"We reminded the representatives of the British government that the Poles are very well integrated into British society and deserve respect. For decades, a large Polish community in the United Kingdom has not experienced any problems, but after a referendum some cases began to occur… They pay taxes and deserve to be protected," Waszczykowski told reporters.
On June 23, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union. According to the final results, 51.9 percent of voters, decided to support Brexit.
Shortly after the referendum, cards with the "No more Polish Vermin" slogans were sent to the Polish community members in Huntington, south-east England, which prompted the police to launch an investigation. In parallel, a derogatory four-letter-word graffiti was discovered on the front entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in London’s Hammersmith district, where quite a number of Poles are residing.
Amid the rise in xenophobic incidents, then UK Prime Minister David Cameron reassured his Polish counterpart Beata Szydlo that the UK authorities were doing everything possible to protect the Poles living in the country.
The Polish community in the United Kingdom, the largest migrant population of EU nationals in the country, amounts to over one million people.
