Fusion Magazine:
11/07/2006
www.fusionmagazine.co.uk
Letter of the week
Dear Fusion
As someone who was born in the UK of Polish parents, I wanted to question
some of Maria Kraszewska's criticisms of the British (W Skrocie-Ciagle
Pracuje). She criticises us for being arrogant, insincere and unaware of
what's going on in the rest of Europe. She also says that the UK would be a
better place if it was more open to people and there was more equality.
The UK has a long history of multiculturalism and absorbing great numbers of
people from all over the world. In contrast, Poland is mainly inhabited by
ethnic Poles, who in my experience are on the whole racist, anti-semitic,
prejuciced and closed in on themselves. I live in South Tottenham, which
has, over the last three or four years, become a Polish area. Whilst the
Poles are not by any means causing any major trouble, the area has been
totally transformed within a very short space of time. The newcomers
certainly seem to feel a sense of entitlement and equality, playing music
loud in their gardens, dumping large items of discarded furniture on our
pavements, pounding up and down the streets uttering the curse "kurwa" every
second word early in the morning and late at night.
I have a flat in Krakow and when I visit, I'm very careful to behave in a
discreet considerate manner, as befits an outsider in a foreign country. I
think if Maria was honest with herself, she would admit that no Polish
cities or regions would accept large numbers of people from other cultures
without a great deal of suspicion. Finally, while I undersatnd that Eastern
Europeans are coming to the UK in search of work, it would be nice to think
that they might wish, further doen the line, to contribute and take part in
British life in some other levels too.
Monika Bobinska

Editor's reply
Thank you for your letter, which refers to the Q & A in the Polish
supplement in Issue 17, in which Eastern Europeans are asked for their
thoughts on the UK, and life over here. These comments were Maria's personal
opinions and do not represent the opinions of Fusion Magazine or its staff.

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