“In Wałbrzych, after a legally convened assembly, we were surrounded by the police, who demanded that all participants present their identification. The officers claimed that we had disturbed public order and peace. We see this as yet another instance of repression against the Border Defense Movement,” wrote Robert Bąkiewicz on the X platform. The leader of ROG also reported that as a result of the police’s actions, “a 90-year-old man collapsed.”
Police tried to ID a 90-year-old border defender
Today, a demonstration organized by the Border Defense Movement took place in Wałbrzych, during which—according to a post by Robert Bąkiewicz, the movement’s leader—demonstrators were “surrounded by the police, who demanded that all participants show their ID.”
“In Wałbrzych, after a legally convened assembly, we were surrounded by the police, who demanded that all participants present their identification. The officers claimed that we had disturbed public order and peace. We see this as yet another instance of repression against the Border Defense Movement,” wrote Bąkiewicz. He added that “as a result of the officers’ actions, an elderly participant—over 80 years old—collapsed.”
He then addressed a question to Marcin Kierwiński, the head of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA).
“Is this your ‘democracy’? Is this what your fight against the Border Defense Movement looks like?”
Bąkiewicz also posted a second message, in which he elaborated on the incident involving the 90-year-old man:
“A 90-year-old man collapsed. He couldn’t handle the stress. For the residents who came today to Plac Magistracki in Wałbrzych, facing heavily armed riot police in full gear, this isn’t ‘just an ID check.’ Poles who remember the previous regime have every right to the worst associations.”
He emphasized that “today’s crackdown was no coincidence—it was an attempt to intimidate our supporters. But such tactics can also have tragic consequences.”
“Marcin Kierwiński—do you really want to fight your own Nation?” Bąkiewicz asked.
Kierwiński threatens border defenders
Marcin Kierwiński, who was reappointed as head of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration as part of Donald Tusk’s cabinet reshuffle, attacked members of the Border Defense Movement today. As interior minister, he oversees the police, among other institutions.
“Any attempts to obstruct officers and soldiers, any attempts to insult people working hard for Poland’s security, will not go unanswered. We will respond to these actions as they occur,” he stated.
Earlier, in a post on X referring to the activity of patriots at the border, he made it clear that “there will be no leniency—there are those who can attest to that.”