Polish diaspora in the US calls on Obama to strengthen military presence in Poland
Americans of Polish descent held a rally near the White House in Washington on the 11th of June, calling on the US government to strengthen the presence of US troops in Poland and in the Baltic countries.
According to the organizers, 150 to 300 people attended the rally. They came from several states including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The demonstrators held both US and Polish flags, as well as banners that said “We demand a full NATO brigade in Poland” and “A permanent US military presence in Poland is equivalent to peace and tranquility in Europe”.
The demonstrators also called on the US to “protect Poland now, defend the Baltic states now, protect Romania now and help Ukraine now”.
The group of activists is known as ‘Americans for Security in Central and Eastern Europe’. They have played a constructive role in the application for the accession of Poland to NATO, and have reminded people about Russian aggression in Georgia as well as the annexation of Crimea. They have also expressed concern about the increasing concentration of Russian troops along the borders of Poland and the Baltic States.
During the rally, representatives of the Crimean Tatars, Ukraine, Hungary and the Baltic States also gave speeches. With a minute of silence, participants commemorated victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine and Georgia as well as victims of the Smolensk disaster.