The Oder Bridge between Germany and Poland: The decline of a European symbol
On this Friday, July 4, the dozens of European Union flags along the metal walkway fluttered as if in defiance of what was happening on both banks. The two volunteers stationed on the Polish side of the bridge's entrance were with Ruch Obrony Granic (Movement for the Defense of Borders), a nationalist group founded by activist Robert Bakiewicz. They were collecting signatures for a referendum "against the mandatory acceptance of illegal migrants," and they had been present there since the presidential election on June 1, which brought victory for nationalist conservative Karol Nawrocki.
"Germany is sending illegal migrants back to Poland even though it has no right to do so," explained Camilla, a babyfaced Polish student wearing a Virgin Mary medal around her neck. "Germany doesn't want these migrants, because they don't work. And our government helps them. There are videos on the internet." Their small stand drew reactions from locals. "They're always here, and they seem harmless, but as soon as the cameras are gone, they stir up panic," fumed Beate, who runs a small tobacco shop near the stand. "They stop people on the bridge and check them! They'd check me, too, if I didn't work next door," she said with exasperation, pointing to her dark hair. "They drive me crazy!"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local France
2 hours ago
- Local France
EU unveils 'stockpiling strategy' to prepare for war
The "stockpiling strategy" from Brussels comes as NATO warns that Russia -- currently waging war on EU neighbour Ukraine -- could be ready to attack the alliance within five years. The 27-nation bloc has launched a broad readiness push to bolster its militaries and try to ensure it can defend itself by 2030. "The goal is very simple to make sure that essential supplies that keep our societies running, especially the ones that save lives, are always available," EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said. "The more we prepare, the less we panic." The EU says the new stockpiling plan is aimed at securing the continuity of key goods during a raft of crises "such as major energy blackouts, natural disasters, conflicts or pandemics." It involves establishing a network between countries to better coordinate stocks, identifying gaps and bolstering "EU-level stockpiles". READ ALSO: EU tells citizens to stockpile three days of supplies in case of attack or disaster The levels of crisis preparedness among EU citizens vary markedly from country to country. Member states, such as Finland, living under Moscow's shadow on the EU's eastern border, have long worked on having society ready for potential conflict. "Of course, if you have a 1,000 kilometres border with Russia, you will feel threatened potentially by a war," Lahbib said. Advertisement "But it is normal, that in Spain, they feel that wildfires are more likely to happen. There is no one size fits all." Lahbib insisted that whatever the cause of a crisis -- be it conflict or natural disasters -- the impact on citizens such as energy blackouts can be similar. "People are without energy, and that's why we need to stockpile items everywhere in the European Union," she said. In March, as part of its efforts, the EU advised every household to have a three-day survival kit including water, food and flashlights ready in case of emergencies.
Fashion Network
3 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Trump issues more letters to countries in push for tariff deals
US President Donald Trump released a fresh set of letters to trading partners Wednesday, setting out tariff rates for seven more countries as Washington pushes to bring about a flurry of trade deals. The letters, addressed to leaders of the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Moldova, spelled out duties ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent that would take effect on August 1. Similar to Trump's first batch of documents published Monday, the levels were not too far from those originally threatened in April, although some partners received notably lower rates this time. Sri Lanka's updated tariff was 30 percent, down from 44 percent announced in April, while the figure for Iraq was 30 percent, down from 39 percent. The Philippines, however, saw a 20 percent levy, up from 17 percent announced previously. While the president in April imposed a 10 percent levy on almost all trading partners, he unveiled -- and then withheld -- higher rates for dozens of economies. The deadline for those steeper levels to take effect was meant to be Wednesday, before Trump postponed it further to August 1. Instead, countries who face the threats of elevated duties began receiving letters spelling out US tariff rates on their products. Trump said Wednesday that he decided on the levies based on "common sense" and trade deficits. He added at an event that he would release more letters later in the day -- including for Brazil, which does not currently face a tariff hike come August. Trump's latest messages were near-identical to those published earlier in the week, and justified his tariffs as a response to trade ties that he says are "far from Reciprocal." They urged countries to manufacture products in the United States to avoid duties, while