MZK driver charged with insulting Ukrainian minors on Bielsko-Biała bus, faces 3-year sentence

The incident on bus line 8

On Saturday 11 July, three Ukrainian citizens (two 11-year-old girls and an adult woman) were verbally attacked by a 54-year-old man on a public bus in Bielsko-Biała. One of the girls had briefly rested her legs on a seat. The man approached and told her to take them down, which she did immediately. After a prolonged silence, he suddenly began shouting vulgar, xenophobic slurs, telling them to “get the f*** out to your Ukraine,” and grabbed one of the girls by the arm. The actual bus driver intervened, diverted his attention, and ejected him at the next stop; the girls rode one stop further.

Surveillance footage contradicts provocation claims

MZK released a detailed description of the CCTV footage, which the company said disproves online rumors that the girls spat, cursed, or provoked the attacker. The recording, secured as evidence by the police, shows the suspect watched the girls without reaction, then impulsively started yelling.

It was simply normal teenage behavior. They were sitting one behind the other, on their phones. They did not disturb the order in the vehicle.

MZK President Hubert Maślanka emphasized that the reaction was disproportionate and unjustified. In its statement, the company wrote: “We firmly emphasize that in our estimation the perpetrator’s reaction, an adult man, can in no way be justified by the described behavior of the minors, due to its flagrant disproportionality.”

Legal charges and police supervision

On 14 July, the 54-year-old appeared before the District Prosecutor in Żywiec and was charged under Article 257 of the Penal Code with publicly insulting three Ukrainian citizens on national grounds and violating the bodily integrity of one. The offence carries up to three years in prison. Prosecutor Małgorzata Moś-Brachowska said he confessed and provided extensive explanations, but their content is not being disclosed due to the early stage of the investigation and the welfare of the victims.

They presented the course of events. One thing I can say is that provocative or vulgar action on their part is excluded here.

The court imposed police supervision and a ban on contacting the injured parties. The two 11-year-olds were also questioned, and the prosecutor ruled out any provocation from their side.

Employer terminates contract

Before the charges, the man was employed as a driver by MZK but had been on extended sick leave and was a passenger at the time of the attack. The company immediately terminated his employment after the incident. MZK also addressed accusations that it was hiding the footage, explaining that police had seized the recording as evidence and data-protection rules prohibit public release.

Wider reactions

Public outrage and debate about anti-Ukrainian sentiment followed. Marek Tucholski, an activist from the Confederation party, condemned the man’s behavior but also criticized mainstream media for ignoring previous cases of Ukrainian aggression against Poles. The victim-blaming narrative circulating online, suggesting the girls provoked the assault, was firmly rejected by both the prosecutor and the bus company.