Disputed Supreme Court chamber confirms Polish presidential election result
EU top diplomat calls for restraint after US 'obliterates' Iran’s nuclear sites
EU top diplomat calls for restraint after US 'obliterates' Iran’s nuclear sites
EU top diplomat calls for restraint after US 'obliterates' Iran’s nuclear sites
EU top diplomat calls for restraint after US 'obliterates' Iran’s nuclear sites
EU top diplomat calls for restraint after US 'obliterates' Iran’s nuclear sites
EU top diplomat calls for restraint after US 'obliterates' Iran’s nuclear sites
EU top diplomat calls for restraint after US 'obliterates' Iran’s nuclear sites
Polish scientists urge public to step up war on drought
They certainly did, although for once I doubt it was their meddling in particular that elected Nawrocki, as hard as it may be to believe that someone with so many anti-qualities could be elected president.
And you'd be right. In fact, that's what a lot of liberal/centrist candidates tend to do nowadays - pander to the far-right, only to give said far-right credibility to the voters whilst losing their own, alienating left-wing voters and not even really gaining the far-right's vote.
KO (more accurately PO, Tusk's long-time party that makes up 90% of KO) in particular never had that much credibility to begin with and with the current government, regardless if it's their fault or not, the government hadn't really done that many huge actions in the country. Sometimes it really is still PiS's and Duda's fault, but that imo is still no excuse to not at least try to push the legislative to show people who's in the wrong; other times it can be the coalition mates, making the government look even less effective.
That being said, Gen Z voting for the nationalist was no doubt due to Konf leader Mentzen and due to Kanał Zero. Both of which are very youth-oriented, the former being a far-right ultra-capitalist 1st round presidential candidate and the latter being a popular YouTube channel that for a year straight since its inception has shaped public opinion against the government and in favor of the right.
And with all that being said, I might want to consider moving. A PiS+Konf government will more than likely annihilate the already sparsely funded public institutions.
You have no idea. A PiS+Konf government (and that's what's likely coming, because president Nawrocki will likely block every single meaningful reform by our current government) would effectively mean GOP rule in Poland. That would be a nightmare scenario for any European state.
The chances are 50-50.
Speaking of - presidential elections on June 1st (also today if you're in the Americas)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced his support for conservative opposition Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki ahead of Sunday’s run-off election, in which Nawrocki is competing against government-aligned centrist Rafał Trzaskowski.
His endorsement comes two days after Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, also called on Poles to vote for Nawrocki and described Trzaskowski as “an absolute train wreck of a leader”.
Noem’s declaration of support came during CPAC Poland, the first time that the prominent US conservative conference has been held in the country. Orbán’s remarks came today at the Hungarian offshoot of CPAC.
“On Sunday, presidential elections will be held in Poland,” said Orbán, quoted by Polsat News. “Long live Nawrocki!”
The Hungarian leader then pointed to Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s former conservative prime minister, and said: “If you want to know what true liberal democracy looks like, ask him. Unheard-of things are happening in Poland. All European rules and principles are being trampled. And Brussels supports it.”
Morawiecki and his national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party have accused Poland’s current government, led by former European Council President Donald Tusk, of violating democracy and the rule of law.
Elsewhere in his speech, Orbán announced a “patriotic plan” to “transform” the European Union. “We want to take Europe back from migrants. We want a Christian culture, schools based on national principles,” he declared.
Orbán’s Fidesz party has long been closely aligned with PiS, which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023 but is now in opposition. Though Nawrocki is technically an independent, PiS is supporting his presidential bid.
PiS’s relationship with Orbán has, however, faced some criticism in Poland, in particular due to the Hungarian leader’s close relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. That led relations between PiS and Fidesz to cool after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though they have subsequently warmed again.
After Orbán’s endorsement of Nawrocki today, a number of figures from Poland’s ruling coalition, which contains pro-EU parties ranging from left to centre-right, posted pictures on social media of Orbán and Putin together.
“Congratulations on the support from Prime Minister Viktor Orban,” foreign minister Radosław Sikorski wrote to Nawrocki, before asking: “Will you pursue a similar policy towards Putin and the European Union?”
Last week, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland accused Nawrocki of “playing into Russia’s hands” by declaring his opposition to Ukrainian membership of NATO.
Nawrocki has also called for measures to ensure that Poles receive preferential access to public services ahead of immigrants, the majority of whom are Ukrainians.
