‘Zero Tolerance’: Polish Woman Charged After Alleged Nationality-Based Attack on Ukrainian Siblings

A Polish woman has been charged over an alleged nationality-based attack on two Ukrainian siblings playing in a park in the northern city of Bydgoszcz. Police received a report that a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother had been subjected to verbal abuse and physical violence by two adults on Friday afternoon. JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. On Tuesday, police detained a 46-year-old woman in connection with the case and charged her with nationality-based insults, violating the bodily integrity of a minor and damaging property. A 34-year-old man who was with the woman during the alleged attack was also detained. He was questioned as a witness and has not been charged, Poland’s state news agency PAP reported. The incident comes amid concern over anti-Ukrainian hostility in Poland. Poland has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but anti-Ukrainian sentiment has also grown in recent years, while the countries’ complex shared history continues to cast a shadow over bilateral relations. ‘Anti-Polish act’ Polish police said the incident occurred while the children were playing with a toy drone. “The couple most likely did not like the fact that the children were using a toy drone. It was destroyed. They also allegedly made comments about the children’s nationality,” Monika Chlebicz, a spokeswoman for Bydgoszcz regional police, was quoted as saying by Polish broadcaster TVN24. Other Topics of Interest Russian Strike Halts DTEK Thermal Power Plant One of DTEK’s plants in Ukraine has stopped producing electricity entirely after equipment sustained significant damage in an attack. “According to the information we received, they twisted the 12-year-old boy’s arm,” she said, adding that the children did not require medical treatment. The incident also drew a response from Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “Attacking children is an anti-Polish act,” he said ahead of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “As Poles, we have always been very proud of the way we treat our children and children who seek refuge in our country,” he added. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński also addressed the incident, saying: “Zero tolerance for hatred, especially hatred directed at children.” On Sunday, the Ukrainian Consulate General in Gdańsk, a northern Polish port city, said it was monitoring the case and remained in contact with the children’s mother. “We strongly condemn all manifestations of xenophobia,” it added. TVP World is Poland's first English-language channel where you can find our guest interviews, world news from the Polish perspective and the latest news from the CEE region.