Two Ukrainian children were beaten up in Poland for speaking Ukrainian: the police are searching for the attackers
A 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother were subjected to verbal abuse and physical assault in a park near the railway station. The Ukrainian Consulate has taken the case under special supervision.
In Bydgoszcz, Poland, two Ukrainian minors were attacked. A 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother were attacked by a man and a woman who, according to preliminary reports, started the altercation after hearing them speaking Ukrainian. This was reported by the Consulate General of Ukraine in Gdańsk.
The incident took place on 14 August in a park near the railway station. According to the Ukrainian consulate, the man and woman were there with a small dog. Initially, they are alleged to have insulted the children and threatened them on the basis of their nationality. The verbal altercation subsequently escalated into physical violence.
According to preliminary reports, the attackers twisted a 14-year-old girl’s arm and broke her toy drone. They then threw the debris from the device at her 12-year-old brother, causing him to sustain scratches.
Following the incident, a report of the attack was filed with the police. The police are searching for those involved in the incident.
The Consulate-General of Ukraine in Gdańsk has stated that it is monitoring the case closely. Diplomats are in contact with the mother of the affected children and have provided her with the necessary consular and legal assistance.
According to the consulate, the children’s lives and physical health are not at risk, but they have suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the incident.
Ukrainian diplomats have called on all witnesses to the incident and anyone with information about the attackers to contact the Polish police.
The Consulate-General also stated that it condemns any manifestations of xenophobia and intolerance. The issue of the safety of Ukrainians in the region is to be discussed at forthcoming meetings between consulate representatives and the leadership of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, city mayors and police chiefs.