- Anti-immigration riots in England began in Southport, where a 17-year-old killed three girls in late July.
- – Suddenly, a large group came out from the other side. They went to a Cossack. I was in the middle when it started. It quickly got dangerous and stones were flying at me – Marek, 40, describes the Southport riots
- – I myself am an immigrant, I am in a foreign country, but I have integrated. And many viewers don’t. And then there are our ghettos. He says little Poland, little Portugal, little Turkey
- – The government is bringing in immigrants. They end up in the worst jobs. They do not know their rights and they work for very low wages. I call it modern slavery
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– It’s already quiet and peaceful in Southport. Everyone remembers these girls. There are many policemen in the city. Lots of police cars. Bad things are happening near our city. For example, in Liverpool – says Mr Marek, 40, from Southport.
The Pole has lived in Great Britain for nearly 20 years. He practically started from scratch, but through hard work he built his own company. – When I came to Great Britain, it was a time when the Portuguese had the best jobs, and we Poles got the worst jobs. Later, the Romanians and Bulgarians came for us and the situation changed. We had great jobs and they had bad jobs. Now there is another influx of people from Senegal, and from Africa in general, he explains.
However, Marek sees a difference. – These people do not have many factories in their countries and they are not taught to live like us. And there is a problem. They don’t fit in England, I hear.
“I knew something was up because the guests were dressed like onions”
Marek was there when riots broke out in Southport a few days ago after a 17-year-old killed three girls. He sends us some videos to prove it. You can see a police car burning down the street and people recording the whole incident.
Marek did not participate in the riots. He says he came to lay flowers at the scene of the shocking murder. He believes most of the riots on Southport’s streets are not caused by residents, but by onlookers. – I was coming there and I drove down a street where I couldn’t turn back. There’s a pub there and it was awful. There were a lot of young men, full of men. It doesn’t fit me anymore. I know many people from that area but can’t recognize anyone here. I stopped the car. I go with the flowers and the person in front of me takes off his shoe. He leans over and I see, he’s wearing three pairs of pants and three sweatshirts. “I definitely knew something was up because the guests were dressed like they were,” he recounts.
– Suddenly, a large group came out from the other side. They went to a Cossack. I was in the middle when it started. It soon became dangerous, stones flew towards me and I stood still further away. Look, I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of visiting team. They came from the area and participated in picketing. Then they join the local faeces from such tough houses, he reports.
How, I ask, does Mark see the anti-immigrant protests that have spread in other cities in England? – You know, it’s quiet here in Southport. But in Liverpool or Brighton people might see things quite differently, he replied.
“We were told there would be an avalanche on the shore.”
He says he has heard of allegations against British police of unequal treatment of protesters. – I’ve never experienced anything like that, but like I said, it’s quiet here. I saw these videos on TikTok where Turks are hunting right-wingers and they’re walking around with knives. I tell you, it’s the worst possible stupidity, he opined.
— The truth is we have Muslim friends. We go to clubs together and we meet casually. Among them are common people and those who want to do fraudulent business. These people actually have a different approach to life. Well, we also have our say. If I take you in the morning in front of a Polish shop in Southport, within an hour you will notice many drunkards. Sometimes I stop to buy a sandwich and five people in front of me go to work and only the monkeys leave.
– When it started in Southport, it was an avalanche, and my wife and I said it would move to the city. Because the truth is that seeing people is a problem. I am an immigrant, I am in a foreign country, but I have integrated. And many viewers don’t. Many Poles don’t do that either. And then there are our ghettos. Little Poland, little Portugal, little Turkey.
Pole firmly believes that “things are going in the wrong direction in England”. “I don’t like the policy of the British government,” he admits. He uses an interesting analogy. – If I have a company that employs five people, I employ five people, not 15, and give them two or three hours of work a day. Because these people won’t earn anything and then cause problems in the company. The government is also behaving like this. It attracts a lot of visitors but it doesn’t give them any opportunities.
Immigrants without opportunities?
— They are mostly unskilled. Because if they were, they would be in a much better position. For example, you know that truck drivers are in high demand in our country. But he says it’s not a job for everyone.
I ask if there are a lot of new African immigrants in Southport now? – Well, I haven’t seen many of them. I know that they lived in a hotel in the center, and then in the outskirts of the city – answers the Pole.
– I remember that a dozen or more years ago, the English, mainly the poor, shouted at us that the Poles were taking their jobs and that we should leave. But many Poles worked hard and earned something, he adds, and the British no longer cause us problems.
Marek fears the rise of crime in England. – The government is bringing in immigrants. They end up in the worst jobs. They do not know their rights and they work for very low wages. I call it modern slavery. They see how well other people live in England and how they have practically nothing. However, they are unwilling or unable to get back together. And that causes problems.
My interlocutor firmly believes that “Poland is a safer country than Great Britain, but it is culturally more closed.” – I appreciate having friends from different worlds. I worked for the Turks. They are ordinary people. They led me to the table. We sat down and practically ate from a bowl. I was impressed that they lived like a family. But I also know people who came to the UK illegally to do business. Pipes, alcohol, all the stuff.
– The same goes for Poles. You have ordinary Poles who work hard and are still working. They earned money. They are managers, they work in banks, they have good positions. He says that people who came 15 years ago were in trouble with the law in Poland, and here they are still doing illegal business.
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