Two children attacked in Poland over speaking Ukrainian: assailants twisted girl's arm and threatened them

The Consulate General of Ukraine in Gdansk has reported that two Ukrainian minors were attacked in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz because they were speaking Ukrainian to each other. The victims are a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy.

Source: European Pravda, citing a statement by the diplomatic mission

Details: According to the diplomatic mission, a man and a woman initially insulted the children, used obscene language and threatened them on the grounds of national intolerance.

The confrontation later turned physical. "They twisted the child's arm, broke a toy drone and threw the fragments at the boy, causing scratches," the statement said.

The consulate said it is closely monitoring the case, while consular officials remain in regular contact with the victims' mother.

It also said that a report had been filed with the police following the incident. Law enforcement officers are currently searching for those involved in the attack.

The consulate stressed that the children's physical health is not currently at risk, although they had "suffered severe emotional distress".

"We strongly condemn any manifestations of xenophobia. Countering intolerance and ensuring the safety of Ukrainians is one of the key issues at a meeting planned in the coming days at the Consulate with the leadership of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, city mayors and police commanders. We will not leave this case without an appropriate legal response," the diplomatic mission added.

Background:

• The number of attacks on Ukrainians in Poland has risen sharply in recent weeks. On 8 August, a 39-year-old man who had aggressively insulted two Ukrainian nationals in Kraków turned himself in at a police station, where he was detained.
• European Parliament member and former Warsaw mayoral candidate Tobiasz Bocheński also stated that if the Law and Justice party came to power, it would ensure that Ukrainian men of military age who are not legally employed in Poland would be deported.
• Poland's Interior Ministry described such statements as populism.

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