On the 100th anniversary of Polish independence, some East Vancouver parishioners were shocked to find their Polish Catholic church defaced with graffiti.

St. Casimir's at Inverness and East 27th Avenue was covered with the word "AntiFa" in huge letters, as well as anti-Nazi messages and a symbol of Poland's far-right party.

AntiFa is a violent left-wing group that has clashed with fascists in the United States. It was recently in the news when some of its adherents gathered outside the home of Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Poland is ruled by a right-wing government. Its right-wing president, Andrzej Duda, participated in a march in Warsaw this weekend that was organized by far right-wing forces, according to the Guardian.

The outgoing mayor of Warsaw reportedly wanted to ban the gathering.

During the Second World War, Poland suffered huge losses of life during the Nazi and Soviet occupation. Many Poles feel their country has received a bad rap even though its soldiers fought heroically on behalf of the Allies after going into exile.

https://twitter.com/Ojdadana/status/962050886506725376

Of the nearly six million who died in Poland in the Second World War, about half were Jewish and the others were non-Jewish Poles.

It wasn't only the Nazis who committed atrocities against Poles.

The Soviets also perpetrated mass executions of Polish officers and intelligentsia in the spring of 1940. Their bodies were found in the Katyn forest—and historians have estimated that 22,000 were killed.

The tweet below provides a quick rundown of Polish history since the country gained independence in 1918.

https://twitter.com/paddyney/status/1061147552752562176