Polls suggest that Sunday’s presidential election run-off will be an extremely tight race between Trzaskowski and Nawrocki. The winner will succeed current President Duda when his second and final five-year term in office ends in August.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced his support for conservative opposition Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki ahead of Sunday’s run-off election, in which Nawrocki is competing against government-aligned centrist Rafał Trzaskowski.
His endorsement comes two days after Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, also called on Poles to vote for Nawrocki and described Trzaskowski as “an absolute train wreck of a leader”.
Noem’s declaration of support came during CPAC Poland, the first time that the prominent US conservative conference has been held in the country. Orbán’s remarks came today at the Hungarian offshoot of CPAC.
“On Sunday, presidential elections will be held in Poland,” said Orbán, quoted by Polsat News. “Long live Nawrocki!”
The Hungarian leader then pointed to Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s former conservative prime minister, and said: “If you want to know what true liberal democracy looks like, ask him. Unheard-of things are happening in Poland. All European rules and principles are being trampled. And Brussels supports it.”
Morawiecki and his national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party have accused Poland’s current government, led by former European Council President Donald Tusk, of violating democracy and the rule of law.
Elsewhere in his speech, Orbán announced a “patriotic plan” to “transform” the European Union. “We want to take Europe back from migrants. We want a Christian culture, schools based on national principles,” he declared.
Orbán’s Fidesz party has long been closely aligned with PiS, which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023 but is now in opposition. Though Nawrocki is technically an independent, PiS is supporting his presidential bid.
PiS’s relationship with Orbán has, however, faced some criticism in Poland, in particular due to the Hungarian leader’s close relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. That led relations between PiS and Fidesz to cool after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though they have subsequently warmed again.
After Orbán’s endorsement of Nawrocki today, a number of figures from Poland’s ruling coalition, which contains pro-EU parties ranging from left to centre-right, posted pictures on social media of Orbán and Putin together.
“Congratulations on the support from Prime Minister Viktor Orban,” foreign minister Radosław Sikorski wrote to Nawrocki, before asking: “Will you pursue a similar policy towards Putin and the European Union?”
Last week, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland accused Nawrocki of “playing into Russia’s hands” by declaring his opposition to Ukrainian membership of NATO.
Nawrocki has also called for measures to ensure that Poles receive preferential access to public services ahead of immigrants, the majority of whom are Ukrainians.
Polls suggest that Sunday’s presidential election run-off will be an extremely tight race between Trzaskowski and Nawrocki. The winner will succeed current President Duda when his second and final five-year term in office ends in August.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced his support for conservative opposition Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki ahead of Sunday’s run-off election, in which Nawrocki is competing against government-aligned centrist Rafał Trzaskowski.
His endorsement comes two days after Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, also called on Poles to vote for Nawrocki and described Trzaskowski as “an absolute train wreck of a leader”.
Noem’s declaration of support came during CPAC Poland, the first time that the prominent US conservative conference has been held in the country. Orbán’s remarks came today at the Hungarian offshoot of CPAC.
“On Sunday, presidential elections will be held in Poland,” said Orbán, quoted by Polsat News. “Long live Nawrocki!”
The Hungarian leader then pointed to Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s former conservative prime minister, and said: “If you want to know what true liberal democracy looks like, ask him. Unheard-of things are happening in Poland. All European rules and principles are being trampled. And Brussels supports it.”
Morawiecki and his national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party have accused Poland’s current government, led by former European Council President Donald Tusk, of violating democracy and the rule of law.
Elsewhere in his speech, Orbán announced a “patriotic plan” to “transform” the European Union. “We want to take Europe back from migrants. We want a Christian culture, schools based on national principles,” he declared.
Orbán’s Fidesz party has long been closely aligned with PiS, which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023 but is now in opposition. Though Nawrocki is technically an independent, PiS is supporting his presidential bid.
PiS’s relationship with Orbán has, however, faced some criticism in Poland, in particular due to the Hungarian leader’s close relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. That led relations between PiS and Fidesz to cool after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though they have subsequently warmed again.
After Orbán’s endorsement of Nawrocki today, a number of figures from Poland’s ruling coalition, which contains pro-EU parties ranging from left to centre-right, posted pictures on social media of Orbán and Putin together.
