UKMW prompts Guardian correction to misleading caption for photo of far-right Polish demo

Following communication with UK Media Watch, Guardian editors amended a photo caption which misleadingly suggested that a far-right Polish demonstration in Warsaw included a pro-Israel contingent.

A Guardian article (Poland’s Jews fear for the future under new Holocaust law, Feb. 10th), on the controversial Polish law that imposes jail terms for those claiming that the country was complicit in the Holocaust, chose this photo to illustrate the piece.

At first glance, the photo appears to depict a far-right Polish demonstration in Warsaw, in support of the new bill, that included a pro-Israel contingent.  In fact, the caption leads you to this conclusion:

“Supporters of the far-right National Radical Camp (ONR) gather in support of the Holocaust bill in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw on 5 February”

However, other photo agencies who covered the event, organized by the openly antisemitic All Polish Youth (MW), and which included antisemitic and anti-Israel chants and banners, tell a different story.  Those few people holding Israeli flags were clearly pro-Israel counter protesters – a few Poles opposed to the Holocaust bill and opposed to the far-right demonstrators present that day.

Here’s one Getty photo of someone holding an Israeli flag, separated from the main demonstration by a line of police, representing a small counter demonstration.

(The word “contrmanifestation” – or “contre manifestation” – appears to be a French word for “counter demonstration”.)

We contacted Guardian editors, who upheld our complaint and amended the caption to make clear that those carrying Israeli flags were indeed counter protesters.

Here’s the new wording:

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