“The statement by the head of the Polish chapter of Amnesty International – that ‘anyone who wants a better life has the right to get asylum in Poland, and our country wants to kill them for this in the Polish forests’ – is an unacceptable crossing of the line. This is a form of ethical extremism that is not supported in any European society,” said Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, Member of the European Parliament of the Citizens’ Coalition, on Radio Three. Fortunately, he managed to recover from “extremism”, and editor Renata Grochal, who interviewed him, joined him, because three years ago in “Newsweek” they both lamented the fact that people were dying at the border.
MEP of the Civic Coalition, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, expressed his outrage at the statement by the head of the Polish branch of Amnesty International in the program “Bez uników” on Radio Three. “Humanitarian” organizations, as well as left-wing activists and other activists, have been negatively surprised by the migration strategy of Donald Tusk’s government. Although the Prime Minister and his ministers have recently been concerned about “poor people seeking their place”, they are now saying directly that we are dealing with a hybrid war.
The statement by the head of the Polish chapter of Amnesty International – that “anyone who wants a better life has the right to get asylum in Poland, and our state wants to kill them for this in the Polish forests” – is an unacceptable crossing of the line. This is a form of ethical extremism that has no support in any European society. These types of statements are harmful and untrue. I see no reason why organizations that help refugees should be excluded from the natural rules of public debate, where their positions are subject to criticism, just like the positions of each of us.
– said Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz in a conversation with Renata Grochal on Radio Three.
“The first safe country
The MEP also referred to the statement of another authority disappointed with the actions of the Tusk government, namely Janina Ochojska.
How many safe countries did these people cross to reach the Polish-Belarusian border? There are a few safe countries between Syria and the Polish-Belarusian border. The same goes for Afghanistan and Poland. These are countries that are free from bombing and torture
– said Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz.
As he noted, “we can say that the only safe haven from all misfortunes in this world are Poland and Germany.”
But this is just false, isn’t it. The Geneva Convention clearly mentions the first safe country for refugees fleeing bombs and torture
– he noted.
European Commission as a reference point
Asked about art. 56 of the Constitution, which states that foreigners can exercise the right of asylum in the Republic of Poland under the conditions specified in the law (some lawyers point out that the provision of the government’s migration strategy regarding the suspension of the right of asylum is inconsistent with the Constitution), replied:
The European Commission, which – also in the field of international law – does not have bad lawyers, stated that suspending the right of asylum is an absolutely legally permissible solution.
The former minister pointed out that “fuses are built into every law,” and the cited constitutional article indicates that the Polish state may grant asylum to foreigners, but does not have to do so.
He also told the story of the time when he headed the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.
There was someone who applied for political asylum because he was being persecuted by the Belarusian regime. During the investigation of the case, it turned out that not only was he not prosecuted, but that he was part of the regime and an agent of the services. In such situations, the Polish state naturally refuses. And that is why the Constitution says that the state ‘may’
– said the MEP, adding that “the law allows certain types of exceptions” and, in addition, each country has “emergency mechanisms for crisis situations”. –
These rights can also be suspended for a certain period in legal and refugee-related matters. This is included in the law. The European Commission had no doubts about this
– he noted.
READ ALSO: Tusk after the Brussels summit. He is happy to ‘maintain the status quo’. Von der Leyen spoke about suspending the right to asylum
No longer “women and children”?
Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz also emphasized that one cannot “subject oneself to ethical maximization, unlike the majority of European societies.”
These people do not apply for asylum at the border crossing, they only break the law, cross the border illegally and demand the protection of the Polish state. Often without documents, they claim that they are being persecuted and automatically given access to the European Union. Well, there can be no such automation here
– he added.
Renata Grochal pointed out that many voters of the current authorities hoped that the new government would “end the obstruction and inhumane treatment of mothers with children at the Polish-Belarusian border.”
In the meantime, the setbacks continue
she said.
Yes, not only at the Polish border. The same goes for Finland and the Baltic states, and it also happens in Southern Europe. Let us realize that states still have the right to decide who will be on their territory and who will not
– notes the MEP pointing out that the Geneva Convention dates from the early 1950s, i.e. after the Second World War, and applies mainly to war refugees.
