Poles march to protest rising racism, anti-Semitism

WARSAW, Poland – Hundreds of Poles have staged protests in Warsaw and other cities against racism and anti-Semitism to show they don’t agree with the rising wave of hostility and intolerance in Poland.

Pounding drums, some 1,000 people walked in downtown Warsaw chanting “Freedom, equality, tolerance!” and carrying banners that called for a stop to conflicts like the war in Syria.

Racism and anti-Semitism on Twitter, in graffiti and in public discourse have been on the rise since Poland’s right-wing government refused to accept Muslim migrants under an EU plan. That has only increased after Poland recently adopted a new law banning some statements about the Holocaust, which critics say could whitewash the actions of some Poles during the Holocaust.

The law has led to a bitter conflict with Israel.