Yesterday, at 6:15 p.m., the residents of Świnoujście spontaneously gathered at the Świnoujście–Ahlbeck Polish-German crossing to block the pedestrian and car traffic in protest against the nightly "transfers" of illegal immigrants to Polish territory. The thought of action rapidly spread through social media, and many reports confirm that the initiative was bottom-up and came straight from afraid citizens.
Even though it lasted little than an hour, the blockade attracted many people from all over the city. The participants of the protest did not hide their emotions: on banners and shouts the slogan “We don’t want them in Poland!” well reflects the local population’s determination to defend the local community’s order and security.
Among the crowd was a taxi driver who noted that his night courses ran many times alongside groups of migrants imported from the German border:
“I drive a taxi, so I see what happens all the time – they are dumped here under cover of the night and nobody informs us about it,” he warned.
Equally moving were the accounts of residents surviving only 700 metres from the passage, who during the morning walk with the dog encountered 3 strangers without documents.
The organisers have already announced further actions, stressing that this spontaneous protest is only the beginning of social mobilization against uncontrolled immigration. In their assessment, these actions not only object to the current border policy, but besides service to remind the authorities of the work to guarantee the safety and transparency of border procedures. As the migration wave builds, residents of the island city have shown that they are willing to defend their space and request that decisions on the border be taken with their voice taken into account.
