Wedding guests celebrating an LGBT union are under investigation after drunkenly insulting Polish troops stationed close to the country’s border with Belarus.
Video footage, which has since gone viral after being posted online, shows around 20 revelers surrounding soldiers from the Podlasie Military Task Force in the picturesque eastern village of Wyczółki.
The party guests are seen yelling abuse, making obscene gestures, and spitting at soldiers who had been returning from duty on the border when they found the road blocked by the group.
As the soldiers attempt to drive away, the footage shows a woman pulling down her underwear and exposing her behind.
The incident, in the early hours of Sunday morning, has since sparked widespread condemnation, with Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz saying: “There is no consent for insulting, mocking, and any attacks on soldiers defending our borders and ensuring the safety of our homeland.”
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak described the incident as “scandalous” and “an explosion of stupidity, alcohol, and rudeness.”
He added that “the soldiers behaved rationally, i.e., they simply turned around and walked away (...) although they certainly could have dealt with this noisy, aggressive group.
“You can see it in the videos—the commander decided: 'We will not get into a fight with some screaming youths.'
“We will not allow such behavior. This applies to soldiers near the border or people anywhere in Poland, i.e., if someone is attacked by such a group for no reason, [if] it was unprovoked, they can count on police action, police protection, and punishment of the guilty.”
Police in the eastern Podlasie region say they are investigating and that the organizers of the incident have been charged.
Spokesman Tomasz Krupa said: “They were charged with, among other things, disturbing the peace and organizing an event causing traffic disruption.
“As can be seen in the recordings, the people present there were moving on a public road. They face a penalty of arrest, a fine, or a reprimand. The court will make the decision.”
The incident comes as Poland announces its plans to sharply increase the number of troops on its border with Belarus.
Since the summer of 2021, Minsk has been waging hybrid warfare against the EU’s eastern flank by deliberately sending migrants, primarily from the Middle East and Africa, to its frontiers with Poland and the Baltic states.
Several Polish servicemen have been injured and one has died during clashes with the migrants.
The party guests are seen yelling abuse, making obscene gestures, and spitting at soldiers who had been returning from duty on the border when they found the road blocked by the group.
As the soldiers attempt to drive away, the footage shows a woman pulling down her underwear and exposing her behind.
The incident, in the early hours of Sunday morning, has since sparked widespread condemnation, with Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz saying: “There is no consent for insulting, mocking, and any attacks on soldiers defending our borders and ensuring the safety of our homeland.”
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— WarNewsPL (@WarNewsPL1) July 15, 2024
❗️Czy ktoś nam wytłumaczy co tu się wydarzyło?
Czy osoby na zamieszczonym przez @Pylo22873978 filmie zostały zidentyfikowane i zatrzymane?@MON_GOV_PL @Straz_Graniczna @PolskaPolicja @Sluzby_w_akcji
Część 1👇 pic.twitter.com/KVtRw3lSnK
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak described the incident as “scandalous” and “an explosion of stupidity, alcohol, and rudeness.”
He added that “the soldiers behaved rationally, i.e., they simply turned around and walked away (...) although they certainly could have dealt with this noisy, aggressive group.
“You can see it in the videos—the commander decided: 'We will not get into a fight with some screaming youths.'
“We will not allow such behavior. This applies to soldiers near the border or people anywhere in Poland, i.e., if someone is attacked by such a group for no reason, [if] it was unprovoked, they can count on police action, police protection, and punishment of the guilty.”
Police in the eastern Podlasie region say they are investigating and that the organizers of the incident have been charged.
Spokesman Tomasz Krupa said: “They were charged with, among other things, disturbing the peace and organizing an event causing traffic disruption.
“As can be seen in the recordings, the people present there were moving on a public road. They face a penalty of arrest, a fine, or a reprimand. The court will make the decision.”
The incident comes as Poland announces its plans to sharply increase the number of troops on its border with Belarus.
Since the summer of 2021, Minsk has been waging hybrid warfare against the EU’s eastern flank by deliberately sending migrants, primarily from the Middle East and Africa, to its frontiers with Poland and the Baltic states.
Several Polish servicemen have been injured and one has died during clashes with the migrants.
Source: TVN24
