A high-profile scandal erupted in Poland after a conflict between Gdansk City Councilor Sylwia Cisoni and a taxi driver from Ukraine. The politician was suspended from the Civic Coalition Councilors Club, and the situation caused a wide public outcry.
According to Tsitsiou, the incident occurred during a taxi ride with her sons to a football match. She said the driver allegedly dropped them off in the wrong place, insulted her, tried to spit on her, and used pepper spray on her. After that, the politician sought medical attention.
However, a video from the recorder appeared on the Internet, where it is clearly visible how the councilor uses vulgar expressions and calls on the taxi driver to “return to his country”. The driver himself spoke calmly and spoke Polish well, which contradicts Cisony's claims. The use of gas is not recorded in the video.
After the incident went public, the politician posted a statement on Facebook asking to suspend her membership in the Polish Initiative party and apologizing for the foul language. At the same time, she insists that the published fragment does not show the whole picture and accuses the driver of physical assault.
Both parties have filed police reports. Law enforcement officers have already received a video recording from the taxi driver and are investigating possible xenophobia and violation of personal integrity.
The scandal has taken on a political dimension. Education Minister Barbara Nowacka confirmed Cisoni's suspension from her office. Gdańsk Deputy Mayor Monika Habior said the incident was an "unacceptable manifestation of xenophobia" and stressed the need for respect for all people.
According to Polish law, insults based on nationality are punishable by up to three years in prison, and violation of bodily integrity can result in up to one year in prison.
