Polish border guards fire tear gas at migrants at the Belarus border and the officer is taken to hospital in the clashes

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Brawls broke out at the Koznica checkpoint on Tuesday between Polish border guards and migrants trapped in Belarus.

Frustrated refugees threw stones and tried to remove part of the temporary fence blocking their way to the European Union. The Polish side responded with water cannons and tear gas, soaking the migrants who were already exposed to freezing temperatures.

Clashes lasted about three hours, after which time Belarusian guards brought people back to a makeshift “camp” in the forest – away from the border fence.

Polish police said an officer was being treated in hospital on suspicion of a skull fracture after being hit in the head with an “object”. The Polish Ministry of Defense also accused Belarusian forces of trying to destroy a fence along the border.

She also alleged that the migrants were using stun grenades or similar weapons given to them by Belarusian officers who were no longer trying to conceal their involvement in provoking violent incidents.

Border Guard spokeswoman Anna Michalska said an estimated 2,000 migrants were at the border crossing, but only about 100 were believed to have taken part in the attack on Polish forces.

Poland has reinforced the border with riot police as well as troops, rolling over barbed wire alongside plans to build a steel fence. This approach was widely accepted by the West, as other European countries were keen to stop the arrival of another wave of immigration.

The Koznica border is part of the European Union’s eastern border, and the European Union has accused the authoritarian regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of orchestrating an immigration crisis to put pressure on the bloc.

The current crisis has drawn in regional and major powers, and has led to increased EU sanctions on the regime in Minsk and warnings from NATO about the need to de-escalate tensions.

A large number of migrants are trapped at the border. Most are fleeing conflict and poverty in Syria and Iraq and hope to reach Western Europe.

So far, more than ten people have died in the border area.

Migrants clash with Polish forces at a border checkpoint between Brze and Koznica

(Environmental Protection Agency)

On Monday, a 19-year-old Syrian was buried in the small Polish village of Bohoniki after he drowned in a river in a forest. With temperatures dropping in the coming weeks, concerns are growing about the safety of migrants if the situation on Europe’s eastern borders is not resolved.

There have also been signs that some people at the Belarus-Poland border want to return to Minsk, but it is unclear whether the Belarusian authorities will allow this to happen. So far, they have not allowed people to return once they reach the border.

The Iraqi government said earlier this week that it would make a repatriation flight from Minsk on Thursday for those who wish to “voluntarily” return home.

Polish law enforcement officers use water cannons on migrants

(Reuters)

In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused Poland of violating international humanitarian laws. “The behavior of the Polish side is totally unacceptable,” he said at a press conference in the capital. He also criticized the European Union, which accused him of “double standards”.

The Belarusian Border Guard Commission said it was also investigating Poland’s use of force.

“These are considered acts of violence against individuals who are on the territory of another country,” said commission spokesman Anton Bychkovsky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke with his Belarusian counterpart on Tuesday, TASS news agency confirmed, as they discussed the crisis on Belarus’ border with Poland.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Putin and agreed to “de-escalate” tensions at the border.

Additional reporting by the Palestinian Authority

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