There was so much immigration that Poland was ready to build a wall.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on October 30, the Polish parliament voted on the 29th to spend 350 million euros (about $400 million) to build a 5.5-meter-high wall on the border with Belarus to stop the influx of illegal immigrants.
Next, the bill will be submitted to Polish President Andrzej duda. Duda said he would sign the results of the vote into force immediately.
Since August, thousands of refugees from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have chosen to cross the border from Belarus into the European Union, so Poland, an EU country bordering Belarus, has borne the brunt of the refugee surge.
The Polish government says about 500 people are currently trying to enter the country illegally from Belarus every day, up from just 120 in the whole of last year. According to polish government data, 16,000 illegal border crossings have been intercepted since August.
The European Union blamed Belarusian President Lukashenko for this, saying that this was because Belarus "allowed and encouraged this wave of immigration" to "retaliate against the sanctions imposed by Europe on the country because of the 'Ryan airliner landing incident'", and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz morawiecki also said that Poland is being "attacked" by Belarus, and he said on the 28th that the construction of a border wall is crucial to "protecting" the country. Lukashenko stressed that "Belarus is powerless to support the lives of non-citizens, but it will not prevent them from going to a 'warm, comfortable Europe'".
Belarus borders many countries, including Poland.
At present, Poland has built barbed wire on the border and sent thousands of soldiers to cope with the influx of immigrants. On October 19, Poland's defense minister further stated that in response to the surge in the number of migrants from places like Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 6,000 Polish soldiers were now guarding Poland's border with Belarus to strengthen security measures.
On September 1, 2021, local time, on the Polish border, Polish soldiers installed barbed wire. The picture is from the surging image
The new wall, which is about 5.5 meters high and will cost 350 million euros (about $400 million), is expected to begin construction by next summer, under the new bill. The walls will be equipped with motion sensors and monitoring systems, which will be about 200 kilometers long and cover half of the border between Poland and Belarus.
According to the bill, no one can enter within 200 meters of the wall.
Europe under the immigration issue has become increasingly divided, and last week Poland joined forces with 11 other EU countries, including Hungary, Austria, the Baltic States and Greece, to demand that the EU fund the establishment of border security facilities to stop the influx of refugees. But EU President von der Leyen refused. Von der Leyen said the EU's long-standing position was that "there will be no funding for barbed wire and walls".
Unsurprisingly, Poland's actions were criticized by the United Nations and some non-governmental organizations. The United Nations says eight migrants have been found dead. Pascale moreau, unhcrhcr in Poland, said unprotected basic human rights meant their lives could be endangered. "It is unacceptable that there are already people dying on the ground and the lives of others in jeopardy," he said. The political impasse has taken migrants hostage. ”
"This could become a deadly humanitarian tragedy that will get even worse in the winter." Gerald Knaus, president of the NGO European Stability Initiative (ESI), said.
German Interior Minister Seehofer, who is also plagued by immigration, expressed support. He said on the 24th: "We defend the external border in case someone secretly crosses the border, which is very reasonable." ”
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