Clashes break out at anti-immigration protests in Poland

WARSAW

Police intervened after clashes broke out between anti-immigrant protesters and counter-protesters chanting anti-fascist slogans during Saturday's “Stop Immigration” protests in Warsaw and other Polish cities.

Anti-immigration demonstrations organized by groups associated with the far-right political party Confederation took place in 80 cities across Poland, including the capital Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Lodz, Poznan, Gdansk, Lublin, Bialystok, and Torun.

“Poland is becoming increasingly defenseless against the growing wave of immigration,” the organizers wrote on social media.

“We don’t want Poland sharing the fate of Western Europe … The state is failing, so citizens are taking action,” they continued.

“Ordinary people from every corner of the country have stepped up with a clear message and motivation: WE WANT TO LIVE IN SAFETY!”

Since 2021, Poland has faced increased immigration on its eastern border, which Warsaw and other states say is being engineered by Belarus to help tens of thousands of migrants – mainly from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa – to cross into the EU.

On Poland’s western border, Germany reintroduced border controls in 2023 and has since been sending back migrants to Poland after they tried to enter unlawfully.

Poland’s government banned asylum claims for migrants who enter from Belarus and toughened the visa system, including adding to a militarized fence along the Belarus border.

‘The real threat is fascists, not migrants’

“We demand the closure of borders to mass, uncontrolled immigration!” declared Krzysztof Bosak, one of Confederation’s leaders, at a protest in the northeastern city of Bialystok. “Enough of the Polish state’s passivity toward those who illegally invade our territory!”

"Enough of the long-standing policy of 'let anyone in, and find out who they are to be determined later. Polish women and men have the right to care about the level of security in their own homeland. There is no 'hatred' in such an attitude, as they try to make us believe!" Bosak wrote on social media.

Confederation MP Przemyslaw Wipler also addressed the gathering.

"We have met here during the summer holidays, because for smugglers, for those who illegally smuggle people into Europe, who smuggle illegally into Poland, there are no holidays," he said, as quoted by Polish press agency PAP.

"The practices that are taking place are on an increasingly large scale. This is due to the fact that Poland is an increasingly wealthy country. It is an increasingly attractive country, a country where billions of people in very poor places around the world dream of living," he said.

In Warsaw, the anti-immigration march was met by an opposing “Stop Fascism” demonstration made up of around 100 people, reported broadcaster RMF.

“The real threat is fascists, not migrants. It’s fascism that is the crime, not migration,” said the organizers, United Against Racism. Police reported that they had been forced to intervene in order to keep rival groups apart.

A group of several dozen gathered outside the Rotunda in central Warsaw.

Signs with slogans such as "Accept refugees – expel fascists," "We defend the right to asylum," and "Migrants welcome" were visible.