No one violates this treaty; it itself provides for the suspension of certain rules in situations that threaten national security. We cannot treat people who tried to cross the Polish border two years ago with hope; we were dealing with women and children there, a really dramatic situation from a humanitarian point of view. Now we have young people organized by flights of the Belarusian Air Force, trained by Belarusians for hybrid wars, for which they are the same instrument as tanks or Russian and Belarusian aircraft
– argued the politician.
The question is whether he meant actual refugees from Ukraine, that is, in fact, especially in the first year of the war, mainly women, children and elderly, or “women and children” who were also sent by Belarusians and also as weapons are used in the country. the hybrid war. The story about the “children from Michałów” was deconstructed last year by… a journalist from “Gazeta Wyborcza”. However, this is still a great progress on the part of Sienkiewicz and the current government, because when in 2021 or 2022 someone “had the audacity” to talk about the border crisis as a “hybrid war”, it was government accepted. then opposition, and the current government either with outrage or laughter.
READ ALSO: Miracle in Czerska Street? A surprising text in “GW” about the Polish-Belarusian border. “I have no doubt that we are producing false knowledge.”
“‘Extremist’ statements by Sienkiewicz (and for dessert Grochal about ‘people dying in the forest’)
Has Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz cured himself of ‘extremism’?
Let us not talk about the humanitarian issue, because it is a great stain on Poland’s honor. We can’t leave children in the woods
– he thundered on Polsat News in October 2021.
The tragedy is that the government is good at chasing women and children, but does not stop young men who are in border centers in Germany (…) This government brings shame to Poland when it comes to the treatment of women and children
– he was annoyed.
We cannot tolerate illegal border crossings. I want to say this with complete certainty. However, there are points at which these people can be admitted and treated individually; no one has sent them there yet. This is a crisis of not being able to cope with the situation. In a civilized country, on the one hand, people enforce the law and defend their own borders, and on the other hand, they are guided by basic humanitarianism towards people who try to cross these borders. This is simply a requirement of civilization. The problem is that the PiS government is unable to protect the borders, (…), and on the other hand, is completely ruthless and deaf to humanitarian issues
– he accused in August 2021 on TVN24.
I am more outraged by a Polish priest having sex with a child than by an Afghan having sex with a cow. Sorry to be so honest, but that’s how it seems. The fact that such materials are used by a minister of a major European country is downright embarrassing
– for example, in September 2021, he commented on behalf of Wirtualna Polska on the materials found in migrants’ phones, presented by ministers at a press conference.
And further.
People are dying, it’s getting colder, the government has legalized the pushback procedure, I think we are the only country in the EU that has legalized such a procedure. And now women and children are taken to the forest and simply pushed to the Belarusian border
– this is editor Grochal, but in November 2021 and in “Newsweek.”
PiS decided that it could sacrifice humanism for the sake of security. The problem is that there is no security, as evidenced by the thousands of young men who have come to the Federal Republic of Germany via Poland and fill refugee centers there, and the hundreds of women and children who have been efficiently rounded up on the orders of the border guard. from PiS and transferred to the Belarusian side, where they are often beaten and shocked with stun guns
– argued Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, without even correcting the journalist’s bizarre statement about pushbacks.
So Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz was also an ‘extremist’? Or are they perhaps counting, as is often the case among politicians of the current coalition, on the poor memory of the voters or rather on their willingness to forgive everything as long as PiS does not return to power? Or maybe it’s just a new story and the December 13 coalition will soon gain so much momentum that it will start saying that Jarosław Kaczyński, Mariusz Błaszczak and Mariusz Kamiński personally brought migrants to Poland and ran to the border with shopping bags, and Klaudia Jachira, Franciszek Sterczewski, Michał Szczerba and Dariusz Joński supported Polish officers in uniform and encouraged them to defend the borders. It is also worth preparing a version for “sensitive” celebrities, because without a clear government position, Barbara Kurdej-Szatan does not know whether she can continue to slander the Border Guard or not, and Maja Ostaszewska probably has difficulty choosing of the right overlay for her profile photo on Facebook.
jj/PR3, Onet.pl, Polsat News, TVN24, WP.pl
READ ALSO:
– Then they were disappointed! Organizations call on Tusk to convene a roundtable on migration strategy. No consultation took place
— The PiS president sounds the alarm about the migration strategy! “Introducing a multicultural policy.” There is also a suggested test for Tusk. Will he sign?
— How much are Tusk’s guarantees worth? Germany will send up to 40,000 people to Poland. migrants… because they can! “This is how they are effective in foreign policy.”
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.