Prosecutors in Poland have opened an enquiry into the sale of T-shirts with anti-Semitic slogans from a kiosk near the home stadium of football team Widzew Lodz, one of Poland’s biggest Premiere League soccer teams, press reports said Saturday.
The incident comes as Poland and Ukraine prepare to jointly host the Euro 2012 championships which kick off on June 7.
The 25-year-old stall holder and a 36-year-old woman have been arrested and charged with the offence of "insulting a group of people on the grounds of their nationality or ethnic origins." They face up to three years jail if convicted. The man was also charged with manufacturing the T-shirts.
Press reports said the garments sold to club supporters bore offensive slogans and the kiosk also had anti-Semitic stickers with slogans such as "Widzew Ground, No Entry for Jews" and "Anty Jude".
A woman who works in the shop that sold the T-shirts told the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza that the shirts are popular. The shop is adjacent to the team’s official shop.
EJP