Poland election campaign polarised by anxiety over migration

Military truck is seen in the forest, during the migrant crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, in Topilo, Poland, October 3, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

DUBICZE CERKIEWNE, Poland (Reuters) - In Dubicze Cerkiewne, a Polish village next to one of Europe's last primeval forests, few tourists come any more and soldiers based in the school gym help intercept migrants squeezing through the nearby fenced border from Belarus.

Just a few km (miles) away from the razor-tipped fence lining the frontier, Dubicze faces a renewed surge in illegal migration that has stirred anxiety and dominated public debate ahead of a closely-fought election in Poland on Oct. 15.