Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz publicly criticised citizens who have taken it upon themselves to protect Poland’s western border amid increasing illegal crossings.
Instead of thanking volunteers, Kosiniak-Kamysz told them to join the police or army rather than to act on their own.
The remarks come at a time when trust in the leftist-liberal government’s handling of the border crisis is waning.
Many Polish citizens, especially in the border regions, have grown frustrated with what they see as the state’s failure to adequately protect national sovereignty.
According to opinion polls, the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party has overtaken PM Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition: the former has 30.5% support, the latter 26%. In third place is the strongly anti-immigration party Konfederacja with 17%.
As we reported, German police have been dumping illegal migrants into Poland. In response, grassroots efforts have sprung up, with local communities organising patrols and supporting border guards where possible.
Polish PM Donald Tusk called their actions illegal and described them as disruptive.
However, the opposition PiS party has thrown its full support behind these civic border initiatives.
Speaking in the parliament on Tuesday, July 8th, MP Michał Wójcik (PiS) lambasted the government for attacking the ordinary, patriotic citizens of Poland:
We must loudly thank the defenders of the Polish borders, those who have been traveling to the Polish-German border for weeks, who, in accordance with the Polish constitution, behave appropriately, yet are being prosecuted. Mr. Prime Minister, it is they who are being prosecuted by your government, not illegal migrants.
Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (PiS) criticised the government for designating all border crossings with Germany as critical infrastructure. This means, among other things, that people monitoring illegal border crossings are banned from taking photos of these sites.
We closed the border to people who wanted to open it. They are closing the border to people who want to know if the border is well protected. We defended the border, and they want to hide the fact that they didn’t—or did so poorly. That is the difference.
While tensions between the government and opposition are nothing new in Polish politics, the border issue is shaping up to be a serious test for Tusk and his allies. The government’s dismissive attitude toward citizens willing to assist in border security could further alienate crucial voters.
