The Polish right is widely publishing videos online, allegedly showing evidence of migrants being transported into Poland. Serious media outlets are not participating in this anti-German campaign, claims Tagesspiegel. This illustrates the extent of self-censorship in Polish mainstream media, which present themselves as independent but are mostly foreign-owned. Both Tusk and these outlets are careful not to oppose Berlin’s interests-even when it comes at the cost of Poland’s security.
Germany’s Denial of Reality
Almost daily, videos appear online purportedly showing German police officers deliberately crossing into Polish territory and pushing illegal migrants across the border, writes Julius Geiler in Saturday’s edition of Tagesspiegel. And here, admittedly, it is true-these are facts also confirmed by official data from the German police, which recently reported that during Tusk’s 14 months in office, 10,000 migrants were pushed into Poland.
Geiler goes on to say that “the accusations against the German police are serious and perfectly align with the narrative of the Polish right, which intensified after stricter German border controls were introduced in May.” He sarcastically suggests that Poland is supposedly being “flooded” by migrants turned away at the German border. But is it not so? How many more migrants would Germany have to send over before it would be fair to say we are being “flooded”? Tagesspiegel notes that members of the Border Defense Movement (ROG) are portrayed as heroes by the Polish right, while German officers are labeled as “attackers.” Internet users compare the current situation to the 1939 invasion of Poland by the Third Reich.
It’s hard to disagree with the first claim-indeed, ROG members are regarded as heroes, as they selflessly defend the border and oppose the misguided migration policies of the EU, Berlin, and the Tusk government. Their actions are among the few forcing any kind of response from the Civic Platform leader. As for the comparisons to aggression-of course, it’s not a 1:1 scale, but rather an expression of deep disappointment in Germany’s behavior, which shifts its own problems onto us in the most brazen manner. This, even though it was Poland-under PiS rule-that most loudly criticized Angela Merkel’s foolish “open door” policy on migrants. Why should we now pay the price for that?
“Polish right-wing forces have long been anti-German,” writes Geiler.
But he doesn’t even try to explain the reasons behind this attitude-it didn’t come out of nowhere. This is about criticism of Berlin’s behavior on many levels, both in bilateral relations with Poland and in its past approach to Russia, as well as using its influence in Brussels to push policies that harm Poland and other EU countries.
The author notes that accusations against German police appear almost exclusively on Facebook, X, and YouTube. “In reputable Polish media, the topic of migration is present, but there is no room for the unfounded accusations made by the right against our German neighbors,” concludes Tagesspiegel.
Of course, one might ask the author which media outlets in Poland he considers “reputable,” but it’s easy to guess-they’re the ones that have supported Berlin’s policies for years, often at Poland’s expense, who rewrite Polish history by vilifying national heroes while whitewashing criminals, and who try to drive a wedge between Poland and the U.S. or “trim down” the rights of Catholics.
Moreover, Geiler must understand that these so-called “reputable” outlets are rapidly losing influence year by year-not only to social media, but also to rising networks like Telewizja Republika. This means that the long-standing media monopoly, which for years succeeded in hiding the truth from the Polish public, is now crumbling before our eyes, unable to cope with a reality it can no longer describe-thus rendering itself obsolete.