Polish Authorities Deny Importation of False Refugees
Wrongfully Accused: Debunking the Kraków 'Migrant' Hoax
Chatter and misinformation surrounding Kraków, Poland, have been swirling, with false claims suggesting secret nightly delivery of sham migrants to the city.
This anti-immigrant narrative has been fueled by baseless insinuations that "fake asylum seekers" are being surreptitiously shipped into Polish metropolises, as part of a nefarious disinformation campaign.
Viral social media posts, exhibiting clips of individuals wheeling suitcases down Kraków's streets at night, have been accompanied by false captions, describing them as migrants transported while the locals slumber. Accusations range from pesky authorities orchestrating the dastardly ploy to destroy Poland, as well as Europe on the whole.
However, we've traced the roots of the video in question. A still from it led us to a Facebook post published on April 19, 2025, by a grassroots movement advocating for the residents of Old Kraków. Their mission? To reduce noise pollution and limit service hours for city businesses – with a goal to maintain a serene atmosphere for residents on their doorstep, according to their website.
The now-infamous video shows a group of roughly 100 visitors involved in a "hotel crawl," causing an unwanted disturbance at around 1:15 a.m. The lobbying group's head admitted that he doesn't know the nationality, faith, or personal details of these guests, simply acknowledging the noise generated by suitcases rolling over the simply cobblestones.
Tides of Conspiracy: Right-wing Politicians Involved
This egregious video manipulation becomes particularly troubling when considering that some Polish politicians have shared it, repeating the same faulty claims to serve their agenda.
We reached out to the office of Kraków's mayor, Aleksander Miszalski, who acknowledged the video's circulation and provided a letter Miszalski himself had written to Polish MP Anna Krupka. The letter admonished Krupka for sharing the video with baseless accusations of Kraków promoting migrants under the cover of night.
Miszalski's letter requested Krupka issue a public apology for perpetuating disinformation and crafting a misleading narrative regarding migration policies. The mayor pointed out that Miszalski's letter and the subsequent removal of the video are insufficient remedies, as this sensationalized act is damaging to Poland's reputation and sows seeds of discord.
Surprisingly, although Krupka has taken down the video from her social media platforms, no clear public apology has been issued as of our investigation. As a consequence, Miszalski decided to raise the matter before the Parliamentary Ethics Committee, owing to Krupka's refusal to apologize.
The Truth Unveiled: Empty Accusations
Investigations have revealed that Kraków is not importing "fake asylum seekers", and the video's deceptive annotations were likely designed to incite fear and heightened distrust of immigrants.
Step away from the hysteria, and you'll find that this video simply depicts tourists, not opportunistic migrants. The erroneous captioning seems to be a calculated attempt to exploit peoples' anxieties and heighten sectarian strife surrounding migration matters in Poland.
- The wrongfully accusing social media post, circulating false claims of migrants being transported in Kraków at night, has been linked to a grassroots movement advocating for noise pollution reduction in the city.
- Unexpectedly, some Polish politicians, like Anna Krupka, have shared this misleading video, falsely suggesting that Kraków is promoting migrants under the cover of night.
- In response to Krupka's sharing of the video, Kraków's mayor, Aleksander Miszalski, sent a letter admonishing her for spreading disinformation and urged her to issue a public apology, as the false narrative is damaging Poland's reputation and sows discord.
