A New Racist Attack in Poland
Daily Polish newspaper “Wyborcza” has reported that another racist attack was seen in the city of Białystok, Poland.
According to the information, on July 10, unknown men set a Chechen man’s car fire. Victim Albert Umarov says with his fluent Polish that he doesn’t know what they want him and his family, they respect to the law rules and live without problem.
Albert Umarov and his family left their homeland due to the ongoing Russian military occupation in the Chechen lands; and they arrived to Poland in 2010. After a long time waiting, in September 2013 they have obtained a “subsidiary protection” which means Poland accepts them as refugees and gives the same rights with refugees. However, they couldn’t find peace with a status. In fact, after their arrival, Umarov family was living at a refugee camp in Lublin, but due to the threats that they received by telephone, they didn’t feel themselves in safe, and they left the city. But a new city didn’t change the situation, upon their arrival to Białystok, in October 2012, an unknown man cut their door with an ax. So far, the police couldn’t identify the attacker. Then, Umarov family changed their apartment, but in October 2013, unknown men broke his car’s windows, as usual, the Polish police couldn’t identify the perpetrators; so that in 2 weeks, a second attack was seen, target was Albert Umarov’s car, once again unknown men broke his car’s windows; but this time the investigators were able to determine the culprit; apparently it was their neighbour, 20 year old young man who hates Chechens. In January 2014, young man has been sentenced to a fine and to home imprisonment with an electronic surveillance.
On July 10, 2014, around midnight time, Albert’s young son Jamal went to out to fix the car’s radio player; but at the moment he saw 2 men in masks who were running away while their car was in flames. After the incident, police has started an investigation, at the moment, they can’t say whether the latest attack is related to the previous ones.
“They smashed my car’s windows twice, in the end they set it fire. We had came to Poland with an hope to find peace. Who will protect us?” asked Albert Umarov.
On the side of Chechen family, of course, the material damage is painful, but the feeling of overwhelming fear is the worst. Now, Albert’s wife even afraid of going park with her children.
“We are grateful to Poland and Polish people that they accepted us in their country; but I don’t know how to live in here under these circumstances,” said Albert Umarov.