The Border Guard post in Świecko has initiated two investigations against individuals defending Poland’s borders from an influx of illegal migrants from Germany. As of yesterday, the cases have been taken over by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gorzów Wielkopolski. Members of the Border Defense Movement are accused of impersonating Border Guard officers and insulting them.
On Thursday, National Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk spoke on Polish Radio Trójka about the situation on the Polish-German border. He stated that “no individual may check another person’s identity without legal authority.” He added, “This carries a penalty of restricted liberty and a fine. Proceedings are already underway in Gorzów Wielkopolski.”
We reached out to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gorzów Wielkopolski for more details on the investigation.
Who Is Impersonating Whom? Absurd Allegations
The first investigation concerns an incident on June 4, 2025, in Słubice. It was initiated by the Border Guard “in connection with actions carried out on the border bridge area that may have misled individuals into believing that the persons involved were acting as public officials.” The case involves Article 227 of the Polish Penal Code.
Article 227 refers to the offense of impersonating a public official. It states that anyone who falsely presents themselves as a public official or exploits someone else’s mistaken belief in their authority while performing actions related to that function is subject to a penalty. The punishment may include a fine, restriction of liberty, or imprisonment for up to one year.
For example, this could include someone wearing a police uniform and pretending to be an officer in order to detain someone or search their home. Another example would be a person pretending to be a doctor to issue prescriptions or perform surgeries. The application of this article in the current case is puzzling, as none of the Border Defense Movement members claim or pretend to be Border Guard officers.
The second investigation concerns events on June 29 and 30, 2025. It was launched by the Border Guard “in relation to the insulting of Border Guard officers in Słubice during and in connection with the performance of their official duties.” This case falls under Article 226 § 1 of the Penal Code. Additionally, the investigation includes incitement via an online platform to disclose legally protected personal data of Border Guard officers, which is being considered under Articles 223a and 223b of the Penal Code.
Article 226 § 1 penalizes insulting a public official or someone assisting them during and in connection with their official duties. The possible penalties include a fine, restriction of liberty, or imprisonment for up to one year.
Articles 223a and 223b concern violent assault against a public official and assault using a dangerous object, respectively.
Prosecutor’s Decision: District Office Takes Over
On Wednesday, the District Prosecutor in Gorzów Wielkopolski decided to take over the investigations, which have now been formally registered with Department 1 of the District Prosecutor’s Office. The assigned prosecutor is currently reviewing the case files and will decide whether to delegate the investigations to other authorized bodies or conduct them personally, explained the spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gorzów Wielkopolski.
We asked whether these cases should be handled by the Border Guard under the supervision of the local Prosecutor’s Office.
The District Prosecutor explained that in order to avoid any future allegations of bias in these proceedings, a different course was taken. It is important to note that the Słubice Regional Prosecutor’s Office routinely cooperates with and oversees the procedural work of the Border Guard post in Świecko — and in both investigations, the victims are Border Guard officers from the Świecko post. — stated the spokesperson.