The Belarus-Poland migrant crisis

The migrant crisis on the Polish-Belarusian and Lithuanian-Belarusian borders has resulted in border crossing restrictions and the construction of walls separating Poland and Lithuania from Belarus. It has also provoked humorous reactions in online media. We discuss the targets of these humorous reactions and illustrate how humour highlights the gap between Belarusian and Polish authorities’ activities/claims and reality. We analyse conservative (pro-government) and liberal (anti-government) humour from both sides, and reflect on the similarities and differences across countries and political stances. We argue that Belarusian humour contextualises the migrant crisis within the broader Belarusian political crisis rather than within the international political landscape, though international references are not uncommon in Belarusian conservative humour. In Polish humour, however, what prevails are meme topics on Polish politics or people and institutions. The migrants themselves become targets more frequently in Polish jokes and memes than in Belarusian ones, although only in conservative humour. The analysis illustrates how different political forces use humour to promote their own agenda. It also paves the way for future studies of liberal and conservative humour, as the adoption of either of the two types of humour is dependent on individual psychological factors and political stances. It is also subject to changes in the political situation as has been the case in Poland.