Three young Ukrainians attacked in Poland

A 34-year-old man provoked a mass attack on three 20-year-old Ukrainians in the Polish city of Radom after a conversation about their origins and the Volhynia tragedy.

[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.]

Source: Polish outlet Onet, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The incident occurred on 2 August between 05:00 and 06:00 on Malczewskiego Street in Radom, Masovian Voivodeship, but was not reported in the Polish media until several weeks later.

According to the prosecutor's office, 34-year-old Tomasz G., from Lublin, had come to Radom for a wedding. After it ended, he began to wander around the city.

Prosecutor Cezary Ołtarzewski from the local district prosecutor's office told MójRadom: "On Malczewskiego Street, he encountered three young Ukrainians. He struck up a conversation with them, asking where they were from. An argument broke out. However, he took exception to the way they answered him. They in turn said that he wanted to lecture them about Volhynia."

The man then called over three or four young men who were walking past on the other side of the street and told them that these were Ukrainians.

"They reacted very aggressively to those words, and the attack began," Ołtarzewski said.

Several more people subsequently joined in the assault. There were eight assailants in total.

The three Ukrainians sustained bodily injuries, predominantly to the head and face. The exact severity of the injuries is to be determined by a forensic medical expert.

The prosecutor also told Gazeta Wyborcza that after the attack, Tomasz G. ordered a taxi and left "as if nothing had happened".

The police managed to identify the main suspect. He was brought before the prosecutor's office, where he was charged with the use of violence or unlawful threats on discriminatory grounds, as well as participation in a fight or assault.

The man pleaded guilty and gave a detailed account. He confirmed, among other things, that he had been intoxicated during the incident.

A pre-trial restriction in the form of police supervision has been applied to the suspect. He faces up to five years in prison.

Police continue to search for the other assailants. Officers are reviewing CCTV footage. The investigation is complicated by the fact that the detained man did not know the other attackers.

Background:

• A survey published in July by Poland's Centre for Public Opinion Research (CBOS) showed that for the first time, more Poles are opposed to accepting refugees from Ukraine than are in favour.
• Commenting on recent attacks on Ukrainians in Poland, Ukraine's ambassador, Vasyl Bodnar, expressed hope that this is a "temporary phenomenon".

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