Man beaten in 'racial attack' after thugs heard him speaking Polish to his dog
A man has suffered serious injuries after two people attacked him in an alleged racial assault while he was walking his dog.
Robert Krawczyk, 41, was walking his dog Franco in the early hours of the morning in Edinburgh when two men suddenly approached him and punched him in the face. The men started attacking Robert out of nowhere, also kicking him several times in the ribs, hip and leg.
Robert, who works in the healthcare sector, said the attack began after he spoke to his dog in Polish. He said while he was on the floor being kicked one of the men screamed at him "you Polish b*****d! Go back to your country we have enough of you".
The photos Robert shared with EdinburghLive show severe bruising to his face after the attack in Leith Links Park in the city. He added that he now feels scared of leaving the house. But he said he's sharing his story in the hope the culprits get caught so no-one else has to go through what he did.
Robert has described the two men as being 18-20, wearing black hoodies and speaking with strong Scottish accents. He added that he believes they were drunk and said they were acting very aggressively and looking for trouble. Robert said: "I’m sore and devastated after what’s happened. My face is all swollen and I can see on one eye.
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Robert said he heard one of his attackers say 'go back to your country' while kicking him (Robert Krawczyk)
Robert was walking his dog Franco in Leith when the attack happened (Robert Krawczyk)“I let my dog off the leash and when I was calling him back I was calling him back in polish. They heard that and without any reason or warning they jumped on me. One punched me and the other said ‘you Polish b*****d! Go back to your country, we have enough of you’ as they kicked me in my ribs, my hip and my leg. They then ran away.
"I barely managed to make it back home. My dog was absolutely devastated and he was crying, he is now scared to go out for walks. When I got home my partner phoned the police. I’ve suffered injuries to my head, hip and ribs, not to mention the psychological injuries.”
Robert said it's not the first time he's been attacked in Leith. When he was walking past a pub in Elm Row 15 years ago with four friends, he claims he was targeted for being gay. He and his friends were set upon by a group of 17 people.
He said the attacks have left him feeling unwelcome in Edinburgh despite the fact he has dedicated two decades of service to caring for elderly and vulnerable people through his work.
He said: "After serving this community as a nursing home and care manager I am so surprised that as I have a different accent I’m still not consider as a part of this society. I have lived in Edinburgh for 19 years and this is the second occasion when I was assaulted, this time because I’m Polish - which I’m proud of.
"I do not expect anything back and I pay my taxes like everybody else. All I want is to be respected as a part of the community, and I am clearly not. These attacks make me feel like I do not belong here. I just hope that no one else will suffer and that these men can be caught."
Police are urging people to come forwards to help with tracing the two men after the attack. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 4.55am on Wednesday, 10 January, police received a report of a man assaulted in the Leith Links public park area of Edinburgh.
“Enquiries have concluded, and no suspects have been identified, however, anyone who has information that could assist is asked to contact police via 101 quoting incident number 0336 of 10 January."
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