Ambassador: Ukrainian man in Poland beaten up and subjected to ethnic slurs

Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, has reported that a Ukrainian citizen was subjected to a group assault accompanied by ethnic slurs in the east-central city of Radom.

Source: Vasyl Bodnar on Facebook; European Pravda

Details: Bodnar said the Ukrainian citizen was attacked by a group following a domestic incident that had been resolved without police involvement.

"Despite this, physical violence was used against him, and offensive remarks related to his ethnic origin were heard during the attack. He sustained serious bodily injuries as a result of the beating and is currently in hospital," Bodnar said.

The ambassador stressed that Ukrainian citizens have the right to dignity and safety whichever country they are in, and that any manifestations of violence or hate speech against Ukrainians are unacceptable and require an appropriate legal response.

"I expect the circumstances of this incident to be thoroughly and impartially investigated and those responsible to be brought to justice in accordance with the law, taking all aspects of the case into account, including the possible motive of ethnic hatred," he emphasised.

Bodnar also added that Ukraine's consular service in Poland is in constant working contact with Polish law enforcement agencies and is receiving the necessary information through official channels.

"Incidences of violence against Ukrainian citizens abroad require an appropriate and consistent response," he concluded.

Background:

• In October, Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, reported that unknown individuals had torn down the Ukrainian flag at the entrance to Ukraine's Honorary Consulate in Przemyśl.
• It was also reported that during a football match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Warsaw's Legia in Kraków, Polish fans unfurled a banner reading "We remember Volhynia", which the ambassador described as a provocation. [The Volyn (Volhynia) tragedy was a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943 during World War II. It was part of a long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west. Poland considers the Volyn tragedy a genocide of Poles – ed.]
• In September, a cross was cut down from a Ukrainian church in Poland. One suspect was detained.

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