UNITED KINGDOM: Poles living in the UK concerned by recent shooting, but not fleeing home in fear

The flowers laid out by friends, colleagues and people touched by Madga Pniewska's sudden death are still lying on the site where the Polish care worker was shot dead after being caught in the crossfire of a gunbattle. Pniewska's sudden death in London on Tuesday (October 2nd) shocked and frightened people in both Poland and Britain and there have been reports suggesting Poles in the UK fear for their lives and are returning home. Friends and colleagues of Pniewska describe her as being loving and creative, and people in the neighbourhood where she was killed are struggling to come to terms with her unexpected death. "We are praying for Magda's family and her friends. And we are sorry that she's experienced this in this, in our country," said curate, Father John Francis of the All Saints church a stone-throw from where she was killed. "I think there is a determination to try and bring those who were involved in her death to justice. And that we need to stand strong to fight against the gangsterism, I suppose, and the criminality of young people carrying guns and knives for protection," Francis said. Pniewska's accidental death has spurred strong media attention in both Poland and Britain and British Sunday newspaper, The Observer recently reported that hundreds of Polish migrants now are leaving Britain due to high crime levels and racism. Her death follows that of fellow countrywoman, Zuzanna Zommer who was killed in Leeds this month and Angelika Kluk who was found dead in Glasgow in 2006. Their deaths and an incident of racial tension outside a school in Chatham in Southeast England where Poles became involved, have led to suggestions of hate crimes targeting Poles in the UK. According to The Observer this has resulted in Poles leaving Britain. But Victor Moszcynski, a researcher for the Federation of Poles in Great Britain says this is not the case. Moszcynski told Reuters that there have been some incidents of Poles falling victim to violence in small towns where thousands of Poles have found work and are a very visible minority. "Some are leaving because of certain incidents of hate crime, particularly in the countryside where Poles have been made to feel uncomfortable by local British people who feel they have been losing out on the job market to Poles. These are British people who have not made a success out of their own lives," he said. "Those are the reasons why people go back. As for the general levels of crime, the levels of murder are higher in Poland than in Britain," Moszcynski added. He said he believed people in Poland who have friends and family in the UK are probably more concerned than those living in Britain. "On the whole I think people in Poland have had a rather sensational view of life in Britain over the past week. There is no doubt that on the whole life is safer in Britain than in Poland," Moszcynski said, referring to government statistics from 2006 stating that there are four times more murders per head of population in Poland, than in the UK. Gun crime has been on the increase in Britain and Pniewska was shot leaving the care home where she worked in one of the more deprived areas of London. Moszcynski said that people moving to England should use common sense when finding a place to live. "They should be careful with where they move. If they want to find houses where housing costs are cheap in the inner-city areas then it is likely to be areas with higher crime rates. Therefore they have to bear in mind that in those areas they will not feel safe," he said. Even though young Poles living in the UK appreciate that certain areas might be unsafe, they do not appear to feel threatened. "I think that in Poland it would be a much bigger shock if someone would be shot on the street than here in London. It is much more probable here," Ewa Moczala who works as a hotel receptionist said. "The place I live in is not dangerous. But there are places like Southern or Eastern London where it is best to stay indoors in the evening," Marta Dec, who used to live close to where Pniewska was killed, added. "I feel safe where I live, so I don't want to go home," she said. One 17-year old has been held in connection with Pniewska's death. A second man was arrested and released on bail awaiting further inquires. A further three men and one woman were arrested, but released without charge.

ITN Source | October 15, 2007

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