Majority of Poles support state of emergency on Belarus border

A majority of the public support the government’s decision to introduce a state of emergency on the border with Belarus in response to a recent surge in attempted crossings by people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Most Poles are also critical of the opposition’s reaction to the crisis.

In an IBRiS poll for Polsat News, 54% of respondents said that they viewed the decision positively, while 33% saw it negatively. Asked how they assessed the behaviour of the opposition towards the situation on the border, 20% expressed positive views and 55% negative.

The national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government has taken a tough stance in response to the rise in crossings, which it says are being deliberately orchestrated by Belarus as part of a “hybrid war” against the European Union. The Baltic states and European Commission have taken a similar stance.

Last month, the government ordered the erection of a razor-wire border fence to “protect Poland from terrorists”. It then asked the president, Andrzej Duda, to introduce a state of emergency along the border. Duda did so last week, in a decision approved by the PiS majority in parliament on Monday with most opposition MPs voting against.

The opposition has accused PiS of exaggerating the threat for political gain and of using the state of emergency to stop the public from scrutinising its actions. Some opposition MPs have visited the border in an effort to defy the authorities and bring aid to a group of Afghan asylum seekers who have been camped there for weeks.

In the new IBRiS poll, 77% of people with self-declared right-wing views regarded the opposition’s actions negatively. Among liberals, a majority (52%) were critical, while even among people with left-wing views negative opinions (46%) outnumbered positive ones (43%).

Previous polling has found similar results. In August, another IBRiS survey for Polsat found that a majority (55%) believed that Poland should not let in migrants and refugees. Almost half (47%) were in favour of building a wall on the border while 44% were against the idea.

A further United Surveys poll for Dziennik Gazeta Prawna and RMF FM found that 45.5% of respondents supported the policies of the Polish state regarding the situation on the border while 42.4% do not. Only 9% thought Poland should take in everyone seeking asylum.

Main image credit: Agnieszka Sadowska/ Agencja Gazeta

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.