(Washington Insider Magazine) -Thousands of migrants are currently trapped in dangerous terrain between Poland and Belarus as they seek refuge in the European Union (Guardian).
However, the pathway into the asylum of the EU has been slammed shut, leading to the death of eight migrants so far. What’s more, the right-wing government in Poland are now looking to parliament for permission to build a Donald Trump-inspired wall to keep further asylum seekers out.
Until then, some 17,000 strong border police and military personal are patrolling the border with Belarus to ensure no one else crosses over into Poland.
Poland’s government believe that Belarus is deliberately attempting to undermine the south-eastern border of the European Union but not only allowing migrants to make the journey, but actively encouraging it. Many are said to be persuaded by the Belarusian travel bureaux with promises of safe passage into the EU, a scheme controlled by Alexander Lukashenko’s government.
In recent weeks, the Polish authorities have established a two-mile line running parallel to the border, an area in which reporters, volunteers and medical services are not allowed. However, many are arguing that access must be granted to ensure that the claims of migrants and international protection is upheld.
Not only are these migrants victims of warfare and disaster across Africa and the Middle East, but they now find themselves as pawns in a very dangerous game between Poland and Belarus.
volunteer aid worker Katarzyna Wappa said: “Some migrants we saw had their faces sliced with barbed wire. We have amateur films showing how the Belarusians drive the migrants forward. The border guards stand there with snarling attack dogs in full battle gear.
“We are creating a network, trying to do what we can, but it’s too much to bear. People are dying in the forest and the Polish state offers no help apart from bringing in more troops, rounding them up, and deporting them back to no man’s land. And if we reach those people, what can we give them? A flask of tea, some warm clothes, then leave them in the darkness and cold?”