According to a Ukrinform correspondent, the head of the Polish government made this statement to journalists during a press conference in Warsaw on Wednesday.
“So far, the response [from the president to yesterday’s call by the Polish prime minister] has been silence,” Tusk said.
He stressed that he is calling on the president and all political leaders responsible for the situation in the country to condemn any acts of violence unequivocally.
According to the prime minister, Poland has spent decades building its international reputation as a safe, open, and hospitable country. Still, it is much easier to destroy that reputation than to build it.
“Evil is always more visually appealing. A reputation can be destroyed much faster than it can be built. Poles have built it through decades of hard work,” Tusk noted.
He added that recently, social media has seen a rise in popularity not only of videos featuring foreign tourists raving about Poland but also of footage showing acts of violence on Polish streets.
The prime minister emphasized that violence not only deserves condemnation and punishment but also poses a threat to Poland’s key national interests.
Tusk stated that he expects President Nawrocki, who has previously spoken favorably about so-called soccer hooligan brawls, to take a clear stance on the latest acts of aggression.
“I expect the president to draw a very clear line and say, ‘Stop.’ There is no excuse or justification for such acts of violence,” the prime minister said.
Responding to journalists’ questions about why he links the rise in attacks, particularly against Ukrainians, to right-wing politicians, Tusk stated that he is basing his assessment on their public statements.
He cited President Nawrocki’s remarks about “noble men’s duels” in the context of soccer hooligan fights, comments by Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the Law and Justice party, regarding the creation of so-called self-defense units, as well as remarks by far-right activist Robert Bąkiewicz about “pulling weeds out of Polish soil.”
The prime minister also noted that one of the participants in the recent attack on a Ukrainian couple in Wrocław presented himself on social media as a “defender of the Polish border.”
“I don’t need to convince anyone who, on the Polish political scene, is a spokesperson for circles that take pride in violence. It’s time to put an end to this, because this violence is spreading,” Tusk emphasized.
As reported by Ukrinform, on Sunday in Wrocław, three men brutally beat a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen and his 20-year-old compatriot. Police have detained two suspects; a third is still being sought. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the attack one of the manifestations of a dangerous wave of ethnically motivated violence and urged all political forces to work together to combat such crimes.
Read also:The Split on Poland's Right and Its Implications for Ukraine
The day before, following the brutal attack on the Ukrainian couple in Wrocław, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that violence against Ukrainian citizens is damaging Poland’s international reputation and serves Russia’s interests. The head of the Polish government called on Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Law and Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński to “stop remaining silent on this matter.”
Polish government spokesperson Adam Szłapka linked the rise in incidents of violence against Ukrainians to the rhetoric and actions of right-wing politicians, stating that the United Right camp had created an atmosphere of impunity and effectively given society “permission to hate.”
Photo: Kancelaria Prezesa Rady Ministrów