Turkish girl injured in 'racist attack' in Poland

By Mehmet Yılmaz

WARSAW

A 14-year-old Turkish girl was slightly injured in a "racist attack" in Warsaw on Friday.

The girl was taken to the nearby hospital by her father after the attack, said an official at the Turkish embassy in the capital Warsaw, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Polish police have launched an investigation over the attack, but the perpetrator has not yet been held.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has condemned the incident, saying "there is no place for racism in Poland”.

"The attack on the girl because of the color of her skin is worthy of the highest condemnation. We will do everything to make Poland safe for everyone," Morawiecki wrote in a message on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said he has directed the security officials to pay special attention to investigate the incident. "Zero tolerance for thugs," he wrote on his official Twitter account.

Authorities did not explain the nature of the attack.

On 27 November last year, unknown assailants smashed windows at an Islamic cultural center in Warsaw, which opened in 2015 and includes a mosque.