Can young men be refugees?
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk once again showed the true face of neoliberalism by visiting Podlasie region. At a press conference, declared to "strengthen" the wall on the border with Belarus as, in his opinion, it is still not effective enough.
He also put himself into the statement that people trying to get to European Union countries "are not refugees, they are less and less migrants, poor families looking for help. In 80 cases out of 100, we are dealing with organized groups of young men - 18-30 years old, such age categories - very aggressive".
Tusk is once again publicly lying, and this lie is so disgusting that it dehumanizes migrant people.
We receive signals that many women with children are camping on the Belarusian side. However, it is much more difficult for them to get through the wall.
Nevertheless, Tusk is certainly not the person who can judge whether someone is poor or not.
An attempt to get to the West illegally carries a great risk of losing health and life. People on the move don't migrate for fun or to upset neoliberals. They are forced to do so by their situation and the conditions in the countries they come from. Let us add that the neo-colonial policies of developed countries are responsible for these conditions. If someone decides to take risks such as death in the Mediterranean Sea or in the Białowieża Forest, beatings, rapes, humiliation and robberies, it is a sign of desperation.
Migrants staying on the Belarusian side are not free. They cannot decide where to cross the border. The Belarusian army and border guards force them to cross in a certain places and in a way that is currently most advantageous for the Minsk regime.
Migrants are regularly beaten and intimidated. An additional form of pressure is fear for their loved ones - women who are victims of rape by Belarusian services; or children who, due to poor nutrition and difficult conditions, are exhausted and susceptible to diseases.
Lukashenko's authoritarians have no limits in terrorizing people. When it is beneficial to the regime's policy, the services easily force people on the move to make desperate "attacks" on the Polish border.
These attacks do not pose any threat to Polish border guards, but they achieve their propaganda goal. As usual, the victims are people on the move - suffering violence on both sides of the border.
Tusk's statement also includes a well-known cliche of anti-migrant social engineering, refusing to call "young men" refugees. Apart from the fact that "youth" is difficult to define (we met and still meet many men in their sixties in the forest), age is not a basis to refuse someone refugee status. However, it is a great propaganda trick, referring to the concept of "young bulls" - young, healthy men who do not want to work and attack European women. "Young bulls" is a concept that has been repeated so intensively that was taken for granted by a large part of society.
Of course, the xenophobic theories promoted online by people such as polish yt Dziki Trener are so simple that they reach people's imagination; however, they have no basis in the real world.
The fact that a large proportion of migrant people are men has many reasons and if we think about it for a second, they will be obvious.
The fact that Tusk does not see families on the border does not mean that they do not exist - these men act as Lukashenko's tools for their families.
Discussing migration with the current government and political environment in general seems impossible.
Politicians' opportunism has led them into the trap of xenophobia. PO and PiS have been using their self-created fear of migration to win subsequent elections for so long that it is now impossible to stop this machine. You can only bid higher.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk once again showed the true face of neoliberalism by visiting Podlasie region. At a press conference, declared to "strengthen" the wall on the border with Belarus as, in his opinion, it is still not effective enough.
He also put himself into the statement that people trying to get to European Union countries "are not refugees, they are less and less migrants, poor families looking for help. In 80 cases out of 100, we are dealing with organized groups of young men - 18-30 years old, such age categories - very aggressive".
Tusk is once again publicly lying, and this lie is so disgusting that it dehumanizes migrant people.
We receive signals that many women with children are camping on the Belarusian side. However, it is much more difficult for them to get through the wall.
Nevertheless, Tusk is certainly not the person who can judge whether someone is poor or not.
An attempt to get to the West illegally carries a great risk of losing health and life. People on the move don't migrate for fun or to upset neoliberals. They are forced to do so by their situation and the conditions in the countries they come from. Let us add that the neo-colonial policies of developed countries are responsible for these conditions. If someone decides to take risks such as death in the Mediterranean Sea or in the Białowieża Forest, beatings, rapes, humiliation and robberies, it is a sign of desperation.
