The German Interior Minister will visit the Federal Police at the Polish-German border in Goerlitz next Tuesday, August 13, 2024. The Federal Ministry of the Interior plans to organize the Minister's visit to the "Bridge of Friendship" between Goerlitz and Zgorzelec as part of a so-called "security tour" that Nancy Faeser will conduct through several federal states.
Since October 2023, Germany has completely reorganized border controls with Poland and the Czech Republic by introducing unilateral stationary border checks in violation of Schengen agreements. Initially, these were described as short-term checks that were to be lifted after two weeks. Weeks and months have passed, and Germany continues to tighten its eastern borders. It is particularly interesting how the German side manages to deploy so many officers for these border controls — not only at the checkpoints themselves, but especially in the hinterland, as extensive checks are being conducted 10, 20, and even 30 kilometers from the border.
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In the Forst/Nisa/Rietschen/Goerlitz area, one can count as many as several dozen patrol cars monitoring these regions on German territory. On the Polish side, on the A4 highway, German police patrol cars can also be spotted, which may also be part of so-called mobile controls. Residents of Goerlitz note, however, that in their view Polish police patrol cars — despite being supposed to patrol a stretch of highway on the German side under a reciprocal arrangement — are not visible.
Checks at the checkpoints in Klein Bademeusel and Goerlitz are conducted mainly by very young Federal Police officers. They are very physically fit individuals who cope very well with the heat and the conditions of open-air border checks. In the checkpoint tunnel at Klein Bademeusel itself, there are 5 to 7 officers present. The majority are very young women, no older than 20. At the checkpoint in Goerlitz, checks on entry into Germany are also conducted by young male officers whose appearance suggests Middle Eastern origin.
In special situations, when a crime has been committed, we also check vehicles entering Poland,
a young officer told the author of this report.
About 100 to 200 meters from the border bridge, there is a four-star hotel in front of which 8 to 10 patrol cars are parked. Officers deployed to this section of the border stay overnight in this hotel.
The meeting with residents of Goerlitz, Zgorzelec, the press, and her own officers in Goerlitz will not be easy for the Minister. The situation on this stretch is tense, as not only Polish media but also German newspapers are reporting on the pushbacks being carried out here by the Germans. The local newspaper Saechsische Zeitung is also concerned about devices installed on the Polish-German bridge. These cameras reportedly record license plates, but personal data could just as easily be transmitted the same way — data whose transfer the unwitting citizens being scanned have not consented to. Nancy Faeser will have to answer these and other difficult questions in Goerlitz.
