Vereshchuk: Ukrainians in Poland are afraid to speak their native language in public places

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk has stated that harassment of Ukrainian citizens in Poland on ethnic grounds is intensifying. According to her, the number of complaints filed with law enforcement is growing.

Vereshchuk spoke about this in an interview with Novyny.LIVE.

According to the official, Ukrainians living in Poland are afraid to speak their native language in public places — in particular, on public transport.

“People constantly complain that they are already afraid to speak their native language on trams. Young girls, children going to school are afraid of bullying. This is very wrong,” Vereshchuk said.

Vereshchuk also warned that official statistics on harassment cases may differ significantly from the real picture, as not all victims report what happened on social media or go to the police.

At the same time, the official noted that Polish society as a whole does not support attacks on Ukrainians, and that law enforcement agencies respond promptly.

“Cases are opened in a flash. They have created a department that deals exclusively with crimes or attempted crimes on ethnic grounds. And that is important… This response from the state is important,” Vereshchuk stressed.

Shortly before this, the Western press reported a rise in the number of attacks on Ukrainians in Poland and other crimes committed against them.