German TAZ attacks Polish President Karol Nawrocki over Ukraine remarks

The left‑wing German daily Die Tageszeitung (TAZ) published a commentary accusing Polish President Karol Nawrocki of repeatedly using language associated with Russian propaganda when speaking about Ukraine, especially references to the 1943 Volhynian massacres and Stepan Bandera. The article links a rise in anti‑Ukrainian hate crimes in Poland to Nawrocki’s rhetoric, citing police data that recorded 180 hate‑motivated offenses against Ukrainian citizens in the first half of 2026 – a 30 % increase over the previous year. It also mentions specific incidents, such as an attack on an 11‑year‑old Ukrainian girl in Bielsko‑Biała and a stabbing of a 30‑year‑old woman in Wrocław. TAZ characterises Nawrocki as a “right‑nationalist” president and blames parts of the Polish political elite for stoking anti‑Ukrainian sentiment. An analysis by Res Futura Data House found that about 90 % of online comments about the incidents connect them to broader debates on Ukrainian migration and security concerns.