March 8, 2007
Polish taxi driver says attack was race-related
Concerned for safety: Stanislaw Mackowiak, who said he was punched by a fellow taxi driver
A TAXI driver who was allegedly beaten by a rival cabbie said he was being victimised because he is Polish.
Stanislaw Mackowiak said he was punched several times while he was sat in his car reading a newspaper by a fellow taxi driver, who had remonstrated with him earlier.
He said he had been wrongly accused of jumping a queue while waiting to pick up shoppers from the Asda store in Bishop Auckland.
The alleged attack, on Monday afternoon, was witnessed by shoppers, one of whom gave her name to police, and led to him being examined at hospi- tal.
Mr Mackowiak, who lives in nearby Coundon, said: "I was trying to protect myself with my hands, but he was full of anger and hate.
"If other people had not come to help, he could have killed me."
The 52-year-old was a councillor in his home city of Poznan before he moved to England this year.
He said he hoped to be joined in the UK by his wife and two children to try to make a better life, because there were problems with the Government in Poland.
Mr Mackowiak said he tried to make an effort with his customers by dressing smartly, helping them with their shopping and being cheerful.
He also said Polish taxi drivers were happy to work long hours in what he said was a free market.
He said: "Some of the other drivers are a little bit jealous.
"It is not just this situation, they swear and tell us we are working too much. It is crazy.
"Some of them hate the Polish, but I am a human and have the same rights.
"I am quite worried for me and my nationality here."
Mr Mackowiak's boss, John Brunskill, of JSB Travel, confirmed the matter was in the hands of the police and said the driver concerned had also been reported to Wear Valley District Council.
He said: "We will not tolerate any assaults on our drivers.
"Stan is one of the nicest, most caring people you could ever meet.
"He is very polite, very honest and attracts a lot of passengers. Quite a lot of them when they phone ask for him by name."
Mr Brunskill said there had been some bad feeling between English and Polish cab drivers in the town.
He said: "There has been some friction. You cannot get English people to work -they are bone idle."
A police spokesman said it was not being treated as a racially aggravated crime at this stage.
He said: "We are investigating an alleged assault which took place in the car park at Asda in Bishop Auckland late on Monday afternoon in which a taxi driver was struck a number of times, but fortunately not seriously hurt.
"We have taken a statement from the victim and an independent witness, and further inquiries are in hand."
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