Inflow of refugees to radicalise anti-Muslim groups in Poland

One of the chief security threats listed in the document is the radicalisation of anti-Muslim groups as they increase activity, reveals the document.

The "State of security report for Poland in 2014" is based on data gathered from the chief police headquarters in Warsaw, the Internal Security Agency and the General Public Prosecutor's Office.

The increased activity and radicalisation of anti-Muslims, organising manifestations and posting materials online targeting the followers of the Islamic faith, could, in turn, trigger antisocial behaviour among members of the religious minority in Poland and lead to their radicalisation.

As the Interior Ministry claims, the arrival of some 7,000 asylum-seekers, agreed upon by Poland as part of the EU's relocation scheme in September, could foment anti-Muslim sentiments in Polish society.

The authors of the report draw attention to extreme groups' close links to the world of organised crime and football hooligans, the latter of whom are particularly prone to extremist ideology and recruitment by far-right organisations.

In 2014, police identified 773 crimes committed by extremists, among them ethnic and racial crimes and propagating fascist ideology. The figure marks a growth by nearly half compared to 2013. (aba/rk)

Source: IAR