Polish family targeted in hate crime arson attack in England
PR dla Zagranicy
Alicja Baczyńska
08.07.2016 12:41
Unknown perpetrators set on fire a garden shed outside a Polish family's home in Plymouth, south-west England, on Thursday night.
The embers of a shed set on fire on the premises belonging to a Polish family in Plymouth. Photo: Twitter/Jakub Krupa
The arsonists left behind a note saying, “go back home” and warned that the family would “be next.”
The shed was adjacent to the family’s house, inhabited by the Polish parents and their four kids.
“We fear for our lives and our children,” said Ewa, one of the inhabitants.
Police are treating the incident as a racially-motivated crime.
The arson attack is the latest in a series of incidents targeting the Polish community after Britons opted to leave the European Union in a June referendum.
Late last month, unknown perpetrators smeared racist graffiti on the building of a Polish cultural center in London.
Graffiti saying “Go Home” was sprayed on the front entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in London’s Hammersmith district, home to a large Polish population.
Many UK-based Poles are pointing to an unprecedented spike in ethnic-based hate speech since the Brexit vote.
The previous week, police launched an investigation in the town of Huntington, south-east England, where laminated cards reading “Go home, Polish scum” and “No more Polish Vermin” were delivered to local members of the Polish community.
One of the cards posted through the front doors of Polish families in Huntingdon. Photo: Twitter.com/@howgilb
The UK’s National Police Chiefs’ Council said that following the referendum where Britons voted to leave the EU, reports of hate crimes increased by 57%.
It is estimated that up to one million Poles live in Britain, the majority of whom emigrated there after Poland joined the European Union in 2004. The Polish community comprises the largest migrant population of EU nationals based in Britain. (aba/pk)
Source: IAR