A recent incident at the German-Polish border near Guben, Brandenburg, has highlighted tensions surrounding border management and the involvement of civilian groups. According to a report in “Der Spiegel”, citing an internal document, attempts by German federal police to return an 18-year-old Afghan national to Poland were repeatedly thwarted by a self-proclaimed Polish “citizen’s militia.
The group, believed to be members of the “Movement for Border Defense” (“Ruch Obrony Granic”), which has been described as right-wing, allegedly pressured the young man to return to Germany after initial attempts by German police to send him across the city bridge.
Following the initial setback, German police contacted their Polish counterparts, who dispatched a patrol to the scene. German authorities then attempted to facilitate the Afghan’s passage across the bridge again. However, the self-proclaimed “citizen’s militia” again compelled him to turn back, this time seemingly without intervention from the Polish border guard.
German police reportedly insisted on a revised approach. The commander of the Polish border guard, however, allegedly refused to permit the young man’s entry over the bridge. Subsequently, the Afghan was reportedly transported to Bad Muskau, approximately 60 kilometers away and then directed across the border into Poland. No civilian groups or Polish border guards were present at that location.
The Federal Interior Ministry declined to comment on the specific case or actions undertaken by other authorities, stating it generally does not address individual incidents or measures taken by external agencies.