Poland Backs Away From Plan to Accommodate Migrants After Paris Attack

Appearing to take political advantage of Friday's deadly terror attacks in Paris, an official from Poland's incoming government told local media that Warsaw may now back out of its commitment to host refugees under Brussels-mandated quotas.

Commenting on the attacks in an op-ed for Polish news portal wPolityce.pl, European Affairs Minister designate Konrad Szymanski noted that his government had not agreed to the EU-mandated relocation measures in the first place, and that now, "in the face of the tragic events in Paris, we do not see the political feasibility of implementing the decision [to relocate] refugees."

Szymanski, one of the leading figures of the right-nationalist Law and Justice Party, which trounced its moderate right opponents in elections last month, noted that "the attacks [in Paris] indicate the need for an even deeper revision of European policy on the migrant crisis."

The official added that "Europe must urgently put on the agenda proposals [on tightening] the EU's external border controls, and those aiming at fighting the crisis at the source, in agreement with third countries." 

It remains unclear exactly which third countries Szymanski was referring to, and whether the Syrian government, long demonized by Warsaw's allies in Washington, may be one of them.

Human Rights Watch EU Director Lotte Leicht criticized the minister designate's comments, tweeting that Szymanski's statements were a "ridiculous and ignorant response" to the terror attacks, and to refugees "flee[ing] war and persecution."

Gold medal to #Poland for the most ridiculous&ignorant response to #ParisAttacks #Refugees flee war and persecution https://t.co/TE9xYBTYdB

— Lotte Leicht (@LotteLeicht1) 14 ноября 2015

Leicht's comments were themselves subjected to criticism from Polish twitter users, who suggested that Szymanski's viewpoint represents the position of the majority in Poles, even if they may have been made at a politically insensitive moment.  A user named Lukasz angrily told Leicht that "believe me, we don't need your medals," with a user named Artur adding that the HRW official should "wipe ignorance off your face and get on with the human rights of the rightful citizens of EU."

A user named Joanna offered a more measured reply: "@LotteLeicht1 please do not forget that we are also human too, and also have our rights, and here is our home, refugees are only visitors." Moreover, not everyone supported Szymanski's comments, with a user named Marta noting that "as a Pole I am extremely embarrassed of those words. I'm so sorry World!"

@LotteLeicht1 please do not forget that we are also human too, and also have our rights, and here is our home, refugees are only visitors.

— Joanna Kolczyk (@sluchaczka) 14 ноября 2015

On Friday, a series of gun and bomb attacks were carried out in Paris, claiming the lives of at least 127 people and becoming the worst terrorist incident in French history. Following the attacks, over 300 people were hospitalized, 80 of them in a critical condition. On Saturday, French President Francois Hollande declared three days of mourning.

Ahead of last month's elections, the Law and Justice Party called on the EU to pay more attention to Poland's national interests, stepping out against accepting economic migrants and Muslim refugees from war-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Earlier, in September, the EU's interior ministers had approved a plan to redistribute some 160,000 refugees throughout the bloc under a quota system. An opinion poll conducted for Sputnik last month found that over half of Poles were opposed to the former government's decision to accept refugees under the EU plan.