Polish border troops fire water cannon at rock-throwing migrants

Polish border troops on Tuesday fired a water cannon at migrants across the border in Belarus after they allegedly threw rocks at them.

Video of the incident shared on Twitter by the Border Guard agency depicts the cannon being used on a group of migrants in freezing temperatures, according to The Associated Press.

“Attention, attention, if you don’t follow orders, force will be used against you,” a loudspeaker message directed at migrants throwing objects said, Reuters reported.

Znajdujący się po stronie białoruskiej migranci próbują niszczyć zabezpieczenia graniczne. pic.twitter.com/hdo0xv9e51

— MSWiA (@MSWiA_GOV_PL) November 16, 2021

According to Polish police, one officer was seriously injured with a possible skull fracture. He was taken to the hospital after being hit by an object at the border, the AP noted.

The news marks an escalation of the crisis at Poland’s border with Belarus, where numbers of migrants have surged in recent weeks, the news service noted.

Migrants also reportedly threw logs and bottles at Polish soldiers and the border fence and used sticks in an attempt to damage the barrier.

Poland’s parliament is set to enact a legislative proposal on Tuesday to regulate citizens’ ability to move in the border area, according to AP.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland’s ruling party leader, said earlier on Tuesday that he did not believe that armed conflict between the countries is a concern.

“We have a hybrid war, but an actual war, with arms, is not on our horizon. We are facing an unpredictable enemy,” Kaczynski told Polish public radio, according to Reuters.