ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how securitisation of forced migration in Poland started in 2015 as a result of the refugee and migration-management crisis, which coincided with the electoral campaigns before the presidential and parliamentary elections in Poland held the same year. The potential arrival of refugees in Poland was successfully presented as a major “security threat” that led to a shift in Polish society’s attitudes towards asylum seekers and refugees. The chapter examines how forced migrants (both asylum seekers and refugees) have been framed by politicians and media as a security issue in Poland since 2015, and the consequences of that framing on the public opinion of forced migrants. This presentation of the main discourses on forced migration in Poland produced by politicians and reproduced by media also depicts the socio-political atmosphere of the reception and integration policies of the country. In addition, it enquires about stakeholders’ reactions and opinions on these discourses and whether they have been internalised by Polish public opinion. To achieve the mentioned aims, a three-step analysis of forced migration discourses in Poland was conducted: political speech analysis, media analysis, and stakeholder discussion analysis.
