TUSK CONDEMNS HATRED DIRECTED AT UKRAINIAN CHILDREN IN POLAND
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has condemned the abuse of two 11-year-old Ukrainian girls on a bus in Bielsko-Biała, where a 54-year-old man reportedly shouted insults and obscenities at the children
“Regardless of what some people think about Ukraine, attacking children is an anti-Polish act,” Tusk said, describing such behavior as absolutely unacceptable.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s strongest allies, providing military assistance and sheltering millions of Ukrainians since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. But that relationship has recently come under increasing pressure from historical disputes, political exhaustion and a sharp rise in anti-Ukrainian rhetoric.
Tusk himself warned that hostile language from certain politicians and media outlets has consequences. When elected officials repeatedly portray Ukrainians as a threat or burden, those words do not remain inside parliament or television studios—they influence how people behave on buses, streets and school grounds.
Russian disinformation has also exploited genuine disagreements between Poland and Ukraine, amplifying the most divisive voices and encouraging resentment between two countries whose security remains closely connected.
Poland has already demonstrated that it can stand firmly with Ukraine while discussing difficult historical issues honestly. Now Tusk and other responsible Polish leaders face another task: cooling the hatred before political rhetoric produces further violence against people—and especially children—who fled Russia’s war.