German border police, who are to demonstrate this week against the opening of the Polish and Czech borders, were accused Sunday of alarmism. Joerg Schoenbohm, interior minister of one of the German border states, Brandenburg, said there was no evidence there would be an invasion of criminals and terrorists when border checks cease on December 21. He told the news magazine Focus that allegations to this effect by unions representing federal border police were "irresponsible alarmism" and a "perfidious" libel against Poland.
"It ignores the huge efforts that our neighbours have made to get ready," said Schoenbohm, a former army general who is one of Germany's leading law-and-order campaigners.
But Michael Peckmann, a police union spokesman, said Sunday, "We do expect crime to wash over into Germany. It is far too early to just withdraw the federal border police. They should first wait and see what happens."
Thousands of police who fear for their jobs are expected to demonstrate on Thursday in the city of Frankfurt-an-der-Oder on the Polish border. The border is to become an open frontier under the European Union's Schengen accords. |