Polish journalist infiltrates anti-immigrant 'Civil Patrols' congress, documents anti-Ukrainian rhetoric
A journalist for the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza registered as a member of the 'Civil Patrols' (Patrole Obywatelskie) movement, attended its first national congress on the first weekend of September, and documented participants making hostile statements about Ukrainians and other foreigners. He was asked to leave the event after being recognized as a journalist. The congress took place on a campsite and was the movement's first such gathering since it was founded in 2024.
Key points
- Rafał Górski of Gazeta Wyborcza registered as a member and paid a 10-złoty monthly fee, receiving membership card number 1662/2026.
- The first national congress of 'Civil Patrols' was held on a campsite during the first weekend of September.
- The movement, founded in 2024, claims 2,000 patrols across Poland via a network of regional coordinators and has previously been linked to an attack on a dormitory housing foreigners.
- A participant named Paweł listed Prime Minister Donald Tusk, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the European Union and Ukraine as enemies.
- A participant named Marek said Ukrainians are ungrateful and that some have lived in Poland for four years without learning a word of Polish.
- An honorary member named Grzegorz claimed a taxi driver acquaintance drives Ukrainians to the forest every week for secret meetings against Poland, saying they 'conspire at night.'
- Members also named Colombians as a problem, complaining of loud music and drinking that police fail to address.
- Górski was asked to leave after an attendee responsible for media contacts recognized him as a journalist.
Why it matters
The infiltration gives a direct inside view of a Polish movement engaged in anti-Ukrainian and xenophobic rhetoric, including explicit conspiracy claims about Ukrainians meeting secretly in forests to plot against Poland. Participants publicly listed the Polish prime minister, his predecessor, the EU and Ukraine as enemies, making the congress a notable flashpoint in Polish political and immigration discourse.
What happened
Rafał Górski, a journalist for Gazeta Wyborcza, joined the 'Civil Patrols' (Patrole Obywatelskie) movement by filling out a form in its app and paying a 10-złoty monthly membership fee. He was issued membership card number 1662/2026 and attended the movement's first national congress, held on a campsite during the first weekend of September. The congress combined a general meeting of the movement's board with its debut nationwide gathering since the movement was founded in 2024. During the event, participants made a series of hostile and conspiratorial statements about foreigners. A participant named Paweł named Prime Minister Donald Tusk, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the European Union and Ukraine as the movement's enemies. Another participant, Marek, said Ukrainians are 'the worst,' are ungrateful and that some have lived in Poland for four years without learning a word of Polish. An honorary member named Grzegorz claimed a taxi driver he knows drives Ukrainians to the forest every week for secret meetings against Poland, adding that 'they conspire at night.' Members also named Colombians as a problem, complaining of loud music, drinking and police inaction. After an attendee responsible for media contacts identified Górski as a journalist, he was asked to leave the event.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both Ukrainian-language sources covering the story, from hromadske and NV, frame the congress explicitly as a gathering of a xenophobic movement. They foreground the participants' hostile statements about Ukrainians and the conspiracy claim about secret forest meetings, presenting the infiltration as evidence of organized anti-Ukrainian sentiment within a Polish civic group.
Background
The 'Civil Patrols' movement was founded in 2024 and claims to have carried out 2,000 patrols across Poland through a network of regional coordinators. The group has previously been linked to violent incidents, including an attack on a dormitory that was motivated by the presence of foreign residents.