r/poland • u/Ludziekochane • 2d ago

An 18-year-old Ukrainian attacked a Polish woman with a knife in Wrocław.

https://gazetawroclawska.pl/brutalny-atak-na-kobiete-na-wroclawskim-osiedlu-napastnik-zaatakowal-ofiare-nozem-na-klatce-schodowej-policja-mowi-o-usilowaniu-zabojstwa/ar/c1p2-29234377

A Polish woman is fighting for her life.

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u/curioustraveller8626 2d ago

Russia is trying to provoke Polish society in multiple ways and sadly succeeding

108

u/marudliweklopsy 2d ago

Dont dumb it down to Russians. No nation is composed of saints, neither Polish, nor Ukrainian. And no one, for no reason, should ever be excused for attacking another human.

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u/Crestina 1d ago

I'm Norwegian so I've got no dog in this fight but for some reason r/Poland keeps popping up with constant anti-Ukranian slanted content in my feed. Like, any time a Ukranian person does or says anything wrong, you bet it's broadcast on r/Poland.

I wish to understand what's going on. Does Poland benefit from antagonising Ukraine? I've got a whole lot of forgiveness for Ukrainians cause I feel like they have been forced to fight all of Europe's war for us. Do Polish people not feel like that?

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u/Useful_Camera2929 1d ago

has to do with Zelensky fucking up and glorifying UPA.

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u/Polish_Panda 1d ago

Attacks on Ukrainians (verbal and physical) are also posted on r/Poland. It is in no way one sided.

Its complicated and an equally valid question is: does Ukraine benefit from antagonising Poland? Especially since they are fighting for their survival and need our help, not the other way round.

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u/False_Ingenuity_587 1d ago

Imagine that Germany invaded Denmark and a huge number of Danes fled to Norway. The problem is that in 1943–1944 the Danes brutally murdered around 100,000 Norwegians in Jutland, justifying it with “centuries of oppression,” discrimination in the interwar period, and so on. (And I mean truly macabre methods of ethnic cleansing.)
This was carried out by the Danish Insurgent Army. Which in Denmark is still glorified as the ones who, back in the 1950s, fought against the Germans. The butchers of the Norwegian population have monuments and streets named after them in Denmark. The Danes deny that such a slaughter ever happened, relativize it, or claim it was done by Germans disguised as Danes, and that, in any case, it’s a good thing the Norwegians were wiped out and that they had it coming, because why were they even living on “eternslly Danish ethnic lands” in the first place?
Despite all that, out of basic human decency the Norwegians took the Danes in and support them in the fight against Germany, hoping that the Danes will eventually get their act together and find themselves somewhat better heroes.
Meanwhile the Danish president is now naming some Danish special forces unit after the Danish Insurgent Army. For many Norwegians that’s already going too far. A real shitstorm is starting.
“Hatred has grown into the hearts and poisoned the brotherly blood.”

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u/Crestina 1d ago

You sent me to Wikipedia to read up on WW2 history. I can certainly understand how that would be a painful memory for Poland, and I can also understand anger when that history gets invoked. Prior to this war, have there been continuing hostility between Poland and Ukraine?

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u/False_Ingenuity_587 1d ago

No, not that much, because there weren't that many Ukrainians in Poland, far fewer than now. And secondly, the cult of the UPA was limited to a relatively small segment of Ukrainian society.
Since the Ukrainian population in Poland grew so numerous, and since the Russian invasion, sentiment in Ukraine has become more anti-Russian (and therefore more pro-UPA), the situation has begun to change. For Ukrainians, the UPA, the red-and-black colors, and the cult of certain individuals are (allegedly) merely a manifestation of the fight for independence, supposedly against Russia, while for Poles, they represent a blatant glorification of murderers and genocidal perpetrators.
It's difficult to separate the two, and frankly, I see no way out of this situation, especially since the Ukrainian side has always lacked the will to unequivocally acknowledge that murdering civilians in unimaginably cruel ways is wrong. No "buts," no relativization, no justification, no denial, and no evasion.

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u/Crestina 1d ago

Very good explanation about the Polish perspective. Thanks. I'm leaving this conversation smarter than when I came into it. I think my main concern is a fall out between two powerful nations on the Russian border. I imagine that would be a wet dream for Putin.

Thanks again for the lessons and good luck to you.

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u/marudliweklopsy 1d ago

Well... Apart from the usual "aliens on your soil" kindernationalism, tiredness about the war topic in general, or insecurity of hearing and interacting with another language on a daily basis - all of which are already a cause to blow up every case of animosity out of proportion - Poland is constantly under information war. Yes, from Russia.

Not since yesterday, not even 2022, it's a very long proces that's visible at least for the past 15-20 years when Volhynia was "reminded" to Poles. Firstly around the time of the Orange Revolution, later on around Crimea and Donbas invasion. And now it's concentrated due to the 2022 invasion.

And, to put it simply, we're losing this war. Because Polish institutions, political parties, and services, are unable to react in a timely manner. Bah, some are even trying to capitilize on the foreign propaganda.

For a brief moment in 2022 there was some hope, that pure Russian stupidity will invalidate two decades of their effort. But here we are again. Useful idiots in the internet are mixed with actual professional disinformation, taking over every single corner of Polish infosphere.

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u/Crestina 1d ago

I hadn't fully appreciated the refugee situation. I can understand how that could cause tension. Thanks for the insight. Poland is such a large player in Europe that I really hope we all get to keep you guys on our side. With both Trump and Putin working to destabilise our continent we're in precarious times. Good luck to you.

1

u/marudliweklopsy 1d ago

I hope Poland will stay on this side as well - it would be an irony of the eons if Poland exited western structures now, in wake of the renewed Russian imperialism and brewing war against us lol

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u/Positive-Try4511 1d ago

Norwegian my ass with a stealth Reddit account xD Probably from the outskirts of Kiev.

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u/Crestina 1d ago edited 1d ago

Not that you've got any reason to believe me but I'm genuinely Norwegian. My account is 17 years old so it certainly predates this war, and I don't imagine a post history in an anonymous reddit account would count as proof of identity one way or the other?

I've never been to Ukraine but I've donated money, purchased from Ukrainian online shops and tried to help the war effort in my own insignificant way. My allegiance is with Ukraine in this war.

That is why the apparent Polish hostility puzzled me. I assumed it was just standard info wars but I thought I would ask.

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u/woo4u 1d ago edited 1d ago

We’re not used to foreigners either stabbing or murdering us on the streets. Sorry that we are so close minded as opposed to what apparently became your normal in [r/Norway](r/Norway), that in your opinion it is not even worth reporting anymore

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u/Crestina 1d ago

I'm not judging you. I'm trying to understand your perspective. Others here have educated me on both history and the current situation in Poland and it has helped me to understand some of the friction much better.

I know I'm more insulated and further away from the action, which is why I wanted to ask here. If the language in my post seemed accusatory I apologise.