Anti hate-crime campaign launched in UK
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
01.12.2016 14:37
A campaign aimed at combating hate crime in the UK was launched on Thursday at the British Parliament, amid increasing attacks on minorities in the country, including Poles.
Poland's ambassador to the UK, Arkady Rzegocki (right) attended the campaign launch. Photo: Twitter.com/@ArkadyRzegocki
The #BetterThanThat campaign is supported by the British government, and comes after a sharp spike in racist and xenophobic attacks around the country after the Brexit vote.
During the campaign launch, the Polish ambassador to the UK, Arkady Rzegocki, said: "There is no place for hate crime in the UK."
The British Home Office said in a statement: "The number of racially or religiously-aggravated offences recorded by the police in July 2016 was 41 percent higher than in July 2015."
Britons voted to leave the European Union in a referendum in June.
Dozens of attacks on Poles living in the UK have been reported in recent months. In August a Polish man, Arkadiusz Jóżwik, was beaten to death in Harlow, south-eastern England. On Thursday, a 15-year-old boy was charged with manslaughter over the death.
It is estimated that up to one million Poles live in Britain, the majority of whom emigrated there in search of better jobs after Poland joined the European Union in 2004.
The Polish community comprises the largest migrant population of EU nationals based in Britain. (rg/pk)