Polish flags hung by far-right group remain on bridge connecting Germany and Poland despite official objections.
Unapproved Polish Flags Dominate Bridge
For months, Polish flags have been hanging along the bridge connecting Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany and Słubice in Poland. They were placed there in the summer by the far-right group Ruch Obrony Granic, which for several months led so-called citizen patrols on the Polish-German border searching for migrants.
According to Der Spiegel, the flags were hung without permission and against the will of the authorities in both cities. “For months, these flags have dominated the image of the bridge, which in reality is supposed to symbolize invisible borders, united Europe. This is also because for a long time they hung in an area of overlapping competencies: too Polish for Germany, too German for Poland,” the magazine reported.
German City Responds with EU Flags
Der Spiegel quoted Sören Bollmann, head of the Słubice-Frankfurt Cooperation Center, who said that for a long time no one wanted to address the problem. The magazine explained that the Brandenburg State Road Administration is responsible for maintaining the bridge, while the Polish road administration handles the road itself from the border.
Bollmann stated he wants the bridge to be perceived as a connection between the two cities. Frankfurt authorities responded to the provocation from the self-proclaimed Border Defense Movement by placing EU flags along the bridge. However, according to the magazine, the permission for this expired after a month and the EU flags disappeared, while the Polish ones remained.
Authorities Hesitate to Intervene
The city of Słubice has opposed the actions of the self-proclaimed group from the beginning. “Regardless of the symbolism used, such actions create an atmosphere of conflict and are contrary to the ideals represented by the bridge,” the magazine reported. Nevertheless, Słubice did not intervene, with the mayor explaining she didn’t want further escalation and had no formal authority to remove the flags.
Flags Temporarily Removed and Quickly Reappear
The Spokesperson of the General Directorate of National Roads and Motorways in Warsaw explained that the flags on the border bridge would be removed by the police. This did happen, but only briefly. “For just two days, no red-and-white flag waved on the bridge. Then new ones appeared,” Der Spiegel reported.
