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How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]
The Poles in the UK have often found themselves as the lightning rod of prejudice, racism and nationalistic views probably because Poles are white, European and Christian so criticising them can't "really" be classed as racism........
Yes, I'd also say that it was because they were very visible. I remember the first wave, and it was ordinary for them to come and fix things for you and ask for a fair price for the work done, rather than trying to screw you over. That led to huge resentment among the working classes who were earning a good lifestyle out of conning people, and obviously the views then got passed on to others in the family.
My friend's dad owns a fish factory in Scotland, and he told me about how the "Eastern Europeans" were a blessing for his company. He was struggling to find people to work, but they came, worked hard and set a great example for the locals. The problem was that the locals were deeply unhappy about having to work harder, and they already resented the fact that they were working in what is/was considered a very low class job. End result? Racism towards the foreigners.
I'm certain it's the same story up and down the country, and when you add in the less desirable visible Polish traits such as drinking outside shops and living cheaply to save money, it's easy to see how they acted as a lightning rod, just as you've said.
I'm fairly sure there were at least some votes for Brexit based on the mistaken belief that it would get rid of all the "foreigners".
