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The quiet town of Dieveniškės, on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, comes alive for a short time at 3pm.
Both the old man of the city and the postmaster close their offices. About twenty people stop to pray before the statue of Mary that is next to the church.
“There is something more powerful there than the Vilnius government,” the residents of Dieveniškės explained at the end of the prayer, which lasted about 15 minutes.
Residents who first gathered in common prayer the day before now intend to do so on a daily basis.
A new tradition
On Monday, fifteen representatives of his community protested at the Interior Ministry in Vilnius, but heard a clear answer from Minister Agnė Bilotaitė: illegal immigrants will live in the former Dieveniškės School of Technology and Business. There is no other way out.
After returning home, the residents of Dieveniškės decided to pray until their problem was resolved.
Dieveniškės elder Česlava Marcinkevič said the 15 o’clock prayer was not chosen by chance: Jesus Christ is believed to have died at that time, and prayers are also said in the Vatican.
“We pray that we are calmer, that there are no disturbances, that everything is civilized. People can do anything, but we know very well that God will help us, ”said the old man about the new tradition of the town.
Half of the population are migrants
Marcinkevich said that the city community is not fighting against the government and understands that migrants must be received, housed and fed: “But how to live for local people, no one answered.
We are sure that we will be protected, but there are no police or troops in the streets and we do not know what kind of people will be brought here. “
Some 500 migrants crossing the border illegally, almost as many as the local population, are expected to be accommodated in Dieveniškės.
Liuba Poliak, an active member of the Dieveniškės community, recalled the phrase given by the first French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte that even the impossible must be believed, then the greatest goal can be achieved: “Our greatest goal is to have a migrant center here for full . “
The retiree is convinced that the most important thing is not to give up: “All athletes and people of war know that victory begins in our mind.
We will win. “
He is also looking for help in Poland.
Although Dieveniškės is located near the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, many of the city’s inhabitants are of Polish nationality, therefore, in L. Poliak’s opinion, it is necessary to protect not only the rights of Lithuanians living here, but also also the rights of national minorities.
The Dieveniškės problem has already been reported to two members of the European Parliament: the Lithuanian representative Valdemaras Tomaševskis and another elected politician in Poland.
Although people of two nationalities live in Dieveniškės, according to the locals, the threat of an unknown religion and culture united them even more. Among the population gathered to pray were several young men, men with a sporty complexion.
“I am proud of our young people, who sacrificed their time, used their cars and fuel to collect signatures and went to Vilnius,” said L. Poliak.
Ads have been replaced by discussions
Before the protest, residents of Dieveniškės, near the Ministry of the Interior, collected 400 signatures so that migrants were not housed near their homes. Residents also began sharing their fears on social media.
“Previously, there were only ads on the Dieveniškės community page that they were going to Vilnius or coming back and could transport them, or that they were selling something. Now the discussion topics have completely changed and the number of visitors has doubled “, emphasized L. Poliak.
Residents began to actively share their fears, discuss ministerial decisions and political statements. The uproar broke out even after the first public prayer.
After reviewing the latest government decisions on her phone, Tatjana Kropa noticed the decision signed by the Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anušauskas on the accommodation of the newcomers in Dieveniškės, but in this document they were not called migrants but foreigners.
“So we are not protesting against migrants, but against foreigners who have the same rights as us? Who are the fences built for then, why so many security measures? ”T. Kropa was surprised.
Abandoned but not devastated
It is planned to house some 500 illegal residents at the Dieveniškės School of Technology and Business, which has been in operation for almost a decade and is adjacent to two schools and a few dozen meters of residential buildings.
The fact that the school operated in an abandoned building is reminiscent only of the butterflies that were left on the walls of the field.
There were two people working in a poorly ventilated and unventilated premises for a long time: a plumber and an electrician. They were surprised that no one had been destroyed by the facilities that had not been used for a long time: there were no broken windows, the glazed supports still hung in the hallways, and the chairs lined the walls.
“It shows that there are cultured people around, although someone took the best lights,” said the electrician. You need to check the wiring and replace some of the lights.
Population can double
Much more work awaits the plumber, as the water in this building has been shut off for a long time.
The municipality of Šalčininkai has already received an order from the Ministry of National Defense to turn on the water in an abandoned school.
