Racism in Poland (at Gdansk airport)

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Apr 7, 09, 09:43 #1

I am an Australian of Chinese descent, living in London. Last week when I exited Gdansk airport, the officer held me up for 30 minutes, nearly made me miss the flight.

Oh dear! They thought I traveled on a false passport, and brought a magnifier to study the photo for 30 minutes! The man studying the passport had to rub his eyes many times but still would not let me go. I had to watch this clown activity 'amusingly' for 30 minutes.

The suspicion was clearly based on nothing other than racism. A bit of a shock for me - the officials representing Poland simply do not realise that this racist practice is wrong! Especially after Poland has been admitted to the EU and the Schengen Treaty.

I said to the Passport Control officer, 'I hope one day you will realise what you did today is wrong. Then Poland might have hope.'

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Apr 7, 09, 10:17 #2

Or you can look at it from another point of view, we have lots of illegal immigrants entering the UK on false documents so I'd rather someone spend 30 minutes checking someone before they come to the UK than not, you had nothing to hide so nothing to worry about, it was an inconvenience for you I'm sure, don't just write it off as being racist, would you call someone at an airport in the UK racist if they did that?

King SobieskiThreads: 7 Posts: 1,103 Joined: Jan 22, 07 ♂	Apr 7, 09, 10:27 #3
pauls, you have obviously watched the australian tv show "border security" and seen that a fair few asians are targeted. i dont think its a racist thing....heck, i was held up at heathrow for 20 mins trying to convince the lady to let me in the uk and i am anglo looking.

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Apr 7, 09, 10:32 #4

ShelleyS:

I'd rather someone spend 30 minutes checking someone before they come to the UK than not, you had nothing to hide so nothing to worry about

Well, to be fair, it wasn't you who was being needlessly detained at the airport by a bunch of guys in uniforms insisting on checking your passport over and over again.

ShelleyS:

would you call someone at an airport in the UK racist if they did that?

Maybe not racism per se, but I'd call it prejudice or incompetence or possibly an abuse of their authority. Then again customs and excise are like that - a bunch of low qualified working class underachievers who think that a uniform and a title like herr szturmfuhrer gives them the right to push people around (sorry, enforce the law).

paulsThreads: 1 Posts: 46 Joined: Apr 7, 09 ♂	Edited by: pauls Apr 7, 09, 11:45 #5
ShelleyS: I'd rather someone spend 30 minutes checking someone before they come to the UK than not Are you suggesting everybody should be held up 30 minutes, or only thoes non-white have to go through this? Even if it is the latter, Heathrow would explode, and we would need an airport 10 times the size of Heathrow. ;-)

szkotja2007Threads: 38 Posts: 2,543 Joined: Dec 29, 06 ♂	Apr 7, 09, 12:08 #6
Paul, you may have got held up because of your appearance, you will never know. Lots of people are getting delayed needlessly at airports now.

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Apr 7, 09, 13:44 #7

This sort of thing really annoys me times, before I start I am Scottish and look it if you know what I mean. pauls you automatically assume the reason you were stopped was because of racism, nothing to do with the person may have had suspicion about the photo. I get it quite a lot especially coming back into Edinburgh when I fly because I have an older passport and the picture is old too. Normally coming into Edinburgh I spend about 30 - 40mins to get through passport control, yes it is annoying but I would prefer this as this up holds the rules.

Now I am not saying that racism doesn't exist but people pull this card out far to easily these days. I flew to Bulgaria a few years ago and was taken to the side because of my passport and like your self it took 30mins or so. Did I cry they are being racist no I just accepted this is what happens when you travel!!!

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Apr 7, 09, 13:50 #8

King Sobieski:

dont think its a racist thing....heck, i was held up at heathrow for 20 mins trying to convince the lady to let me in the uk and i am anglo looking.

They stop Ausis because they overstay or come in on holiday visa and come to work..

pauls:

Are you suggesting everybody should be held up 30 minutes

Im suggesting that if someone has any doubt they should take what ever time they feel necessary to ensure that the passport is real.

whyikit:

Now I am not saying that racism doesn't exist but people pull this card out far to easily these days.

True.

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Apr 7, 09, 14:32 #9

A couple of years ago I went to Kos with six friends. One of them stupidly decided to smoke a cigarette in the plane toilet. The pilot announced that they knew who it was, and that there could be police waiting for him at Kos ariport.

My friend (white guy) who smoked the cigarette received something amounting to a cavity search, and four of the other guys (all black) had their suitcases turned inside-out. Me and the other white guy weren't even searched, which was lucky for him as he was the only person who had something to hide.

