Polish rallies turn solidarity with Ukrainians into a question of civic values

A new series of demonstrations in Poland is framing the safety of Ukrainians not only as a policing issue but as a test of civic values. According to the organizers, rallies in 22 cities used the slogan “My Poland does not beat, insult or persecute.” They also reported delivering an 11,000-signature petition to the prime minister’s office calling for decisive action against violent attacks. The moral appeal is unfolding against a documented rise in reports to police. Rzeczpospolita, citing Poland’s national police headquarters, said Ukrainian citizens filed 180 hate-crime notifications in the first half of 2026, more than 30 percent above the year-earlier period. The number refers to reports, not offenses finally established by investigators or courts. Recent xenophobic incidents reported by Polish media have sharpened the debate over what solidarity means after years in which millions of Ukrainians have lived, worked or sought refuge across Europe. The demonstrations’ central claim is simple: disagreement over politics or history cannot become permission to humiliate or attack people because of their nationality. Illustrative image: Warsaw solidarity demonstration, 2022. Image credit: Tomasz Molina / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.