An advisor was fired in Poland following a conflict with a Ukrainian taxi driver
Piotr Matan, an advisor to the voivode of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship Office, was fired after a video of his altercation with a Ukrainian taxi driver surfaced online. The scandal sparked widespread public outrage.
The previous evening, a video featuring Matan from February 2026 surfaced on social media, showing him yelling at a taxi driver who turned out to be Ukrainian. Both men exchanged profanities and shoved each other.
“Do you know who I am? You’re about to lose your license, so get a grip,” he told the Ukrainian, and then claimed that he was a representative of the voivode and an assistant to a member of parliament, and therefore the driver, he said, risked losing his license.
Artur Gerada, head of the Świętokrzyskie branch of the “Civic Coalition” party, announced that Matana had been suspended from his duties as an aide. Later, the voivode’s office itself stated that he had been dismissed due to “unacceptable behavior”: “We do not condone references to influence or disrespectful treatment of others.”
The official himself explained that the taxi driver refused to complete the paid trip because one of the passengers traveling with Matan was carrying food. He admitted that he had mentioned his position, but denied accusations of physical violence or using offensive language toward the Ukrainian.
According to him, he has no prejudices against Ukrainian citizens, and he described the incident captured on video as a provocation intended to generate social media attention.
Amid the scandal, the official announced a temporary suspension of his party activities and membership “until this matter is resolved.”
This was reported by Rzeczpospolita.
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