Polish police have launched an investigation after videos circulating online showed men in military-style uniforms patrolling Warsaw Central railway station and questioning people they believed to be foreigners.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Wednesday that anyone pretending to be a government official would face the full force of the law.
“Anyone who impersonates a public official and, for example, checks the IDs of foreigners will be detained and held legally accountable,” Tusk said in a statement released by his office.
Karolina Gawęcka, a spokesperson for Poland’s Interior Ministry, said officers were gathering evidence that would be forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office in due course.
“There is and will be no tolerance…. Such behaviors are unacceptable in a state governed by the rule of law,” she said.
Polish anti-racism organisation the Never Again Association told AnewZ it was aware of reports of appearance-based harassment by far-right groups at Warsaw Central railway station and in areas near the Polish border.
“We are concerned about the appearance of uniformed far-right gangs which try to harass people based on their appearance or skin [tone].
“We strongly believe the majority of Polish people are completely against this kind of discriminatory aggressive behaviour and we call upon the Polish authorities to react swiftly in defence of human rights and [the] dignity of all people.”
Several videos showing men in military-style uniforms approaching people who appeared to be foreigners have been posted in recent days on the Facebook profiles of a group called "Bronimy Polskiej Granicy" ("We Defend the Polish Border").
Polish public broadcaster TVP reported that the group appeared to have links to the country’s far right.
The incidents come amid heightened tensions over migration in Poland following the implementation of the European Union’s Pact on Migration and Asylum, which entered into force on 12 June.
Disinformation circulating on social media claimed that owners of homes larger than 60 square metres (645 square feet) could be required to house migrants. Poland’s Interior Ministry strongly rejected the allegations.
"Neither local governments nor state services will direct migrants to private apartments or houses," the ministry said in a statement.
The EU pact introduces new rules for managing migration across the bloc, including a mechanism under which member states facing significant migration pressure can relocate asylum seekers.
Warsaw remains sceptical of certain elements of the system and insists it will not be compelled to accept relocated migrants under any mechanism it considers contrary to Polish national interests.
Tusk’s government has also repeatedly argued that Poland’s role in hosting millions of Ukrainians displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war should be taken into account when implementing European migration policy.
A 24-year-old man who killed six people in Poland’s central city of Krakow had advanced military-style shooting skills, according to a s...
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass sh...
Global temperatures are projected to rise by up to 2.8°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100 under current climate policies, according to a Uni...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early on Saturday, 7 November, injuring two people and damaging residential buildings, just three days before U.S.-led peace talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
New Zealand’s ruling centre-right National Party has taken a narrow lead over the opposition Labour Party in Saturday’s general election, with the country’s current three-party coalition projected to retain power.
A 24-year-old man who killed six people in Poland’s central city of Krakow had advanced military-style shooting skills, according to a spokesperson for the gun club he attended.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
Clashes between protesters and police erupted in Paris and Marseille on Saturday as demonstrations over rising living costs and declining public services continued for a fourth consecutive weekend across France.
Security measures have been stepped up in Antalya, Türkiye, ahead of the COP31 United Nations climate summit, which begins on Monday, 9 November, with thousands of additional personnel deployed across the Mediterranean city.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dismissed a new U.S. military operation targeting the movement of weapons and sanctioned materials on Sunday, 8 November, saying Washington would fail to isolate the Iranian economy despite expanding restrictions on maritime and land routes.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment