What a zoo, a lot of pics.
We will defend our country and the entire EU': Polish soldiers force back hundreds of migrants at the border with pepper spray after Belarus dictator Lukashenko sent 1,000 refugees to invade
Poland has vowed to 'defend Europe' from a 'migrant invasion' unleashed by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko whose forces have coerced more than 1,000 refugees to smash through the border.
Desperate migrants gathered at the Belarusian frontier with Poland on Monday, attempting to hack down a barbed-wire fence only to meet a phalanx of Polish guards who forced them back with pepper spray.
Middle Eastern and African migrants have been flown into Belarus by Lukashenko who is using them as human cannon fodder in his battle with the EU, the US and Britain, after they imposed sanctions following a violent political crackdown, which included forcing a Ryanair flight from the sky in May.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said: 'The Polish government is determined and we will defend the security of our country and the entire EU, respecting our international obligations and bearing in mind, above all, the interests of the state and the safety of Polish soldiers, Border Guard officers and citizens.'
Warsaw called today's action 'an invasion' and declared it was sending 12,000 troops to reinforce 10,000 already stationed along the frontier.
Polish soldiers were seen pepper-spraying the migrants from behind a barbed-wire barrier as the desperate people tried to hack it down with branches and spades.
At other sections of the line, small children were held up by desperate parents who pleaded with the Polish forces to let them through, while others chanted: 'Germany,' renowned for its hospitality towards refugees.
Poland said on Monday it had repelled an attempt by hundreds of migrants to illegally cross the border with Belarus, but that thousands more were on the way and future attempts to breach its frontier could be 'armed in nature'.
Defense Ministry video taken later Monday showed the migrants settling in for the night by the border, having put up scores of tents and cooking meals.
A NATO official called the use of migrants 'a hybrid tactic', meaning a combined military-political operation, and said: 'NATO stands ready to further assist our allies, and maintain safety and security in the region'.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called on member states to impose new sanctions against Belarus and said the use 'of migrants for political purposes is unacceptable'. She added that the EU would also look at how to sanction 'third-country airlines' that bring migrants to Belarus.
The U.S. State Department also called for Belarus to stop 'orchestrating' an influx of migrants at the Polish border, blaming strongman Lukashenko for the 'coercion of vulnerable people.'
www.dailymail.co.uk
We will defend our country and the entire EU': Polish soldiers force back hundreds of migrants at the border with pepper spray after Belarus dictator Lukashenko sent 1,000 refugees to invade
- Desperate migrants gathered at Belarusian frontier with Poland on Monday, attempting to hack down fence
- The men, women and children, were met by a line of Polish guards who forced them back with pepper spray
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is accused of 'weaponising' the migrants in his war with the West
- He was slapped with sanctions for a violent crackdown and for forcing a Ryanair flight from the sky in May
- Middle Eastern and African people have been flown into Belarus and ferried to border by Lukashenko's men
- Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki vowed to defend his country 'and the entire EU' from the illegal entrants
- Warsaw called action 'invasion' and declared it was sending 12,000 troops to reinforce 10,000 already there
- EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has called on member states to impose new sanctions against Lukashenko
Poland has vowed to 'defend Europe' from a 'migrant invasion' unleashed by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko whose forces have coerced more than 1,000 refugees to smash through the border.
Desperate migrants gathered at the Belarusian frontier with Poland on Monday, attempting to hack down a barbed-wire fence only to meet a phalanx of Polish guards who forced them back with pepper spray.
Middle Eastern and African migrants have been flown into Belarus by Lukashenko who is using them as human cannon fodder in his battle with the EU, the US and Britain, after they imposed sanctions following a violent political crackdown, which included forcing a Ryanair flight from the sky in May.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said: 'The Polish government is determined and we will defend the security of our country and the entire EU, respecting our international obligations and bearing in mind, above all, the interests of the state and the safety of Polish soldiers, Border Guard officers and citizens.'
Warsaw called today's action 'an invasion' and declared it was sending 12,000 troops to reinforce 10,000 already stationed along the frontier.
Polish soldiers were seen pepper-spraying the migrants from behind a barbed-wire barrier as the desperate people tried to hack it down with branches and spades.
At other sections of the line, small children were held up by desperate parents who pleaded with the Polish forces to let them through, while others chanted: 'Germany,' renowned for its hospitality towards refugees.
Poland said on Monday it had repelled an attempt by hundreds of migrants to illegally cross the border with Belarus, but that thousands more were on the way and future attempts to breach its frontier could be 'armed in nature'.
Defense Ministry video taken later Monday showed the migrants settling in for the night by the border, having put up scores of tents and cooking meals.
A NATO official called the use of migrants 'a hybrid tactic', meaning a combined military-political operation, and said: 'NATO stands ready to further assist our allies, and maintain safety and security in the region'.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called on member states to impose new sanctions against Belarus and said the use 'of migrants for political purposes is unacceptable'. She added that the EU would also look at how to sanction 'third-country airlines' that bring migrants to Belarus.
The U.S. State Department also called for Belarus to stop 'orchestrating' an influx of migrants at the Polish border, blaming strongman Lukashenko for the 'coercion of vulnerable people.'
1000 migrants are massing on Polish border with Belarus
The extraordinary scenes are the most serious yet in a dispute that has seen Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko accused of 'weaponising' immigration and engaging in a 'hybrid war'.
