Meanwhile, in Andrzej Duda’s Poland, a gay man was brutally attacked by drunk thugs in broad daylight. And nobody helped
Miłosz Miklaszewski posted about the attack on Facebook. (Facebook/Miłosz Miklaszewski)
A gay man was called a “faggot”, viciously beaten up and then robbed by two drunk men in Poland on Tuesday (11 August).
The horrific attack took place in broad daylight on the banks of the river in Poznań, in the west of the country.
Miłosz Miklaszewski said that despite there being other people nearby, nobody came to help him as the two men used a “telescopic baton” to beat him up.
Miklaszewski, who was taken to hospital immediately after the assault and kept there for two nights, is now appealing for witnesses ahead of a forensic examination with the police.
The attack on him came days after Poland’s homophobic president Andrzej Duda was sworn in for a second term.
Duda’s re-election win has been celebrated by conservatives, but has left many LGBT+ people fearing for their safety.
LGBT+ people are reportedly fleeing Poland amid renewed state-sponsored homophobia and anti-gay sentiment.
The attack began around 4pm on Tuesday, when Miklaszewski was alone on the Rusalka Wild Beach – a popular beach on the east bank of the Warta river.
“I tried to make the most of my two days off from work, especially the beautiful, sunny weather,” he wrote on Facebook. “I liked the place where I spent my time in particular because it was not crowded and partly adjacent to the forest.”
After a couple of hours spent relaxing, Miklaszewski heard “loud screams” from “two drunk guys”, who were shouting “faggots” and “children are walking here” at the people on the beach.
The two men approached another person, who’d arrived at the beach by bike, and Miklaszewski “grabbed my things and wanted to run away because I usually avoid such situations”.
Seeing his move to escape, the two men then made a beeline for him.
“I panicked and didn’t know what to do,” Miklaszewski said. “Suddenly I felt impotence filling me. One of them pulled out a telescopic baton. I was attacked with it.
“I was beaten on the head and face in particular by one of them. The other one just laughed and tried to stop the other by saying, ‘Come on, come on,’ but he didn’t do anything to pull him away from me.
“The gentleman who hit me said over and over again ‘You faggot’, ‘You twat.'”
The two men then searched his bag and clothing, stealing his glasses and phone. He’s “never had anything like this” happen before, he said, adding that he suspects the two men “didn’t like my dyed hair and the earring” – in other words, that the attack was homophobic.
“I don’t remember much,” he said. “I was paralysed by fear and I was shocked.
“I was afraid of the worst – losing my life.”
