Ukrainian MFA Reacts to Attack on 11-Year-Olds in Bielsko-Biała

After a 54-year-old man verbally abused two Ukrainian girls on a bus in Bielsko-Biała, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the incident and urged Polish politicians to curb xenophobic rhetoric.

Diplomatic Response and Official Condemnation

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha addressed the incident on social media, thanking Polish authorities for their swift response. He urged officials to stop fueling anti-Ukrainian sentiment, emphasizing that such hatred is unacceptable in a democratic society.

Pawel Przydacz, head of the President’s International Policy Bureau, condemned the aggression as unjustifiable. He stressed that while political tensions exist between the two nations, they must not be directed toward vulnerable individuals.

Prosecution and Legal Consequences

Polish authorities, including Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, confirmed that a 54-year-old suspect has been detained. The investigation is being treated as a hate crime, which carries a potential sentence of up to three years in prison.

The District Prosecutor’s Office in Bielsko-Biała is overseeing the case, focusing on the insult of the victims based on their national origin. Evidence, including bus surveillance footage, is currently being processed to determine further legal steps.

Employer and Local Government Intervention

The municipal transport company in Bielsko-Biała identified the suspect as one of their drivers, who had been on medical leave at the time of the incident. The company terminated his employment, stating that there is zero tolerance for discrimination or violence.

City officials, in coordination with the company, have initiated contact with the victims’ families to offer support and redress. The company noted that the driver on duty at the time of the event intervened immediately upon hearing the commotion.

Context of Rising Xenophobic Incidents

This attack follows other recent incidents, including an attempt by activists to intrude on a Ukrainian business in Poznań and a June assault in Gliwice, where a man attacked a Ukrainian national with a baseball bat. Authorities maintain that the state will react firmly against any form of nationalistic aggression.