MINSK, 10 November (BelTA) - All the lofty rhetoric about democracy and human rights have been washed away by the tears of a Kurdish child who is now freezing in a Podlaskie forest, Vadim Gigin, chairman of the board of the Belarusian Znanie society, told the SB. Belarus Segodnya newspaper when commenting on the situation with migrants at the border, BelTA has learned.
"The Polish ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) is known for the ultra-conservative ideology and over-the-chart nationalism. So, PiS decided to take advantage of the situation and use it, amid the falling ratings, to consolidate their electorate by fanning xenophobic sentiments and fierce Islamophobia. Don't believe me? Then have a look at the Polish social media, read the posts of supporters of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of PiS and the true master of Poland. We will not quote them here in order to avoid accusations of inciting ethnic hatred," the analyst said. “The Polish politicians seemed unsatisfied with the chauvinistic frenzy and started whipping up war hysteria. They began to pull troops to the Belarusian border. It is not in vain that they purchased German Leopards, right? Why not use them against migrants?"
According to Vadim Gigin, the opposition is not far behind the ruling party. Donald Tusk, a staunch opponent of PiS and a classical liberal, decided to pitch in. But he did it in “the military style”. Accusing the ruling party of failing to cope with the situation, the former prime minister of Poland and former head of the European Council called to trigger Article 4 of the Nato treaty, that is, to resort to the help of the North Atlantic Alliance,” the expert said. “Now Polish politicians and the propagandists hired by them (those hailing from Belarus) are going out of their way to demonstrate ‘global support' in every possible way. Well, Ursula von der Leyen made her copy-book statements. The U.S. Department of State did it too. Probably, over time, the Polish initiative on sanctions will get a go-ahead. Why not? The more sanctions the merrier! But things are not so with solidarity. After all, the footage from the Belarusian-Polish border is scary. Here it would be worth recalling that on 25 August the European Court of Human Rights ordered Poland to provide refugees with housing and clothing. On 30 September, Amnesty International harshly criticized the Polish authorities for their treatment of refugees. The very practice of forcing migrants out is contrary to international law."
According to Vadim Gigin, those who are familiar with the European political traditions can imagine the glee that Paris and Rome, Madrid and Athens must be having now. Those are the capitals that went through sleepless nights trying to resolve the migrant crisis in 2015. "Then more than one and a half million (even two million according to some sources) refugees and illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East arrived in the European Union. Mediterranean countries appealed for European solidarity. Back then Warsaw refused, with gentry arrogance, to take on any obligations. They didn't join the EU to deal with those... With whom? You can find the answer by reading the Polish social media. Just do not forget to wash your hands afterwards. All their rhetoric about democracy and human rights has been washed away by the tears of a Kurdish child who is now freezing in a Podlaskie forest."
