Campaigners hit out at racists over anti-Polish graffiti

Published on Thursday 7 May 2009 09:44

CAMPAIGNERS have condemned those responsible for anti-Polish graffiti appearing across the Capital.

Racist slogans urging the city's Poles to return home or accusing them of stealing jobs have appeared on walls and bus stops in Leith, Comiston and Polwarth.

Tens of thousands of Polish people have moved to Edinburgh since Poland join the EU in 2004, with the vast majority assimilating well into life in the city.

The graffiti has been spotted at a number of locations around Leith in recent months, including Duke Street and Leith Walk, and has also appeared on Buckstone Avenue, Comiston and Angle Park Terrace, Polwarth. It is unclear if it is the work of one individual or part of a more worrying trend.

Polish groups today expressed surprise at the graffiti, while anti-racism campaigners said that a series of concerts in the Capital would be used to show that anyone, regardless of race or nationality, is welcome in Edinburgh.

The first Love Music Hate Racism gig is to be held at the end of this month and will feature both Polish and Scottish artists.

Ed Pybus, who runs the Leith Walk-based indie music label SL Records, said he has seen around a dozen bits of anti-Polish graffiti across Leith in recent months, removing many of the slogans written in pen himself.

He said: "It is hard to say if this is just kids or something more organised but it is completely out of order.

"I don't know if the way the economy is going is behind this, with people feeling their jobs are under threat and looking for someone to blame, but it is important that we get the message across that it is not acceptable.

"The Poles who have moved here in recent years have been made to feel welcome by the people of Edinburgh and that is why we are organising these gigs, to challenge those who feel that Edinburgh shouldn't be a welcoming place to people regardless of race or nationality."

Marek Straczynski, president of the Edinburgh-based Polish Ex-Combatants Association, which honours the thousands of Scotland-based Polish soldiers who fought in the Second World War, said: "This not something I have seen but I find it surprising.

"Polish people who have moved here in recent years have been made to feel very welcome in Edinburgh, I am sure this is just one or two people and not what everyone thinks."

A police spokeswoman confirmed investigations were ongoing to trace those behind the messages. She added: "The force treats any race-related crime seriously and we encourage victims to report any incidents to police, either directly or through our remote reporting system."

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