For several years, the woman has relied on getting a lift to travel home. She hitchhikes at the bus stop where students from a Bolesławiec primary school wait for the bus after lessons.
While waiting for a ride, the woman observed the young people: students of Szkoła Podstawowa nr 3 w Bolesławcu. She saw that the young people behaved irresponsibly. The students kicked or threw stones and sticks at the bus shelter, and once several boys climbed onto a road sign. The students jostled one another while boarding the bus. The woman also noticed that young boys rode skateboards into a busy street, more interested in showing off to their friends than in taking care not to go under a car.
The woman admonished them. This was precisely what irritated the children and provoked them into aggressive behavior toward her. When the woman took out her phone to record the attacks, she heard that she had no right to take photographs of minors, and the young people called her… a pedophile.
– Lately, waiting there for a ride has been a frustrating, even frightening experience for me – the woman says. – All because of these young people, who elbow me, can shout next to me and frighten me; once they threw slush at me – the woman adds.
When she was hit in the back with a ball of mud in December 2023, she went straight to the school principal, Anna Goździk. The principal listened attentively to the woman and even gave her a glass of water when she saw how upset she was. She promised to deal with the matter.
– The principal saw the state I was in. I could not get a word out because I was so nervous – the woman says about her December visit to Anna Goździk. – Previously, it had only been verbal harassment, but now I was hit in the back with mud, and that is already a violation of bodily integrity. I briefly described what these children were doing to me. I gave the principal their photographs and asked her to intervene in the matter. I also announced that if the attacks happened again, I would report the matter to the police – the woman explains.
In March 2024, the children threw an eraser at the woman for fun. The woman recorded it and once again went to Anna Gożdzik.
– I wanted to find out what had been done about those hooligans – the woman says. – As it turned out, nothing had been done. The principal was, admittedly, disgusted by the young people's behavior, but that was all. I said that I was reporting the matter to the police, but added that I was willing to have constructive conversations with the parents, and I waited – the woman adds.
The woman went to the police station in Bolesławiec.
– When we come as people giving testimony or wishing to report a crime, or as ordinary petitioners, we are put in our place right away – the woman recounts her experience at the police station. – I believe that such arrangements (a darkened window, no contact with the police officer receiving reports at the front desk – editor's note) are intended to demean people. The behavior of the police officers is also outrageous: they allow themselves to respond rudely or even make vulgar comments such as “that's stupid talk,” which I heard. They also provide false information that contradicts the facts, such as saying that it is impossible to speak with the police chief by telephone. That is what I was told at first, but after some time a police officer called me with information about when the chief receives visitors and which number could be used to call him. The police officer who finally received my report first tried to discourage me from filing it. He did not introduce himself at the outset, and when I asked him to do so, he replied that he would introduce himself once he began the official proceedings. The officer spent a very long time looking for the appropriate forms, called someone to get the computer started at all, and entered passwords to websites he wanted to use in front of me. He finally found the forms, but then asked: what exactly do I want? Because it was not obvious to him, nor to his colleague in the next room. He tried hard to ensure that the testimony did not indicate a crime, such as harassment, and downplayed the violation of personal inviolability. He did not ask me to send the video I had recorded in order to identify the perpetrators. I felt that he was making a fool of me – the woman adds.
The result of the visit to the police was that the case was referred to the Criminal Division of the court in Bolesławiec as a private-prosecution complaint concerning an offense. The woman received a request to remedy formal deficiencies: pay PLN 300 and provide the names and addresses of the people she was accusing.
On April 17, 2024, the woman was attacked again by the unpunished young people at the same location.
– I was standing at the bus stop as usual; it was after 2 p.m. I was tired. I was on my way home. First I heard shouting behind me, then they rode past me one after another on bicycles, yelling into my ear. Others stood behind the bus stop and watched the scene with amusement, commenting loudly. I prayed that someone would come along quickly, because I have less and less tolerance for things like this. I have the overwhelming impression that someone is protecting these young people. And they are children of prominent, privileged people. I am reminded of the maxim from the founding charter of Akademia Zamojska: “Such are the commonwealths as the upbringing of their youth…” By turning a blind eye to evil, we allow it to grow – the woman concludes sadly.
We are awaiting a statement from the spokesperson for Komenda Powiatowa Policji w Bolesławcu.
The school principal, Anna Goździk, has already commented on the matter:
I hereby inform you that on December 11, 2023, I learned that a woman waiting for transportation had been harassed at the bus stop on Widok Street. The perpetrators were allegedly students of Szkoła Podstawowa nr 3. The woman showed me a photograph in which a group of young people could be seen with their backs to the camera. Several students were identified by teachers; the students admitted to uncivilized behavior and expressed remorse, but stated that the person had behaved provocatively, had tried to record them with her phone, and had been rude to the students. A conversation was held with the students about the respect that should be shown to other people in public places. Appropriate notes were made in the class registers and the special-education counselor's register. The students' parents were informed of the incident. I also asked the reporting person to inform the school immediately and report the matter to the Police or Municipal Police at once if the situation were to recur. I apologize for what happened. At the same time, I would like to inform you that at the start of the new school year, classes on the principles of courteous behavior will be held again in all classes, in accordance with the educational and preventive program implemented at the school.
Anna Goździk
Update: 2024-06-21
Good morning,
the police officer whom a person approaches to file a report asks a series of different questions in order to establish the detailed circumstances of the incident, verify whether a criminal act occurred, and determine how it should be classified. Very often, thanks to the variety of questions, the reporting person recalls details important to the case that they had not previously noticed or believed were not worth mentioning.
asp. szt. Anna Kublik-Rościszewska, press officer of KPP Bolesławiec