The statement by the Polish PEN Board refers to allegations that Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government serves “Ukrainian interests” because it includes a Polish-born minister from the Szeptycki family, a descendant of Aleksander Fredro.
“In a democratic state, the work of ministers, officials and civil servants is assessed on the basis of how they perform their duties, not on the basis of their nationality. It was the supporters and participants of totalitarian regimes who judged their fellow citizens on the basis of nationality,” Polish PEN noted.
The authors of the statement emphasised that public calls for “lustration” on the basis of nationality are associated with politically motivated campaigns of exclusion and discrimination. Among the examples cited were the ethnic cleansing campaigns carried out in the Polish People’s Republic, in particular Operation Vistula and the events of March 1968.
Polish PEN also referred to a statement made by Minister Andrzej Szeptycki in a Polish media outlet during a discussion about the tragic history of conflicts between Poles and Ukrainians. The organisation emphasised that the statement was factual and did not breach the law, yet political forces had used it as a pretext for attacks.
The statement also notes that some politicians continue to spread claims that part of the funding from the EU’s SAFE programme will be directed to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, despite repeated statements by the Polish government to the contrary.
According to the Polish PEN Board, acts of verbal and physical aggression against Ukrainians and Polish citizens who support Ukraine occur almost daily in Poland. The organisation noted that such incidents take place both on the streets and in the Sejm, whilst nationalists have launched an anti-Ukrainian campaign on social media and in media outlets sympathetic to their views.
“This campaign violates Polish law and undermines public debate. Worse still, under pressure from this wave of hate, the authorities are depriving Ukrainian refugees of the state aid they previously received. They are imposing disproportionate penalties for offences committed by Ukrainians. They are contributing to the creation of a threatening atmosphere for 200,000 Ukrainian children in Polish schools,” the statement reads.
Polish PEN recalled that following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland took in a large number of refugees and set an example for the world. The organisation noted that at that time Poland acted in the spirit of the doctrine of Jerzy Giedroyc and Juliusz Mieroszewski, according to which “there can be no free Poland without a free Ukraine”. At the same time, the statement warns that Poland now risks losing these achievements because of a return to “the old conflicts of anti-Ukrainian hysteria”.
“We call on the Polish authorities and all people of good will to work together — through the joint efforts of the state and civil society — to more effectively protect the Ukrainian community in Poland from a nationalist campaign of false accusations, hostility and prejudice,” Polish PEN stated.
The statement by the Polish PEN Executive Committee was adopted in Warsaw on 15 June 2026.