“Congratulations on the support from Prime Minister Viktor Orban,” foreign minister Radosław Sikorski wrote to Nawrocki, before asking: “Will you pursue a similar policy towards Putin and the European Union?”
Last week, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland accused Nawrocki of “playing into Russia’s hands” by declaring his opposition to Ukrainian membership of NATO.
Nawrocki has also called for measures to ensure that Poles receive preferential access to public services ahead of immigrants, the majority of whom are Ukrainians.
Polls suggest that Sunday’s presidential election run-off will be an extremely tight race between Trzaskowski and Nawrocki. The winner will succeed current President Duda when his second and final five-year term in office ends in August.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced his support for conservative opposition Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki ahead of Sunday’s run-off election, in which Nawrocki is competing against government-aligned centrist Rafał Trzaskowski.
His endorsement comes two days after Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, also called on Poles to vote for Nawrocki and described Trzaskowski as “an absolute train wreck of a leader”.
Noem’s declaration of support came during CPAC Poland, the first time that the prominent US conservative conference has been held in the country. Orbán’s remarks came today at the Hungarian offshoot of CPAC.
“On Sunday, presidential elections will be held in Poland,” said Orbán, quoted by Polsat News. “Long live Nawrocki!”
The Hungarian leader then pointed to Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s former conservative prime minister, and said: “If you want to know what true liberal democracy looks like, ask him. Unheard-of things are happening in Poland. All European rules and principles are being trampled. And Brussels supports it.”
Morawiecki and his national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party have accused Poland’s current government, led by former European Council President Donald Tusk, of violating democracy and the rule of law.
Elsewhere in his speech, Orbán announced a “patriotic plan” to “transform” the European Union. “We want to take Europe back from migrants. We want a Christian culture, schools based on national principles,” he declared.
Orbán’s Fidesz party has long been closely aligned with PiS, which ruled Poland from 2015 to 2023 but is now in opposition. Though Nawrocki is technically an independent, PiS is supporting his presidential bid.
PiS’s relationship with Orbán has, however, faced some criticism in Poland, in particular due to the Hungarian leader’s close relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. That led relations between PiS and Fidesz to cool after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though they have subsequently warmed again.
After Orbán’s endorsement of Nawrocki today, a number of figures from Poland’s ruling coalition, which contains pro-EU parties ranging from left to centre-right, posted pictures on social media of Orbán and Putin together.
“Congratulations on the support from Prime Minister Viktor Orban,” foreign minister Radosław Sikorski wrote to Nawrocki, before asking: “Will you pursue a similar policy towards Putin and the European Union?”
Last week, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland accused Nawrocki of “playing into Russia’s hands” by declaring his opposition to Ukrainian membership of NATO.
Nawrocki has also called for measures to ensure that Poles receive preferential access to public services ahead of immigrants, the majority of whom are Ukrainians.
Polls suggest that Sunday’s presidential election run-off will be an extremely tight race between Trzaskowski and Nawrocki. The winner will succeed current President Duda when his second and final five-year term in office ends in August.
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has promised a “zero tolerance, ruthless” approach to hooliganism at tonight’s UEFA Conference League football final between Chelsea and Real Betis in the Polish city of Wrocław, following clashes between British and Spanish fans.
Yesterday evening, at around 7:30 p.m., groups of rival fans began throwing chairs and bottles at one another outside bars on one of Wrocław’s historic market squares.
“The English fans didn’t like the fact that the Spanish fans were sitting in an Irish pub, which means they sympathise with the Irish,” Tomasz Sikora, a spokesman for Wrocław city hall, told Polsat News. “That’s where the whole issue came from.”
“The police reacted immediately, which prevented further escalation of the conflict,” added Łukasz Dutkowiak, a spokesman for the local police. “The fans scattered in different directions and activities aimed at identifying them are still ongoing.”
Another clash then broke out around 11 p.m. involving around ten people. “A 31-year-old Spanish citizen, who was the most aggressive [among them], was detained,” while other participants ran away, said Dutkowiak, quoted by broadcaster TVN.
Separately, three other people from Spain were arrested for dismantling Conference League final flags. Sikora said that, in total, police made 515 interventions on Tuesday, the kind of level normally seen on New Year’s Eve.
Monika Kaleta, a spokeswoman for local police, told Eurosport that they are “expecting a possible escalation of clashes” today around the final, which begins at 9 p.m. local time in Wrocław’s 43,000-capacity Tarczyński Arena.
