Opportunistic nationalism and racism: race, nation, and online mobilization in the context of the Polish Independence March 2020

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article is dedicated to the issue of the online racism among football fans at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic when due to national restrictions, participation in football matches was unavailable, by the example of the 2020 Polish Independence March. In particular, the research is dedicated to the fans’ mobilization to participate in the March. The main research questions include: (1) What actors/groups did fans perceive as the main antagonists in the context of the Independence March?; (2) Was the racist content present in the discourse?; (3) Did fans refer to the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of the Independence March?. The research has been pursued through qualitative content analysis of a topic dedicated to the 2020 Independence March on the most prominent internet forum of Polish football fans kibice.net.