Migrants staying on the Belarusian side are not free. They cannot decide where to cross the border. The Belarusian army and border guards force them to cross in a certain places and in a way that is currently most advantageous for the Minsk regime.
Migrants are regularly beaten and intimidated. An additional form of pressure is fear for their loved ones - women who are victims of rape by Belarusian services; or children who, due to poor nutrition and difficult conditions, are exhausted and susceptible to diseases.
Lukashenko's authoritarians have no limits in terrorizing people. When it is beneficial to the regime's policy, the services easily force people on the move to make desperate "attacks" on the Polish border.
These attacks do not pose any threat to Polish border guards, but they achieve their propaganda goal. As usual, the victims are people on the move - suffering violence on both sides of the border.
Tusk's statement also includes a well-known cliche of anti-migrant social engineering, refusing to call "young men" refugees. Apart from the fact that "youth" is difficult to define (we met and still meet many men in their sixties in the forest), age is not a basis to refuse someone refugee status. However, it is a great propaganda trick, referring to the concept of "young bulls" - young, healthy men who do not want to work and attack European women. "Young bulls" is a concept that has been repeated so intensively that was taken for granted by a large part of society.
Of course, the xenophobic theories promoted online by people such as polish yt Dziki Trener are so simple that they reach people's imagination; however, they have no basis in the real world.
The fact that a large proportion of migrant people are men has many reasons and if we think about it for a second, they will be obvious.
The fact that Tusk does not see families on the border does not mean that they do not exist - these men act as Lukashenko's tools for their families.
Discussing migration with the current government and political environment in general seems impossible.
Politicians' opportunism has led them into the trap of xenophobia. PO and PiS have been using their self-created fear of migration to win subsequent elections for so long that it is now impossible to stop this machine. You can only bid higher.
A NEW WAVE OF REPRESSION IN POLAND
Since December 2023, Poland has been ruled by a coalition based on the liberal PO party, headed by Donald Tusk, a favorite of European elites.
For the past years during which the openly right-wing Law and Justice party ruled, he was seen by mainstream media as a hope for democracy and an opponent of authoritarianism.
The anarchist movement had a very specific vision of this liberal environment - the same environment that led Poland into crisis. Wild capitalism combined with the complete dismantling of social programs. In fact, the rule of the far right was the natural result of the policies of neoliberals who pretended to be progressive. And racist in the same way as PiS.
The facts are that during the rule of the populist Law and Justice party, many significant events took place - the covid epidemic, protests against the tightening of abortion laws (the largest protests since 1989), the opening of the eastern migration corridor on the border with Belarus, Russian aggression against Ukraine.
We expected arrests and repressions and they did in fact flooded various social circles - feminist and pro-choice groups, LGBTIQ activists, environmental issues struggles and of course grassroots and non-governmental providers of aid for migrants, all of which could be a topic for a separate post in itself.
It is nevertheless still happening now, when circles that have built much of their political capital on pseudo-freedom slogans are in power.
This is all the more symptomatic of the fact that the current General Prosecutor is Adam Bodnar - a former ombudsman who has built his entire career on fighting state abuses. Winning an election was enough to turn him from a defender of human rights into an abuser. It's a well-known phenomenon, but it's good to talk about it, because many NGOs prefer to remain silent on the subject.
The current situation is as follows:
1. 10 people charged with assaulting officers after a demonstration in Krosno Odrzanskie in February 2022
2. Two anti-fascists from Toruń currently in custody since beggining of may and awaiting trial
3. 5 people helping at the Polish-Belarusian border accused of enabling unlawful residence, punishable by imprisonment for up to 5 years. The case is from 2022, but the indictment has emerged last week
4. 17 people arrested yesterday during the eviction of the squat in Warsaw.
Zaczyn Squat was evicted from its original location in March of this year.
In recent days, the Zaczyn collective squatted the new place, which was destroyed just days after the occupation.
We will keep you posted on how things develop.
Since December 2023, Poland has been ruled by a coalition based on the liberal PO party, headed by Donald Tusk, a favorite of European elites.
