Polish soldiers were attacked by a group of 20 individuals, with actions including spitting on their uniforms and making offensive gestures, with at least some of the events caught on video.
The incident unfolded overnight near the Polish-Belarusian border on the night of July 13-14, with the group targeting the soldiers and sometimes even getting physical with them. Additionally, offensive gestures were made and vulgar slogans were directed at the troops.
Authorities, including the Border Guard, military police and police have been informed and the matter is currently under investigation. Social media and some unofficial media reports suggest that this group also stopped a small column of military vehicles near the border.
The incident has sparked a wide range of political commentary. Confederation politician Krystian Kamiński referenced the events from Jean Raspail’s 1973 book “The Camp of the Saints.”
“We see from Western societies how prophetic that book was. It seemed, though, that Poland still had a few years left… but no, this decay has reached us too,” Kamiński wrote on the platform X.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin criticized the management of border organizations and called for immediate administrative action.
“They let leftist organizations in to destabilize the situation at the border from within. These organizations spit on soldiers and violate the physical integrity of Polish soldiers,” wrote Sasin.
Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that “the services responded decisively and swiftly to the scandalous behavior of the group of people.” Kosiniak-Kamysz also stated, “There is no tolerance for insults, defamation, and any attacks on soldiers.”