A man accused of making threats and performing Nazi gestures towards a saleswoman from Ukraine did not attend the court in Gdańsk — at that time, he was earning money in Norway. Lawyers from the foundation handling the case pointed out the irony of the situation: foreigners in Poland are a problem for him, yet he has no issues taking advantage of opportunities abroad.
The conflict occurred in December 2025 in a grocery store in downtown Gdynia. The customer approached Olga, the saleswoman from Ukraine, with a complaint: he claimed that the meat his wife had bought about 15 minutes earlier was allegedly spoiled
However, instead of calmly clarifying the situation, the man began to shout at the employee, threaten her with physical harm, and accuse her of allegedly trying to poison his children.
At one point, he attempted to climb over the counter but was stopped by one of the customers. Additionally, the man also displayed Nazi salutes several times.
In the heat of the conflict, Olga began recording the incident on video, while one of the customers called the police. The aggressor was escorted out of the store by his wife.
After the incident, Olga’s husband reached out via social media to David Denert, a Warsaw lawyer who runs a foundation that helps victims of xenophobia. Denert contacted the Gdynia city police and the Ukrainian consulate in Gdańsk, and also published a recording of the incident on his social media.
In his assessment, the man could have committed three offenses: threats, insults based on nationality, and the promotion of Nazism.
The Gdynia police detained the suspect. Recently, the case reached the District Court in Gdańsk. However, the accused did not attend the hearing: he was working in Norway at that time. Denert’s foundation noted the paradox of such a position: foreigners in Poland seem to be a problem for him, yet he has no issues traveling to another country to take advantage of opportunities abroad.
The foundation emphasized: xenophobia is not patriotism, but ordinary hatred wrapped in white-and-red slogans. They added that they do not intend to drop the case and consider it important to see it through to the end.
Denert previously stated that the number of such cases in Poland is increasing. According to his observations, there was a noticeable surge in anti-Ukrainian sentiments during the campaign leading up to the presidential elections, with the first wave occurring after the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine. He links this to aggressive rhetoric online and attempts by some politicians to capitalize on xenophobia.
