"80 Ways to say "Welcome to Central European Workers"
courtesy of the "Daily Mail" - Wiktor Moszczynski 23.2.2008

In the last 2 years Poles and other Central European workers in the UK and their families have experienced a relentless campaign from the "Daily Mail" that has contrasted with the thoughtful and responsible coverage received from most of the media as well as from British politicians, employers and trade unions.

Of course we accept that there are some aspects of the recent Polish influx into the UK which deserve criticism, even censure, and newspapers have a right to publish such information and such comments. Critical, and even downright irresponsible, articles have appeared in other newspapers but they have normally been tempered by other articles showing Poles in a more positive light. The articles in the "Mail" have not always been untrue but they have an ability to convey a negative political slant in discussing, for instance, the latest government statistics, or a report on migrants by a charity foundation, which contrasts with a more positive interpretation, and in particular a more positive headline, in alternative newspapers. For instance, when on July17th 2007 the "Daily Mail" headline screams "Influx of Immigrants costs Every UK Household £350 a Year", the equivalent article in The Independent, based on the same government report, is headed "Home Office: Migrants Work Harder, Earn More and Pay More Taxes than Britons".

Despite protestations by Robin Esser, Executive Managing Editor of Associated Newspapers Ltd, the owners of the "Daily Mail", in his letter of January 2nd 2008, headlines and lead paragraphs contain emotional phrases likely to evolve a resentful response from a reader and the "Mail" has managed consistently to eke out the negative story where possible. We even have an example earlier this month where a "Daily Mail" feature writer was offering £100 "for anonymous horror stories of people who have employed Eastern European staff, only for them to steal from them, disappear, or have lied about their resident status."

In a quarter of the articles there is a quoted comment from the Chairman of Migration Watch UK and often from one of three MPs who regularly allow themselves to be quoted with a negative reference to EU and immigrant workers. Just as often there are derogatory comments about the current government and about the EU which suggests that there is a political agenda in these attacks, perhaps not directly connected to the behaviour of the EU migrants themselves. Poles and other Central Europeans seem to be the whipping boys for the newspaper's vehement hostility to Britain's participation in the European Union, immigration and policies of the Labour Government. So much so is this last true that the "Mail" can even use the remarks of a Polish school-boy, and on another occasion a teacher, as a criticism of the Government's education record and for that end it is prepared to forego its usual negative image of Polish immigrants.

Mr Esser has stated categorically the "Daily Mail is not in any way anti-Polish." But in answer to concerns that "Daily Mail" stories could be increasing tension in the community he agrees "that it is worrying that there is a section of our society who are reacting badly, sometimes violently, against immigrants. This is not," he continues, "the result of coverage by the Mail" and then he lays the blame specifically on the present Government's immigration and social policies. Nevertheless there has been growing concern in the UK, especially among the police, about "hate crimes" against Central Europeans, particularly in the smaller towns throughout the United Kingdom. The nature of these attacks was summarized by me in my report on "Hate Crimes against Poles in UK in 2007" published in January 2008.

This kind of shock reporting, week in week out, serves only to exacerbate the tension. Often the headlines themselves seem more inflammatory than the facts that follow and appear to be based on the supposition that many readers will have merely read the headline itself and then drawn their own conclusion without reading the text below. The Federation has on occasion been allowed to publish a short comment in the Letter's column but our request in December that the "Mail" may want to quote the Chairman of the Federation of Poles in GB as a commentator in the offending article itself, has not yet taken place, even though the Editor agreed that he would be encourage the News Desk to contact the Federation when writing a story.

Even where Poles or central Europeans are not part of the headline they form a key part of the story that follows thus suggesting that all these sensationalized stories are mainly focused on Polish workers. Of these 80 stories barely 5 could be described as positive in content and in tone. The remainder are designed to ensure that the average "Daily Mail" reader's heart skips a beat each time with either indignation or alarm. It also means that every Polish reader shudders with anger and apprehension at the negative emphasis of the story.

If the subject had been Pakistani or African immigrants such a string of article headlines would have been considered blatantly racist and probably subject to a court summons.

Here is a list of 80 headlines that have appeared in the "Daily Mail" between May 2006 and February 2008.

18-5-06 The New Slave Trade
19-5-06 Are Young Polish Workers Robbing their Country of its Future?
23-8-06 How Many More Immigrants can Britain take?
7-11-06 Britain is Country of Choice for many "Feckless" Poles
8-11-06 Polish Borat claims Groping Women is Normal in Eastern Europe
2-12-06 5000 Polish Babies born in UK every year
12-1-07 Bank to Woo Polish Immigrants with Bilingual Branches
2-2-07 One in Five of UK Home Buyers are Polish
8-2-07 Six Million Immigrants Descend on Britain
12-2-07 The True Number of Poles living in Britain - 600,000
12-2-07 Bosses choosing Committed Foreign Workers over "lazy British", says CBI
24-2-07 Poles Warn: We'll deport Brits who fall ill
11-3-07 Pole Chancers: Exclusive Fake Charity from Gdansk make a Fortune Ripping
off Big-Hearted Scots
13-3-07 How Poland is Struggling to Plug the Leaks
13-3-07 Why 10m Britons will be from a Minority by 2027
30-3-07 Heinz means Tripe to Poles pining for Home
31-3-07 British Workers Priced out by Wave of Low-Paid Migrants
8-4-07 Brothers May Face Trial over Polish Con
9-4-07 Poachers Beware! Flak Jacket Squad Rule Riverside (inset picture shows reprimanded Pole)
3-5-07 The Superloo where Polish Migrants are Fighting to Spend the Night for 20p
3-5-07 Revealed: Immigrants Swell Population of British Towns by 10pc
14-5-07 Government stats: Disbelief at the Great Migrant Con
20-5-07 What About the Missing Migrants? (Instigated by Jose Mourinho's missing dog)
23-5-07 Please Come Home, Poland begs its Builders
28-5-07 1 in 4 Eastern Bloc Migrants wants to stay here for Good
7-6-07 East European Influx could Trigger Race Riots in Villages
14-6-07 Teenagers Could be told to Bond with Immigrants
19-6-07 Polish Cleaner to be Brilliant Concert Pianist
19-6-07 Polish Workers denied Jobs because they can't Speak Polish
20-6-07 Polish Homosexuals facing Persecution in Exodus to UK
22-6-07 Poland's Nazi Taunt inflames EU Summit
23-6-07 Polish Premier's Attack on Germans show the Wounds still Fester
25-6-07 East Europe Migrants bring Surge in Pickpocketing Crime
28-6-07 Polish Immigrants take £1bn out of the UK economy
05-7-07 We're never going home...300,000 Polish Migrants Plan to Stay
Permanently in UK
17-7-07 Wanted by Police, Polish Speakers to Answer 999 Calls
29-7-07 Biggest Threat to Britain's Carp is Eastern European Migrants
02-8-07 Eastern Europeans Cause 15% of Fatal Accidents on Rural Roads
08-8-07 Three Dead as Bus Taking Polish Workers to Britain Crashes
10-8-07 Widow Fills out Husband's Death Certificate - Because Polish Doctor could
not Speak English
11-8-07 Crack Open the Vodka....It's a Pub for the Poles
14-8-07 More than 8000 Eastern Europeans arrive in Britain Every Day
14-8-07 Eastern European's Roads are the Most Dangerous on the Continent
14-8-07 Foreigners Commit 20% of Crime in London, says Police
03-9-07 Eastern European Immigrants with Cancer could Swamp the NHS
16-9-07 Migrants sending more than £1m Child Benefits to Eastern Europe every
Month
19-9-07 If the BBC's worried about Immigration, can we have an Honest Debate
about it?
20-9-07 Peterborough: A City Crumbling under Pressure from Immigration
29-9-07 Revealed: the Racial Tensions behind Slovak Mother's Pipe Attack on Boy
30-9-07 MPs fear C4 Documentary on the Cost of Immigrants will fuel Race Hatred
4-10-07 Ring-Road Tramp who's become a Cult Hero thanks to Facebook
8-10-07 Sainsbury's says Immigrants have "Better Work Ethic" than Britons
11-10-07 Immigrants here for Good: Half of Poles Plans to Stay in UK
17-10-07 Influx of Immigrants costs Every UK Household £350 a Year
17-10-07 Many Immigrants earning more than their British Counterparts
26-10-07 Top of Class in England - but Polish Boy Goes Home for Better Education
26-10-07 Immigration Influx from Eastern Europe is Driving Down Wages
31-10-07 Migrant Jobs Fiasco: Official Estimate Goes from 800,000 to 1.5m in 24 hrs
1-11-07 Revealed: the Shocking True Cost of Immigration
2-11-07 Pizza Worker taped Boss Sacking Him because "Poles are Cheaper",
Tribunal hears
16-11-07 Half a Million Migrants pour into Britain in a Year, but 200,000 Leave
20-11-07 Warning Signs go up to stop Poles Stealing River Fish for Christmas Dinner
20-11-07 Revealed: 750,000 Migrants from Eastern Europe have come to work in
Britain in just 3 Years
26-11-07 Waking up to the Reality of Migration
26-11-07 Polish Baby Boom: Fears for NHS & Schools as 1000 Polish children are
born every Month
9-12-07 Bosses pick "Diligent" Poles ahead of British Workers
11-12-07 80% of new Jobs have gone to Migrants since Labour came to Power
11-12-07 Drive-In Dentists: Chain will hire Eastern European Staff to Offer Cut-Price
Treatment
26-12-07 Poland Sends a Private Plane a Month to get back Criminals who have fled
to UK
30-12-07 Skilled and Highly Motivated Poles push British Graduates to back of the
Jobs Queue
4.1.8 Poles Working in Britain send Home Record £1.8bn to their Families
10.1.8 Immigrant Pupil Numbers rise 50% since 2005, with 20,000 joining last year
14.1.8 Britain has to Build 2 Million new Homes - Just to Cope with Growing Numbers of Immigrants
16.1.8 Don't Blame the Immigrants - It's British Children who are Trouble in Class
18.1.8 One in Every 4 Poles in Britain plans to Stay, says Survey
20.1.8 As Poles Flood into Britain, the Story of the Family who went in the
Opposite Direction
29.1.8 Polish Migrants Living in Britain claiming £21m. in Child Benefits for
Children left behind
7.2.8 Chief Constables Called to Crisis Summit with Jacqui Smith on Immigrant
Crimewave
13.2.8 More than 860 Immigrants Enter Britain Every Day
16.2.8 Now Poles begin Mass Desertion of Britain as Soaring Prices send them
Home

Curiously, even when Poles are supposedly leaving, a matter that many would have thought the "Daily Mail" approved, the editors still managed to make it sound pejorative by using the word "desertion". These article headlines are intended to make their readers' blood boil. I do not know if they succeed each time in that aim, but they certainly make every Pole's blood boil. They are slingshots aimed at Europe and the Government which rebound against Poles and other Central Europeans in street abuse, fire-bombed homes and mob attacks, while the "Daily Mail" washes its hands of all responsibility.

Wiktor Moszczyński - Federation of Poles in Great Britain London 23/2/2008