Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Did Belarus demolish the border fence?
Poland uses water cannons at the border
The situation is worsening in the border area between Poland and Belarus. Belarusian security forces reportedly damaged the border fence during the night to allow migrants to cross illegally. A few hours later, Polish border officials used water cannons against the refugees.
On the border between Belarus and Poland, the situation has escalated to the thousands of migrants. Belarusian state media showed in various video sequences how water cannons were used by the Polish side against the refugees at the Kuznica-Brusgi crossing. You could see soaked people, including journalists, who were hit by the water jet. The Polish Ministry of Defense also released a video showing the use of a water cannon.
A Polish official is said to have been seriously injured in the riots, the authorities said. Accordingly, the policeman suffered a fractured skull. The Ministry in Warsaw spoke of an “attack by migrants” at the Kuznica border crossing. The ministry tweeted that the refugees were very aggressive and would throw stones at soldiers and security forces. They were also equipped with pop grenades from the Belarusian side. The Belarusian footage also showed migrants throwing stones at the Polish security forces. According to unconfirmed reports, the Polish side also used tear gas. Poland does not allow media for reporting from the border region.
On Poland’s border with Belarus, thousands of migrants on the Belarusian side have been waiting in makeshift camps in the forest for several days. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko is accused of bringing refugees from crisis regions to the EU’s external border in an organized manner. According to Lukashenko, there are more than 2000 people in a “migrant camp”. Crying children were also seen on the videos posted. Lukashenko announced after his phone call with Chancellor Angela Merkel that he was expecting another conversation with her. Lukashenko said that talks are also pending with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had offered to mediate in the conflict.
Poland had previously accused the Belarusian security forces of damaging the Polish border fortifications the previous night. The Ministry of Defense announced on Twitter that the migrants stuck at the border should be able to illegally cross the EU’s external border. A video posted on the Belarusian side of the border shows a person in combat uniform tampering with the barbed wire barn in the dark. The information cannot be independently verified as Poland has declared a state of emergency in the border region.