UK Politics
'Poles are a soft target'
Published 05 June 2008
The Tory MP claims white Christian Eastern Europeans are victimised by the "liberal elite" of the BBC and argues they are seen as a soft target - unlike black or Asian immigrants
My ‘Ten Minute Rule Bill’ on the contribution of the Polish community to Great Britain during and since the Second World Wars seeks to recognise the contribution of Poles to this country. I was delighted that the Bill was granted a second reading in the autumn.
Throughout the Second World War Polish airmen came to Britain after the destruction of the Polish airforce’s planes during the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939. 145 Polish airmen took part in the Battle of Britain and the eight Polish squadrons within the RAF destroyed a total of 629 enemy aircraft during the War. There were also other significant contributions made by Polish nationals during the War, notably in the field of intelligence, such as the work done by Polish cryptographers at Bletchley Park towards the breaking of the Enigma Code.
In recent years there has been a wave of immigration seen from Poland. The vast majority of Poles who have come to this country in the past decade have been young and energetic, hard-working and law-abiding, although they have often received poor wages and endured unsatisfactory working conditions.
The trend is now reversing and many Poles are already returning to Poland; I believe this country will soon be missing the contribution of the Poles, particularly in our agricultural and construction sectors, as well as healthcare, where many Polish doctors, dentists and nurses have been playing vital roles in our National Health Service for many years.
I believe their has been unfair bias shown by parts of our media against Poles and other Eastern European nationals who are living and working in this country. This is particularly prevalent among the ‘Liberal Elite’ of the BBC, as witnessed in key broadcasts such as Question Time and Panorama.
Immigration is an issue which almost everyone agrees must now be discussed and it is accepted that uncontrolled immigration is not possible. However I am increasingly concerned that Poles are being seen as a soft target, as – unlike with immigrants from Asia or Africa – adverse comments about white Christian Eastern Europeans are not viewed as racist. However, I do view the victimisation of this particular white minority ethnic group as racist and today called on the Commission for Racial Equality to address the issue with due urgency.
No one is speaking out at a high level in support of the Polish community, even though Poles are increasingly finding themselves the victims of misinformed racist attacks across the UK, attacks which are being fuelled by the bias in media reporting from the BBC and elsewhere. I was glad to have the opportunity with my bill to begin to redress this balance and to propose a formal acknowledgement of the contribution of the Polish community in the UK.
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