Around 2,000 police officers have been deployed to the city for the final, including many drafted in from other parts of Poland. Local newspaper Gazeta Wrocławska, however, notes that most of the thousands of fans who have come to Wrocław for the match are behaving peacefully.
In a statement issued on social media on Wednesday afternoon, Tusk “thanked the police for their decisive actions against the hooligans in Chelsea and Betis shirts in Wrocław”.
“Zero tolerance for violence on our streets!” he added. “We warn you: if necessary, the police will be even more ruthless today!”
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has promised a “zero tolerance, ruthless” approach to hooliganism at tonight’s UEFA Conference League football final between Chelsea and Real Betis in the Polish city of Wrocław, following clashes between British and Spanish fans.
Yesterday evening, at around 7:30 p.m., groups of rival fans began throwing chairs and bottles at one another outside bars on one of Wrocław’s historic market squares.
“The English fans didn’t like the fact that the Spanish fans were sitting in an Irish pub, which means they sympathise with the Irish,” Tomasz Sikora, a spokesman for Wrocław city hall, told Polsat News. “That’s where the whole issue came from.”
“The police reacted immediately, which prevented further escalation of the conflict,” added Łukasz Dutkowiak, a spokesman for the local police. “The fans scattered in different directions and activities aimed at identifying them are still ongoing.”
Another clash then broke out around 11 p.m. involving around ten people. “A 31-year-old Spanish citizen, who was the most aggressive [among them], was detained,” while other participants ran away, said Dutkowiak, quoted by broadcaster TVN.
Separately, three other people from Spain were arrested for dismantling Conference League final flags. Sikora said that, in total, police made 515 interventions on Tuesday, the kind of level normally seen on New Year’s Eve.
Monika Kaleta, a spokeswoman for local police, told Eurosport that they are “expecting a possible escalation of clashes” today around the final, which begins at 9 p.m. local time in Wrocław’s 43,000-capacity Tarczyński Arena.
Around 2,000 police officers have been deployed to the city for the final, including many drafted in from other parts of Poland. Local newspaper Gazeta Wrocławska, however, notes that most of the thousands of fans who have come to Wrocław for the match are behaving peacefully.
In a statement issued on social media on Wednesday afternoon, Tusk “thanked the police for their decisive actions against the hooligans in Chelsea and Betis shirts in Wrocław”.
“Zero tolerance for violence on our streets!” he added. “We warn you: if necessary, the police will be even more ruthless today!”
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has promised a “zero tolerance, ruthless” approach to hooliganism at tonight’s UEFA Conference League football final between Chelsea and Real Betis in the Polish city of Wrocław, following clashes between British and Spanish fans.
Yesterday evening, at around 7:30 p.m., groups of rival fans began throwing chairs and bottles at one another outside bars on one of Wrocław’s historic market squares.
“The English fans didn’t like the fact that the Spanish fans were sitting in an Irish pub, which means they sympathise with the Irish,” Tomasz Sikora, a spokesman for Wrocław city hall, told Polsat News. “That’s where the whole issue came from.”
“The police reacted immediately, which prevented further escalation of the conflict,” added Łukasz Dutkowiak, a spokesman for the local police. “The fans scattered in different directions and activities aimed at identifying them are still ongoing.”
Another clash then broke out around 11 p.m. involving around ten people. “A 31-year-old Spanish citizen, who was the most aggressive [among them], was detained,” while other participants ran away, said Dutkowiak, quoted by broadcaster TVN.
Separately, three other people from Spain were arrested for dismantling Conference League final flags. Sikora said that, in total, police made 515 interventions on Tuesday, the kind of level normally seen on New Year’s Eve.
Monika Kaleta, a spokeswoman for local police, told Eurosport that they are “expecting a possible escalation of clashes” today around the final, which begins at 9 p.m. local time in Wrocław’s 43,000-capacity Tarczyński Arena.
Around 2,000 police officers have been deployed to the city for the final, including many drafted in from other parts of Poland. Local newspaper Gazeta Wrocławska, however, notes that most of the thousands of fans who have come to Wrocław for the match are behaving peacefully.
In a statement issued on social media on Wednesday afternoon, Tusk “thanked the police for their decisive actions against the hooligans in Chelsea and Betis shirts in Wrocław”.