For the past years during which the openly right-wing Law and Justice party ruled, he was seen by mainstream media as a hope for democracy and an opponent of authoritarianism.
The anarchist movement had a very specific vision of this liberal environment - the same environment that led Poland into crisis. Wild capitalism combined with the complete dismantling of social programs. In fact, the rule of the far right was the natural result of the policies of neoliberals who pretended to be progressive. And racist in the same way as PiS.
The facts are that during the rule of the populist Law and Justice party, many significant events took place - the covid epidemic, protests against the tightening of abortion laws (the largest protests since 1989), the opening of the eastern migration corridor on the border with Belarus, Russian aggression against Ukraine.
We expected arrests and repressions and they did in fact flooded various social circles - feminist and pro-choice groups, LGBTIQ activists, environmental issues struggles and of course grassroots and non-governmental providers of aid for migrants, all of which could be a topic for a separate post in itself.
It is nevertheless still happening now, when circles that have built much of their political capital on pseudo-freedom slogans are in power.
This is all the more symptomatic of the fact that the current General Prosecutor is Adam Bodnar - a former ombudsman who has built his entire career on fighting state abuses. Winning an election was enough to turn him from a defender of human rights into an abuser. It's a well-known phenomenon, but it's good to talk about it, because many NGOs prefer to remain silent on the subject.
The current situation is as follows:
1. 10 people charged with assaulting officers after a demonstration in Krosno Odrzanskie in February 2022
2. Two anti-fascists from Toruń currently in custody since beggining of may and awaiting trial
3. 5 people helping at the Polish-Belarusian border accused of enabling unlawful residence, punishable by imprisonment for up to 5 years. The case is from 2022, but the indictment has emerged last week
4. 17 people arrested yesterday during the eviction of the squat in Warsaw.
Zaczyn Squat was evicted from its original location in March of this year.
In recent days, the Zaczyn collective squatted the new place, which was destroyed just days after the occupation.
We will keep you posted on how things develop.
Polish government's new project - "Shield East"
“We have made a decision to invest 10 billion zlotys in our security, and above all in a secure eastern border. We are embarking on a major project to build a secure border, including a system of fortifications, as well as such landscaping that will make this border impassable to a potential enemy.” - Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
- “We will build the ‘Shield East’ and in this way we will carry out the task assigned by the North Atlantic Alliance, the tasks of deterrence and defense. Tasks that are extremely important, as the largest country on NATO's eastern flank. - Fortifications, where necessary reforestation and various types of obstacles will be built along the entire Polish border with Belarus and the Russian Federation. The 10 billion zlotys following the Prime Minister's decision, which will be transferred for this purpose, is an extraordinary support for state defense,” pointed out Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
“We have made a decision to invest 10 billion zlotys in our security, and above all in a secure eastern border. We are embarking on a major project to build a secure border, including a system of fortifications, as well as such landscaping that will make this border impassable to a potential enemy.” - Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
- “We will build the ‘Shield East’ and in this way we will carry out the task assigned by the North Atlantic Alliance, the tasks of deterrence and defense. Tasks that are extremely important, as the largest country on NATO's eastern flank. - Fortifications, where necessary reforestation and various types of obstacles will be built along the entire Polish border with Belarus and the Russian Federation. The 10 billion zlotys following the Prime Minister's decision, which will be transferred for this purpose, is an extraordinary support for state defense,” pointed out Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Rise of anti-migrant hysteria in Poland after the military reported that a person on the move injured one of its soldiers with a knife.
Our commentary about this case is on our blog:
https://nobordersteam.noblogs.org/2024/05/migrant-attacks-our-comment-on-recent-events-on-the-polish-belarusian-border-en-pl/
Our commentary about this case is on our blog:
https://nobordersteam.noblogs.org/2024/05/migrant-attacks-our-comment-on-recent-events-on-the-polish-belarusian-border-en-pl/
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Meanwhile on the border
Meanwhile on the border
Yesterday, Thursday, June 6, Polish Army informed that soldier stabbed on the border in the end of May died in hospital.
Pressure from Lukashenka regime increases, situation on the border has never been so tense as it is now.
