Watch Ukrainian Punks Attack Group of Poles, Try to Force Them to Chant Fascist Slogan
12:15 GMT 26.08.2023 (Updated: 12:16 GMT 26.08.2023)
© Photo : Twitter / @WolnoscTV
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The Polish government has committed billions of euros in military and economic aid to Kiev, and eagerly taken in over 1.5 million refugees fleeing the Ukrainian crisis. However, a growing number of Poles have asked questions about Warsaw's role in fueling NATO's proxy war with Russia, and Ukrainian authorities' lionization of WWII-era fascists.
A scandal is brewing on Polish social media over footage of an altercation between a group of Ukrainian nationalists and Polish men, which degenerated into a fistfight after the Ukrainians tried to force the Poles to chant a popular Ukrainian slogan used by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, a fascist group that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.
Footage of the incident, which took place along the Vistula Boulevards in Warsaw on August 24, the anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence Day, shows a group of Ukrainians gathered around a young Polish man and aggressively asking him to chant "Slava Ukraini" ('Glory to Ukraine!') with the man refusing. The individual filming the altercation could be heard complaining to a colleague that the Ukrainians appear to be "Banderites" and "Nazis," with two of the individuals give the cameraman a Sieg Heil salute.
🔴 Dzisiaj w nocy na Bulwarach Wiślanych w Warszawie grupa 12 ukraińców zaatakowała 8 osobową grupę Polaków każąc im skandować "Slava ukrainie".
— WolnośćTV (@WolnoscTV) August 25, 2023
Młodzi Polacy odmówili, mówiąc, że są Polakami i nie będą tego robić. Wówczas rozpoczęło się ich bicie i kopanie. Osiem sobie… pic.twitter.com/UOYkNTHwj7
Separate footage filmed shortly after shows Ukrainians and Poles engaging in a no-holds barred brawl involving punches, kicks and broken glass bottles.
According to a Polish media account of the incident, eight Poles were attacked by 12 Ukrainians. Police were called to the scene, but reportedly released the perpetrators shortly after taking down their information. Some of the injured Poles were said to have been hospitalized with internal injuries, one of them remaining in hospital as of Friday.
The incident sparked outrage online, with some Poles demanding that the "eager to fight" youths be deported back to Ukraine, while others suggested that the violence was the consequence of the Polish government’s policy of "submitting" to the "geopolitical agenda of the West." Others sarcastically suggested that Poland should immediately send "more billions" of zlotys to Kiev, as well as "Polish F-16s."
"When will Polish authorities deal with these bandits from Ukraine?" one person asked. A few Ukrainians also chimed in to the conversation, apologizing and saying they were "ashamed" for the behavior of their compatriots, and saying it was "surprising" that these "patriots" were living in Poland, and not fighting on the frontlines.
Others still expressed grievances about their experiences with Ukrainian refugees in general, saying they “treated [their] house like a hotel” and acted as if the homeowner owed them something. “I will not write the details (which are almost a trauma) but they cured me personally of helping Ukraine,” someone said.
A few conspiracy-minded users also chimed in, with one suggesting the whole incident was a “Russian provocation.” Others complained about the lack of national media coverage of the incident, suggesting that if the shoe was on the other foot and Poles attacked Ukrainians, it would be on every news portal across the country.
"The situation will overheat and sooner or later will get out of control. If we do not introduce the principle that we will expel a foreigner for every violation of the law or act of hooliganism, they will commit serious crimes against us. It’s only a matter of time," one person worriedly wrote. "I would understand it if the police didn’t come. But if they came and decided that nothing happened and everyone could disperse, well, Wolyn 2.0 will come sooner than we think,"another added, referring to the 1943-1945 massacres of ethnic Poles in what is now western Ukraine by Ukrainian ultranationalist militias who killed over 100,000 Poles, as well as Jews, Russians, anti-fascist Ukrainians and Red Army soldiers.
Over 1.6 million Ukrainian nationals applied for asylum or temporary protection in Poland in 2022, with authorities spending over $700 million to assist them. Poland has also sent over 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion US) in military and economic support to Ukraine for the ongoing NATO proxy war against Russia.
2 August 2023, 07:28 GMT
Not all Poles have supported their country’s role in the conflict, with some politicians, public figures and religious leaders slamming the Law and Justice government for aiding Ukrainian authorities who are responsible for lionizing Ukrainian WWII-era fascist leaders – including those responsible for the Wolyn massacre.
Poles' shifting attitudes on the Ukrainian crisis have shown through in opinion polling, with one recent survey finding that some 55 percent of Poles don’t think their country should offer more aid to Ukraine, compared to 28 percent who say more support is needed. 60 percent of respondents said they believe Ukrainian refugees should not receive equal access to social benefits as Polish citizens, particularly after media reports of some refugees have abused the system by claiming benefits in Poland while living in Ukraine. Some respondents also accused refugees of a “demanding attitude,” and expecting to get everything for free.
