A highly resonant incident occurred in the Polish city of Legnica, serving as another example of rising xenophobia in the country. On July 18, a 26-year-old local resident used physical violence against two 13-year-old Ukrainian girls. The cause of the aggression was the fact that the teenagers were speaking the Ukrainian language.
Details of the Assault
The incident took place during the daytime while the children were in the area of a swimming pool and a playground on Polarna Street. According to the mother of the victims, who shared the story on Facebook, an unknown woman approached the playing girls. Initially, she began to pick on the children, pointing out that they were speaking Ukrainian while on Polish territory.
The situation quickly escalated into physical violence. The woman struck one of the daughters, and witnesses claim she explicitly stated that she committed the attack precisely because the children were Ukrainians. Following the incident, the attacker was detained by the police.
Law Enforcement Response
Chief Inspector of the Legnica Police Office, Jagoda Ekiert, confirmed the investigation. On July 22, she announced that law enforcement agencies are determining the exact course of events. The woman has been formally charged. She faces a prison sentence of up to 7.5 years for violence and violation of the physical integrity of minors.
Furthermore, strict restrictions have been imposed on the suspect: she is prohibited from approaching the victims of the attack, as well as the scene of the crime — the playground on Polarna Street. The charges include causing harm to bodily functions or deteriorating health lasting no more than 7 days.
Rise in Hate Crimes
This event is not an isolated case and fits into a worrying statistic. On July 14, Czesław Mrózek, Deputy Minister of the Interior and Administration of Poland, reported a significant increase in hate crimes. According to his data, between 2024 and 2025, the number of such incidents increased by more than 30% — from 760 cases in 2024 to 1,200 in 2025.
This trend is confirmed by sociological studies as well. In the report "We Are Not at Home: Ukrainian Migrants and Refugees on Relations with Poles," published at the end of June, a rise in anti-Ukrainian sentiments is noted. The study was prepared by migration expert Dr. Elena Babakova and sociologist Dr. Przemysław Sadura.
It is worth recalling that similar cases have previously been recorded in Poland. The prosecution is investigating a case where an adult man attacked a 15-year-old Ukrainian solely because he was speaking his native language. Statistics indicate that over the last six months, the number of crimes against Ukrainian citizens on nationalistic grounds has been growing rapidly.