The old man from Dieveniškės, who visited the school with representatives of the water supply company, said that a lot of work awaits us: all pipes must be replaced and the water supply capacity must be doubled to supply twice as many people as now: . After all, no one could have predicted that the population would double so quickly. “
Looking for new schools
The building, which is planned to house illegals, is not yet surrounded by a fence. Right next door are the Lithuanian and Polish schools with about 200 children.
There is a playground right next to the future migrant center.
There have already been rumors in Dieveniškės that parents who are concerned about children’s safety have already promised to transport some of them to Šalčininkai schools from September. Then some teachers would be out of work.
Fear of noise and discomfort
Residents of Dieveniškės, located next to the old school, are concerned that they will be able to observe the lives of the migrants through their windows. They are also scared by possible noise.
“If 500 people were staying there, even if they were just talking, there would be a lot of noise. We all know the ruckus in a crowded room before a concert or performance officially begins. We would hear that commotion 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, “said LL
The residents of the small town are also concerned for their safety. L. Polyak recalled the promise made by a police officer during the meeting in Šalčininkai municipality that all reports would be answered promptly.
“But they will react after something has happened, maybe a rape, maybe a robbery or maybe a beating,” Poliak said.
Will start to close the door
Alina Mickevič, a 75-year-old retiree who did not participate in any protests, was also concerned about safety: “I leave my neighbor’s house and I feel completely safe. When I leave, I can’t even close the door, but I don’t know if it’s going to last long. “
The retiree who has been working until now is also angry that migrant employment is not mentioned: “I work even as a retiree, young people turn around as they know and will be out of work.”
The establishment of the Refugee Center in Dieveniškės was also not approved by the Šalčininkai District Municipal Council, which met last week.
The members of the council promised to appeal to the Government, the Ministry of the Interior to request a review of this decision and to choose a more appropriate place that does not endanger the safety of the population and does not worsen the situation of the local population.
Grigiškės collected a thousand signatures
The list of buildings where migrants who crossed the border illegally could be housed included an abandoned school on the outskirts of Vilnius, in Grigiškės.
As soon as news of a possible migrant neighborhood reached the locals, they began collecting signatures. Within hours, residents collected more than a thousand signatures and handed them over to the Vilnius municipality and the Ministry of the Interior.
In the petition, the Grigiškės were surprised: the abandoned school building on Kovo 11-osios street is located near the working Grigiškės Gymnasium. Nearby is a polyclinic, a children’s center, a hospital, a library, many apartment buildings and private houses.
Foreign Minister A.Bilotaitė, who was elected a member of the Seimas in Grigiškės. “We voted for her, and that is what she wanted to give us a safe neighborhood,” the neighbors who collected the signatures were outraged.
The Interior Ministry has already started assuring rebels against new arrivals that migrants would be housed in Grigiškės only if their flow was huge and there would be no more places in the municipalities closest to the border.
Foreigners also help
70 detained migrants from Belarus who crossed the border illegally were reported yesterday. 62 of them presented themselves as Iraqi citizens or had Iraqi documents.
In July alone, the number of foreigners detained exceeded 1,500 and reached 1,567 at midnight on Wednesday. A total of 2,228 illegal immigrants were detained on the border with Belarus this year.
Officials from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, FRONTEX, are helping the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) protect the border with Belarus, and Estonian officials have joined them.
This week, Lithuania received humanitarian aid from Sweden. 80 beds, 1000 mattresses, 75 indoor LED lamps, 6 electricity generators were taken to accommodate the migrants. The remainder of the shipment is expected to arrive by the end of the week. Humanitarian shipments are expected from Poland, Slovenia and other countries, as more and more facilities are needed to house migrants as the cold season approaches.
Among those detained on the border with Belarus this year there are mostly Iraqi citizens or foreigners who have come forward before them: 1,153. 182 Congolese, 121 Cameroonians, 78 Guineans, 74 Iranians, 69 Syrians and Afghans, 68 Russians and other citizens.
Since the beginning of the year, the largest number of illegal immigrants has been detained in the municipality of Druskininkai: 566. 473 foreigners arriving illegally from Belarus, 366 in Ignalina, 355 in Varėna, 174 in Švenčionys and 142 in Lazdijai have been detained in the Šalčininkai district. .
