Residents of Słubice and Frankfurt (Oder): there are no illegal immigrants here, it's propaganda

The European twin-city, German Frankfurt (Oder) and Polish Słubice, on Sunday, a few hours before the introduction of border controls on the Polish side, seems indifferent to them. The residents of the Polish-German borderland unanimously believe that there is no problem with illegal immigration here, it is propaganda.
In Frankfurt (Oder) on Sunday there were no signs of tension. People strolled in the sun along the Oder, looking relaxed.
A waiter in one of the local restaurants, when asked by PAP about the situation at the border, replied that the border controls that were introduced in Germany in October 2023 have not changed anything.
“For me it makes no sense, because there are no illegal immigrants here,” he noted.
The German checkpoint, which is located just beyond the bridge, consists of a few containers and a tent. The police conduct random checks. When a vehicle is stopped, it must drive into the tent, where it is checked by officers.
The Oder River separates Słubice from the German side of the border. At the end of the bridge connecting both banks, you can see the position of the Border Defense Movement (ROG), established by nationalist activist Robert Bąkiewicz. Dressed in characteristic yellow vests, the members of the movement declare that they are guarding the border from people trying to cross it illegally.
"We have a top-down order that we cannot talk to the media, please contact Mr. Robert Bąkiewicz," the man on duty told PAP. He looked like the oldest of the group and, unlike the rest, he did not have a vest, only an armband with the ROG logo. "When there is normal media, we will talk," he added.
Near the bridge, we managed to exchange a few words with a “border defender” heading to the police station. “I came here as a citizen,” said a 50-year-old from Poznań who joined Bąkiewicz’s movement on Sunday. When asked if he had seen illegal migrants, he initially said yes, but when asked for details, he changed his mind and said that he had “just arrived.”
"It's all media hype and propaganda, we're sitting here, drinking coffee and living peacefully," four residents of Słubice, who met at a local café on Sunday afternoon, told PAP.
A man sitting at the next table with his wife and child added: "This whole thing with immigrants is destroying the city's image."
When asked about the Border Defense Movement, they replied that it was "pure politics" because there were no problems with illegal immigration in their city. "Who is Robert Bąkiewicz? (...) Why didn't he say anything when PiS was handing out visas?" they asked. In their opinion, Prime Minister Donald Tusk's decision to introduce temporary border controls will not change anything and is another political stunt.
In the late afternoon, members of the Border Defense Movement left their position, and the border guard, with the support of the police, carried out random checks. One car and two dark-skinned pedestrians were stopped, who were released after being identified. A Border Guard officer was standing on a pedestrian crossing in the middle of the roadway. Two policemen and a border guard stood next to him on the sidewalk.
In addition to the PAP journalist, there were also two television cameras recording the officers. When the cameramen left the bridge, the officer standing in the middle of the roadway and the policemen and the guard left the bridge to the side of the road.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the temporary reintroduction of border controls on Poland's borders with Germany and Lithuania. In his opinion, this is necessary to reduce uncontrolled migrant flows. Border controls will be reintroduced on Monday and will remain in force until August 5.
So far, Poland has temporarily reintroduced internal Schengen border controls several times, justifying them with increased migration, epidemics and important international events. This was the case, for example, during the Euro 2012 championship co-hosted by Poland and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the Polish-German border Antoni Wiśniewski-Mischal (PAP)
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