63-Year-Old Arrested for Insulting Ukrainian Neighbor in Lesznowola as Nationality-Based Aggression Rises in Poland

A 63-year-old man in Lesznowola has been placed under police supervision after repeatedly harassing and threatening a Ukrainian neighbor, amid a rising wave of nationality-based incidents across Poland.

The Incident in Lesznowola

As described by TVN24, video footage shows a 63-year-old man repeatedly striking the car window of his Ukrainian neighbor and demanding that he open it, before threatening to destroy equipment from which music was allegedly playing—though no music is audible in the video. After another strike on the window, the attacker walked away holding an open telescopic baton, appearing as though he intended to return, at which point the video cuts off. The video’s author stated in the description that the man always walks around with a baton and provokes his surroundings, hoping someone will hit him or start an argument.

It has been established that the driver of the attacked car has been living in Poland for five years, currently in Lesznowola, and that he and his friends have faced aggression from the same neighbor for several months, with the man shouting hateful comments during every encounter.

Legal Measures Against the 63-Year-Old Suspect

TVN24 reports that the District Prosecutor’s Office in Piasecko has imposed police supervision on the suspect, requiring him to report to the police station twice a week, alongside a ban on contacting or approaching witnesses and victims living in a nearby hostel at a distance of less than 10 meters. Piotr Antoni Skiba, spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw, stated that the gathered evidence strongly substantiates the commission of the crime, and authorities fear the suspect could influence witnesses to give false testimony.

Escalating Nationality-Based Incidents Across Poland

The case from Lesznowola is another recent instance of aggression against Ukrainians in Poland. A dramatic incident also occurred in Częstochowa (Silesian Voivodeship), where a 48-year-old taxi passenger traveling with a small child verbally and physically attacked a Ukrainian driver because he refused to make an unscheduled stop at a liquor store.

The woman insulted the man with nationality-based slurs and struck him in the back of the head. She has been charged with discrimination based on national origin—punishable by up to five years in prison—and subjected to police supervision, a restraining order, and financial bail, while the case will also be referred to family court due to the presence of a child during the incident.

Counter-Incidents and Official Responses

Tension escalation is visible on both sides: on Saturday evening in Wrocław, an 18-year-old Ukrainian citizen attacked a 30-year-old Polish woman with a knife outside an apartment building, leaving her in life-threatening condition at a hospital. The perpetrator was detained almost immediately, and the investigation into attempted murder is being handled by the Wrocław-Fabryczna District Prosecutor’s Office. Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński addressed the incident by praising the speed of the police action, while the Consulate General of Ukraine in Wrocław also commented, condemning all acts of violence regardless of the perpetrator.

Discrimination based on nationality, ethnic origin, or race is a crime subject to public prosecution in Poland. If you witness violence or aggression against another person, immediately call the emergency number 112.