Moral of the story (aside from don't smoke on a plane):

Don't accompany anyone to Greece if they intend to smoke on the plane and you are black.

pauls:

pauls

Whatever the reason for your detention, I would try not to take it personally. In America you are likely to be interviewed upon arrival, and are expected to give detailed plans of your visit.

Security is security.

glaswegians	Apr 7, 09, 15:29 #10
pauls: Are you suggesting everybody should be held up 30 minutes, or only thoes non-white have to go through this It is non whites that are mainly illegal immigrants/people carrying false documents Political correctness has no place in border security

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Apr 7, 09, 21:25 #11

pauls:

Oh dear! They thought I traveled on a false passport, and brought a magnifier to study the photo for 30 minutes! The man studying the passport had to rub his eyes many times but still would not let me go. I had to watch this clown activity 'amusingly' for 30 minutes.

No u little ****, u don't know how it is, there are 50,000 Vietnamese in Poland, thousands are stoped on the borders, also other Asians, Chinese, Kazakhs, its easy to travel throughout the former Soviet Union and the Polish authorities know that, he was just doing his job people try dozens of things with passports gluing pictures forging signatures etc. and ur dumb ass was looking at him like hes the idiot and automaticaly labeling him as a racist, shows how bright u are

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Apr 7, 09, 22:25 #12

PennBoy:

No u little ****, u don't know how it is, there are 50,000 Vietnamese in Poland, thousands are stoped on the borders, also other Asians, Chinese, Kazakhs, its easy to travel throughout the former Soviet Union and the Polish authorities know that,

So how come he's on a flight from London you dumb hick? You think immigrants come from Russia to England to Poland?

PennBoy:

there are 50,000 Vietnamese in Poland, thousands are stoped on the borders,

My God. Awful. What if a million turn up to replace the Poles swamping the UK labour market?

niejestemcapitaThreads: 3 Posts: 666 Joined: Jan 3, 09 ♀	Apr 7, 09, 22:32 #13
PennBoy: people try dozens of things with passports gluing pictures forging signatures etc. the guy was travelling on a a bona fide Aussie passport, so hi tec these things would be totally impossible.

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Apr 7, 09, 23:26 #14

IronsE11:

Whatever the reason for your detention, I would try not to take it personally. In America you are likely to be interviewed upon arrival, and are expected to give detailed plans of your visit.

Security is security

I came into America following a cruise a couple of years ago, and I was held up for them to verify all my documents, etc... I live in America, and have for my entire life. I'm about as American looking as anyone else in this country. It happens.

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Edited by: mafketis Apr 7, 09, 23:30 #15

IronsE11:

Me and the other white guy weren't even searched, which was lucky for him as he was the only person who had something to hide.

If you're looking for approval/sympathy for breaking the law (and making drug pushing scum of the earth richer at the expense of lots of poor people) then go somewhere else.

As for the subject of this post. There are lots of Vietnamese in Poland, most of whom are not legal (which is a scandal, vietnamese are pretty good immigrants to have on the whole).

There are lots of urban folk legends about how Vietnamese get into Poland illegally. I wouldn't be so hard on a border guard for trying to do their (thankless and often pointless) job.

Guest

Apr 8, 09, 00:42 #16

I think I can shed some light on this and it's got nothing to do with with racism - it's a combination of boredom coupled with these airport security staff in Gdansk having small lives who get paid very little and have no power outside of their place of work. And let's face it, they're just a glorified bouncers. So they pick on everyone and anyone regardless of colour just to make themselves feel important. I've flown in and out of Gdansk airport many times and seen this kind of cretinous behaviour more times than I care to remember. It's like watching 'Groundhog Day' only 20 times worse. At least we have this 'Groundhog Day' only when visit 'lovely' Poland. These people are doing this thankless, soulless job every day of their lives. I wouldn't trust these people to clean toilets let alone work in 'security' at an airport. These days I just do whatever these short haired thugs tells me to do - except bend over for a cavity search, which in any case is probably not only their job but also their hobby. Put yourself in their shoes...they have a crappy job, no future, and they hate the kind of people like me and you because of that. I'm sure when they go home to sleep at night they don't feel so good about the pathetic things they do in their 'working' day, but when you're arriving in a new a new country and with their level of intellect you're an easy target. And the more you **** them off the more they love it. So just accept it because it'll be a long time before things change and at least you can leave the country when you wish which is more than they'll ever be able to do. So the next time it happens to you smile at the guy with pity and think how lucky you are when he's having his inglorious moments of selfish, depraved pleasure. He'll still be stuck there 20 years from now (if he hasn't been fired first) and you won't.

I hope that someone who works at Gdansk airport reads this....actually no it doesn't really matter - a) you don't understand english and b) even if I wrote it in Polish it'll still be indecipherable to you - you idiots.

Customer satisfaction survey anyone?

