Two Polish soldiers have been taken to hospital after asylum seekers staged an assault on the frontier with Belarus, throwing stones at the border fence. The group of migrants has been stuck in no man’s land for over two months.
According to the Polish Border Guard, the “attempts of violent crossing into Poland were thwarted.”
“Over the weekend, two attempts at a border assault were recorded. Aggressive groups of about 60 and 70 people threw stones and branches at border guard officers and soldiers of the Polish army. Two soldiers were hospitalized,” a statement said.
One of the soldiers was hit by a branch, and the other with a stone, both in the face. Warsaw has accused Belarusian soldiers of working with the asylum seekers, suggesting they were wearing civilian clothes to blend in.
W weekend dwa siłowe forsowania granicy. Agresywne grupy (ok.60 i 70 osób) rzucały w #funkcjonariuszeSG i #żołnierzeWP kamieniami i gałęziami.Dwóch żołnierzy trafiło do szpitala. Obie próby siłowego wdarcia się do Polski????????zostały udaremnione.
Despite its EU obligations, Poland is refusing to accept asylum seekers crossing the border from Belarus. It is refusing to allow in a large group of immigrants from the Middle East, despite the fact they have a lack of food and other provisions.
The difficult situation on the border began after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned his country would no longer make any effort to stop illegal immigration. Warsaw has claimed that Minsk has flown in people from abroad and is shuttling them to the border as a form of warfare. Since the beginning of 2021, more than 23,000 migrants have tried to cross the Polish-Belarusian border, causing Warsaw to declare a state of emergency and boost its troop presence.
The latest situation comes just a week after Polish border guards filmed asylum seekers trying to break down the border fence near Usnarz Gorny, a small village on the frontier.
Poland’s treatment of migrants from Belarus has been subject to criticism by human rights organizations, including London-based NGO Amnesty International. Last month, the group accused Warsaw of illegally stranding 32 Afghan migrants, leaving them without access to clean water, shelter, or medicine.
