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Poland’s PiS party plans anti-migrant rally in October

30.07.2025 09:30
Poland's right-wing opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party is planning a massive protest against illegal immigration in Warsaw on October 11, its leader has announced.
Polands opposition leader Jarosław Kaczyński speaks at a news conference in Warsaw on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
Poland's opposition leader Jarosław Kaczyński speaks at a news conference in Warsaw on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.Photo: PAP/Piotr Nowak

Speaking at a news conference in the Polish capital on Tuesday, Jarosław Kaczyński called on "all patriotic forces" to join the demonstration, which he said would oppose the European Union’s migration pact and what he described as efforts by "Germany and Brussels" to "impose migrant relocation" policies on Poland.

"We are at the beginning of an operation aimed at making Poland bear the heavy burden of migration," Kaczyński said. "We want to convince the government to resist what Germany and Brussels are preparing for us."

The rally will begin at noon in Warsaw’s Castle Square, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

Kaczyński argued that Poland had fulfilled its moral obligations in the past by offering protection to "real refugees" from war-torn Ukraine, and that it now has "no such duty."

"There is a great moral, political and national need to oppose this," he told reporters.

'PiS responsible for legal migration': far-right MP

Sławomir Mentzen, a prominent lawmaker with the far-right Confederation party, said on social media that the PiS party is to blame for a surge in migration to Poland.

"I’m not surprised they’re only protesting illegal immigration, because PiS is responsible for legal migration," he wrote on X.

Mentzen, who finished third in the first round of Poland's presidential election in May and has scored high approval ratings in recent polls, argued that "legal migration from culturally different countries is now the biggest problem"

PiS spokesman Rafał Bochenek called for "unity and cooperation" on the right side of the political spectrum "to stop the practice of pushing migrants on us and making Poland responsible for others’ mistakes."

Kaczyński 'inciting hate and xenophobia': gov't spokesman

Government spokesman Adam Szłapka called Kaczyński’s plan hypocritical, saying he "abhors hypocrisy."

He said that when the PiS party was in power from 2015 to 2023, it created "enormous chaos" in the Polish visa system and was responsible for "the largest influx of migrants to Poland in history."

"And now Kaczyński wants to organize anti-migrant marches," Szłapka said. "It’s hard to call it anything other than hypocrisy."

He accused PiS of "cynically building its political message on inciting hate and xenophobia," warning that such tactics promote violence and aggression in society.

His remarks come as migration continues to fuel tensions in Polish politics and remains a key flashpoint in broader EU debates over migration policy.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP/PAP