Poland's opposition accuses the government of allowing large numbers of migrants, corruption
Poland’s main opposition leader has accused the conservative government of hypocrisy for allegedly admitting large numbers of foreign workers despite its anti-migrant rhetoric and a new border wall
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Poland’s main opposition leader accused the conservative government on Thursday of hypocrisy for allegedly admitting large numbers of foreign workers despite its anti-migrant rhetoric and a new border wall.
Donald Tusk, a former prime minister and former top European Union official, said the government's actions were in stark contrast with its official policy declarations.
Tusk, leader of the opposition Civic Coalition, and Polish media allege that the government admitted about 130,000 Muslim migrants last year despite its anti-migrant statements, aimed chiefly at non-Christians. They say the government is working to relax restrictions and allege that corruption and pressure from international work agencies are involved.
Allegations that the government has opened the doors to Middle East migrants are linked to the surprise firing last week of Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk. The dismissal came as the state Anti-Corruption Office was conducting an inspection of the Foreign Ministry that was focused on the consular and visa department that Wawrzyk headed, according to media reports.
The allegations could seriously hurt the governing populist Law and Justice party ahead of Oct. 15 parliamentary elections. The party is seeking an unprecedented third term and has escalated its usual anti-migrant rhetoric in the campaign.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the dismissal was the result of “unsatisfactory cooperation” by Wawrzyk within the government.
Government spokesperson Piotr Mueller said this week that Wawrzyk had “made a mistake” and gone beyond the government's migration policy framework when he prepared new regulations. Media reports said the new rules would have admitted temporary workers from about 20 countries.
The Interior and Administration Ministry on Thursday denied that large numbers of migrants had been allowed to enter, saying “less than 30,000 workers from Muslim countries came last year to Poland.”
The government spent about 1.6 billion zlotys ($380,000) last year on a massive wall along the border with Belarus, intending to block the inflow of Middle East and African migrants. Reports say the inflow was reduced but not fully stopped.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.