Camping chairs and xenophobia: with the militiamen who guard the Polish border
Both Berlin and Warsaw have re-established controls at their shared borders. But the effectiveness of Polish border guards is being questioned by the "Border Protection Movement," a far-right militia that patrols in search of illegal migrants. Report from the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," a conservative German newspaper.
A white van moves slowly through a line of vehicles on the bridge connecting Frankfurt an der Oder to its Polish twin town of Slubice. “There, you see, no controls!” exclaims the woman we’ll call “Ewa” from the Polish side of the bridge. “There could be anything in there!”
Polish border guards have set up a checkpoint across the street and are conducting random checks in both directions. The van, bearing the logo of a construction company, is not among the vehicles being checked and continues toward the center. “It's all for show, it's just a facade,” Ewa says with a gesture of disappointment.
At 72, Ewa, still feeling very fit, gets up early in the morning and puts on a yellow vest with the words “Ruch Obrony Granic” (ROG) written on it in red capital letters. “Border Protection Movement” (BPM) is written on it. Along with two companions of roughly the same age, each wearing a yellow vest—one with a flat cap, the other a fishing hat—Ewa took up position in front of a kiosk next to the access road to the bridge leading to Germany. In addition to the three camping chairs and their parasol, the trio unfurled a banner framed by two polo flags.
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