Poland demands Britain protects its migrant workers from race attacks
In the letter to Ann Abraham, the parliamentary ombudsman and human rights watchdog, Poland's commissioner for civil rights protection expressed his "very serious" concern about a spate of threats and attacks against Poles this month.
"Racially motivated threats and attacks against Poles seem to be more and more common in the United Kingdom," wrote Janusz Kochanowski. "Polish citizens who benefit as migrant workers from the freedoms of movement and work in a European Union country are a subject of serious concern."
While recognising that the "British police seem to be very sensitive to racially motivated crime", Mr Kochanowski urged the British authorities to do more to protect his countrymen.
"A call for preventative rather than post facto measures is rather important," he wrote.
"Being far from exaggeration I would like to bring your attention to the incidents which from the perspective of fundamental rights protection in the EU are very serious."
The letter, which was also sent this week to Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights and the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency, highlighted a number of recent incidents that have caused alarm both in Poland and among the hundreds of thousands of Poles living in the UK.
At the beginning of July, Combat 18 and Loyalist extremists were blamed for written threats delivered to the Polish Association in Northern Ireland.
"No sympathy for foreigners, get out of our Queen's country," said the text of the threat. "Other than that your building will be blown up. Keep Northern Ireland white. Northern Ireland is only for white British."
The warning has alarmed Poles and raised the spectre of attacks on a similar level to the violence that drove more than 100 Romanians from their homes in Belfast last month.
Mr Kochanowski has also drawn attention to a brutal attack carried out against 39-year-old Jaroslaw Janeczek in Aberdeen this month.
Mr Janeczek suffered serious internal and head injuries during a vicious attack, which police described as having a "racist element", by two men with pit bull terriers.
The incidents have highlighted fears in Poland that as the British economy sinks into the recession Poles working in Britain are set to face increasing resentment and hostility as unemployment grows.
Since Poland joined the EU in May 2004 over a million Poles have travelled to Britain in search of work, becoming in just a few years one of the country's largest ethnic minorities.
European Commission officials are also concerned that a backlash against East European migrants could lead to an increase in violent incidents.
"We are very worried to have seen rises in xenophobic attacks against European migrants," said an official. Link
"Racially motivated threats and attacks against Poles seem to be more and more common in the United Kingdom," wrote Janusz Kochanowski. "Polish citizens who benefit as migrant workers from the freedoms of movement and work in a European Union country are a subject of serious concern."
While recognising that the "British police seem to be very sensitive to racially motivated crime", Mr Kochanowski urged the British authorities to do more to protect his countrymen.
"A call for preventative rather than post facto measures is rather important," he wrote.
"Being far from exaggeration I would like to bring your attention to the incidents which from the perspective of fundamental rights protection in the EU are very serious."
The letter, which was also sent this week to Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights and the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency, highlighted a number of recent incidents that have caused alarm both in Poland and among the hundreds of thousands of Poles living in the UK.
At the beginning of July, Combat 18 and Loyalist extremists were blamed for written threats delivered to the Polish Association in Northern Ireland.
"No sympathy for foreigners, get out of our Queen's country," said the text of the threat. "Other than that your building will be blown up. Keep Northern Ireland white. Northern Ireland is only for white British."
The warning has alarmed Poles and raised the spectre of attacks on a similar level to the violence that drove more than 100 Romanians from their homes in Belfast last month.
Mr Kochanowski has also drawn attention to a brutal attack carried out against 39-year-old Jaroslaw Janeczek in Aberdeen this month.
Mr Janeczek suffered serious internal and head injuries during a vicious attack, which police described as having a "racist element", by two men with pit bull terriers.
The incidents have highlighted fears in Poland that as the British economy sinks into the recession Poles working in Britain are set to face increasing resentment and hostility as unemployment grows.
Since Poland joined the EU in May 2004 over a million Poles have travelled to Britain in search of work, becoming in just a few years one of the country's largest ethnic minorities.
European Commission officials are also concerned that a backlash against East European migrants could lead to an increase in violent incidents.
"We are very worried to have seen rises in xenophobic attacks against European migrants," said an official. Link
posted by BEING HAD at 6:38 AM
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