Thread by @astroehlein

Very disturbing news out of EU member Ruritania today, as the president declares that the country’s Polish minority are not human beings. He says Polishness is “just an ideology.”

This kind of dehumanization of a minority is often an early warning signal of bigger crimes to come, and already over the past months, we have seen increasing attacks on Polish people in the streets of communities across Ruritania. The ruling party is encouraging more.

Numerous towns and villages throughout Ruritania have also already declared “Pole-free zones”, with signs on the outskirts of these communities announcing where Polish people are not welcome.

The government's rhetoric against Polish people has also been increasing in recent months. In addition to the president, the country’s new education minister also says Poles are not humans and therefore have no human rights.

EU leaders have condemned the hate-mongering rhetoric of Ruritania's ruling party, and they have taken some symbolic steps, like cutting small amounts of funds to "Pole-free" towns.

But the EU has failed to respond with any significant steps in response to the Ruritanian government's attack on fundamental rights and equality that are supposedly at the core of EU values. (Not to mention the ruling party's wrecking of the independent judiciary.)

Even when the Ruritanian authorities target Polish activists peacefully demonstrating for their rights, the EU seems unable to stand up and defend these EU citizens.

What's next for Poles in Ruritania? Hard to say, but with street assaults against Poles increasing, with the police targeting Polish activists & with the government spreading hate against Poles, creating a permissive environment for more violence, anything could happen.

Some say a large-scale pogrom against the Polish minority is not possible. They say the ruling party just needs a scapegoat and hate target to rile up their base, and they won't let things go that far. But the ruling party has lit fires they can't control, so who knows?

Some Ruritania watchers say the next step could be a purge by the new education minister to get rid of teachers of Polish origin in schools and universities. The ruling party basically owns the courts now, so there's little to stop them doing this.

In the meantime, some Ruritanian Poles aren't waiting to find out. They are using their EU freedom of movement to leave Ruritania and set up a new life in other EU countries.

I know several Poles who've left Ruritania, saying, "I just want to live somewhere where I don't have to worry about getting beat up in the street every time I leave the house just because I'm Polish."

Of course, this story is not about Ruritania and its Polish minority. It's about Poland and its LGBT minority.

"LGBT-free zones" declared in Poland:
balkaninsight.com/2020/02/25/a-t…

Ugly campaign fed by state funds:
hrw.org/news/2019/08/0…

Crackdown on activists:
hrw.org/news/2020/08/0…

President's words:

https://twitter.com/astroehlein/status/1271851473077514242

New education minister's words:

https://twitter.com/astroehlein/status/1310989371621945344

Thread also in Polish:

https://twitter.com/astroehlein/status/1311258518951993344

See also:

https://twitter.com/astroehlein/status/1306563245457707009