ABSTRACT
Migration remains a highly polarising issue in the European Union (EU). The presence of two deeply opposing camps – pro- versus anti-migration – may vary with context. Zooming in on Poland, this contribution investigates how the lines of division are created, evolve, and persist over time, especially in the context of crises. The analysis comprises three crises: the 2015 migration crisis, the 2021 Polish/EU border crisis with Belarus, and Russia’s war on Ukraine in 2022, and its subsequent movement of people. All three crises have been extensively debated in Poland, albeit with many nuances. Through a qualitative content analysis of the debates on these crises in the Polish parliament, this research analyses the discursive evolution of the lines of division over asylum and migration policy. It also considers the issue of dominance in relation to the EU, as well as within the domestic arena. The results demonstrate that the discursive lines of division continued, deepened, and expanded from the 2015 crisis to the 2021 border crisis, with conflicting framing of migration and increased perceived governmental dominance at national level by the parties in opposition. The war in Ukraine, which began in 2022, however, seems to bring a new dimension to the debate, focused on the assistance to refugees. In spite of some contentious points triggering some national confrontation in the parliament, the latter crisis introduced a less disputed, more positive, and united discourse on migration in the Polish parliament.
