Watch ‘Weaponized Migration’ In Action: Hundreds Storm Polish Border From Belarus
Coming from Russia-allied Belarus, hundreds of “very aggressive” migrants carrying ladders and wielding rocks and tree branches stormed the border of Poland on Wednesday, but were repelled by security forces. Belarus has long been accused of “weaponizing” migrants by encouraging them to travel to Belarus only so they can be pushed into Poland and Lithuania.
According to a statement issued by the Polish Border Guard and reporting by Babel, the onslaught took place around 10 am in a marshy area in the dense Białowieża forest, which is a popular but difficult avenue for attempted crossings by migrants from around the world.
While the government statement didn’t describe the origins of the migrants, the news-aggregator Twitter account Visegrád 24 said they were from Africa and the Middle East. It did not cite a source for that claim, but it’s been previously reported that migrants attempting to enter Poland from Belarus have come from a wide variety of non-European countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Yemen, sub-Saharan Africa, China and Cuba.
In recent years, Belarus and Lithuania have built built border walls stretching for hundreds of kilometers. The countries have accused Belarus and its president, Alexander Lukashenko, of using migrants as a means of alternative warfare.
