What caused the rise of anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland and how EU could intervene
Much is said and written in Ukraine about European values, particularly since the launch of accession negotiations with the European Union. The first negotiating cluster to be opened was Fundamentals, which covers criteria related to the rule of law and human rights.
At the same time, alarming news has been coming from neighbouring EU member state Poland – news that also concerns the principles enshrined in the Fundamentals cluster. Attacks on Ukrainians in Poland have become increasingly common. The latest incident occurred in Wrocław, where three Polish men attacked a young Ukrainian couple because of their Ukrainian accent.
The growing wave of xenophobia directed at Ukrainians is damaging, among other things, the perception of the EU as a space founded on shared European values. Nothing comparable has ever occurred in Ukraine, even though Poland is an EU member while Ukraine remains far from membership procedurally.
Read more about how the Polish state has contributed to anti-Ukrainian radicalisation and explains why the European Union should intervene in the column by European Pravda editor Anatolii Martsynovskyi: A celebration of xenophobia in an EU state: Brussels must respond to anti-Ukrainian attacks in Poland.
The author stresses that combating xenophobia is, above all, the responsibility of the state.
Although police sometimes apprehend attackers relatively quickly, the number of convictions and the severity of punishments remain disproportionate to the scale of the problem, which is clearly worsening, Martsynovskyi argues: "Most importantly, the Polish state bears responsibility for this rise in anti-Ukrainian – and, in essence, anti-European – xenophobia, both through its actions and through its failure to respond adequately. One of the 'founding fathers' of this problem is Polish President Karol Nawrocki."
According to the author, Nawrocki exploited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to grant a Ukrainian military unit named after UPA heroes in order to launch a politically motivated campaign for personal gain. As a result, this campaign significantly intensified the demonisation of Ukrainians, leading to a sharp increase in aggression towards Ukrainians living in Poland.
At the same time, the author reminds readers that anti-Ukrainian sentiment had already begun to rise noticeably in 2023 – well before Nawrocki's campaign to strip Zelenskyy of the award. The turning point, he argues, was the blockade of the Ukrainian-Polish border.
"Donald Tusk's government's response to the chaos, including the blocking of Ukrainian grain trucks and the dumping of Ukrainian grain from railcars at its peak, was politically weak, if not outright absent. Electoral calculations, caution, and attempts to appease farmers only encourage radicals to go further," the editor writes.
As a consequence, Martsynovskyi concludes, the Polish state has allowed anti-Ukrainian radicalisation to approach a point of no return.
He argues that what is happening in Poland contradicts not only Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union but also the EU Directive governing the temporary protection of Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
The directive states: "Member States shall apply temporary protection with due respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms..."
However, Martsynovskyi contends that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians no longer feel safe in Poland because of a widespread discriminatory campaign against them – one that, he argues, resembles the tactics long employed by Putin's Russia.
"This xenophobia directed against Ukrainians clearly requires the attention of Brussels in whatever form. At the very least, the European Commission should express its serious concern," he writes.
The European Parliament, he adds, could also play a role.
"International attention is essential. And the European Union is in a position to deliver the strongest message," the author concludes.