The Border Defence Movement, founded by Robert Bąkiewicz, is presented as a nationwide initiative to defend the country from mass migration and defence of national identity. The leader of the organization describes it as a patriotic one, standing defender for the future of the Polish nation.
Recently, the movement has become public in connection with reports of cases of German transport of immigrants to Poland. The members of the organization announced that they would defend the border against specified incidents. Goniec writer Daniel Arciszewski checked what it looked like in practice and joined the Borders defence Movement.
Service in the Border defence Movement. “We have made a fuss”
The writer submitted to the organization via an online form. After a short period of time, he was assigned and went to Kostrzyn nad Odra, where he was to be on work at the border. Before that happened, however, in a telephone conversation with the coordinator, he heard that no migrants had been present in the village. He besides heard that he could not consume alcohol due to the fact that “they (media) are filming it all.”
In an interview with 2 activists, who told him what their patrol looked like in Słubice, he heard: “We made a fuss, everyone photographed themselves.” “We had brifing in Raciborz on the market, so many mouths on the market, so many mouths of this Poland, and as a consequence only us came. Where are our MPs, what do the councilmen, Mentzen people, and all those who were to be here?
This is how the activists of Bąkiewicz behave
In another conversation with the same people, he heard that they had been instructed to stay distant from the migrants and call the emergency number. “We are to say that we are afraid due to the fact that they are culturally different people. They would not come, they added.
In another part, it can be heard how the movement leader Robert Bąkiewicz and tv commentator of the Republic Jacek Wrona advised activists what to do, being “stopped by dogs”. “If you start screaming that you are a patriot and sing “Poland has not died yet,” they recommended. They besides heard that "they are not to talk to the media unless with the Republic".
— The most crucial thing is media coverage. Even if your telephone doesn't work, you pretend you're recording due to the fact that it depresses the another side, too. If anything happens, you turn it up all the time, the cry is very important, the police are coming, you are shouting "Leave me alone, I am defending the Polish border" – they are commands to activists.
The material besides includes opinions from border residents who measure the presence of members of the Border defence Movement differently. any took flyers and approved the actions taken, others admitted that they were ashamed of the widespread propaganda due to the fact that they felt no danger from foreigners.
