Wed 17 November 2021:
Tensions that had been simmering for weeks along the Poland-Belarus border erupted into violence on Tuesday.
On the Belarus side of the border, Polish border guards used water cannon to disperse refugees.
According to Warsaw, they were equipped with Belarus-supplied gas grenades, which they tossed over the fence at Polish troops.
During a prolonged standoff at the checkpoint, stones and rocks were also fired.
According to Poland’s Ministry of National Defence (MOD) said: “The migrants attacked our soldiers and guards with stones and are trying to force the fence to get to the Polish territory.
“Our forces used tear gas to thwart the aggression of migrants.”
Hundreds of migrants, marooned in freezing weather on the Belarus side of the Poland-Belarus border, tried to rush into Poland. Polish border forces used water cannons and tear gas to drive them back. https://t.co/LjgwVUuAMv pic.twitter.com/phExTyxW69
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 16, 2021
Thousands of refugees are trapped in a no-man’s land between the Polish and Belarusian borders as a result of an East-West geopolitical crisis involving Warsaw and its allies, and Minsk and Moscow.
According to international law, people seeking asylum have the right to claim it at official border crossings.
The Polish Border Guard said: “Illegal migrants have been gathering at the border crossing in Kuźnica, at the Belarusian side. New groups, which so far have been squatting at the border, are joining them. An attempt to forcefully cross the border is being prepared. Everything is taking place under the supervision of Belarusian forces.”
Earlier on Tuesday, more Polish police and security forces arrived at the border to prevent what Polish authorities claimed was an attempt by refugees to illegally cross into Polish – and European Union – territory.
Video footage posted on social media showed people near the border running away after being sprayed with water cannon.
The situation appeared calmer by the afternoon.
Belarus has accused Poland of putting up roadblocks and refusing to let people request for asylum in the EU. Warsaw, on the other hand, claims Minsk is waging a hybrid war against the country.
On Tuesday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he’s concerned about the situation in Belarus.
Poland hasn’t yet invoked Article 4 of NATO’s treaties, which is when serious consultations about military cooperation come into effect if a country feels that it may be being threatened.
The international community holds Belarus responsible for the crisis.
Earlier this year, Minsk lifted the visa requirement for citizens of a number of Middle Eastern and African states and opened numerous tourist agencies offering an easy and cheap way to get to Europe.
Critics of Belarus say the move might be an act of revenge against Poland, which supported last year’s protests against longtime ruler President Alexander Lukashenko.
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