Former left-wing Polish prime minister Leszek Miller has called on the present government to deport Natalya Panchenko, a Ukrainian activist who, while campaigning against restrictions on social security payments for Ukrainian migrants, claimed that anti-Ukrainian rhetoric could lead to violence.
Panchenko said, “The growing hostility towards Ukrainians in Poland is already dangerous, especially for Poland as it is on its territory that we could see violence, even arson involving stores and homes.”
Her words provoked outrage on social media, with many users regarding her remarks as a form of threat and unacceptable given the humanitarian and military aid Poland has provided to Ukraine and its citizens.
Miller, who was PM between (2001-2004), on February 6 told commercial Radio Zet a firm response was needed regarding Panchenko’s remarks.
Panchenko is a Ukrainian activist connected with the “Open Dialog” foundation and the “Warsaw Euromaidan” organisation, both of which campaigned against the last Conservative (PiS) government that accused Open Dialog of having links to Russian finance.
In an interview with Polish media in which she demanded the continuation of full social benefits right for Ukrainian migrants, she was also reported by Conservative portal DoRzeczy.pl as having said that “anti-Ukrainian rhetoric” in Poland could lead to “violent conflict”.
Miller said: “I am astonished by these kinds of statements from Ukrainian activists. Ms Panchenko would have been called in by our security services to be interrogated whether she has any knowledge on planned terrorist acts in Poland and on whether she has any links to groups who might wish to disrupt the electoral process during the presidential election.”
The ex-PM added that Panchenko’s claims represented “an attempt to interfere in Poland’s election by a foreign citizen with a very clear threat that if Poles don’t continue to help Ukraine as until now then remember that you have property and schools which you may find under attack”.
Miller urged the government to act because “such remarks cannot be taken lightly and in my view she should be deported” and said that in the past few months there had been arson attacks he said were linked to Russians.
According to him, statements such as Panchenko’s indicated that Ukrainians wanted to influence the course of Poland’s presidential election set for May.
The issue of Ukrainian migration to Poland is already high on the election agenda.
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, standing in the election for current PM Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition, has called for Poland’s €200 per month universal child benefit to be paid only to those Ukrainians who were working and paying taxes.
The opposition PiS candidate Karol Nawrocki has argued that Ukraine should not be allowed to join either the European Union or NATO unless Kyiv ceased to, in his words, glorify nationalist paramilitaries, allied with Nazi Germany, who massacred some 100,000 Polish civilians in the Second World War.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fled to Poland after the Russian invasion in 2022 and were granted full rights to work, claim benefits, public health and education for their children.
Most were initially given shelter by Polish families after an extraordinary effort involving local authorities, the Catholic Church and civil society.
