Demonstrations across Poland are pressing the government to respond more forcefully to violence and harassment targeting Ukrainians. According to information supplied by the organizers, rallies under the slogan “My Poland does not beat, insult or persecute” were held in 22 cities. They also said a petition carrying 11,000 signatures was delivered to the prime minister’s office. The campaign comes amid evidence of a rise in reported hate-related incidents. Rzeczpospolita, citing data from Poland’s national police headquarters, reported that Ukrainian citizens filed 180 notifications concerning hate crimes in the first half of 2026, more than 30 percent above the comparable period a year earlier. The figure represents reports, not cases ultimately confirmed as crimes. Polish media have also documented several individual episodes of xenophobic abuse and physical aggression in recent weeks. The demonstrations seek to move the issue from outrage over isolated incidents to a broader question of public safety and institutional accountability. Illustrative photo: a 2022 solidarity demonstration in Warsaw. Image credit: Tomasz Molina / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.