In recent years, Poland has shown two different sides of itself when it comes to welcoming refugees along its eastern borders. On the one hand, it is a nation that has been ready to welcome more than a million Ukrainian refugees since the start of the Russian invasion with open arms; on the other, it is a country that has systematically rejected non-European refugees transiting from Belarus, admittedly being used against their will as a tool of disruption by Putin and Lukashenko.

This is a sign of asymmetric and selective solidarity in the country on the Vistula, well summed up by the striking “Refugees Welcome” banner displayed a year ago by the soccer fans in the north stand of Legia Warsaw’s stadium before a national league match against Zagłebie Lubin. The banner, adorned with folkloric floral motifs, showed three figures: a woman and two men, all with fair complexions that seemed to suggest Slavic origins. Their appearance pointedly looked nothing like the African or Middle Eastern immigrants who are victims of pushbacks at the Belarusian border.

Here, the welcoming message does not apply to everyone. And everything suggests that by the end of July, the current government led by former European Council President Donald Tusk of the Civic Platform party will decide to extend the suspension of asylum rights, in force since March, for another 60 days – the second such extension.

Furthermore, Warsaw has reinstated border controls with Germany a few days ago. This new situation is giving unexpected visibility to the subversive right........

© Il Manifesto Global