Ukrainian man falls victim to a xenophobic attack in Tatabánya

A resident of Tatabánya brutally beat another person in March only because he was talking in Ukrainian. Below, you can read the court verdict.

As we reported several times, there are masses of Ukrainian citizens fleeing to Hungary every day because of the Russian aggression. Their number regularly surpasses 10-11,000 per day. All refugees receive help, however, most of them continue their journey to their relatives, and friends living in the West. Those who decide to stay in Hungary receive every possible help the state can provide. The BOK Sports and Events Centre serves as a humanitarian transit point to accommodate refugees staying overnight. The centre provides food and drink, medical services, restrooms, internet access, and help with travel arrangements in cooperation with charity organisations and volunteers. The national railway company, MAV, operates a ticket office at the site, while buses are provided to take people to the main train stations and the airport. Moreover, Ukrainian children are provided education. The government has also recently simplified the employment of Ukrainian refugees, starting from 1 May. You can read the details HERE

Furthermore, the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine has been steadily growing, more than 450, 000 of them live now in Transcarpathia (Kárpátalja), a region populated by 150, 000 Hungarians. The Hungarian government and charity organisations send regular shipments of food, medicine, and clothes to help Hungarians and Ukrainians alike.

Read also: Hungary offers refugees many opportunities

However, it seems that Ukrainians living and working in Hungary can be still subject to atrocities even in this safe country. A Hungarian national living in Tatabánya, 60 kilometres from Budapest beat a Ukrainian national on 23 March only because he was speaking in his mother tongue. The incident happened in front of a tobacco store. The victim was talking on his phone which the suspect overheard and asked whether he was Ukrainian. He answered with a ‘yes’. Following that, the suspect started hitting, kicking and verbally insulting him – hvg.hu reported.

The tobacco shopkeeper and several customers tried to stop him but he continued the assault and even threatened one of the customers who attempted to intervene. He broke the Ukrainian national’s sinus bone and caused other less severe injuries. Therefore, the court sentenced him to 2 years and 8 months in prison. The ruling is not final and the accused has appealed against the sentence.