“Zero tolerance for violence on our streets!” he added. “We warn you: if necessary, the police will be even more ruthless today!”
To quote Saleh from the crosspost:
Fascist leaders need a constant threat to justify their leadership. If Israel cannot continue to escalate and create the image of being at threat, it also will cast doubt on the support they received and receive and it will make people speak up more about their crimes.
To appear as the perpetual victim, you need perpetual violence, so you need to perpetually attack other people.
Also Israel has the vision of a “Greater Israel” empire spanning from Egypt to Saudia Arabia to Turkiye and Iraq. Not only will this require the ethnic cleansing and genocide of hundreds od millions of people in the region, but also it will need to be filled with more non-Jewish white settlers, for instance US Evangelicals, as Israel doesn’t have nearly enough population to maintain such an empire.
The ancestors of today's Poles would definitely attest to that.
You have:
- Wars during the Middle Ages, including the first partition attempt with Germany way back in the X century
- Frequent meddling in Poland-Lithuania during the state's final century
- Partitions of Poland-Lithuania
- Harshest suppresions of Poles of any of the 3 partitioners for 123 years (minus Napoleonic France's puppet state), mainly through Russification
- Pitting Poles against each other during WW1
- Yet more fighting shortly after said war because of Soviets wanting to annex Belarus and Ukraine and establish a puppet communist state in Poland
- Another parition, mass murder of Polish inteligentsia (see: Katyń massacre), NKVD's individual murders of citizens and mass expulsions of Poles from Polish lands to distant parts of Russia/USSR (i.e. Siberia) during WW2
- Puppeteering Poland during Stalin's reign and only allowing for a slightly less dependent government after his death
- Use of Russian gas as political leverage
- Continued disinformation campaigns, military exercises near the Polish border and FSB operations against Poland to this day
And in its place Musk has his own now. :\
Poland’s border guard has joined police in raids around the country targeting illegal immigration. As a result of the action, almost 400 proceedings have been launched to deport foreigners without the right to be in Poland.
The crackdown came days after a declaration last week by Poland’s interior minister and the mayor of Warsaw of a “zero tolerance” approach to crimes committed by immigrants, following media reports of a growing wave of “imported crime”.
The raids – which took place on 13-14 February but which were only announced this week – were part of a broader, nationwide police action targeting people wanted on arrest warrants. Over 26,000 police officers carried out checks at over 32,000 locations.
As a result, 1,474 people were detained, including 204 foreigners, announced the national police headquarters on Wednesday this week. That in turn led to the police in 166 cases applying to the border guard to expel foreigners from Poland.
In a separate statement, the border guard revealed that 1,000 of its officers had participated in the raids, with the “aim of combating illegal migration”. They carried out over 2,400 checks on the legality of the presence of foreigners in Poland, leading to the launching of proceedings against almost 400 of them.
Among those whose documents were checked, the largest number, over 1,000, were Ukrainians, who are by far Poland’s largest immigrant group. The next largest numbers were Georgians (264), another large immigrant group, and Colombians (204), whose numbers have been growing rapidly in recent years.
Among those against whom deportation proceedings were launched, Ukrainians account for 180 cases and Georgians and Colombians almost 60 each, said the border guard.
Most deportation cases were brought due to the finding that the foreigners were not staying legally in Poland, but in three instances they were initiated due to a threat to state security or public safety.
“This action is the beginning of regular activity by the [uniformed] services, the primary goal of which is to ensure the security in our country,” wrote the police. “It is also a signal to those who want to come to Poland to conduct criminal activities: they will be under the watchful eye of the Polish services.”
The outcome of the raids was also hailed by interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak, who wrote on social media that they show “we will not allow foreign gangs to enter Poland”.
Earlier this month, Siemoniak noted that 5% of all people suspected of carrying out crimes in Poland last year were foreigners. However, the data he presented also indicated that immigrants make up 8% of Poland’s population.
In recent years, Poland has experienced a wave of immigration that is unprecedented in its history and among the highest of any country in Europe. It has issued more first residence permits to immigrants from outside the EU than has any other member state. Meanwhile, asylum applications rose to a new high in 2024.
Earlier this month, Rzeczpospolita, a leading newspaper, reported that Georgian immigrants, in particular, have been responsible for a return to the kind of violent organised crime that was common in the 1990s during the post-communist transition.
