People gather on Kraków's main square to commemorate the victims of the attack.
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It took four minutes for Michał O. to change Poland.
The 24-year-old, dressed in full military gear, drove his car into the main square in Kraków on Saturday afternoon and opened fire. The attacker continued driving through the city center, as police chased him. During the two-minute pursuit Michał O. continued to fire at pedestrians and a tram with passengers inside. His car then hit a vehicle, he got out on the street and a shootout with police ensued. Four minutes after firing the first shot, Michał O. was on the ground, after being hit multiple times. He died in hospital early Monday morning.
This was the first mass shooting in Poland this century. It left six people, including a British national, dead, and 15 injured. Earlier that day, his mother, father and 21-year-old sister were shot in their family home.
Margareta, a 22-year-old student was in the main square. She told CityNews that at first she thought the gunshots were fireworks, or that maybe someone was filming a movie in the area. “I’m still trying to comprehend what I saw”, she said. “Things like that just don’t happen in Poland”.
This attack has deeply affected member of more than 130,000-strong Polish community in London.
Agnieszka Łokaj of the Lewisham Polish Centre told CityNews that she heard about the attack from social media posts made by Polish officials. “At first I didn’t realize how big it was, how it affected people,” she said. Łokaj said she couldn’t believe that an attack like this happened in Poland, especially since the country has been widely praised for being “safe and quiet, like they’ve got everything under control. And now this. Some people might be scared to go see their families”.
Wiktor Moszczyński from The Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in London said: “In the West, especially in the UK, we’re used to these sorts of situations, as we’ve experienced many of them. But we always saw Poland as a country that’s in some sense ‘innocent’ and free from these types of attacks.”
A political matter
Following the shooting, social media users immediately started speculating about the identity of the attacker. Some suggested that he was from Ukraine, as anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland continues to grow. Once details about the perpetrator emerged, the situation quickly became about politics.
On Tuesday, Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek said the authorities have access to Michał O.’s laptop. “He had visited websites about Anders Breivik, the right-wing extremist responsible for the dramatic massacre on the Utoya island (in Norway)”, he said. Żurek added that investigators have found symbols that “could refer to right-wing ideology” at his workplace.
While investigations into the motive for the attacks continue, the Polish community remains deeply divided. “I don’t understand why people had to make it about politics straight away” said Julia, 25, who also witnessed the attack in the square. “People have lost their lives. And all we seem to do is try and blame the other side”.
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HeadlineHow the Kraków attack affected the Polish community in London
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StandfirstPoles call the incident, which took place on Saturday, “really shocking”.
It took four minutes for Michał O. to change Poland.
The 24-year-old, dressed in full military gear, drove his car into the main square in Kraków on Saturday afternoon and opened fire. The attacker continued driving through the city center, as police chased him. During the two-minute pursuit Michał O. continued to fire at pedestrians and a tram with passengers inside. His car then hit a vehicle, he got out on the street and a shootout with police ensued. Four minutes after firing the first shot, Michał O. was on the ground, after being hit multiple times. He died in hospital early Monday morning.
This was the first mass shooting in Poland this century. It left six people, including a British national, dead, and 15 injured. Earlier that day, his mother, father and 21-year-old sister were shot in their family home.
Margareta, a 22-year-old student was in the main square. She told CityNews that at first she thought the gunshots were fireworks, or that maybe someone was filming a movie in the area. “I’m still trying to comprehend what I saw”, she said. “Things like that just don’t happen in Poland”.
This attack has deeply affected member of more than 130,000-strong Polish community in London.
Agnieszka Łokaj of the Lewisham Polish Centre told CityNews that she heard about the attack from social media posts made by Polish officials. “At first I didn’t realize how big it was, how it affected people,” she said. Łokaj said she couldn’t believe that an attack like this happened in Poland, especially since the country has been widely praised for being “safe and quiet, like they’ve got everything under control. And now this. Some people might be scared to go see their families”.
Wiktor Moszczyński from The Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in London said: “In the West, especially in the UK, we’re used to these sorts of situations, as we’ve experienced many of them. But we always saw Poland as a country that’s in some sense ‘innocent’ and free from these types of attacks.”
A political matter
Following the shooting, social media users immediately started speculating about the identity of the attacker. Some suggested that he was from Ukraine, as anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland continues to grow. Once details about the perpetrator emerged, the situation quickly became about politics.
On Tuesday, Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek said the authorities have access to Michał O.’s laptop. “He had visited websites about Anders Breivik, the right-wing extremist responsible for the dramatic massacre on the Utoya island (in Norway)”, he said. Żurek added that investigators have found symbols that “could refer to right-wing ideology” at his workplace.
While investigations into the motive for the attacks continue, the Polish community remains deeply divided. “I don’t understand why people had to make it about politics straight away” said Julia, 25, who also witnessed the attack in the square. “People have lost their lives. And all we seem to do is try and blame the other side”.
