Man convicted in Poland for assaulting Ukrainian teenagers

A Polish court sentenced 41-year-old Mariusz W. to seven months in prison for assaulting three teenagers from Ukraine last year because they were speaking Ukrainian.

This was reported by Polskie Radio, according to Ukrinform.

The incident occurred on May 11, 2025, in the Polish city of Tarnów. The Polish man, who was intoxicated, heard 14-year-old teenagers speaking Ukrainian, which triggered his aggression.

Polish law enforcement officials note that the 41-year-old man used expressions toward the teenagers “that are considered humiliating, and then resorted to violence.”

The Polish prosecutor's office recognized that this act was hooliganism and that Mariusz W. acted “under conditions of recidivism.” He was charged with “committing a crime related to hate speech.” A few years earlier, the Polish man had already committed a similar crime.

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As reported by Ukrinform, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, drew attention to another case of ethnically motivated violence that occurred in Radom, near Warsaw, against a Ukrainian citizen in December last year.