Last year, Poland’s government approved a tough new migration strategy aimed at “taking back control” of the country’s borders. It includes a proposal to suspend the right of those who have entered the country irregularly to claim asylum.
Poland’s border guard has joined police in raids around the country targeting illegal immigration. As a result of the action, almost 400 proceedings have been launched to deport foreigners without the right to be in Poland.
The crackdown came days after a declaration last week by Poland’s interior minister and the mayor of Warsaw of a “zero tolerance” approach to crimes committed by immigrants, following media reports of a growing wave of “imported crime”.
The raids – which took place on 13-14 February but which were only announced this week – were part of a broader, nationwide police action targeting people wanted on arrest warrants. Over 26,000 police officers carried out checks at over 32,000 locations.
As a result, 1,474 people were detained, including 204 foreigners, announced the national police headquarters on Wednesday this week. That in turn led to the police in 166 cases applying to the border guard to expel foreigners from Poland.
In a separate statement, the border guard revealed that 1,000 of its officers had participated in the raids, with the “aim of combating illegal migration”. They carried out over 2,400 checks on the legality of the presence of foreigners in Poland, leading to the launching of proceedings against almost 400 of them.
Among those whose documents were checked, the largest number, over 1,000, were Ukrainians, who are by far Poland’s largest immigrant group. The next largest numbers were Georgians (264), another large immigrant group, and Colombians (204), whose numbers have been growing rapidly in recent years.
Among those against whom deportation proceedings were launched, Ukrainians account for 180 cases and Georgians and Colombians almost 60 each, said the border guard.
Most deportation cases were brought due to the finding that the foreigners were not staying legally in Poland, but in three instances they were initiated due to a threat to state security or public safety.
“This action is the beginning of regular activity by the [uniformed] services, the primary goal of which is to ensure the security in our country,” wrote the police. “It is also a signal to those who want to come to Poland to conduct criminal activities: they will be under the watchful eye of the Polish services.”
The outcome of the raids was also hailed by interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak, who wrote on social media that they show “we will not allow foreign gangs to enter Poland”.
Earlier this month, Siemoniak noted that 5% of all people suspected of carrying out crimes in Poland last year were foreigners. However, the data he presented also indicated that immigrants make up 8% of Poland’s population.
In recent years, Poland has experienced a wave of immigration that is unprecedented in its history and among the highest of any country in Europe. It has issued more first residence permits to immigrants from outside the EU than has any other member state. Meanwhile, asylum applications rose to a new high in 2024.
Earlier this month, Rzeczpospolita, a leading newspaper, reported that Georgian immigrants, in particular, have been responsible for a return to the kind of violent organised crime that was common in the 1990s during the post-communist transition.
Last year, Poland’s government approved a tough new migration strategy aimed at “taking back control” of the country’s borders. It includes a proposal to suspend the right of those who have entered the country irregularly to claim asylum.
Poland’s border guard has joined police in raids around the country targeting illegal immigration. As a result of the action, almost 400 proceedings have been launched to deport foreigners without the right to be in Poland.
The crackdown came days after a declaration last week by Poland’s interior minister and the mayor of Warsaw of a “zero tolerance” approach to crimes committed by immigrants, following media reports of a growing wave of “imported crime”.
The raids – which took place on 13-14 February but which were only announced this week – were part of a broader, nationwide police action targeting people wanted on arrest warrants. Over 26,000 police officers carried out checks at over 32,000 locations.
As a result, 1,474 people were detained, including 204 foreigners, announced the national police headquarters on Wednesday this week. That in turn led to the police in 166 cases applying to the border guard to expel foreigners from Poland.
In a separate statement, the border guard revealed that 1,000 of its officers had participated in the raids, with the “aim of combating illegal migration”. They carried out over 2,400 checks on the legality of the presence of foreigners in Poland, leading to the launching of proceedings against almost 400 of them.
Among those whose documents were checked, the largest number, over 1,000, were Ukrainians, who are by far Poland’s largest immigrant group. The next largest numbers were Georgians (264), another large immigrant group, and Colombians (204), whose numbers have been growing rapidly in recent years.
Among those against whom deportation proceedings were launched, Ukrainians account for 180 cases and Georgians and Colombians almost 60 each, said the border guard.
Most deportation cases were brought due to the finding that the foreigners were not staying legally in Poland, but in three instances they were initiated due to a threat to state security or public safety.
