Warsaw calls on London to protect Polish citizens
After a Polish national was beaten to death by a group of youths in the UK two Polish ministers and a state secretary travelled to London on Monday to call on the British government to protect Polish citizens. The UK has seen a sharp rise in the number of attacks against foreigners since the Brexit vote. Will the visit secure better protection for EU migrants?
Polish politicians come across as supplicants
With their trip to London the three politicians have taken things too far, the daily paper Rzeczpospolita comments:
“Would any of the big and respected states send not one but three leading government representatives to the capital of another state following the death of a citizen? Only the government of an insignificant country would take such a step vis-a-vis a country that is the centre of attention. The ministers who travelled to London after the death of a Polish man come across as supplicants on a mission to the British government. The risk that more racist attacks will be carried out against Poles remains. If that happens, the Polish government won't have achieved anything - despite its strong intervention. How will it react if - god forbid - something bad happens to another Pole? Will it send its entire leadership to London?”
Poland should deal with its own racism problem
The Polish government needs to tackle its own racism problem, writes the leader of the Polish party Alliance of Democrats, Paweł Piskorski, on his blog with naTemat:
“In April a Pakistani was beaten up not far from the Hala Mirowska in Warsaw. He is the director of an English school here. Prime Minister Beata Szydło, Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro and Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak remained completely silent on this racist incident. In the autumn of last year a Syrian was beaten near the old brewery in Poznań. At least Bishop Stanisław Gądęcki and Mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak visited him in hospital. But no one in government has mentioned that attacks motivated by racism and nationalism are a growing problem here in Poland.”