A young mother with an infant under one year old has been charged by the prosecutor’s office for using the word “Murzyn” (a dated Polish term for a black person) and expressing concerns about mass immigration during a rally in Zamość. She faces up to three years in prison. “I did not incite hatred, I expressed my concerns about mass migration. The situation affects us and has an impact on the child,” she told Niezależna.pl.
On July 21, 2025, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Hrubieszów initiated an investigation ex officio regarding an incident that took place on July 19, 2025, in Zamość, Lublin Voivodeship. According to the official statement from investigators, during a rally in the Main Market Square, there was “a public call by one of the participants of the aforementioned rally to hatred on the grounds of racial and religious differences, i.e. an act under Article 256 § 1 of the Penal Code.” The woman has now been charged.
The word “Murzyn” means “a person of black race.” It is one of the oldest words in the Polish language, recorded as early as the 14th century. It originated during translations of the Bible into Polish as one of the renderings of the Latin name Maurus and is therefore closely related to the word Moor. Linguists are divided on whether it is offensive – but that is certainly not for the prosecutor to decide.
Prosecutor: the bad “Murzyn”
We spoke with Ms. Oliwia Olejniczak, who used the word “Murzyn” (a dated Polish term for a black person) during the Zamość rally, which caught the investigators’ attention.
“I believe the prosecutor’s office did not like the use of the word ‘Murzyn’ (a dated Polish term for a black person) in reference to black people. In response to this expression, I was charged under Article 256 of the Penal Code for inciting hatred based on race, religion, and nationality. I used it in the context that soon black people would be brought to Poland, to Zamość – people from a different culture than ours. Of course, I did not incite hatred, I did not say that these people are bad because of their skin color. But they are raised in a different cultural sphere, where there are different norms. We do not want these norms in Poland. I am not claiming that every black person is a criminal. However, one must note that in Western Europe, crime rates are rising and are much higher among black people,” she told Niezależna.pl.
Strong Against the Weak
We also asked how the actions of the prosecutor’s office affect her daily and family life.
“I have a baby under one year old. I am shocked by the charges. The whole situation affects us deeply. I didn’t expect the prosecutor’s office to go after a young mother just for expressing her concerns about mass immigration. A mother’s stress naturally affects her child, especially such a small one. We’re not indifferent to it. We try not to lose hope. We believe the case will be dismissed. I did not incite hatred, I merely expressed my concerns,” she said.
In her opinion, the case raises questions about freedom of speech.
“I think the government wanted to show its strength – strong against the weak and weak against the strong. If they can take it out on a mother with a child, no one can feel completely safe expressing opinions that differ from those of the ruling party,” she stated.
Ms. Oliwia is a social activist with All-Polish Youth (Polish: Młodzież Wszechpolska).
“Ms. Oliwia spoke at a rally against mass migration in Zamość. Today, at the prosecutor’s office, she was charged with allegedly inciting hatred on racial and religious grounds (Article 256 § 1 of the Penal Code). The 20-year-old mother of a baby boy is being prosecuted for an emotional, fearful, and nervous speech in which she expressed concern for her own safety and her child’s future. This is how citizens are treated when they fear that mass migration will lead to increased crime in Poland,” wrote Ms. Oliwia’s attorney, Magdalena Majkowska of Ordo Iuris, in Niezależna.pl.
Article 256 § 1 of the Penal Code criminalizes, among other things, incitement to hatred on the grounds of nationality, race, religion, or lack of religious belief. The term “incitement to hatred” is understood as statements that provoke feelings of strong dislike, anger, rejection, or even hostility toward particular individuals or groups, or that, through their form, reinforce and intensify such negative attitudes, emphasizing the alleged superiority of a given nation, ethnic group, race, or religion.
An offense under Article 256 § 1 of the Penal Code carries a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment.