Warsaw Taxi Driver Refuses Jewish Passenger, Makes Anti-Semitic Remarks

A video circulating on social media shows a confrontation between a taxi driver in Warsaw and a Jewish female passenger, during which the driver refused to continue the ride after discovering her Jewish identity. Speaking in Russian, the driver accused her of being a murderer and demanded she exit the vehicle, calling Jews "animals, not humans." The passenger recounted on Facebook that she initially booked the ride through Bolt and that the driver, who said he was from Dagestan, became hostile after seeing her Star of David necklace. He stopped the car in the middle of the road, ordered her out, and refused to drive a Jewish passenger, adding that he would not have accepted the ride had he known her identity beforehand. The passenger resisted leaving and insisted he complete the trip to her hotel. She questioned whether Bolt bears responsibility for its drivers' conduct. The incident sparked strong reactions online due to the refusal of service based on the passenger's Jewish identity. Although claims about the driver's Muslim background from a former Soviet state remain unverified, this is not the first reported case of anti-Jewish discrimination by taxi drivers in Warsaw. Earlier in 2024, an Israeli passenger reported a similar experience when an Uber driver canceled a ride upon realizing he was Jewish and Israeli.