A video emerged on social media Tuesday that allegedly showed Polish farmers dumping pig manure around the outskirts of their property to deter Muslim immigrants from entering from Belarus. In it, a Polish-speaking individual states that the manure would prevent the immigrants from entering because their Muslim faith has restrictions surrounding pork.
Eastern European media outlet NEXTA posted the video with the caption: "They decided to fill the border strip between #Poland and #Belarus with pig manure. Polish farmers learned the idea from the Greeks, who a few years ago tried to stop refugees from the Middle East in this way. Polish farmers also assume that most of the foreigners on the Polish-Belarusian border are Muslims who don't eat pork. 'We count on the fact that if we spread pig manure, illegal migrants will not pass through this strip because their faith will not allow them to do so,' the farmers say."
In the video, an agricultural tractor can be seen hooked to a manure-spraying device before the camera pans upwards to a helicopter soaring just overhead. The footage then cuts to the manure being sprayed and the camera zooms in on the gate surrounding the property.
Polish farmers had reportedly warned they would be dumping the manure to defend their borders, according to an article published June 7 by local media outlet CenyRolnicze.
Hubert Ojdana of the Grassroots National Farmers' Protest organization provided a statement which has been roughly translated: "Look what times we live in. A soldier at the border cannot fire a shot, and the police in Warsaw can shoot at farmers with rubber bullets and can club them. How should we function, how should we live? What country do we live in?"
It continued: "There has been a refugee crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border for a long time. Hordes of people who pose a real threat to us are being sent to our border. These are often men in the prime of their lives. We farmers, especially those who have fields near the Belarusian border, cooperate closely with Border Guard officers, the police and the army. We often help them by telling them where these immigrants are. It is these brave people who risk their lives to defend our safety. Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates this. There were those who were able to insult them. Such people do not deserve to be given a hand."
"Only the border guard, farmers and residents of border towns know how strong our cooperation is and how much support we provide for each other. Unfortunately, our Border Guard officers, because this is how we treat them, are under increasing attack. We won't wait any longer for someone to sort this out. We join in the defense of our borders. We will systematically pour pig slurry on the border areas. By using our equipment, we will always support our officers who risk their lives for our safety. Farmers feed, but they will also defend," the statement ended.
Eastern European media outlet NEXTA posted the video with the caption: "They decided to fill the border strip between #Poland and #Belarus with pig manure. Polish farmers learned the idea from the Greeks, who a few years ago tried to stop refugees from the Middle East in this way. Polish farmers also assume that most of the foreigners on the Polish-Belarusian border are Muslims who don't eat pork. 'We count on the fact that if we spread pig manure, illegal migrants will not pass through this strip because their faith will not allow them to do so,' the farmers say."
In the video, an agricultural tractor can be seen hooked to a manure-spraying device before the camera pans upwards to a helicopter soaring just overhead. The footage then cuts to the manure being sprayed and the camera zooms in on the gate surrounding the property.
Polish farmers had reportedly warned they would be dumping the manure to defend their borders, according to an article published June 7 by local media outlet CenyRolnicze.
Hubert Ojdana of the Grassroots National Farmers' Protest organization provided a statement which has been roughly translated: "Look what times we live in. A soldier at the border cannot fire a shot, and the police in Warsaw can shoot at farmers with rubber bullets and can club them. How should we function, how should we live? What country do we live in?"
It continued: "There has been a refugee crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border for a long time. Hordes of people who pose a real threat to us are being sent to our border. These are often men in the prime of their lives. We farmers, especially those who have fields near the Belarusian border, cooperate closely with Border Guard officers, the police and the army. We often help them by telling them where these immigrants are. It is these brave people who risk their lives to defend our safety. Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates this. There were those who were able to insult them. Such people do not deserve to be given a hand."
"Only the border guard, farmers and residents of border towns know how strong our cooperation is and how much support we provide for each other. Unfortunately, our Border Guard officers, because this is how we treat them, are under increasing attack. We won't wait any longer for someone to sort this out. We join in the defense of our borders. We will systematically pour pig slurry on the border areas. By using our equipment, we will always support our officers who risk their lives for our safety. Farmers feed, but they will also defend," the statement ended.