Filios1Threads: 15 Posts: 1,953 Joined: Nov 13, 07 ♂	Apr 8, 09, 00:44 #17
Guest: Guest Next time, hopefully one of these 'short haired thugs' kick the ** out of you. Ungrateful **.

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Apr 8, 09, 00:46 #18

Hi Guest - heres a present for you - use it wisely...

Paragraph

Guest	Apr 8, 09, 00:54 #19
Filios, exactly what should I be grateful for when I fly into a foreign country? Not being abused by jumped up thugs? If that's your idea of fun then good luck to you.

ShortHairedThug	Apr 8, 09, 01:07 #20
Guest: I just do whatever these short haired thugs tells me to do - except bend over for a cavity search Be careful what you wish for, you will be accommodated next time you're in town. Security staff in Gdansk

Guest	Apr 8, 09, 01:12 #21
szkotja2007, have a look at the definition of a paragraph In case words in a big lump are too difficult for you, here's a summary: A paragraph (from the Greek paragraphos, "to write beside" or "written beside") is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. I rest my case your honour.

Guest	Apr 8, 09, 01:18 #22
ShortHairedThug, I'll bend over backwards to accommodate you.

ShortHairedThug	Apr 8, 09, 01:21 #23
We aim to please and full customer satisfaction. You don't even have to fill out the survey just bend over and say Thank You.

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Edited by: polishcanuck Apr 8, 09, 01:22 #24

pauls:

The suspicion was clearly based on nothing other than racism. A bit of a shock for me - the officials representing Poland simply do not realise that this racist practice is wrong! Especially after Poland has been admitted to the EU and the Schengen Treaty.

I said to the Passport Control officer, 'I hope one day you will realise what you did today is wrong. Then Poland might have hope.'

You should try entering the USA post 9/11! In the first few years after the attacks, border guards would get almost all non-whites to pull off to the side to go through a more thorough check (+ pictures, finger prints). Some of my asian friends were harrassed so much that they stopped travelling into the US. My white friends and myself never had any problems, as a matter of fact we were let in/out of the US a couple of times with no official documents(ie: student cards). They've loosened up lately, but not too much.

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Apr 8, 09, 04:09 #25

MrBubbles:

So how come he's on a flight from London you dumb hick? You think immigrants come from Russia to England to Poland?

I know that u little f**kin' ****, no **** i know he flew in from England, i was just giving an example about other Asians coming in from the east, and there being thousands of them trying to come in illegaly into Poland so he shouldn't take them checking his passport well as racism, learn how to read bozzo

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Apr 8, 09, 04:21 #26

pauls:

I am an Australian of Chinese descent, living in London. Last week when I exited Gdansk airport, the officer held me up for 30 minutes, nearly made me miss the flight.

Racism or ethnic profiling? Happens all over the world.

When I commuted daily to the US for about 3 years I soon realized to go by one rule - at the border do not line up behind a car with Asians or Middle Eastern people inside. If you do, then instead of being waved through, you'll wait forever while they check every piece of luggage and every little hair wrinkle and on the poor souls' bodies.

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Apr 8, 09, 06:05 #27

ShelleyS:

They stop Ausis because they overstay or come in on holiday visa and come to work..

i didnt have a working holiday visa, was just travelling to meet a friend, so at that point just a tourist. she couldnt believe that i would quit/take leave from my job in australia to travel for 3 months.

i was pissed off at the time coz i had just spent 28-30 hours flying (including transit) and wasnt in the best state of functionally.

and learnt my lesson, from that day forth, all my travel internationally was done via edinburgh airport.

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Apr 8, 09, 10:41 #28

King Sobieski:

i didnt have a working holiday visa, was just travelling to meet a friend, so at that point just a tourist. she couldnt believe that i would quit/take leave from my job in australia to travel for 3 months.

doesnt matter, Ausis are renown for it - they will want the ins and outs of a cats arsehole if you fit a certain profile - just the way it is.

pauls:

By the way, I support your effort fighting anti-semitism, because anti-semitism is racist.

Good for you, by the way my post wasn't meant to come across racist towards you, I have no issue with Chinese people, I have Chinese friends, I was just pointing out that maybe the guy at the airport was just being vigilent.

paulsThreads: 1 Posts: 46 Joined: Apr 7, 09 ♂	Apr 8, 09, 12:07 #29
Grzegorz_: OK... Now get out, you yellow clown "Got to love how a thread about racism is instantly filled by racists..." Quote from another post. By the way, I support your effort fighting anti-semitism, because anti-semitism is racist.

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,755 Joined: Jul 3, 08 ♂	Apr 8, 09, 13:29 #30
pauls: The suspicion was clearly based on nothing other than racism what a crap. only racism i see here is your attitude to Poles, you gook. now get the **** out of here.

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