Since few days activists involved in humanitarian help are receiving threats.
Pressure from Lukashenka regime increases, situation on the border has never been so tense as it is now.
Since few days activists involved in humanitarian help are receiving threats.
Update from the border.
The media clamor and campaign against migrants is in full swing, while we are doing our job.
This is our fourth summer in Podlasie, but we would be lying if we said that we never expected it to last so long. In fact, in 2021, when Usnarz happened and the eastern route was opened, we told ourselves one thing - Poland has left its bubble and will have to face the problems that other countries have been experiencing for years.
We had a lot of concerns, remembering Gebels' PiS propaganda in 2015; but we also had a lot of hope watching how, thanks to the joint efforts and commitment of many people, we managed to create a grassroots aid movement.
From the beginning, our goal was not only humanitarian aid, but also to reach the widest possible audience with an undistorted message.
Four years have passed, although if a time traveler came to us from 2021, he might not notice any change at the border.
We have a zone. Even at the time of its introduction, no one was able to say in which area it would apply. Checkpoints are back on the roads - policemen from all over Poland are again asking whether you are transporting "illegals" and about where you are going from.
- From Czerlonka to Kleszczele
- I see…
You might as well answer that from Irkutsk to Krasnoyarsk or from Gotham to Winterfell - they are lost in the job. Beaters shine flashlights in your face to see if you're white enough.
People we meet in the forest are often injured - razor wire cuts deep.
The trench foot does not allow you to go any further, and you have to go, otherwise they will catch you and throw you over the fence to Lukashenko's henchmen, who will do even worse things.
These are the same people as always - people looking for a better life in Europe. In the eyes there is a mix of fear, hope and determination.
- What will happen if they catch me? - asks one of our new friends, lying between logs in the middle of the forest. It's his first time in Poland, they haven't thrown him over a fence yet.
- I don't know, if there's no white person with you, they'll probably throw you out to Belarus
- But where are the human rights?
- You still have a lot to learn about this place, my friend.
We smoke a farewell cigarette and go our separate ways.
From time to time we hear explosions from the border, we don't know - firecrackers or what the hell. We read about soldiers shooting at groups of migrants and at their own colleagues.
People continue to move forward for their new lives. They go because the Belarusian dictator allowed them to, but they don't care about his plans. They do not want to be part of hybrid war or tools in the hands of totalitarian regimes.
We want to believe that we will all be able to break out of the roles that politicians are preparing for us in this spectacle.
The media clamor and campaign against migrants is in full swing, while we are doing our job.
This is our fourth summer in Podlasie, but we would be lying if we said that we never expected it to last so long. In fact, in 2021, when Usnarz happened and the eastern route was opened, we told ourselves one thing - Poland has left its bubble and will have to face the problems that other countries have been experiencing for years.
We had a lot of concerns, remembering Gebels' PiS propaganda in 2015; but we also had a lot of hope watching how, thanks to the joint efforts and commitment of many people, we managed to create a grassroots aid movement.
From the beginning, our goal was not only humanitarian aid, but also to reach the widest possible audience with an undistorted message.
Four years have passed, although if a time traveler came to us from 2021, he might not notice any change at the border.
We have a zone. Even at the time of its introduction, no one was able to say in which area it would apply. Checkpoints are back on the roads - policemen from all over Poland are again asking whether you are transporting "illegals" and about where you are going from.
- From Czerlonka to Kleszczele
- I see…
You might as well answer that from Irkutsk to Krasnoyarsk or from Gotham to Winterfell - they are lost in the job. Beaters shine flashlights in your face to see if you're white enough.
People we meet in the forest are often injured - razor wire cuts deep.
The trench foot does not allow you to go any further, and you have to go, otherwise they will catch you and throw you over the fence to Lukashenko's henchmen, who will do even worse things.
These are the same people as always - people looking for a better life in Europe. In the eyes there is a mix of fear, hope and determination.
- What will happen if they catch me? - asks one of our new friends, lying between logs in the middle of the forest. It's his first time in Poland, they haven't thrown him over a fence yet.
