Business protests against closed borders with Belarus took place in Poland

In the center of the Polish city of Bialystok, entrepreneurs who conduct business on the border with Belarus protested in connection with the border situation in the region. This was announced on March 29 by the radio station Polskie Radio Bialystok.

It is specified that about 100 people took part in the demonstration organized by the Polish Business Union "United East". They tried to inform the authorities that their business was suffering losses due to the consequences of the closure of the border posts on the border with Belarus two years ago.

"The protesters marched through the streets of Bialystok, calling the march a funeral, and their action a funeral for the economy of Podlasie. They carried two symbolic coffins: one with the inscription "Podlasie farm", the other with the obituary "Podlasie farm tragically died on February 10, 2023." This is the date of the closure of the border crossing with Belarus in Bobrovniki," the publication says.

According to Evelina Grygatovich-Shimovskaya, one of the organizers of the protest, based on data from the statistical office for January 2025, retail sales in the province decreased by 5.4%.

"This means that, compared to 2024, Podlaskie entrepreneurs sold 972 million zlotys less goods," she said.

On March 18, it was reported that the Polish border service was resorting to excessive use of force against migrants on the border with Belarus. Polish border guards beat asylum seekers, shoot at them with rubber bullets, strip them naked and unleash dogs on them.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, January 16, proposed to Poland to close all checkpoints on the border with Belarus. According to him, Minsk does not supply Warsaw with anything. He pointed out that he would not "with a noose around his neck" protect Poland from migrants, which burdens the people of Belarus with sanctions measures.