really about? It’s about the fact that a Jew who opposes Hamas—Wiktor and the rest of the band Jude—played at the 5 Dom venue, a space these self-proclaimed anti-fascists considered „theirs,” and therefore, „Jew-free.”

Unable to stomach the fact that Jude played a highly successful show attended by many people, the antisemites—including the crew running 5 Dom—announced they would donate the concert proceeds toward missiles to kill Zionists. They published this antisemitic drivel and joined the harassment campaign against Wiktor and the band.

5 Dom later posted screenshots showing that the money was ultimately sent to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that helps Palestinian civilians. While that is a noble cause worthy of support, why was the donation captioned as missiles toward Zionists and „opposition to the state of Issnotreal”?

We do not believe that supporting Palestinian civilians is synonymous with supporting terrorism or the murder of Jews—but these self-proclaimed anti-fascists clearly do. It is truly terrifying.

This is even more egregious considering that 5 Dom has repeatedly shown it is not aligned with genuine anti-fascism. They proved this by hosting the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador, who promotes Grzegorz Braun and some of the worst fascist antisemites. They invited Beata Abdulla Krzeptowska and Dr. Ahmed, both of whom promote Braun and Hamas. They hosted Nidal Hamad—an agent for the fallen, bloody dictator Assad and a friend to terrorists. And finally, they invited Paweł Mościcki, whose pro-Putin writings are adored by Braun’s circles, and who focuses almost exclusively on anti-Ukrainian and antisemitic propaganda dictated by the Kremlin.

Wiktor comments on the situation as follows:

„The grand operation by 5 Dom and their activist circle didn’t really affect Jude. We played great shows in Katowice and Lublin. Everyone—including the 'scouts’ (activist girls) sent to 5 Dom—seemed pretty impressed. There were no flags, no banners, and no slogans at the club in Katowice. To be honest, we didn’t even notice these mysterious 'pro-Palestinian actions.’ We only heard about this massive campaign later. It’s not a major issue for Jude if the money the venue took from us for the concert goes toward some 'noble cause.’ The fact that no one consulted us or tried to inform us while we were actually there only proves the cowardice and spinelessness of these great 'active’ Facebook heroes.

Sure, we heard rumors about a boycott, about preachy phone calls to the club, about 'call-outs,’ and that someone from this 'agitated’ scene in Lublin 'wanted to talk to me.’ In the end, nothing of the sort actually happened. These attacks usually just make me laugh. In the heat of these internet skirmishes, most of these uneducated people throw out more or less infantile arguments. They hurl blind accusations, use big words, and spout slogans. It usually ends with cheap threats and epithets like 'fascist’ or 'nazi.’ Every now and then, they even use words like 'parch’ (kike/scab), which you’d think would have gone out of style by now.”

We aren’t surprised that Wiktor and Jude are taking this whole situation with such calm and detachment. People who physically fought neo-Nazis and remember the daily violence of the 90s perceive this kind of harassment differently. Regardless, this entire situation crosses every line: the endorsement of violence, the sick antisemitism and threats, the tolerance shown toward those responsible, and finally, joining the witch-hunt and announcing that the concert proceeds would go toward missiles to murder Zionists.

The author of this text is Bolo—most likely the same individual who admins the 161 Crew group. He previously stated there that, regarding the „Three Arrows” anti-fascist symbol, he would prefer to see one of the arrows smashing a Star of David instead of a swastika.

This is the self-portrait these self-proclaimed anti-fascist groups have painted. Why „self-proclaimed”? Because you cannot support Hamas and be an anti-fascist at the same time. Anti-fascism and antisemitism are fundamentally incompatible. These groups have shown, clearly and unequivocally, that their hatred of Jews is more important to them than their opposition to fascism.

There are many anti-fascists who understand this and fight against antisemitism all over the world. They may be fewer in number than the antisemites who only think they are anti-fascists, but quantity has never been a measure of quality.

Wiktor describes his stance clearly:

„I have been interested in the issues surrounding Israel and the Middle East since the 1980s. Somehow, none of these loud-mouthed attackers have even attempted a substantive debate. I believe that the colossal influx of oil money has upset the balance of power, giving agency to fanatics whose plans portend a tragedy. Religious fundamentalists and terrorists are counting on an even greater tribute of blood. After all, the elites of Islamic countries calculate everything perfectly; they know exactly how to indoctrinate, deceive, and manipulate public opinion in wealthy nations. They shamelessly employ the methodology of stigmatization based on origin and the mechanisms of collective responsibility.

Regarding the harassment, pickets, and blockades, one must look at the mindless repetition of nonsensical buzzwords—the import of cheap slogans and catchphrases manufactured elsewhere. This is plain to see in their total lack of understanding of the local context. In my own immediate environment, the most embarrassing examples were the campaigns by local 'activists’ and groups like the Anarchist Federation to sever the twin-city partnership between Łódź and Tel Aviv.”

„I would point to a larger problem—the current situation calls into question the respect for a fundamental value of our civilization: the right to freedom of speech. Progressive-left circles and their representatives in social media are dismissively erasing the achievements of recent decades (in Poland). Voices that are inconvenient or dissenting are denied the right to speak. The value of diversity and ideological pluralism is being undermined. This is, in effect, an open assault on freedom of speech.

I should add that in none of my critical statements have there ever been any racist themes, nor any calls for violence. No one was insulted, nor targeted with slurs or epithets.

I have no intention of staying silent on these matters, and I will not be intimidated—why should I be? I’ve lived through enough already. I’ve been threatened, and people have tried to attack and bully me. If I were the type to be afraid, who would I be today?

Jude is a musical construct, a multimedia project—one might describe it as 'artistic.’ But that doesn’t exempt me from maintaining an open perspective or establishing a context for my actions. Our work is active, and it has no intention of abstracting itself from either the local or the universal context.„

Anyone who truly believes in the ideals of equality, freedom, and justice—in genuine anti-fascism—should condemn this witch-hunt today. Those involved should be excluded from the punk scene and the anti-fascist movement until they change their racist beliefs and make amends for the violence they have caused.

There can be no place for antisemitism

in anti-fascism or punk.

Change is possible. Just as patriarchal sexism, pervasive in upbringing and culture, shapes people and causes them to replicate those patterns and violent behaviors in all environments—including anti-fascist and punk ones—the same applies to antisemitism. It is ubiquitous in Polish culture and upbringing, and present in both the history and the modern reality of the political left. Escalated especially since October 7th, it permeates and wreaks havoc within circles that claim to be anti-fascist.

Only by acknowledging this and doing the sincere work to address these violent prejudices can we see results and cleanse individuals, communities, and groups of this form of violence.

No—criticizing Israel is not antisemitism.

No—demanding freedom, equality, and justice for Palestinians is not antisemitism.

The problem is that, as in this case, individuals and groups who pretend to care about Palestinians or claim they are „only” criticizing Israel are actually spreading racist conspiracy theories, antisemitism, hatred, and violence—thereby harming the Palestinian cause itself.

Recognizing the problem—awareness—is the most vital step in the fight against antisemitism, racism, sexism, and so on. This must be followed by education, action, apologies, and attempts to repair the damage. There are people who have successfully escaped neo-Nazism and who now fight against it. There are also people who have managed to leave antisemitism behind—including the left-wing variety—and who now fight against antisemitism.

We believe in you.

We believe in anti-fascism.

We believe in punk.

In solidarity with the band Jude.

In solidarity with Jude, with the Jewish people.