In the centre of Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, on the evening of 11 September, a Polish cyclist, Kuba Heisig, was attacked whilst taking part in a charity ride along the historic borders of Upper Silesia. According to Wirtualna Polska, the attackers were his fellow countrymen, who saw a blue-and-yellow hat bearing the inscription \u00abG\u00d3RNY \u015aLONSK\u00bb, mistook it for Ukrainian symbolism and began calling the man a \u00abUkrainian\u00bb and a \u00abBanderite\u00bb. After being beaten, Heisig was taken to hospital and decided to call off the planned 800-kilometre charity ride.<\/p>\n
Briefly about the main points<\/strong><\/p>\n The attack took place on Friday evening, 11 September, in the centre of Ostrava<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Kuba Gaizig<\/strong> was wearing a blue and yellow hat with the words \u00abG\u00d3RNY \u015aLONSK\u00bb \u2014 \u00abUpper Silesia\u00bb<\/strong>. It is precisely these colours that are traditionally associated with Upper Silesia, a historical region which today lies on both sides of the Polish-Czech border.<\/p>\n According to Wirtualna Polska, the attackers assumed he was Ukrainian. They allegedly began shouting that the man was a \u00abUkrainian\u00bb and a \u00abBanderite\u00bb, after which they resorted to physical violence. Hajziga beat and kicked<\/strong>, after which he was taken to hospital for a medical examination. Photographs released following the incident show a bruise under his eye and other signs of assault.<\/p>\n The case has been referred to the Czech police, who are to establish all the circumstances of the attack. Consequently, the anti-Ukrainian motive is currently based primarily on the account of the victim and the organisers of his charity campaign, rather than on the final conclusions of the investigation.<\/p>\n What makes the story particularly absurd is that, according to the Polish publication, the attackers were as well as Polish citizens<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In fact, the Polish man was beaten up by his own compatriots after they misinterpreted the traditional colours of his region.<\/p>\n Blue and yellow are the historic colours of Upper Silesia and are used in its regional symbolism. It was precisely because of Silesia that Geisig set out on his journey: his route was to take him through Polish and Czech territories along the region\u2019s historic borders.<\/p>\n After being assaulted, the cyclist reported that cancels the trip and returns home<\/strong>. The planned route was to be around 800 km.<\/p>\n \u00abRajza dlo Marceliny\u00bb was not just a sporting journey.<\/p>\n Geizig set off on 9 September from Chorz\u00f3w to raise awareness of a fundraising campaign for the treatment of his 30-year-old partner Marcellinas<\/strong>, who has been diagnosed with stage III cervical cancer. She is the mother of three children and is undergoing a difficult course of treatment.<\/p>\n The route was deliberately planned so that the man would remain relatively close to home and the hospital and could return quickly should his partner\u2019s condition deteriorate.<\/p>\n Before the attack, Geizig had planned to drive approximately 800 km on a cargo bike<\/strong>, whilst broadcasting and promoting the fundraising campaign.<\/p>\n The attack effectively brought the charity ride to a halt, but had the exact opposite effect on the fundraising effort itself.<\/p>\n After news of the assault spread across Polish social media and the media, people began donating money en masse to help pay for Marcelina\u2019s treatment.<\/p>\n Wirtualna Polska reports that In just one night, they managed to raise the entire target amount \u2013 300,000 zlotys \u2013 and even significantly exceeded the target<\/strong>. At the current exchange rate, that is approximately 3.5 million UAH<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Consequently, the attack forced Haizig to bring the physical part of \u00abRajza dlo Marceliny\u00bb to a premature end; however, the main objective of the campaign was ultimately achieved much sooner than expected.<\/p>\n This is not the first time a person has been attacked on the assumption that they are Ukrainian.<\/p>\n\n
The blue and yellow colours of Upper Silesia were mistaken for the Ukrainian flag<\/h2>\n
They were beaten up by some Poles who thought they were dealing with a Ukrainian<\/h2>\n
The trip was intended to help save his partner from cancer<\/h2>\n
After the beating, 300,000 zlotys were raised in a single night<\/h2>\n
Incidents based on the false assumption that someone is of Ukrainian origin have already occurred<\/h2>\n