Poland to build wall to stop migrants from entering via Belarus border; criticism rages

Polish parliament votes to build a wall along the nation’s border with Belarus so that it could stop migrants

When the world is striking down walls, Poland is set to do just the opposite. And why? To halt the inflow of migrants into the country!

With the Polish parliament voting to build a wall along the nation’s border with Belarus, it is expected that migrants who cross over will be stopped. It is a known fact that thousands of migrants, a large number of them from the Middle East and Asia, have been trying to cross Poland’s border in the past few months.

With the number of migrants crossing over Poland on an uptrend, the European Union has charged Belarus with being a catalyst for the rise in migration through Poland’s border and the reason is being attributed to the imposition of sanctions against the Belarus administration.

Poland wall vote to be law

The Polish parliament wants to stop the crossover which it believes is nothing but illegal entry. With the parliament okaying the construction of a wall along the Belarus border, Poland will begin work on an 18ft wall, at a cost of €353m (£297m). According to a BBC report, the new law that okays building of the wall will now be signed as legislation by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda.

However, Poland’s vote to construct the wall to stop illegal migrants has not gone down well with critics across the country. While some rebuked the plan as a waste of money, many others agree that Poland’s rejection of migrants and refugees at the border isn’t good.

Criticism galore against Poland move

The Polish administration isn’t perturbed though. The country is going ahead with the construction of the wall which will sport motion sensors and a monitoring system. It will stand tall along half the length of Poland’s 400km border with Belarus. If works happen at a good pace, the Polish government will see to it that the wall is up and ready by next summer.

It has been found that close to 500 illegal migrants trying to enter the country every passing day. This is a huge rise compared to just 120 people recorded during the whole of last year.

With criticism mounting against Poland’s policy of pushing back migrants and refugees, the country’s administration went ahead and slammed a state of emergency. This move also banned the media and aid workers from accessing the border.

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Feature Image Source: Europa Press