Migration Museum und Podiumsdiskussion

In the organizer's words:

7 p.m. Lecture and discussion
from 3 p.m. "Migration Museum" exhibition

When it comes to Fortress Europe and European migration policy, many people automatically think of people dying in the Mediterranean. But what happens at Europe's land borders? Activists from Poland report on the situation at the "Green Border" between Poland and Belarus, where they document the brutality of border guards and provide life-saving medical care to refugees.
The ongoing humanitarian crisis at Poland's border began in the summer of 2021, when Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko spread the message to refugees from war and crisis zones such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq that the route to Poland via Belarus was a safe route to the EU.

But the reality is different. Belarusian border guards open the border fences and send the people seeking protection towards Poland, but there are insurmountable fences on the Polish side - so the people are trapped in the no-man's land between the two countries, because Belarus does not let people back into the country either.
Trapped in the forest strip without water, food or medical care, those seeking protection often endure months of martyrdom. The activists have documented 60 deaths and many hundreds of people have disappeared in the forest. So far, the pushbacks and human rights violations at Poland's border have gone unprosecuted by the EU. It is not Europe's governments that are defending human rights and solidarity here, but solely the networks of Polish civil society. Local residents and activists are helping people in need. They are distributing blankets and food and providing first aid in the forests. In doing so, they often put themselves in danger and are criminalized and taken to court.

Our guests are:

• Maria Książak - International Humanitarian Initiative Foundation / Polish Center of Rehabilitation of Tortured
• Urszula Wolfram - Podlaskie Volunteer Rescue Service
• Kacper Dziedzic - Warsaw Art Academy

The three of them will report on the situation at the border at 7 pm and answer your questions.
Their exhibition "Migration Museum" will also be on display from 3 pm.