Tusk condemns anti-Ukrainian violence after Wrocław attack, calls on President Nawrocki to break his silence

The Wrocław attack

On 26 July, a young Ukrainian couple was attacked by three men in the south-western Polish city of Wrocław. The incident began with a dispute inside a shop; after the couple left, the men followed them and assaulted them. Video footage circulated on social media shows the attackers kicking the man while he lay on the ground and striking the woman on the head with a knuckle-duster, causing ear injuries. Police arrested two suspects, both with prior criminal records, and are searching for a third. A police spokesperson said the motive was "nationalistically motivated aggression".

Tusk's condemnation and political appeal

Two days later, Prime Minister Donald Tusk used a government meeting to deliver a sharp rebuke. He said the violence was becoming bolder because radical groups felt they had political backing.

“Anyone who commits such despicable acts acts directly against Poland's interests. You act against Poland, in favour of Russia and in favour of Polish and Ukrainian nationalism.”

Tusk directly addressed President Karol Nawrocki, asking him to "break his silence on this case" and to pay attention to the activity of radical groups. He also called on Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the opposition Law and Justice party, to stop demanding the formation of militias because he was dissatisfied with the police. The prime minister warned that the international reputation Poland had earned for sheltering Ukrainian refugees was being destroyed "if we allow bandits, hooligans and common criminals to beat and humiliate people with impunity, simply because they speak with a slightly different accent."

Rising hate crimes against Ukrainians

Polish police recorded 180 hate crime reports against Ukrainians in the first six months of 2026, a rise of more than 30% compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the daily Rzeczpospolita. Around 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens currently live in Poland, including over 900,000 who arrived after the 2022 Russian invasion. The initial wave of solidarity has given way to growing resentment, and several other incidents have drawn media attention in recent weeks. In Poznań, a 60-year-old Pole was beaten at a tram stop after intervening to defend a Ukrainian boy who was being verbally abused by three men. In Bielsko-Biała, a 54-year-old man was filmed insulting two Ukrainian girls, aged 11, because of their nationality. In Legnica, a 26-year-old woman was charged with assaulting two 13-year-old Ukrainian children. Earlier in July, two men linked to far-right groups entered the offices of an organisation providing legal aid to Ukrainians in Poznań; one of them, a former soldier, is under investigation for espionage.

Historical grievances fuel tensions

The rise in hostility coincides with a sharp deterioration in Polish-Ukrainian relations. The trigger was Ukraine's decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a WWII nationalist formation that Ukraine honours for fighting both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, but that Poland associates with the massacres of Polish civilians in Volhynia. In June, President Nawrocki responded by revoking the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state distinction, from President Volodymyr Zelensky. The move was widely seen as inflaming anti-Ukrainian sentiment, particularly on the right.

Ukraine demands action

The Ukrainian government reacted swiftly. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that Ukraine expected an impartial and objective investigation and called on "certain Polish politicians" not to fuel hostility further. The Ukrainian consul general in Wrocław demanded a prompt response from Polish authorities. Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar also spoke out, warning that such incidents were becoming more frequent. Tusk, for his part, urged ordinary Poles not to remain passive. "Do not be indifferent. We know that indifference is the root of crime. It is the ideal environment for the growth of hooligans, violent criminals and evil," he said.