The chants, widely used by nationalist groups, were heard as Nawrocki took the stage at the event in the southern city of Częstochowa, which gathered football supporters from across the country.
The incident has sparked debate, with opposition politicians, religious figures and government officials questioning the appropriateness of political campaigning at one of Poland's most significant religious sites.
With Poland’s presidential election in May fast approaching, the controversy surrounding Nawrocki’s appearance at Jasna Góra and his comments on football fan culture add to the political landscape in a campaign already marked by sharp divisions.
Nawrocki, who is running for president with the support of the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, attended the 17th annual Patriotic Pilgrimage of Football Fans at Jasna Góra on Saturday.
Following a church service, he addressed supporters in a hall named after Father Augustyn Kordecki, a 17th-century monk associated with the monastery's defense during the Swedish invasion of Poland.
As Nawrocki approached the podium, attendees chanted: "Smash them with a hammer, cut them with a sickle, crush the Red menace," a slogan with historical associations to anti-communist movements and a reference to the hammer and sickle symbol.
Asked the following day why he had not reacted to the chants, Nawrocki dismissed concerns, saying that football fans adopt various slogans that some media outlets seek to censor.
"Some media want to censor politicians, public figures, and political discourse. You want to censor X, shut down commercial television, and now even censor stadium chants. That is too much," Nawrocki said, adding that he valued football fans’ independence in raising social and political issues.
The chants and Nawrocki’s response have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a fellow presidential candidate, questioned whether Jasna Góra was an appropriate setting for political campaigning.
Andrzej Dera, an aide to incumbent President Andrzej Duda, also condemned the chants, saying: "There should be no place for such slogans in such a setting."
Dominican priest Fr. Paweł Gużyński called Nawrocki’s approach "socially dangerous," arguing that a presidential candidate should not seek support from radical groups.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, leader of the rural-based Polish People's Party (PSL), weighed in on the dispute, saying that Jasna Góra should be a place of unity rather than division.
"This is a site of historical importance, not just for Catholics and Christians but for Poland as a whole," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, referring to Jasna Góra’s symbolic role in resisting the 17th-century Swedish invasion, known as the Deluge.
Last month, two politicians from Poland's governing coalition announced a wide-ranging probe into Nawrocki's past amid allegations of ties to the criminal underworld.
The announcement followed a report published by the onet.pl news website, alleging Nawrocki's connections to convicted criminals and neo-Nazi circles.
Nawrocki, who heads the state-run Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), has dismissed the allegations as "deep manipulation.”
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, TVN24