Welcome to the Jungle

After the World War II Britain has been experiencing a steady, robust influx of immigrants and the question of who to admit and who to turn down at the borders has continued to be a vexing public issue. After a wave of non-white New Commonwealth migrants following the process of decolonisation, which started for good in 1945, and the first signs of racial tensions and social discontent in the UK cities, the 1960s saw restrictive legislation in the form of two Commonwealth Immigration Acts (1962, 1968), and the Immigration Act of 1971. The post-colonial immigration went on, using both legal and illegal channels, and was coupled with immigration from Eastern European countries, Africa and Asia, leading to the developement of sizeable immigrant communities all over Britain. Contrary to popular belief, tough, the UK may like to see itself as a multi-ethnic society, but in fact only less than 10% of its population is non-white and, on top of that, most of it is concentrated in London (50%) and other major urban centres (Birmingham, Glasgow), leaving wide swathes of the country racially homogenous.

I remember the 1990s in Poland, when the prospect of the EU membership was nowhere in sight and such comforts as passportless travel in Europe belonged to political fiction, with most Poles having a hard time to get into the UK, requiring a visa, a difficult-to-obtain work permit or an expensive language course. Still, Britain, next to Germany and the USA, remained a destination of choice for hundreds of Polish fortune-seekers, unfazed by the hardships along the way. In a way, they paved the way for the massive migration from Poland after May 2004, when Poland's inclusion in the EU made it possible not only to enter the UK but also legally seek employment there. Even though extremely well-received by most standards, the numbers of the newcomers from the Eastern European nations fuelled suspicion and alarm among more hysterical parties in the public debate, like the Sun, as well as from those who keep claiming that Britain is overcrowded.

Spotlight has turned away from European incomers and local communities seem to have accommodated them remarkably well, despite repeated reports of ethnically-inspired crime and other distressing stories. However, immigration remains Britain's high priority as candidates from other troubled countries continue to knock on its door due to its reputation for ample social support for asylum-seekers and others. Along the northern coast of France alone, there are reputed to be located ten detention centres for those who were caught by the French and British police while being smuggled northwards. For such human trafficking, which has grown into a full scale business with aspiring asylum-seekers from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq or Eritrea paying up to 15.000 pounds to reach the shores of the promised land, Britain has been a supreme final destination, unrivalled by any other European country.