threatening further escalation if leaders retaliated. For now, over 20 countries have received Trump's letters including key US allies Japan and South Korea, as well as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand. Analysts have noted that Asian countries have been a key target so far. But all eyes are on the state of negotiations with major partners who have yet to receive such letters, including the European Union. For now, the Trump administration is under pressure to unveil more trade pacts. So far, Washington has only reached agreements with Britain and Vietnam, alongside a deal to temporarily lower tit-for-tat levies with China. Trump on Tuesday said that his government was "probably two days off" from sending the EU a letter with an updated tariff rate for the bloc. "They're very tough, but now they're being very nice to us," he added at a cabinet meeting. An EU spokesman said Wednesday that the bloc wants to strike a deal with the United States "in the coming days," and has shown readiness to reach an agreement in principle. EU diplomats say the European Commission, in charge of trade policy for the 27-country bloc, could continue talks until August 1. The EU expects Trump to keep a 10 percent baseline tariff on its goods, with exemptions for critical sectors such as airplanes, spirits and cosmetics, diplomats told AFP this week. Legal challenges to Trump's sweeping tariffs are continuing to work their way through the US court system. Apart from tariffs targeting goods from different countries, Trump has also rolled out sector-specific duties on steel, aluminum and autos since returning to the White House in January. On Tuesday, Trump said levies were incoming on copper and pharmaceuticals. The planned rate for copper is 50 percent, he added, while pharmaceutical products face a levy as high as 200 percent -- but manufacturers would be given time to relocate operations. Copyright © 2025 AFP. All rights reserved. All information displayed in this section (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the contents of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presses.
Fashion Network
3 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Trump issues more letters to countries in push for tariff deals
Sri Lanka's updated tariff was 30 percent, down from 44 percent announced in April, while the figure for Iraq was 30 percent, down from 39 percent. The Philippines, however, saw a 20 percent levy, up from 17 percent announced previously. While the president in April imposed a 10 percent levy on almost all trading partners, he unveiled -- and then withheld -- higher rates for dozens of economies. The deadline for those steeper levels to take effect was meant to be Wednesday, before Trump postponed it further to August 1. Instead, countries who face the threats of elevated duties began receiving letters spelling out US tariff rates on their products. Trump said Wednesday that he decided on the levies based on "common sense" and trade deficits. He added at an event that he would release more letters later in the day -- including for Brazil, which does not currently face a tariff hike come August. Trump's latest messages were near-identical to those published earlier in the week, and justified his tariffs as a response to trade ties that he says are "far from Reciprocal." They urged countries to manufacture products in the United States to avoid duties, while threatening further escalation if leaders retaliated. For now, over 20 countries have received Trump's letters including key US allies Japan and South Korea, as well as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand. Analysts have noted that Asian countries have been a key target so far. But all eyes are on the state of negotiations with major partners who have yet to receive such letters, including the European Union. For now, the Trump administration is under pressure to unveil more trade pacts. So far, Washington has only reached agreements with Britain and Vietnam, alongside a deal to temporarily lower tit-for-tat levies with China. Trump on Tuesday said that his government was "probably two days off" from sending the EU a letter with an updated tariff rate for the bloc. "They're very tough, but now they're being very nice to us," he added at a cabinet meeting. An EU spokesman said Wednesday that the bloc wants to strike a deal with the United States "in the coming days," and has shown readiness to reach an agreement in principle. EU diplomats say the European Commission, in charge of trade policy for the 27-country bloc, could continue talks until August 1. The EU expects Trump to keep a 10 percent baseline tariff on its goods, with exemptions for critical sectors such as airplanes, spirits and cosmetics, diplomats told AFP this week. Legal challenges to Trump's sweeping tariffs are continuing to work their way through the US court system. Apart from tariffs targeting goods from different countries, Trump has also rolled out sector-specific duties on steel, aluminum and autos since returning to the White House in January. On Tuesday, Trump said levies were incoming on copper and pharmaceuticals. The planned rate for copper is 50 percent, he added, while pharmaceutical products face a levy as high as 200 percent -- but manufacturers would be given time to relocate operations.