- I don't know, if there's no white person with you, they'll probably throw you out to Belarus
- But where are the human rights?
- You still have a lot to learn about this place, my friend.
We smoke a farewell cigarette and go our separate ways.
From time to time we hear explosions from the border, we don't know - firecrackers or what the hell. We read about soldiers shooting at groups of migrants and at their own colleagues.
People continue to move forward for their new lives. They go because the Belarusian dictator allowed them to, but they don't care about his plans. They do not want to be part of hybrid war or tools in the hands of totalitarian regimes.
We want to believe that we will all be able to break out of the roles that politicians are preparing for us in this spectacle.
We are back with our channel on Telegram.
There is still a lot going on at the border, unfortunately we had a bit of a break in broadcasting here.
We apologize for this and will try to keep you updated now.
There is still a lot going on at the border, unfortunately we had a bit of a break in broadcasting here.
We apologize for this and will try to keep you updated now.
On July 12, the Polish Parliament amended the law on the use of weapons by the military, police and border guards on the Polish-Belarusian border.
The changes ensure impunity for the officers. If they feel that they or the border (sic) are threatened, even if they acted against the law, including using firearms, they will not be held responsible.
In the parliament, the bill was supported by 401 deputies, with 17 against and 17 abstentions (abstentions came from deputies of the far-right Konfederacja party, who were keen to further liberalize the law on the use of weapons by the services).
Objections to such changes were raised by the Ombudsman and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, among others.
Now the bill must be approved by the upper house of parliament, but most likely the outcome of the vote will be similar. A veto by President Duda, who is affiliated with the PiS - the party that formed the previous right-wing government - is also unlikely.
The changes ensure impunity for the officers. If they feel that they or the border (sic) are threatened, even if they acted against the law, including using firearms, they will not be held responsible.
In the parliament, the bill was supported by 401 deputies, with 17 against and 17 abstentions (abstentions came from deputies of the far-right Konfederacja party, who were keen to further liberalize the law on the use of weapons by the services).
Objections to such changes were raised by the Ombudsman and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, among others.
Now the bill must be approved by the upper house of parliament, but most likely the outcome of the vote will be similar. A veto by President Duda, who is affiliated with the PiS - the party that formed the previous right-wing government - is also unlikely.
Following the death of a Polish soldier at the border and a massive racist media offensive against migrants, social media is circulating more and more information about the formation of far-right militias whose members announce trips to the border to “defend” it.
In the border area of Podlasie, local groups of fascists have already begun walking through the wilderness in search of migrants and people that help them.
On their social media they write about encountering groups of migrants who allegedly managed to escape from them, but we have no confirmation of whether this is true.
The fascists are not prepared for the conditions in the forest, so migrants appearing in neighboring villages and people from the aid movement may be their targets.
In fact, after a while there were calls to “end the activists in Podlasie.”
The figure of the migrant-murderer and rapist promoted by the media and the far right has already taken on such a strong hold in the public consciousness that now the targets of the vilification are precisely those bringing humanitarian aid to people on the move.
In the border area of Podlasie, local groups of fascists have already begun walking through the wilderness in search of migrants and people that help them.
On their social media they write about encountering groups of migrants who allegedly managed to escape from them, but we have no confirmation of whether this is true.
The fascists are not prepared for the conditions in the forest, so migrants appearing in neighboring villages and people from the aid movement may be their targets.
In fact, after a while there were calls to “end the activists in Podlasie.”
The figure of the migrant-murderer and rapist promoted by the media and the far right has already taken on such a strong hold in the public consciousness that now the targets of the vilification are precisely those bringing humanitarian aid to people on the move.
This text was written after one of the forest actions in last weeks.
Solidarity is stronger that fascist threads so people on the move can still get humanitarian aid.
Solidarity is stronger that fascist threads so people on the move can still get humanitarian aid.
More about the new law on our blogsite:
https://nobordersteam.noblogs.org/2024/07/new-shooting-law-on-polish-border/
https://nobordersteam.noblogs.org/2024/07/new-shooting-law-on-polish-border/