An incident in the heart of Warsaw has sparked an online outcry. A 26-second video has surfaced showing the driver of a taxi swiping gas at people standing in front of the vehicle. According to a report published by the Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behavior (OmzRi), the injured couple are Ukrainian citizens. The woman is five months pregnant.
According to the victim, the driver allegedly shouted:J***nor Ukrainians, spier** to Ukraine”. Moments later, he used pepper spray on her and her husband.
“He sprayed the gas at my husband, then at mine. I screamed that I was pregnant,” the woman says.
The footage shows the insignia of a Warsaw taxi company. However, company representatives emphasize that the man is not an employee.
— We are very interested in identifying the perpetrator, including the illegal use of our corporation’s trademarks.[…]We have nothing to do with this entire incident or the person who committed it, says Leszek Pajka, CEO of HaloTaxi Warszawa.
Source: warszawa.tvp.pl
What can you see in the video?
In the video, a man sits behind the wheel of a vehicle. He holds a large gas canister out the open window. A warning can be heard: “Get out of here or you’ll get hit with gas.” Moments later, two powerful jets of an orange substance are fired at the person recording. A woman’s voice can be heard in the background.
The recording does not show the entire course of the incident.
Background to the conflict
According to the description provided by OmzRi, the altercation allegedly broke out after a taxi drove onto a narrow street despite a prohibitory sign, blocking the road. According to the victims, the driver reacted aggressively. after noticing Ukrainian license plates.
The police confirm the report
The District Police Headquarters in Warsaw I confirmed receipt of the notification.
The proceedings are being conducted, among others, under Article 257 of the Penal Code, i.e. violation of inviolability on grounds of nationality.. The provision provides for up to 3 years of imprisonment.
At this stage, no charges have been filed. Officers have secured video footage and are investigating the exact sequence of events.
Sources:
– Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behavior (recording and report on X)
– District Police Headquarters Warsaw I (information for the media)
The company cuts itself off from the driver
The phone number visible on the vehicle’s door belongs to a Warsaw taxi company. A representative informed the media that the man in the video was not an employee and may have been impersonating the company.
The case remains ongoing.
Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Nowiny Wschodnie, a news platform followed by more than 140,000 people on social media. A graduate in Journalism and Social Communication, he has been co-creating and developing Nowiny Wschodnie since 2017. He gained professional experience working with local and international media.
He specializes in fact-checking, countering disinformation and propaganda, and information security. His work focuses on Poland, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Polish-Ukrainian relations. He is also the founder of a non-profit organization working in the fields of integration and intercultural dialogue.
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