Thousands gather across Polish cities to voice concerns over immigration, sparking a nationwide conversation on border security, despite conflicting official data.
Rising Tensions: Anti-Immigrant Protests Erupt in Poland
Rising Tensions: Anti-Immigrant Protests Erupt in Poland
Nationwide protests against immigration policies highlight growing unrest among right-wing factions in Poland.
Anti-immigration demonstrations have swept through numerous towns and cities in Poland, reflecting rising discontent among nationalist groups. While most protests drew crowds of only a few hundred participants on Saturday, the largest assembly in Katowice saw an attendance of approximately 3,000. These rallies were organized by the far-right political faction, Konfederacja, alongside other nationalist organizations.
Key figures from both Konfederacja and the opposition Law and Justice party have voiced alarm over an impending surge of illegal migrants into Poland, despite statistics indicating a decline in migration rates this year compared to previous ones. “Without decisive action against illegal immigration, our security will continue to erode,” warned Krzysztof Bosak, co-chairman of Konfederacja, during a rally in Bialystok.
Participants at some of the protests observed a minute of silence to honor a 24-year-old Polish woman who had been tragically murdered in Torun. In Warsaw, competing demonstrations unfolded in close proximity to each other, yet fortunately, no incidents of violence were reported. Authorities have since detained a Venezuelan man linked to the murder case.
Notably, Polish officials recently enhanced border checks with Germany and Lithuania amid a rise in asylum seeker rejections by Berlin. In 2023, Germany instituted checks on its borders with both Poland and the Czech Republic. Additionally, earlier in March, Poland temporarily curtailed the ability of migrants crossing from Belarus to seek asylum, further intensifying the immigration debate.
