Our statement about the situation on the border

The Section of Kurdish Studies at the Jagiellonian University, we, the scholars and postgraduate students associated with it, call on the Polish and European authorities, border guards, and policemen not to ignore the human tragedy taking place on the Polish-Belarusian border. We reject the depiction of refugees as enemies, and their degradation as “tools” in the hands of other forces. The enemy is certainly not the desperate, hungry, and cold people who are searching for a better life. These people are not a "tool in the hands of others," but above all suffering people who need to be provided with water, food, shelter, and first aid. We are concerned that in these tragic circumstances there appears to be no attempt to address their situation, but rather only efforts to impose sanctions against the Belarusian regime. It brings shame not only on the so-called European values, but also to all those in Polish history who struggled for human dignity.