Violence erupts on Poland-Belarus border as Polish guards fire water cannon on migrants throwing roc

[Steelrolled]

Source: CNN

Violence erupted at the Poland-Belarus border on Tuesday, as migrants desperate to cross into the European Union threw stones at Polish border guards who responded with water cannon and tear gas.

Polish and Belarusian authorities have blamed one another for the ratcheting of tensions on the border, where thousands of people have traveled in the hope of making it into the EU only to find themselves stuck in freezing conditions.

There were chaotic scenes on the Bruzgi-Kuźnica border crossing, where crowds of migrants could be seen breaking up concrete blocks and gathering tree branches to throw toward the Polish side.

Loud bangs rang out over the crowds and a dense cloud of smoke hung overhead. Belarusian state media BeITA reported that the water cannons used by Polish forces sprayed a yellow liquid that caused burning, and that people were suffocating and feeling sick from the smoke. A CNN team was hit by the water fired by Polish guards.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/16/europe/poland-belarus-border-crisis-tuesday-intl/index.html

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Incredible how migrants are now being used as a political tool, and the change in European attitudes towards refugees and migrants. These scenes would be unimaginable just a few years ago.

[harumph]

1. I know they're desperate but throwing rocks ain't gonna help.

[Steelrolled]

2. You are right, and perhaps it is welcomed by Poland

as it allows Poland to come down hard on the migrants with justification. And no-one in the EU will criticize Poland for acting as the front line in the war against migrants.

Edit for typo

[oldsoftie]

8. Not a war against migrants. Its a war against Russia/Belarus. Migrants are the weapons.

Poland needs to stand strong

[Steelrolled]

10. You are right in this case but I think it will evolve

into a war against migrants in general. Seeing water cannons and tear gas against migrants may become "normalized" by these recent events. There are also the defensive actions against migrants arriving by sea from Africa, and the rejection of migrants across EU border (e.g. Italy-France). We might someday look back at these events as defining moments.

Edit to clarify last sentence.

[rockfordfile]

12. I agree

[dalton99a]

3. Belarus 'arms migrants with tear gas' and shines lasers at Polish soldiers

Migrants attempting to reach Europe have been given tear gas which they used against Polish soldiers, its border force said.

They were allegedly armed by Belarus at the eastern border of the European Union near the town of Czeremcha.

Poland’s border force also released footage showing its soldiers being ‘blinded by lasers and strobe lights’.

https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/13/belarus-arms-migrants-with-tear-gas-and-shines-lasers-at-polish-soldiers-15596751/

[Steelrolled]

4. Migrants being used as pawns.

Also, NGOs are rescuing migrants from sinking ships off the north coast of Africa and bring them into Italy. This is yet another pitiful demonstration of the interplay between politics and human suffering.

[Hortensis]

5. This is nothing to the massive, forced migrations to come.

"Just a few years ago" climate crisis migrations out of the ME to Europe were just heating up, though this has been a long time building. Warring, disastrous government failures and takeovers, destruction of sustainable living conditions...

Of course fear and resistance in destination lands to the north would increase the appeal of leaders strong and ruthless enough to stop many millions of migrants, and thus of xenophobic extremism. Fwiw, that the ruthless far-right leaders already typical of these border nations would try to turn disaster to their advantage against neighboring states also seems entirely predictable, just not the details.

[Steelrolled]

6. From what I see, strong resistance to migration is now common to all (or nearly all) nations

of the EU, not just border countries. When given the choice between resistance to migration, and the rise of right wing parties, Europe has chosen resistance to migration. Of course border countries are the battle fronts, while other countries can stay silent.

[Hortensis]

7. Yes, I was speaking basically of EU nations in the first part, then

the border nations, and should have made that more clear. The EU nations are big destination for this migration.

Speaking of choices, it's just not realistic to expect more of people than they can imagine being able to give without sacrificing their children's wellbeing and heritage. Fear increases protective conservative instincts and decreases altruism and tolerance. Given migration of even a fraction of the magnitude everyone now sees coming, it was inevitable that Europe would "choose" resistance. Done optimally, acceptance of humanitarian immigration would be higher for longer, but only so long as people in general continued to believe their own wellbeing and their own ways would continue mostly as before.

[Klaralven]

9. Migration won't happen

The traditional function of an army is to keep people from a neighboring kingdom from crossing the border and settling in your kingdom.

It doesn't matter whether the invaders are armed or not.

[Hortensis]

11. ? Klaralven, migration IS happening. This one's Africa and ME to EU.

Over 84 million people are currently displaced; out of over 7 billion, they're a fraction of the forced displacements to come where ways aren't found to restore sustainability of their homes.

Sure, armies are able to stop some; and people back up and unsustainable refugee camps form. The appeal of tRump is believing he would ultimately deter the flow coming up through South and Central America from crossing our border by murdering all who tried. And of course shooting boats out of the water along three coasts.

[American Interregnum]

13. Ethnicity of the Migrants?

To a country like Poland, it matters! It shouldn't, but it does.