“Ukrainian rag”: in Poland, passengers insulted and beat a taxi driver from Ukraine

A video has surfaced online, reportedly showing the beating of a Ukrainian taxi driver in Szczecin, Poland.

The video was shared on several Telegram channels.

According to one version of events, the intoxicated passengers refused to pay the driver, while another version claims they demanded to be taken to a different location. During the assault, the attacker referred to the driver as a “Ukrainian rag” (szmata), a xenophobic insult in Poland.

It’s worth noting that last year, a similar incident occurred when a drunk passenger attacked a Ukrainian student working as a taxi driver in Poland, and the perpetrator was arrested.

In June, Poland implemented new regulations requiring Ukrainian drivers to obtain Polish driving licenses to work as taxi drivers. This change aims to improve safety and prevent drivers without Polish licenses from working in passenger transport. The majority of taxi drivers in Poland come from Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia, and their citizens can obtain Polish licenses by exchanging their foreign ones after verification.