A violent assault in Lublin, Poland, has sparked widespread political outrage after a Zimbabwean immigrant who seriously injured a 40-year-old Polish man was released by police and now faces only a minor bodily harm charge, with no deportation proceedings.
The incident occurred during a birthday celebration when the victim was allegedly attacked by the African man unprovoked. The assailant is accused of striking the victim in the back of the head with a beer mug and inflicting a deep wound to his neck. The victim was taken to a hospital, where doctors spent hours treating his injuries and stitching the wound. Reports also indicate that he suffered damage to his spine.
Despite the severity of the injuries, the suspect was released and will reportedly not face charges of attempted murder or robbery. Authorities are instead pursuing a charge of minor bodily harm, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians. The man will also not be deported from Poland, despite his immigrant status.
Law and Justice (PiS) MP Michał Moskal announced that he had launched a parliamentary intervention regarding the case. He submitted inquiries to the Municipal Police Commander in Lublin and said he would also address the matter with the Ministry of Interior and Administration.
“I don’t understand the leniency shown to a foreign criminal,” said Moskal about the case, criticizing the extreme permissiveness with which the police and the justice system handled the situation.
Foreign nationals who come to Poland and commit crimes should face removal from the country, Moskal said—regardless of the specific offense, but especially in a case involving a violent assault.
“We cannot allow Polish streets to look like the streets of Western Europe, where the state and law enforcement services have long abdicated in the face of immigrant crime,” Moskal wrote on X.
The politician questioned how authorities could downplay the offense when the assault was captured on video, showing the extent of the injuries, and when pictures of the man’s stitched wounds are circulating on social media while expressing hope that investigators might eventually revise the legal classification.
