Calm down! Taylor Swift warns fans that alarm will be sounded before Warsaw concert

WARSAW (AP) — Taylor Swift told fans heading to a Warsaw concert Thursday not to panic and to expect loud sirens in the afternoon to mark a key World War II anniversary.

The Polish capital will mark the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, a 63-day uprising by Polish insurgents following five years of brutal Nazi occupation. Every year, the city comes to a standstill, with sirens sounding at the same time on the afternoon of August 1 when the unrest began.

The tour account wrote on social media: “For those coming to the concert on August 1st, please do not panic if you hear sirens around 5pm. It will be a day of planes and the 80th anniversary!”

Thousands of ticket holders, many of whom have travelled to Warsaw from far away, will be inside or near the stadium for the afternoon show.

Polish news site Onet also published an “important message to all Swifties attending the concert,” explaining the importance of the day.

We ask you to remain calm and not panic. Every year, residents pay tribute to the heroes of 1944 in this way. Those of you who are already in front of the stadium at this moment, please remain silent and stand up. “

Swift will perform three consecutive nights in Warsaw starting Thursday.

On August 1, 1944, poorly armed young men from the city rose up against the Germans, who had brutally occupied the country for five years, and fought alongside them in the streets of the capital for two months. The Soviets were approaching westward to fight the Germans, and the Poles hoped for help.

The Germans, with their professional army and advanced weaponry, killed 200,000 Polish fighters and civilians and sacked the city in retaliation.

Germany has made many gestures of repentance in recent decades, which has helped achieve reconciliation.

However, Poles still feel bitter toward the Soviets because they could have intervened but allowed the massacre.

Poles remember the uprising as one of the most important moments in the long history of the struggle for independence against Russia and Germany.