Poles protest government proposal to suspend asylum rights for migrants

WARSAW

Poles gathered in Warsaw on Tuesday to protest Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s recent proposal to suspend the asylum rights of migrants entering Poland.

“We are disappointed and angry with the Tusk government,” said filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, addressing about 100 protesters in front of the prime minister’s office in central Warsaw.

Last week, Tusk revealed a new migration strategy under the motto “Regain control – ensure security”. A key aspect of the policy includes a temporary suspension of asylum rights, following an influx of non-European migrants crossing the Belarusian border into Poland this year.

A European Commission representative warned that Tusk’s plans could “violate the country’s human rights obligations”, particularly in relation to international treaties and standards governing asylum and refugee rights.

Polish human rights groups also voiced strong opposition to Tusk’s comments. Janina Ochojska, founder of Polish Humanitarian Action and former MEP for Tusk’s party, harshly criticized the proposal in an interview with the media outlet Onet. “If the Prime Minister announces something like this, it means that he is also suspending the Geneva Convention, the Human Rights Convention and many other conventions and laws. Does this mean that they will not be applicable in Poland?” she asked.

Ochojska added that she “feels deceived” by the government’s new migration strategy, warning that it will “lead to the destruction of many people’s lives.”

She further criticized the government for ignoring the voices of those who work directly with migrants. “I would organize legal border crossings, where people could come, make a request, be questioned,” she suggested.

A coalition of 60 NGOs, including Amnesty International and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, also condemned the new strategy. In an open letter, the NGOs highlighted that fundamental rights and freedoms are not political bargaining chips. “It is thanks to them that thousands of Polish women and men found shelter abroad in the difficult times of communist totalitarianism,” he said.

With presidential elections approaching next year, Tusk hinted that migration would be a central focus of his campaign, promising to reduce irregular migration to a “minimum” and “regain 100% control over who enters and leaves Poland ”.

However, concerns have also arisen within Tusk’s coalition government. Szymon Holownia, speaker of parliament and leader of the center-right Poland 2050 party, distanced himself from Tusk’s remarks, saying Tusk had only spoken on behalf of his own party.

“We are of the opinion that the right to asylum is ‘sacred’ in international law,” Holownia said on social media. Krzysztof Smiszek of the Left, another member of the coalition, echoed these concerns.

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