Polish flags hung without permission by a far-right group remain flying on the bridge between Frankfurt an der Oder and Słubice months later, creating a diplomatic dispute.
Jurisdictional Conflict
For months, Polish flags have hung along the bridge crossing between Frankfurt an der Oder and Słubice. They were placed there in summer by the far-right group Movement for Border Defense, which previously conducted so-called citizen patrols on the Polish-German border tracking immigrants.
According to Der Spiegel, the flags were hung without permission and against the will of Frankfurt and Słubice authorities. Over time, however, no one has removed them. “For months, these flags have dominated the image of the bridge, which was supposed to symbolize invisible borders and united Europe,” the magazine reported, noting that this happened because for a long time the flags hung in an area of overlapping responsibilities—too Polish for Germany, too German for Poland.
Frankfurt’s Response
Der Spiegel quoted Sören Bollmann, head of the Slubicko-Frankfurt Cooperation Center, who said that for a long time no one wanted to address the issue. The magazine explained that the Brandenburg State Road Administration is responsible for maintaining the bridge, while the Polish road administration is responsible for the road itself. For Brandenburg, approving the flag hanging was not a bridge maintenance issue.
Bollmann stated that he wants the bridge to be perceived as a connection between the two cities. He admitted that Frankfurt authorities did not want to respond provocations from the self-proclaimed Movement for Border Defense. Instead, they responded with a symbolic gesture by placing European Union flags along the bridge. According to the magazine, the permit for these expired after a month, and the EU flags disappeared, while the Polish ones remained.
Escalating Tensions
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 contradict the ideals that the bridge represents,” the magazine reported. Despite this, Słubice did not intervene to remove the flags. “The mayor explained that she does not want to further escalate the conflict with the self-proclaimed group and pointed out that she has no formal authority to remove the flags, as ultimately the German side is supposed to be responsible for managing the bridge,” the weekly stated.
Police Intervention
Ultimately, the General Inspectorate for National Roads and Motorways in Warsaw explained to Der Spiegel that the flags on the border bridge would be removed by the police. This happened, but not for long. “For barely two days, not a single red-and-white flag waved on the bridge. Then new ones appeared,” the magazine reported.
