Belarus border crisis: most Poles oppose asylum rights for migrants and support expanded use of firearms

A large majority of people in Poland are opposed to allowing migrants who cross the border from Belarus the right to claim asylum and most are also in favour of the government’s move to make it easier for officers to use firearms to protect the border.

The findings, from polling by state research agency CBOS, found that 73% of Poles are against allowing those who cross the Belarus border – who are mostly from Africa, Asia and the Middle East – to claim asylum. Only 19% are in favour.

CBOS notes that there has been a shift in its findings since the early stages of the crisis on the Belarus border in 2021. In September of that year, 52% of Poles were opposed to allowing such migrants to claim asylum while 33% were in favour.

During that time, tens of thousands of people have tried to cross the border illegally with the encouragement and help of the Belarusian authorities, in what Poland and its EU allies have called a “hybrid attack”.

Recent months have seen a renewed surge in attempted crossings. In the first half of this year, asylum applications in Poland were 79% higher than in the same period of 2023. The biggest increases came from African and Middle Eastern countries, such as Somalia and Syria.

There has also been a rise in acts of aggression against Polish officers by some of those trying to cross the border. In one case, that led to the death of a Polish soldier who was stabbed while trying to prevent a crossing.

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In response, the government in June proposed new rules that would, in certain cases, remove criminal responsibility from soldiers and other uniformed officers who violate regulations on using firearms in defence of the border. They were approved by parliament last month.

CBOS’s poll, which was taken after the rules were proposed but before the parliamentary vote, asked respondents if they “support increasing the permissibility of the use of weapons by soldiers, police officers and border guards guarding Polish borders”.

An overwhelming majority, 84%, said that they do, while only 11% were opposed. Support for the measures was stronger among men (89%) than women (80%) and among residents of the smallest towns (87%) than those who live in the largest cities (69%).

However, NGOs have protested against the measures, which they say would give officers a “licence to kill”. Both Poland’s and the Council of Europe’s commissioners for human rights have also criticised the bill, which is now awaiting the signature of President Andrzej Duda.

Main image credit: Irek Dorozanski / DWOT (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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.