“Stop the Torture on the Border”: protests in solidarity with migrants held in Poland

Demonstrations have taken place in Poland today calling for more humane policies towards the thousands of people – mainly from the Middle East, Africa and Asia – who have been seeking to cross into the country over the border from Belarus.

The Polish government has taken a tough stance in response to the migration surge, which it notes is being deliberately orchestrated by the Belarusian government. That has included erecting a razor-wire fence and sending those who cross illegally back over the border.

In Warsaw, an estimated three thousand people gathered to protest under the slogan “Stop the Torture on the Border”, reports liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza. A smaller demonstration took place in Kraków.

“Refugees welcome”, “No one is illegal”, and “Open borders, close the government” read a number of banners. “Poles were also refugees” said one sign, referring to the fact that in the past Poles have also often been forced to flee war, occupation and persecution in their homeland.

Many protesters carried foil thermal blankets of the type used by emergency services to warm up migrants discovered in the forests of eastern Poland, where temperatures now dip below freezing at night. This week saw the sixth confirmed death of a crosser on the Polish side of the border.

“Children shouldn’t sleep in the forest,” read another sign. An estimated 20-30% of those detained after crossing are minors. The Polish border guard has drawn particular criticism for returning to Belarus a group of Iraqi and Kurdish families that included young children.

Among those who spoke at the demonstration was Elmi Abdi, a Somali who himself crossed the Polish-Belarusian border. “I know what I’m talking about. I’ve been to that forest, I know how hard it is there,” he said, quoted by Onet.

“I was lucky and I am here with you,” he continued. “Our aim is to put pressure on the authorities, to prevent any more people from dying on the border.”

A Chechen refugee in Poland, Khedi Alieva, also spoke to the crowd. “When I was crossing the border, you helped me. You asked what I need. I replied that I want to live. Please do something so that there will be no more of these deaths,” she said.

The protest passed in front of parliament, which this week approved the government’s proposal to build an “impenetrable” wall on the border. It has also voted to implement and then extend a state of emergency on the border that bans non-resident civilians – including NGOs and the media – from entering the area.

Both issues – as well as the government’s broader response to the border crisis – have drawn criticism from the centrist and left-wing opposition. Among those attending today’s protests were representatives of The Left (Lewica), the second largest opposition group, and the Greens (Zieloni).

However, a number of polls – including one published this week – have shown that a narrow majority of Poles support the government’s policies on the border, though a similar proportion say they are opposed to sending child migrants back into Belarus. The EU has also backed Poland’s policies.

A smaller protest also took place today on the market square in the southern city of Kraków. Among those to speak was a prominent literary scholar, Michał Rusinek, who condemned the “dehumanisation” of migrants in the government’s rhetoric.

Since the start of August, over 10,000 attempted crossings from Belarus have been prevented by the Polish border guard, while a further 1,500 people have been detained in Poland and thousands more have made it to Germany.

Critics have argued that Poland has a moral duty to help those crossing in increasingly difficult circumstances, as well as a legal obligation to take in asylum seekers. The government says that it is complying with international law and providing humanitarian and medical aid where it is required.

Main image credit: Slawomir Kaminski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

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.