Poland to deport 57 Ukrainians and 6 Belarusians after Warsaw concert trouble

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian man who was pictured at the event holding a Ukrainian nationalist flag associated with the massacre of ethnic Poles during World War Two has published a video apologising for his actions.

The concert by Belarusian rapper Max Korzh drew a crowd of around 60,000 to Warsaw’s National Stadium. Many of the audience were from Poland’s Ukrainian and Belarusian communities, which are the country’s two largest immigrant groups.

Videos from the event showed that a large number of fans had jumped from the seating area into the standing section nearer the stage, evading security guards trying to stop them.

Afterwards, police announced that they had detained 109 people during the concert, including for possession of drugs and pyrotechnics, unlawfully entering the venue, and assaulting security staff.

Speaking on Tuesday, Tusk condemned the “disorder and acts of aggression” that had taken place at the concert but praised the police and courts for their “quick response”.

“I have just received information that proceedings have been initiated against 63 people to leave the country,” revealed the prime minister, adding that 57 were Ukrainians and six were Belarusians. “They will have to leave the country either voluntarily or under duress.”

Some of the Belarusians and Ukrainians who are in Poland are refugees, but many are economic migrants and students. It remains unclear what status the 63 people being deported have.

 
Tusk also warned, however, that “under no circumstances can anti-Ukrainian sentiment be allowed to flare” due to such incidents. He noted that Russia deliberately seeks to provoke and stoke such tensions between Poland and Ukraine.

“We all must be vigilant to avoid Russian manipulation and provocation,” he declared, quoted by news website Onet. “We cannot allow a wave of hatred to be unleashed by Ukrainians towards Poles and Poles towards Ukrainians.”

“It would be a historic crime and unimaginable stupidity if we now allow ourselves to be divided and allow the Russians to destroy this relationship, unique in our history, that has been built thanks to our hospitality and the courage of Ukrainians,” said the prime minister.

Saturday’s concert also caused particular controversy because a member of the crowd was pictured holding up the red-and-black flag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

Formed during the Second World War, the UPA was a Ukrainian nationalist partisan group that fought for independence. Figures associated with it are often celebrated as national heroes in Ukraine.

However, the UPA was also responsible for the wartime Volhynia massacres, in which up to 100,000 ethnic Polish civilians, as well as members of other minorities, were killed. Poland regards the episode as a genocide, and displaying the UPA flag is seen as extremely offensive.

On Monday, the Ukrainian man who was seen holding the flag at the concert published a video on social media in which he apologised for his actions.

“I want to address everyone who may have been hurt by what happened during the concert in Warsaw,” said the man, Dmitry, speaking in Polish. “I did not mean to arouse negative emotions. For me, the flag I held was a symbol of support for the Ukrainian people.”

“I am grateful to all Poles who have helped Ukrainians and are still helping now,” he concluded. “Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, and I apologise again.”

Dmitry may be facing legal consequences for his actions. Prosecutors have confirmed that they have received requests to investigate the displaying of the UPA flag as a violation of Poland’s law against promoting totalitarian systems and inciting national hatred, which carries a prison sentence of up to three years.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Policja Warszawa (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.