OP-ED: Human Trash; Human Garbage - the Eastern European problem with immigration

Polish Member of the European Parliament Janusz Korwin-Mikke claimed in the European Parliament that the acceptance of immigrants who do not want to work has lead to “an invasion of human trash. Human garbage, that doesn’t want to work.” He stated prior to this that, “If we abolished all benefits, then people who don’t want to work, and want to live from benefits, wouldn’t come to Poland and the rest of Europe.” Some people may remember this from John Oliver’s late-night talk show, but I remember almost these exact works being applied by people in the street about Poles who arrived where I live in the U.K. a little more than a decade ago.

Three years ago, I lived near Slough, the most diverse part of the United Kingdom outside of London, and home to possibly one of the most vibrant Polish expatriate communities with delis, bookshops, even a Polish version of the local Reading Chronicle. An estimated 8,000 Poles live in Slough and alongside nearly 140,000 people from many other cultures. So, many other European states are asking, if Eastern Europeans can integrate into a multicultural Western European nation, why is it not possible for immigrants to integrate into Eastern European nations?

It seems to me that many Eastern European states’ national identities are based on the very fact that they have survived, through thick and thin. The concept of ‘Polishness’ survived for almost 125 years without actually being protected by the structure of a state. Some say its repression by other nations, such as Russia, Prussia, and Austria, forced the Poles to forge and protect their culture and identity, no matter the cost. The opening lines of the Polish national anthem in fact translate as “Poland has yet not perished, So long as we still live.”

The same could be said for another country, which has implemented policy during the current migrant crisis and has angered much of Europe: Hungary. The Hungarians have one of the most unique cultures in Europe. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, along with political parties and citizens groups, has taken it upon himself to defend this cultural identity.

Orban stated, "I think we have a right to decide that we do not want a large number of Muslim people in our country,” and further adding that, “We do not like the consequences.”

Orban also made a statement in Brussels on September 3, saying, “Please don’t come. We cannot guarantee that you will be accepted here.” He is referring to the last historical mass migration of Muslims to Hungary, the Ottomans. Orban’s fear has created a fence which stretches across the Hungary-Serbia border and  is currently being extended along Hungary’s border with Croatia, despite the fact that Croatia is an EU member.

The Slovakian government is also reluctant to accept further immigrants,  stating that it would only take in Christian refugees. The Interior Ministry spokesman claimed it was because, “We don’t have any mosques in Slovakia so how can Muslims be integrated if they are not going to like it here?"

In Poland, thousands turned out for an anti-immigration protest led by far-right groups on September 27 in outrage to the government’s decision to provide financial assistance to refugees. The Polish government’s extremely low acceptance rates of refugees only compounds the problem for the EU. In 2014, 732 foreigners were given asylum by the government, of whom only 115 were from Syria. According to UNHCR, Poland plans to take in only another 100 Syrian refugees from 2016 to 2020. A senior member of the ruling Civic Platform party said that, “People just don’t want immigrants here,” and that, “They don’t understand them, they don’t like them, and believe that their maintenance is too expensive.”

It seems that change is coming to Eastern Europe. With thousands of people from very different cultural backgrounds are arriving at their doorstep, these countries now are trying to define what will remain of their past national identity and what the future will hold for people who have held their uniqueness so close to their hearts for centuries.