Polish activists beaten by German police at Berlin memorial; Tusk calls Bąkiewicz's actions 'embarrassing'
Members of the Ruch Obrony Granic attempted to place a cross at a Berlin memorial stone for Polish WWII victims on June 16. German police intervened using force, sparking a political uproar in Warsaw.
The incident in Berlin
On 16 June 2026, activists from the Movement for the Defence of the Borders (Ruch Obrony Granic, ROG), led by Robert Bąkiewicz, arrived at a memorial stone near the Bundestag in Berlin dedicated to Polish victims of the Second World War. The group planned to carry a wooden cross to the site and lay flowers, but German police blocked the procession, offering an alternative location or a single-file approach. According to multiple reports, after singing "Rota" the activists advanced with the cross, and officers responded with physical force. Witness accounts and video footage showed police kicking, punching, and pinning participants to the ground. Six individuals were temporarily detained; some required hospital treatment. The ROG later said they were "choked and overpowered."
In our assessment, it was not a dignified monument reflecting the scale of suffering of the Polish nation. It was rather a substitute symbol — a stone instead of real memory, real redress and real responsibility.
- ROG activists attempt to place a cross at Berlin memorial; police intervene
- Six activists detained, some hospitalised after physical confrontation
- PM Tusk calls Bąkiewicz's actions 'embarrassing', incident a 'Berlin brawl'
- Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz says provocations serve Russian interests
- Former ambassador Byrt describes action as 'gross provocation'
Government downplays, opposition demands answers
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a press conference on 17 June, dismissed the events as a "Berlin brawl" (berlińska ruchawka) and called Bąkiewicz's actions "embarrassing." Tusk said he has "no expectations" of Bąkiewicz and hoped pending court cases against him would reach a conclusion. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski posted on X about "imprudent behaviour," and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told parliament that "provocations by Mr. Bąkiewicz serve the Russian Federation" and undermine NATO.
What Bąkiewicz does is embarrassing. I have to defend Polish police, border guards more and more often against Bąkiewicz.
The deputy head of Law and Justice (PiS), Przemysław Czarnek, demanded a parliamentary declaration seeking explanations and punishment for the "bandit attack on Polish patriots." Meanwhile, left-wing MEP Krzysztof Śmiszek posted on social media: "Finally someone dealt with Bąkiewicz and his lunatics on an appropriate level. Bravo!" Former Polish ambassador to Germany Andrzej Byrt described the action as an "ordynarna prowokacja" (gross provocation) and urged the Polish Church to react to the use of the cross in such a political stunt.
Diplomatic backdrop
The incident occurred one day before the Polish-German Forum in Berlin and the planned signing of a bilateral defence cooperation agreement by ministers Kosiniak-Kamysz and Boris Pistorius. It also fell on the 35th anniversary of the Polish-German Treaty of Good Neighbourship. German ambassador to Poland Miguel Berger made no reference to the clash on social media, instead posting about the anniversary and the "good neighbourhood" forum. His post was accompanied by disabled comments. The Polish Foreign Ministry stated that the consul in Berlin was clarifying the circumstances of the police intervention.