“This action is the beginning of regular activity by the [uniformed] services, the primary goal of which is to ensure the security in our country,” wrote the police. “It is also a signal to those who want to come to Poland to conduct criminal activities: they will be under the watchful eye of the Polish services.”
The outcome of the raids was also hailed by interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak, who wrote on social media that they show “we will not allow foreign gangs to enter Poland”.
Earlier this month, Siemoniak noted that 5% of all people suspected of carrying out crimes in Poland last year were foreigners. However, the data he presented also indicated that immigrants make up 8% of Poland’s population.
In recent years, Poland has experienced a wave of immigration that is unprecedented in its history and among the highest of any country in Europe. It has issued more first residence permits to immigrants from outside the EU than has any other member state. Meanwhile, asylum applications rose to a new high in 2024.
Earlier this month, Rzeczpospolita, a leading newspaper, reported that Georgian immigrants, in particular, have been responsible for a return to the kind of violent organised crime that was common in the 1990s during the post-communist transition.
Last year, Poland’s government approved a tough new migration strategy aimed at “taking back control” of the country’s borders. It includes a proposal to suspend the right of those who have entered the country irregularly to claim asylum.
Poland’s parliament has approved a bill allowing the government to suspend the right to claim asylum for people who cross the border irregularly as part of the “instrumentalisation of migration” by a foreign state.
The measure has been criticised as a violation of European and international law by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. But it received overwhelming support from Polish MPs in both the ruling coalition and the opposition.
The 386 votes in favour in the 460-seat Sejm, the more powerful lower house of parliament, included all or the vast majority of MPs from the centrist Civic Coalition (KO), centre-right Polish People’s Party (PSL) and centrist Poland 2050 (Polska 2050), which are part of the ruling coalition.
They were joined by all or most MPs from the two main right-wing opposition parties: the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) and the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja).
Only 38 MPs voted against it, mainly from The Left (Lewica), which is part of the ruling coalition, and Together (Razem), a small left-wing party.
The bill now passes to the upper-house Senate, which can delay but not block legislation, then on to President Duda, a PiS ally, who can sign it into law, veto it, or pass it to the constitutional court.
Poland received a record number of asylum claims last year amid a renewed crisis at the Belarus border, where since 2021 tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers – mainly from the Middle East, Asia and Africa – have been trying to cross with the help and encouragement of the Belarusian authorities.
In response, Prime Minister Donald Tusk proposed in September a tough new migration strategy, including allowing the temporary and partial suspension of the right to claim asylum. Those measures were subsequently approved by his government in December.
The bill approved by the Sejm this evening would enact parts of Tusk’s strategy by amending the asylum law to introduce a new term into Poland’s legal lexicon: “instrumentalisation of migration.”
That is a phrase regularly used by Polish and other European authorities to describe the deliberate manner in which Belarus and Russia have used migrants and asylum seekers in an attempt to destabilise EU countries.
Under the Polish bill, the interior ministry would be empowered to temporarily restrict the right to claim international protection if instrumentalisation of migration is taking place, if it “constitutes a serious and real threat to security”, and if the restriction of asylum rights is necessary to counter the threat.
The legislation also specifies that the government’s actions must “aim to limit the rights of foreigners intending to apply for international protection to the least possible extent”, reports news and analysis website OKO.press.
Moreover, certain categories of people must be allowed to claim asylum even if the measures are in place, including minors, pregnant women, people who require special healthcare, people deemed at “real risk of harm” if returned over the border, and citizens of the country that is carrying out the instrumentalisation.
An amendment accepted today by parliament before the bill was passed allows an entire group that includes minors – such as a family – to submit an asylum claim. Previously, only the minors would have been allowed to.
The interior ministry’s regulation implementing the suspension of asylum rights must define the area in which it will apply and how long it will apply for (up to 60 days, after which it can only be renewed with the approval of the Sejm).
Tusk has argued that the measures are necessary because existing asylum rules were not designed to accommodate the deliberate instrumentalisation of migration by hostile states.
However, human rights groups have declared the measures to violate not only international law but Poland’s own constitution. They also say it will cause real harm to vulnerable asylum seekers, who will face being pushed back over the border into Belarus.
Well over 100 people are believed to have died around the borders between Belarus and EU member states since the beginning of the crisis in 2021.
But how do we convince people to the left then?