Polish farmers on protest since mid-May against EU green policies have left their posts in the town of Szczecin, close to the German border, to join the growing Civic Border Defense Movement against the German federal police’s unlawful migrant dumping operations.
Despite PM Donald Tusk reinstating temporary checks on the German border earlier this week—after weeks of initially dismissing the concern as unfounded, right-wing “hysteria”—the scandal and growing diplomatic dispute have not subsided.
New footage of German police cars secretly dropping off illegal migrants on small country roads on the Polish side continues to circulate on social media, prompting Poles to remain skeptical about the liberal prime minister’s efforts to solve the crisis.
Like the Netherlands, which has the same problem with Germany, the Border Defense Movement—made up of fed-up locals who have taken matters into their own hands, and were labeled “far-right” by mainstream media—is becoming a nuisance just as much for Warsaw as for Berlin.
With every passing day, the mere existence of the Movement is becoming an even bigger political threat to the Tusk government, as it continues to highlight the liberal administration’s impotence in addressing the issue. Tusk himself is trying to look in control of the situation, but his unwillingness to confront German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is becoming increasingly apparent.
What remains is to delegitimize those who actually do something. Deputy Interior Minister Wiesław Szczepański recently criticized the volunteer border patrols for “unlawfully” checking vehicles on the border, and urged them to leave border security to professionals.
The result? Even more people are signing up for ‘duty,’ now including a full cohort of farmers who have been protesting the EU’s Green Deal and planned budget cuts to agricultural subsidies since May 14th.
Meanwhile, the crisis has also accelerated political shifts in Warsaw. Members of the Tusk government are afraid that Poland 2050, a centrist coalition partner, might consider defecting to the conservative opposition PiS’ side after a ‘secret’ meeting on the border situation—and plans to “save” Poland—came to light recently.
