Former Polish Deputy Minister Tolwiński Found Guilty of Inciting Hatred Against Ukrainians
A court in Białystok found former Polish Deputy Finance Minister Krzysztof Tolwiński guilty of inciting hatred against Ukrainians. He was accused of offensive statements and calls for the expulsion of Ukrainians. Tolwiński considers the case political and plans to appeal the verdict.
A district court in Białystok found Krzysztof Tolwiński, former Deputy Minister of Finance of Poland, guilty of insulting Ukrainians and publicly inciting national hatred. The verdict was issued after the local prosecutor's office had closed the case twice. The proceedings were initiated by Ukrainian journalist Ihor Kravets in cooperation with the Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Manifestations.
The indictment cited Tolwiński's online posts from March to May 2022, where he called Ukrainians «Banderite rabble» and «primitive beings,» and called for their expulsion from Poland. Lawyer Magdalena Spisak noted that the statements were offensive and incited hatred. Ihor Kravets reported that Tolwiński behaved demagogically in court, claiming the case was political.
Krzysztof Tolwiński called the verdict, which has not yet entered into force, a «purely political matter» and a «political gift,» with which he disagrees. He rejected accusations of using hate speech and announced that he would decide on a possible appeal after reviewing the written justification for the verdict.