Drunk man attacks Ukrainian and two Poles in Gdansk
A drunk man has attacked a Ukrainian passer-by and two Polish citizens, whom he called "Banderites" in Gdansk, Poland. ["Banderites" is a pejorative term derived from the name of Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera and is widely used in Russian propaganda to label Ukrainians or supporters of Ukrainian statehood – ed.]
Source: Onet, citing Gdansk police, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The incident occurred on allotment grounds on Modra Street. According to law enforcement, the man arrived in a Volkswagen and behaved aggressively – accelerating and braking sharply.
At some point the man noticed a passer-by and, according to police, took exception to the fact that the man looked at him. The attacker asked whether the man had previously reported him to law enforcement. When he heard a denial and detected an "Eastern European accent", he began insulting him and attempted to assault him. The victim turned out to be a Ukrainian citizen, who managed to flee.
The attacker then approached two other allotment tenants – a father and son, both of whom are Polish citizens. According to police, he called them "Banderites", behaved aggressively, and began beating the men. One of them sustained a broken arm as a result of the attack.
After the attack the man left the scene in his vehicle but was detained by law enforcement the same day.
At the time of detention, his blood alcohol level was found to exceed 1.5 per mille. Police are also checking whether he was under the influence of drugs.
In the course of the investigation it emerged that the man did not hold a driving licence.
He has been charged with inflicting bodily harm resulting in incapacity for more than seven days, use of racist insults, and driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
The case has been classified as an act of hooliganism, for which he faces up to seven and a half years' imprisonment. The Gdansk prosecutor's office has placed the man under police supervision. He has also been banned from approaching or contacting the victims.
Background:
- A group of Polish men recently attacked a young Ukrainian couple in Wrocław, reportedly upon hearing their accent. The perpetrators were remanded in custody for three months.
- Poland's Interior Ministry, against the backdrop of these events, stressed that such acts would meet with an appropriate response from law enforcement, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called on President Nawrocki to "break his silence".
- Ukraine's ambassador to Poland stated that there have been a considerable number of attacks on Ukrainians in the country since 2022, but people have learned to defend themselves.
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