Post by pieter on Nov 11, 2021 11:37:25 GMT -7
Dutch Broadcasting Foundation
War drum beating in Poland, migration crisis overshadows other problems
Polish prime minister speaks to military personnel in Belarus border region REUTERS
Chiem Balduk
Editor online
The images are poignant: thousands of migrants are trapped in the border area between Poland and Belarus. In the Polish media, the focus is mainly on the danger that Poland currently faces. The sudden influx of migrants, orchestrated by Belarusian dictator Lukashenko, is seen as an existential threat to the country.
"This is an attack on the entire EU. The stability and security of all of us is at stake," Prime Minister Morawiecki said earlier this week. The migration crisis is seen as "state terrorism", but the "brave border defenders" will protect Poland's independence, according to the loyalist press.
The war drum is beating in Poland. The country says it has now brought 15,000 soldiers to the border. The government is seriously considering further escalation with Belarus and, by extension, Lukashenko's ally Russia. Yesterday and this morning, two Russian bombers flew past the Belarusian border in support of Minsk.
Borders never safe
The fear of a conflict with the eastern neighbors is great, says the Polish-Dutch cultural historian Iwona Gusc. That is logical in view of Poland's fraught history, in which the country regularly disappeared from the map as the plaything of the European superpowers. "Poland's borders have never been secure."
According to Gusc, all politicians in the country emphasize the importance of freedom and sovereignty, more than in the Netherlands. "Especially since the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, and then the annexation of Crimea in 2014, there have been fears of a war with Russia."
Today a march was held in Warsaw on the occasion of 103 years of independence. On this holiday, many Poles are also concerned about the migrant crisis:
Poles in the Netherlands are also closely following the tensions, says Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska, editor-in-chief of the Polish news site about the Netherlands Polonia.nl. "People sympathize, but don't be scared. Most people are not receptive to the government's war rhetoric."
She does know someone who lives close to the Polish-Belarusian border and who is afraid of a conflict. "The military movements especially remind the old people of the war."
Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska, editor-in-chief of the Polish news site about the Netherlands Polonia.nl.
Divert attention
For a long time, Poland felt that it received too little support with regard to Russia on the one hand and migration on the other. Prime Minister Morawiecki therefore says he is happy that people understand that Poland protects the entire EU. There is a lot of support for the Polish government from Western European countries.
That was different in recent years. Warsaw was regularly criticized for strict abortion laws, diminished LGBTI rights and violations of the rule of law. "The government may be able to defy those criticisms in the future by referring to Poland's defense of the EU's external border," Bos-Karczewska said.
The migration crisis therefore does not bode well for the right-wing conservative PiS government, says Polish political scientist Piotr Buras to Die Zeit. "Describing the issue as a war situation diverts attention from other problems." For example, the country is struggling with high inflation and increasing corona infections, while the vaccination rate is lagging behind.
“ The fear of migrants is being fueled. "
Iwone Gusc, historian
The other problems in Poland are completely overshadowed by the conflict with Belarus. This makes it difficult to maintain opposition: the political opposites of PiS are also vehemently opposed to Lukashenko and his so-called hybrid attacks. However, there is criticism from the opposition, historian Gusc says: "They demand that journalists be allowed into the area and the left-wing party calls for more migrants to be taken in."
The suffering of the migrants hardly gets any attention in the government loyal media, Gusc says. "The fear of migrants is actually being fueled. The narrative is the same as during the refugee crisis of 2015: they are dangerous and bring diseases. At the moment a majority of Poles are against taking in refugees."
There are small local aid campaigns, such as an old lady who prepared 10 liters of soup for migrants, but the public broadcaster does not make it, says Bos-Karczewska.
A quick solution to the conflict is not in the offing. The Polish government wants to build a 5.5-meter high border wall and step up EU sanctions against Belarus. Lukashenko says he will take revenge in that case, including by cutting off the gas supply. Meanwhile, the migrants remain trapped in the no man's land between Poland and Belarus.
Protesters attend in the annual Independence Day march in Warsaw - Copyright AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski
Source: nos.nl/collectie/13882/artikel/2405221-oorlogstrom-roffelt-in-polen-migratiecrisis-overschaduwt-andere-problemen (Translation from Dutch to English, Pieter Pluijgers/Google translate). Euronews photo March Independence day Poland. Photo Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska is from the VPRO, a (Dutch) Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcaster
