The migrants again had to spend the night in the open air. The Polish news agency PAP reports that some migrants managed to destroy Polish border fences and other barriers in the evening and thus cross the border. Some of these were rounded up and brought back across the border to Belarus by Polish troops. Some migrants are still free and on the run. There were new attempts last night, but they were thwarted.
Mutual accusations
Belarus accuses Poland of mistreating the migrants who tried to cross the border. Images released by Belarus itself show the battered men with blood on their clothes and hands. The refugees are said to have been held on the territory of Poland, where they had applied for protection and refugee status, the Belarusian Border Guard said. Based on ‘numerous injuries’, the Belarusians conclude that the Polish security services mistreated the men, after which they were pushed into a barbed wire fence at the border. The Belarusian border guard reports that the four are receiving medical help.
Poland, in turn, accuses Belarus of intimidating the migrants. The Polish Ministry of Defense shared videos on Twitter showing the migrants at the border startled by shots fired by the Belarusian border guard. It has not been verified whether both videos really show the situation at the border. Journalists are not allowed in the border areas of both countries.
tent camp
Other images show the migrants in Belarus staying in a makeshift tent camp on the border. They hope to eventually end up in the European Union via Poland. Poland reports that Belarus would help Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, among others, in their illegal crossing, leading more and more migrants to choose that route. It has since been confirmed that dictator Lukashenko is encouraging the migrants to cross the border.
The European Union has declared a state of emergency in the border area. Poland has called up large numbers of soldiers to protect the border area. It would now be about 15,000 men, says Polish Defense Minister Blaszczak. About 50 migrants are said to have been arrested during the conflict.
The conflict takes place at the border crossing near the village of Kuznica Bialostocka:
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