Belarus Migrant Crisis Spurs Tensions in Europe
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Thousands of migrants from the Middle East camped on the border of Poland and Belarus on Thursday, caught in the middle of an escalating diplomatic crisis.
Earlier this year, Belarus began offering tourist visas to migrants and reportedly escorting them to the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia once they arrived; some migrants told ABC News (Lean Left) that Belarusian border guards would often “lead them to crossing points and cut holes in border fences to let them through.” The U.S. and the E.U. have both accused Belarus of funneling migrants into Europe as retribution for E.U. sanctions over the disputed election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Amid calls for additional sanctions against Belarus, Lukashenko on Thursday threatened to shut off natural gas pipelines to Europe. On Wednesday and Thursday, Russian nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Belarusian border in what news outlets called a “show of support.”
Coverage was most prominent among left- and center-rated outlets that tend to focus more on world news. While some left-rated outlets like New York Times (Lean Left) and Washington Post (Lean Left) featured coverage at the top of their homepages, some major right-rated outlets like Fox News (Right) appeared not to cover the story at all.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
‘We became like a chicken in a cage,’ a migrant says, trapped between Belarus and Poland.
Exhausted, freezing and exposed to the elements, Bayar Awat, his wife and infant daughter have been stuck on the Belarusian side of the Polish border for more than a week after leaving their homes in a desperate gambit to reach the European Union.
One of several thousand migrants from Iraq’s Kurdistan region at the Belarus border, Mr. Awat said that he knew Belarus was using migrants like him and his family as pawns in its own political battles, but that he was determined not to return to Iraq. He and...
From the Center
Neighbours of Belarus say migrant crisis risks military clash
Countries bordering Belarus on Thursday warned the migrant crisis on the European Union's eastern borders could escalate into a military confrontation while Ukraine said it would deploy thousands more troops to reinforce its frontier.
From the Right
Poland to reinforce Belarus border and offer aid to migrants
Poland will build a fence along its border with Belarus and deploy more soldiers to the area to stop migrants from entering the country.
More than 900 soldiers will be sent, and an 8-foot-tall barrier will be constructed on the border, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced Monday.
"We are dealing with an attack on Poland ," he said during a news conference at the border. "It is an attempt to trigger a migration crisis."
The Polish government will also offer humanitarian assistance to migrants stuck at the border for over two weeks.
Poland is one of four European Union nations...
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