DISINFO: Polish Defense Minister tries to exert psychological and propaganda influence on the Poles
SUMMARY
Poland could stop in a very simple way the influx of migrants coming from the Belarus side. Poland could implement existing agreements and perhaps signs new ones on cooperation between border services. Poland could also resume normal and neighbourly political dialogue with Minsk.
Instead, the Polish Defence Minister’s goals are very different – he tries to exert psychological and propaganda influence on the Poles. First of all, they have to believe that the government is determined to protect them from the influx of foreigners. Secondly, in the minds of people, a border wall or a fence will symbolically separate them from the “enemies” from the East.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative about the ongoing migration crisis on the eastern border of the European Union directly caused by the Belarusian authorities.
On 23 August 2021, the Polish authorities announced the construction of the fence on the border with Belarus to stop the ongoing influx of illegal migrants orchestrated by the Belarusian regime. According to the position of the Polish authorities, the ongoing situation on the Belarusian border is a hybrid attack on Poland in order to destabilise the country and the entire EU. Currently, in late August 2021, the Belarusian border force are not allowing several dozen refugees stuck at the Polish-Belarusian border to return to the country despite the fact that they have Belarusian visas (officially, they arrived in Belarus as tourists). In addition, the Belarusian authorities refused to accept Polish humanitarian aid for the refugees stuck at the border.
There is numerous evidence that the Belarusian authorities have instigated the ongoing migration crisis in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Lukashenka’s regime is using refugees from the Middle East as “political and hybrid” tools against Lithuania and the entire EU. Commissioner Ylva Johansson said, inter alia: “The authoritarian regime in Belarus is exploiting human beings for political reasons: this is completely unacceptable."
In 2021, Lithuania, Poland and Latvia faced an influx of irregular migrants from Belarus. Earlier, Belarus ended cooperation with the EU to stem irregular migration. This was Minsk’s answer to the European Union sanctions on the political regime of Belarus (read more about sanctions here).
Several investigative journalists (here) and (here) have proven that some migrants arrive in Belarus by commercial flights from Baghdad-Minsk. Information gathered also suggests that migrants are regularly transported by bus to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border. More information about Lukashenka’s role in the organisation of the current migration crisis can be found here and here.
See other disinformation cases concerning the ongoing migration crisis on the Belarusian border: Lithuanian border guards use violence against migrants, including abandoning pregnant women; Migrants in Lithuania are kept in concentration camps in unsanitary conditions and The West plans to push thousands of illegal migrants to Belarus using force.