Authorities in Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot are strengthening measures against xenophobia as Ukrainian residents report growing hostility, verbal abuse and discrimination.
GDAŃSK, POLAND | EUROPE | AUGUST 2026
Local authorities in Poland’s Baltic Tricity region are stepping up efforts to combat hate speech and protect immigrant communities amid growing concern over anti-Ukrainian sentiment across the country.
Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot have promoted coordinated measures focused on social integration, education and faster responses to discriminatory incidents. Officials say public institutions must prevent hostile rhetoric from becoming normalized or escalating into physical violence.
The initiative follows a series of incidents in Polish cities in which Ukrainian residents, including children, were verbally harassed because of their nationality or for speaking Ukrainian in public.
One widely shared recording showed teenage Ukrainian girls being insulted on a bus in Bielsko-Biała. Analysis of the online reaction found that much of the discussion connected the aggression to increasingly hostile political rhetoric, while misleading posts attempted to discredit the victims or portray the incident as staged.
Sociologists warn that apparently minor expressions of contempt can create an environment in which more serious discrimination becomes acceptable. Ukrainians, currently one of Poland’s most visible foreign communities, have increasingly been blamed for pressure on employment, housing, public services and welfare programmes despite their substantial participation in the Polish economy.
The change represents a sharp contrast with the solidarity displayed after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Millions of Ukrainians crossed into Poland, where volunteers, municipalities and private citizens organised accommodation, food and transportation.
Four years later, prolonged war, economic frustration and declining public attention have contributed to what researchers describe as “solidarity fatigue.” Political actors and online networks have exploited those frustrations through narratives portraying Ukrainians as privileged, dangerous or insufficiently grateful.
Some campaigns have also revived painful historical disputes between Poland and Ukraine, particularly the Volhynia massacres, using collective memory to generate hostility toward present-day refugees.
Disinformation researchers have documented repeated and sometimes coordinated messages spreading anti-Ukrainian claims across social media. Although not every hostile opinion is foreign-directed, Russian influence operations have consistently attempted to divide Poland from Ukraine and weaken public support for Kyiv.
Tricity officials argue that combating the trend requires more than symbolic declarations. Their response includes cooperation with schools and cultural institutions, integration initiatives, training on hate speech and support mechanisms for residents who experience discrimination.
The regional campaign reflects a broader struggle over Poland’s political identity: whether wartime solidarity can survive social exhaustion and organised manipulation, or whether resentment will redefine relations between Polish and Ukrainian communities.
La narrativa también es poder. / Narrative is power too.