‘Instrumentalizing migrants’: Hundreds of refugees stranded in Belarus mass on border with Poland in hopes of crossing into the EU

Hundreds, if not thousands, of refugees stranded in Belarus set up an improvised camp on the border with Poland on the evening of Monday, November 8, following an unsuccessful attempt at a mass crossing into the European Union. Reportedly, most of the migrants are from the Middle East and many of them are Kurdish. Reports of a large column headed towards the border with Poland first appeared on social media on Monday morning. Videos and photos posted online show armed Belarusian border guards escorting migrants, including families with children, as they move towards the border area. In videos shared by the Polish Defense Ministry, groups of refugees can be seen trying to knock down a barbed-wire border fence, as Polish guards push them back with tear gas. Warsaw claims the escalation in tensions at the border was deliberately orchestrated by Minsk. Belarusian border authorities said on Monday that the migrants have no intention of staying in Belarus and that their ultimate destination is the EU. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/11/09/instrumentalizing-migrants