What happened in Bydgoszcz?

Two adults attacked a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother at a playground because they were speaking Ukrainian.

Who are the suspects in the attack?

Police detained a 46-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man who may be linked to the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

How did Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk react?

Tusk called the attack an anti-Polish act and publicly urged the perpetrators to surrender to the police, telling them they would be arrested by the end of the week.

Is this an isolated case in Poland?

No. In recent weeks, there has been a sharp increase in attacks on Ukrainians in Poland, including an incident in Kraków on August 8.

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Tusk to attackers of Ukrainian children: Surrender

S.V. · Prije 2 dana | 3 min

Polish PM strongly condemns attack on 12-year-old and 14-year-old in Bydgoszcz, calling it an anti-Polish act. Police have already detained two suspects.

Summary

Two adults attacked Ukrainian children in Bydgoszcz because they were speaking Ukrainian.
Prime Minister Tusk called the attack an anti-Polish act and urged the perpetrators to surrender by the end of the week.
Police detained a 46-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man on suspicion of involvement in the attack.
The number of attacks on Ukrainians in Poland has been rising sharply in recent weeks.

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk publicly addressed on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, the man and woman who attacked Ukrainian children in the city of Bydgoszcz, urging them to surrender to the police. The incident occurred on Friday, August 14, at a playground near the railway station, targeting a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother, as reported by the Polish portal Onet.

Attack triggered by Ukrainian language

According to information from the Consulate General of Ukraine in Gdańsk, the attackers were provoked by the children speaking Ukrainian to each other. The adults twisted the children's arms, broke their toys, and verbally abused and threatened them. The Provincial Police Headquarters in Bydgoszcz reported that two individuals have been arrested in the city: a 46-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man, suspected of involvement in the attack. Investigative actions with them are ongoing.

Tusk: Attack on children is an anti-Polish act

During a government session, Tusk stated he was shocked by the aggressive behavior of two people towards Ukrainian children at the playground. "Regardless of what some think about Ukraine, we know about recent events, we know that not everything is in order, both from the Ukrainian and Polish sides, we are aware of that, but an attack on children is an anti-Polish act. As Poles, we have always been very proud of how we treat our children and the children who seek refuge with us," the Prime Minister said.

He addressed the attackers directly, urging them to surrender. "These two 'brave' citizens who attacked a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old child are being sought. I have a message for them. You will be arrested by the end of the week. It will be much better for you, you can ask a lawyer you know, if you go to the police today. Your situation will be much worse when, at the end of the week, after arrest, you are brought to justice for what you have done. That is free, honest legal advice from me," Tusk said.

Rising wave of attacks on Ukrainians in Poland

The incident in Bydgoszcz is not an isolated case. In recent weeks, there has been a sharp increase in attacks on Ukrainian citizens in Poland. On August 8, a 39-year-old man who aggressively insulted two Ukrainians in Kraków turned himself in at a police station, where he was arrested.

Additional tensions have been sparked by Tobiasz Bocheński, a Member of the European Parliament and former candidate for mayor of Warsaw, who stated that his party, Law and Justice, if it comes to power, would ensure the deportation of Ukrainian men of military age who are not legally employed in Poland. The Polish Ministry of Interior assessed these statements as populism.