Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called on the 28th of July for an end to xenophobic attacks on Ukrainians living in Poland, after a series of hate crimes came to the fore, Reuters reports.
Tusk made the call after a video circulated on social media showing three Poles beating a Ukrainian man and his girlfriend in Wroclaw. The attack was allegedly sparked by a dispute in a shop. Two of the attackers were arrested on the 27th of July.
Tusk said during a government meeting that anyone who commits such a heinous act is acting against Poland’s interests, helping Russia and inciting Polish and Ukrainian nationalists.
While Warsaw remains a staunch supporter of Kyiv, Ukrainians living in Poland have faced growing hostility in recent years, replacing an initial favorable attitude after a full-scale invasion in 2022 forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes.
Relations have also been strained by historical tensions,
culminating in Ukraine’s decision to name an army unit after a World War II nationalist movement. It is revered in Ukraine for its fight against Nazis and communists but despised in Poland for its role in the massacre of Poles. In June, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of Poland’s highest honor over the issue.
The Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported in early July that police received 180 reports of hate crimes against Ukrainians in the first half of the year, a 30% increase over the same period last year.
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