28 July 2025

Anti-Immigration Protest Erupts In 80 Polish Cities

Polish Protest
Last 19 July, anti-immigration marches under the slogan "Stop Immigration" took place in more than 80 Polish cities. Some of them were accompanied by counter-manifestations by left-wing circles. A total of 100 public gatherings were reported across the country.

Anti-immigration protests organized by the far-right Confederation Libery and Independence party took place in more than 80 cities across Poland, including in Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw, and Bialystok.

Demonstrators demanded the closure of the borders with Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Slovakia.

"Enough of the years-long policy of 'let everyone in, and who they are will be determined later'," Krzysztof Bosak, one of Confederation party's leaders, wrote on X.

"Polish women and men have the right to be concerned about the level of security in their own homeland," he added.

In a speech at the start of the march, Bosak demanded the resignation of Donald Tusk's government, the closure of the borders with Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Slovakia to curb illegal immigration, and the permission for soldiers to shoot at people who cross the border illegally.

"Without closing Poland to illegal immigration, without launching a deportation operation, without renouncing political correctness, without equipping the Border Guard and the forces responsible for controlling the legality of residence, and without controlling the labour market, security will gradually deteriorate," he said, calling for a change in policy.

The protests come shortly after Poland introduced border controls with Germany and Lithuania, which came into effect on 7 July.

On the Polish-German border, controls are in place at 52 places and on the Polish-Lithuanian border at 13.

The issue of migration has been widely up for debate, and a contentious topic in Polish politics, particularly as the country has experienced a rise in immigration in recent years.

In the first round of the presidential elections held in May, candidates of the far-right performed well, with Slawomir Mentzen of the Confederation Libery and Independence party and Grzegorz Braun of Confederation of the Polish Crown party coming in third and fourth, respectively.

Many believe that both candidates' successes were due to their hardline stance on migration.