Polish strike in UK a ‘joke’?

By Thursday evening, around 2,500 people had indicated they were participating in the Facebook event connected with the #polishblood initiative, suggesting that around 1,200 litres of blood could be donated over the next few weeks.

The plan for the protest was the result of discussions on Polish internet forums by people angry at immigrants being blamed for UK’s economic problems.

The campaign was designed to remind Britons of the blood shed by Polish soldiers fighting for the British armed forces during the Second World War, as well as to combat the negative attitudes and stereotypes of migrants, The Guardian reports.

A Twitter user called Marta said “My attempt to change the image of Poles in the UK”.

Chairman Tadeusz Stenzel condemned the strike as “an irresponsible and divisive way of presenting arguments in the immigration debate”. The whole thing has been blown completely out of proportion.

“One of our readers wrote “don’t complain, let’s do something”.

Byczynski donated blood today and believes there is a great connection between Britain and Poland.

He also urged people to donate blood all year round rather than linking it to “any political activism”.

Meanwhile, the industrial action was organised by “ordinary polish immigrants” who wanted to come together to show their strength and importance, says the Polish Express.

While hundreds are expected to stage an unofficial walkout from workplaces around the country and take part in protests at Westminster, others are taking part in the #polishblood donor campaign in a show of solidarity with their host country.

In a series of Tweets, Krupa said the Polish Express picked up the idea to “get publicity” but “refused to take responsibility for organising it” and most Polish organisations in the UK opposed it. The #polishblood campaign was then launched by some groups “seeing a media opportunity”.