Senior Tusk ally slams Polish gov’t for continuing policy of pushing back migrants at border with Belarus

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – A senior member of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s party has slammed the new government’s continuation of a policy of “pushbacks” of migrants at the border with Belarus.

"It is difficult to expect different treatment by the Border Guard if there is consent from Donald Tusk's team," said Janina Ochojska, the head of the Polish Humanitarian Action group and a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the European People's Party.

The activist Granica Group accused Poland’s Border Guard of pushing two citizens from Somalia back over the border last week. It said they were denied the chance to submit applications for international protection.

"It is particularly difficult to write about this. PiS supporters will be happy with Tusk's criticism. I greatly respect Donald Tusk and his actions for a free, democratic Poland," she added.

She warned that "we must not forget about the rule of law, i.e. observance of the law, to which migrants also have the right."

On May 11, Tusk visited the border between Poland and Belarus, where he participated in a briefing by the Podlasie Military Task Force.

“I came so that the commanders and their subordinates would have no doubts that the Polish state and the Polish government are with them in every situation. This place is absolutely unique because of the pressure. We are talking about illegal migration, but we are dealing with a progressive hybrid war,” he said.

"There is no doubt that all of Europe will have to invest in the security of Poland's eastern border. There are no limits on funds when it comes to Poland's security and securing the Polish border. You will see that you can count on us both in terms of technology and equipment for each officer. You are at the center of attention and we want you to be able to count on the Polish state in every situation,” Tusk said.

From last Friday to Sunday, 824 attempts to illegally cross the Belarusian-Polish border were recorded, the Border Guard said.

Data from the Podlasie Branch of the Border Guard show that since the beginning of the year, approximately 12,000 attempts have been recorded on the section of the border in this region, with 3,000 since the beginning of May.

During the weekend, seven people -- four Ukrainians, two Georgians and a German -- were detained as suspects in aiding and abetting illegal crossings of this border, the Border Guards said. Some of the activities were carried out together with the police.

"Foreigners tried to cross the Przeglad border river illegally. There were several situations in which Polish patrols were pelted with stones and branches. No one was hurt," Major Katarzyna Zdanowicz, a spokeswoman for the Podlasie Border Guard Branch in Bialystok, said Monday.

Justice Minister Adam Bodnar, who worked closely with the Polish Humanitarian Action group before joining Tusk's government in December, said last week that this was not the time to discuss pushbacks.