“We will absolutely not let this go, and we will not allow anyone who parades as a defender of the borders to treat Poland and Polish uniformed personnel in such a way,” said Minister of the Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak on Monday. He was referring to activists from the Border Defense Movement, accusing them of, among other things, obstructing the work of state services. He also tried to downplay the significance of their actions, which had raised public awareness about the threat at the border.
Since July 7, temporary controls have been introduced on the border with Germany. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who announced the move earlier, said it was intended to minimize the flow of illegal migrants into Poland. The decision came after days of reports about German authorities transporting foreign nationals to the Polish border. These reports were shared by Polish citizens organized into civic patrols, with the Border Defense Movement at the forefront.
Discrediting the Activists
When asked on TVN24 on Monday whether the activists’ actions had influenced the government’s decision to reinstate border controls, Interior Minister Siemoniak responded that “it had no significance whatsoever.”
“We are guided by Poland’s national interest,” he added.
The Civic Platform politician also sought to discredit the activists. “They rely on false information, on stirring up emotions, and I believe it’s particularly dishonest for politicians to exploit this. I’ve said this publicly — if someone truly wants to defend Poland’s borders, the Border Guard is waiting,” he stated.
“We Will Not Let This Go”
The minister was also asked whether any representatives of the movement had been caught committing offenses. He replied that there had been “dozens of citations issued by the police.”
“There is an ongoing case of impersonating an officer initiated by the prosecutor’s office […] and a case regarding obstruction of official duties,” he said.
“Of course, it is now up to the prosecutor’s office to take further steps. But we will absolutely not let this go, and we will not allow anyone who wraps themselves in the guise of a border defender to treat Poland and Polish officers — who serve and risk themselves for all of us — in such a manner,” he declared.
“Just Two Weeks Ago…”
The allegation that the Border Defense Movement had been obstructing the work of state services at the border was brought up earlier on Monday at a press conference held by the interior minister. Robert Bąkiewicz, the initiator of the action, asked about this and emphasized that he personally was unaware of any such incidents or charges against the activists.
He also thanked all those defending the border and pointed out that thanks to them, “the Border Guard will no longer act as a taxi service for the Germans to transport migrants.”
He noted that “just two weeks ago, we were told that the Polish services had the situation fully under control, that border checks weren’t necessary, and that Germany was not relocating illegal migrants into Poland.”
“I also want to make it clear — we are not some militant group or criminals. We love our homeland, and today we’ve helped bring about the reinstatement of border controls. Perhaps now Poland will defend its border against a German invasion,” he concluded.