This is terrible like any racial, ethnical, xenophobic, discriminatory, and hate related murder. Unfortunately
Polonophobia (
anti-Polonism,
antipolonism or
anti-Polish sentiment) exists in Western-Europe, North-America, the Russian Federation and other countries.
It is terrible that a person is killed due to his ethnic, linguistic, cultural, social, religious background. There had been a surge in hatred towards Eastern European following Britain's vote to leave the European Union. I know very well what hatred and racism towards Eastern-Europeans in general and particular means, since my own nations
Geert Wilders launched a xenophobic anti-Polish website a few years ago and
anti-Polonism exists over here too. But not that vicious and dangerous like in the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation and Ukraine (where anti-Polonism exists too). We have to fight
polonofobia and anti-Slavic feelings and sentiments in Great-Britain like we have to fight racism, anti-semitism and islamophobia where ever it rears it's ugly head.
It is simple anti-polonism exists, because Polish is an alien language and has few links with West-Germanic, latin-Romanesque and other Western languages. Despite Poland is in Central-Europe it is often seen or discribed as an Eastern-European nation and Poles can be treated the same like Romanians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Russians and Baltic people. I heard quite a few negative words about Romanians and Bulgarians. People don't trust them and think that they are robers, thieves, pick pockets and murderers and rapists, because they are Eastern-European. Despite they are white the Slavic Poles, the romanesque Romanians and Eastern-European Bulgarians look different, because of their slavic or Eastern-European ethnic looks, and they are slightly different in the way they behave than Westerners. It is a fact that there are bad elements amongst them, but fact is that maybe the majority of them are honest, hard working people. Loud speaking Poles or drunken Poles cause irritation in the Netherlands and Germany sometimes. You have good and bad Poles in the Polish diaspora communities. In this case a decent, innocent, fine man was murdered, because he was speaking Polish and probably looked Polish, by a bunch of local thuggish youth.
Members of Harlow's Polish community announced they were to organise a march this coming Saturday to protest at racism.
Organiser Eric Hind said: 'It's not only about us, Poles. Racism in Harlow is a real problem, and we need to unite.
'This is a result of us staying quiet for too long. We need to speak up about racism and discrimination we face on a regular basis
'
We want the march to show our solidarity and unity. I've been here for 14 years and have a daughter, she feels British. I'm not going to leave.'
Meanwhile, the '
Harlow Stand up to Racism' Facebook page is urging residents from the town to 'show that people of Harlow will not accept hatred in our town'.
Jacek Gora, who owns a Polish shop in The Stow, has a Polish flag on his shop counter and is collecting signatures of people who knew Mr Jozwik as part of a tribute.He is also fundraising to help pay for funeral costs, and hopes to present the flag to the victim's family.
He said: 'For everyone it's really strange, as
Arek Jozwik was the quietest person. If someone were to fight someone then okay, but he was really quiet.
'
It was a surprise for everyone. He was a really good guy.'
Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki visiting where Arek Jozwik died after being beaten to death by a gang of teens for being Polish.Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki with Harlow MP Robert Halfon at the site where Mr Jozwik was attacked on Saturday night. The pair laid flowers at the bench, now covered with bunchesZak Cochrane, vigil organiser, said: 'I think certainly since thew EU referendum up and down the country we have seen a spike in racism against aimed at migrants and Muslim communities.
Harlow has one of the highest concentrations of EU nationals from eastern Europe, roughly one in 17 residents, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Harlow is a former Mark One New Town and local government district in the west of Essex, England. Situated on the border with Hertfordshire, it occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upper Stort Valley.
The town is in the top 30 local authorities in England and Wales with the greatest proportion of eastern European nationals per population.
Asked to describe the community's reaction to what happened, he said: '
It's not like we're angry about it. It's just strange as this situation shouldn't be. Everyone should be feeling safety everywhere going back home.'
Mr Jozwik's brother
Radek, 34, said
Arek had no children of his own but was a family man.
He had worked at a meat production plant alongside their mother, who is said to be '
really struggling' after her son's death.
Mr Jozwik said: '
He really was a family person who spent a lot of time with my kids, he didn't have any kids but had been close with my kids.
'
My kids have been with me in the hospital, crying all the time.'
Speaking at the spot where Arek was attacked on Tuesday, Radek said there had been a surge in hatred towards Eastern European following Britain's vote to leave the European Union.
Radek Jozwik, the victim's brother, above, paid an emotional tribute to him at the scene where he was attacked and said he believes he was attacked because he was heard speaking Polish'
After the Brexit vote it has got worse - I have seen people change - it is hard at the moment.'
Mr Jozwik, a factory worker, said his mother was struggling to cope with the death of her son.
He added: '
My mum came back from holiday and did not know what had happened.''
'
We had to meet her at Stansted Airport and tell her and then take her straight to the hospital. She is really struggling.
'Arek came down to get a pizza - it was the first time he came down to get one.
'Normally he would get it delivered but for whatever reason he came to buy one and that's when all the trouble started.'
POLISH COMMUNITY IS 'LIVING IN FEAR' SAYS ESSEX MP Robert Halfon, a Conservative Party politician for HarlowRobert Halfon, MP for Harlow, said the Polish community is living in fear after this latest attack.
Mr Halfon said the community is 'incredibly scared and upset' and that almost everyone in the town would have been horrified by the attack.
He said: '
We have a wonderful Polish community in Harlow, they work incredibly hard, they have a wonderful Polish school that I've been to twice.'
Shopkeepers said the area, pictured above, is a no-go area for locals, who fear what could happen if they pop out for a pint of milk '
All of us, I know because I have been contacted by some Polish members, are incredibly scared and upset at what has happened.
'But we must do more than be horrified. We must actively stand up against racism of any kind.
We must welcome Polish and other communities just as we would welcome our best friends and we must all work together to ensure that Harlow remains a kind, decent and tolerant place to live.'
Mr Halfon's own Jewish grandfather was forced to leave Libya in the 1960s due to racial persecution.
Source: The Guardian.