On January 13 2018 during the show of banners and flares at the near-monastery space ending the 10th Patriotic Pilgrimage of Football Fans to Jasna Góra the verbal and physical attack took place on a group of persons being the members of Demokratyczna RP and Obywatele RP associations. They stood in silence near the wall surrounding the monastery and held banners “Christianity is not hatred”, “Humanity is my homeland”, „Decency limits are here”. (…) Flares were thrown at them and then one man ran to them and put fire to the banner saying “Christianity is not hatred”; another banner was whipped from a woman who held it; then all three banners were burnt. Demonstrating persons were pushed and jerked, they were threatened and vulgarisms were used against them. The police was absent; according to its initial announcements, there were no incidents during the celebration.

We expect the Church hierarchs to react strongly to the fact that in the most important Polish Catholic sanctuary the banner with the writing CHRISTIANITY IS NOT HATRED, the sense of which reflects the basic truth of the faith, was burnt; this is an awful event for all Christian believers. (…) We expect the monks from Jasna Góra monastery to think why they failed to prevent aggression and scandal in the area which they manage, and therefore, to apologize to all those who were physically or morally hurt in these incidents. (…) We expect the authorities responsible for public order and for Police actions to explain, how the officially reported demonstration could be attacked and why the services, which were supposed to protect it, were totally inactive. We also expect that those directly and indirectly responsible – among the organizers of Football Fans Pilgrimage – for these incidents, are, after stating their blame, properly punished according to the regulations of law”.

Letter regarding events at Jasna Góra was signed on behalf of the Open Republic by the Chairwoman of the Program Board Paula Sawicka and President of the Management Board Marek Gumkowski. It was sent to the prior of Jasna Góra monastery, Primate of Poland, Minister of the Interior and Administration, Chief Constable and Municipal Constable of Częstochowa.