Ukrainian border may again face protests by Polish farmers. But this time it is not about Ukrainian grain. Find out what Polish demonstrators want to achieve

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After a long break, Polish farmers have again announced the blocking of truck traffic on the border with Ukraine. The protests will start on 8 October and will last for a long time.

Where and how long will the border blockade last?

According to the State Customs Service of Ukraine, the announced protest will start in front of the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint. The Poles intend to strike until 31 October this year.

The leader of the Polish protesters, Rafał Mekler of the far-right National Movement, also confirmed the start of the protests on the social network X. ‘The work in the field is over. You can fight for what you want. And that's good! Farmers are back in the game,’ he wrote.

The Centre for Countering Disinformation previously reported that the fringe Confederation party advocates Poland's withdrawal from the EU, criticises the deployment of NATO troops in the country and campaigns for improved relations with russia. It is worth noting that the party does not have wide support among Poles.

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What is the reason for the protests?

The current protests are not related to the transportation of Ukrainian grain, but to the violation of the agreement with the Polish government. 

At the same time, the local authorities are against the protests, and the Medyka commune did not allow the action. They explained that the problems at the checkpoint potentially ‘threaten property on a large scale’.

‘As usual, they want to block the national road, which has been blocked many times before. We don't know how long it will last, we don't know under what conditions, because the plans in this matter are constantly changing. I have to take care of the residents and users of this road, and this type of protest creates huge queues,’ said Mayor Magdalena Malachowska.

The Polish protesters demanded to keep the agricultural tax at last year's level. According to the mayor, this is absolutely not in the interests of the budget of either Medyka or any other municipality in Poland.

It should be noted that the protests became possible again as the blockade participants, including members of Podkarpacka Oszukana Wies, won a court case against the local authorities.

‘The mayor lost the case, the court cancelled her ban, there will be a protest, we are already starting to organise it. The judge said that farmers can protest by any means, they have the right to do so, which is given to them by the constitution,’ said Roman Kondrov, the union's leader.

At the same time, the union itself announced the protests, but did not specify when they would start. According to Kondrov, the return to protest actions is ‘a matter of time’.

Given the statements of the protesters, they are set to repeat last year's actions. However, it is not yet clear whether the authorities will allow this to happen.

It should be noted that as of the evening of 8 October, traffic through the checkpoint was carried out as usual, but the border guard warns that the situation may become more complicated at any time.

We remind you! The Polish government plans to revise some traffic rules. Violation of some of them may result in serious penalties. Read here to find out what changes drivers can expect.

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