Sokolka, Poland, Nov 11 (AFP/APP):In a town swept up in the migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border, residents said they were worried by the growing tensions but voiced support for the Polish government’s tough stance.
Since Monday, when hundreds of migrants marched to the Polish border from Belarus, columns of police and military vehicles have criss-crossed the normally sleepy town of around 19,000 people.
“I’m afraid of the migrants getting through and what the consequences would be,” said Henryk Lenkiewicz, a 67-year-old pensioner walking by a community noticeboard in the town centre.
But 79-year-old Regina said she was more worried about the stand-off with Belarus than the migrants.
“We are afraid of the situation with Belarus. There are dozens of police cars going back and forth in the town,” she said as she waited for a bus.
The government has accused Belarus of “state terrorism”, saying the regime is sending migrants, most of them from the Middle East, to the EU and NATO border and pushing them to cross.
It has sent 15,000 troops to the border to aid police and border guards to stop the migrants getting through, overwhelming the border region.
“The residents here are under constant stress,” said the deputy mayor, Piotr Romanowicz.
Izabela Korecki, a 38-year-old housewife out for a walk with her two daughters, agreed saying: “We hear the sirens and helicopters all the time
Follow the PNI Facebook page for the latest news and updates.
