Poland holds anti-UPA, anti-Bandera rally after Catholic priest’s murder

Anti-UPA and anti-Bandera rally in Jarosław. Photo: radio.rzeszow.pl

A rally against the glorification of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the cult of Stepan Bandera, and uncontrolled immigration was held in the Polish city of Jarosław following the murder of a Catholic priest by a Ukrainian national, Jarosław Nasze Miasto reports.

The demonstration in the city's Market Square was organized by several civic groups and attended by Member of the European Parliament Tomasz Buczek. Protesters opposed the glorification of Stepan Bandera and the activities of the UPA in Ukraine. They also demanded that Jarosław authorities revoke their decision to maintain a partnership with the Ukrainian city of Skole and called for tighter border security, chanting slogans such as "Poles are the masters in Poland" and "Stop mass immigration."

City council member Bożena Łanowy supported residents' demands to sever ties with the Ukrainian city, while MEP Tomasz Buczek called for the death penalty for murderers. Police officers, including K-9 units, provided security at the demonstration.

On September 24, 2026, a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen carried out a knife attack at a Benedictine convent in Jarosław. The attacker entered the convent grounds through an open gate and stabbed five people, including three Catholic clergymen. One priest later died of his injuries in the hospital, while two other victims were admitted to intensive care in critical condition.

As the UOJ previously reported, Poland's president and prime minister condemned the murder of the Catholic priest.

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