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.
Kazakhstan and Germany have agreed to expand cooperation in critical minerals, industry, energy and transport, with Astana seeking a greater German...
Global cholera deaths reached their highest annual level in more than 20 years in 2025, despite a decline in reported cases, according to the World...
Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has proposed building a new 1,000-megawatt nuclear power unit in Armenia as Yerevan weighs competing inte...
A Russian guided aerial bomb has struck an apartment building in Kharkiv, injuring 22 people, including children, according to the city’s mayor. The strike follows a day of near-continuous Russian attacks across Ukraine that killed at least five people.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 28 September 2026. These are the top stories making headlines in technology.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on bilateral ties and key regional and international developments, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
The European Union's decision to simultaneously advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania marks its most ambitious enlargement effort in more than two decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declared that Brexit has done more harm than good, while reaffirming support for Ukraine and NATO as he used his first Labour conference speech as leader to set out a new direction for Britain.
The arrival in South Korea of two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia has created a rare legal, diplomatic and humanitarian case, raising questions over their status, security and future.
At midnight on 30 September, the last U.S. troops are due to leave Iraq, ending a military presence that began with the 2003 invasion and cost the lives of around 4,500 American service members.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 29 September 2026, with the latest from Azerbaijan, from $10.8 billion in investment deals and Formula 1 drama to diplomacy and preparations for major FIFA tournaments.
Crude oil exports from major Middle Eastern producers rebounded in September to their highest level since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment