A few thousand people demonstrated Sunday, October 17 in Warsaw against the refoulements of migrants practiced at the border of the European Union, between Poland and Belarus.
Read alsoPoland continues its standoff with the EU
Since August, thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, have tried to cross the Polish border from Belarus.
According to the testimonies of migrants and non-governmental organizations, Poland practices refoulement which consists of escorting migrants arrested at the border and pushing them to return to Belarus.
The demonstrators, gathered at the call of several NGOs, walked through the center of the city, waving signs "
Stop torture at the border
", "
No one is illegal
" or "
Tonight someone is going to freeze to death. the border
”.
Smaller protests were held in other cities in Poland, according to local media.
A total of seven people have lost their lives on this eastern border of the EU, since the start of the migratory influx observed in the region since the summer, according to the Polish, Lithuanian and Belarusian authorities.
On Thursday, the Polish parliament approved an amendment to the Aliens Act that legalizes the practice of refoulement, despite an asylum application.
Currently, this practice is based on a simple ministerial decree.
Parliament also gave the green light to the government's plan to build a wall to prevent migrants from crossing the border, a project estimated at 353 million euros.
Many NGOs criticize Poland for imposing a state of emergency on its eastern border, which prevents humanitarian organizations from helping migrants and denies access to all non-residents, including journalists.
The European Union accuses Minsk of orchestrating this influx, in retaliation for the sanctions imposed by the EU following the repression of the opposition by the Belarusian regime.
The migrants who come in large numbers to Belarus are then directed to the borders of the EU (with Poland, Latvia, Lithuania).
They remain under surveillance on the one hand by the Belarusian border guards and on the other by the Polish, Lithuanian or Latvian law enforcement agencies.
A month ago, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was "
concerned about the alarming reports
" at the Polish border.
See also -
Armed with European Union flags, the Poles demonstrate against "Polexit"
