The Polish right is massively publishing online videos that are allegedly meant to prove the smuggling of migrants into Poland. Serious media outlets are not participating in this anti-German campaign, claims Tagesspiegel. This reveals the extent of self-censorship in the so-called independent mainstream Polish media, which are mostly foreign-owned. Both Tusk and these media outlets avoid opposing Berlin’s interests, even when it undermines Poland’s security.
Germany’s denial of reality
“Almost daily, videos appear online that are supposed to prove that German police officers are deliberately crossing into Polish territory to push illegal migrants across the border,” writes Julius Geiler in the Saturday edition of Tagesspiegel. And here, indeed, that is true – as these are facts confirmed by official German police data, which recently stated that during 14 months of Tusk’s rule, 10,000 migrants were pushed into Poland.
Geiler goes on to write that “the accusations against the German police are serious and fit perfectly into the campaign run by the Polish right, which gained momentum after the intensification of border checks on the German side in May.” Poland, he mocks, is supposedly being “flooded” with migrants turned back at the border. But is it not the case? How many more migrants do the Germans need to send us for it to be considered a “flood”?
Tagesspiegel notes that members of the Border Defense Movement (Ruch Obrony Granic) are treated by the Polish right as heroes, while German police officers are referred to as “aggressors.” Internet users compare the current situation to the aggression of the Third Reich against Poland in 1939.
It is hard to disagree with the first sentence – indeed, ROG members are treated as heroes because they selflessly defend the border and protest against the failed migration policies of the EU, Berlin, and the Tusk government. They are also the ones forcing any sort of reaction from the Civic Coalition (KO) leader on this issue. As for the comparisons to the aggression – obviously, this is not a 1-to-1 scale, but it rather reflects deep disappointment with Germany’s behavior, which is shifting its own problems onto us – and doing so in the most brazen way. After all, it was Poland, under PiS rule, that spoke the loudest about the foolishness of Angela Merkel’s “open door” policy toward migrants. So why are we the ones now paying the price for it?
“Polish right-wingers have long held anti-German views,” writes Geiler.
But he doesn’t even try to explain the reasons behind this stance – as if it emerged from nowhere. In reality, it’s about criticism of Berlin’s posture on many levels: in its relations with Poland, its previous attitude toward Russia, and its use of influence in Brussels to push through its own agenda – often at the expense of Poland and other member states.
The author notes that the allegations against the German police appear almost exclusively on Facebook, platform X, and YouTube.
“In reputable Polish media, the migration issue is present, but there is no room for the unfounded accusations made by the right against their German neighbors,” reads the conclusion in Tagesspiegel.
Of course, one would like to ask the author: which are these so-called “reputable” media in Poland? One can guess – they’re the ones that for years have supported Berlin’s policies at the expense of Polish interests, those that whitewash Polish history, defame our national heroes while shielding perpetrators, and seek to drive a wedge between us and the U.S., or “grind down” Catholics.
Moreover, Geiler must realize that his “reputable” media are losing influence year after year – not only to social media, but also to the rapidly growing Telewizja Republika. This means that the long-standing media monolith, which for years managed to hide the truth from Poles, is now cracking before our eyes as it fails to cope with reality – and as a result, becomes obsolete.