Racism in Poland (at Gdansk airport)

southernThreads: 116 Posts: 10,896 Joined: May 17, 07 ♂	Apr 8, 09, 13:39 #31
pauls: 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. Maybe he was slow in differantiating chinese eyes one from the other.

♂

Edited by: IronsE11 Apr 8, 09, 13:47 #32

mafketis:

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.

Maybe you should try reading the post before you make utterly ridiculous assumptions. I have no sympathy for idiots who try to smuggle drugs in to a foreign country (especially somewhere like Greece). This particular guy (who incidentally I detest) smuggled in less than an 8th of an ounce of cannabis for personal comsumption whilst on holiday. Whilst this is still substantial enough to receive a hefty punishment, it is hardly drug pushing is it?

The point of the post was to highlight that four black men (who had done absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever) had their bags turned inside out, purely because they were in the company of someone who had stupidly smoked in the toilet of a plane. The other two white members of the party (myself with no illegal substances) and this other guy (with a very small amount of cannabis) were spared this ordeal. The fact that this was particularly lucky for him was merely a footnote of my post.

This sh1t happens. It may not be nice, but security is security. If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear, even though it might be inconvenient or embarrassing. In the case of my friends in Kos, I have no doubt that it was racially motivated, but what can you do. This sort of thing happens in every country.

My girlfriend had her bag turned inside out at the Eurostar when we went to Paris last summer. I'm sure having her personal possessions examined in front of passing passengers wasn't particularly pleasant for her, but she dealt with it. I don't think it was because she is Polish.

southernThreads: 116 Posts: 10,896 Joined: May 17, 07 ♂	Edited by: southern Apr 8, 09, 13:58 #33
If authorities delay you,they are usually waiting for a bribe.

Wroclaw Boy

Edited by: Wroclaw Boy Apr 8, 09, 14:56 #34

I was a victim of racism last week in Germany. The buggers pulled me over near Munich from all the cars they chose mine with the British plate, went through all my stuff with a fine tooth comb took me back to the Police station and fined me 100 EUR for carrying an offensive weapon. I said im not paying now just give me a fine and i'll wire it, the reply was well have to retain your snowboard till you pay, i swiftly handed over my hard earned cash.

It was unbelievable to be honest, they knew i had cash as theyd seen my wallet and penalised me for something trivial. I was like are you the fooking gestapo revitalised or something.

miranda	Apr 8, 09, 14:59 #35
what was the offensive weapon? the snowboard?

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Apr 8, 09, 15:01 #36
They look for easy hits and targets. Carrying an offensive weapon? It's not our fault that we were born male ;)

Wroclaw Boy

Edited by: Wroclaw Boy Apr 8, 09, 15:04 #37

its the second time i got nailed a few months before crossing the border from switzerland to austria (no schengin) then. Fined me 20 EUR for having a photo copy of my car registration doc, 20 for my wife not having ID as she lost her bag and another 20 for not having a dog passport.

On the spot of course.

In England 9 times out of 10 its a slap on the wrtist but not here theyll have you for anything and everything.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Apr 8, 09, 15:10 #38
That's way too strict! In Scotland, it'd be the same, 9/10 times let off the hook with a warning.

♂

Apr 8, 09, 22:29 #39

Wroclaw Boy:

I was a victim of racism last week in Germany. The buggers pulled me over near Munich from all the cars they chose mine with the British plate

Am i missing something here English and Germans don't like each other?? arn't English mostly of Germanic stock, with some Norman and Briton admixture. Although i did read an article in German magazine Der Spigiel (in English) that the English are jellous of Germans cause they do everything better, sounds like bul**hit to me, since Kra*ts think they're better than everyone.

Bratwurst BoyThreads: 11 Posts: 14,563 Joined: Apr 2, 07 ♂	Edited by: Bratwurst Boy Apr 8, 09, 22:34 #40
Wroclaw Boy: from all the cars they chose mine with the British plate, Did we had a football friendly lately??? :)

paulsThreads: 1 Posts: 46 Joined: Apr 7, 09 ♂	Edited by: pauls Apr 9, 09, 19:29 #41
In the 1930s, in Germany, there were banners everywhere written, 'Juden betreten den Ort auf eigene Gefahr!', removed only for a while in 1936 to avoid bad pubilicty during the Olympic Games. Schade, in Poland today, there isn't even such a warning to those regarded as inferior.

Filios1Threads: 15 Posts: 1,953 Joined: Nov 13, 07 ♂	Edited by: Filios1 Apr 9, 09, 19:51 #42
pauls: those regarded as inferior. Please, don't visit Poland ever again, you whiny little b!tch. Stop spreading your hate propaganda.

Guest	May 16, 09, 13:50 #43
Chinese eyes on a Australian passport, isnt that a bit wierd? I would have stopped you too if i worked there! Plus, Poles dont have many Chinese visitors so they probablly wanted a closer look. If you put a European person in China then everyone stops to look, i have been there a few times.

paulsThreads: 1 Posts: 46 Joined: Apr 7, 09 ♂	May 16, 09, 14:30 #44
Oh, wierd? Guest, are you saying the Poles don't know what's going on in the world?

Mr GrunwaldThreads: 34 Posts: 2,354 Joined: Dec 16, 08 ♂	May 16, 09, 19:05 #45
1 question, did this happen only once? In the Norwegian newspapers there was an article about an afro-american who were stopped 13 of 14 trips to Norway or something, because he looked "strange". That was flagged rascism! I would call your incident bad luck, hell if I were stopped would I be yelling oh your so rascist thinking im Germanic! Rascists! Hell no

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07 ♂	May 16, 09, 19:24 #46
Guest: Chinese eyes on a Australian passport, isnt that a bit wierd? Nguyen is the seventh most common surname in Australia, but that's more about Vietnamese eyes.

Guest	May 16, 09, 19:40 #47
pauls: Oh, wierd? Guest, are you saying the Poles don't know what's going on in the world? No, i am not saying that at all, i am saying that you look funny to us Europeans. I am not a racist, but maybe i dont think they would stop you for no reason, maybe you had too many noodles in your hand luggage or something, (noodles, ohh yeah, i love noodles)

♂

Edited by: NO 14 May 16, 09, 19:51 #48

pauls:

The suspicion was clearly based on nothing other than racism

What makes you think that?
Are we also racist to our own people if we stop them without telling them why they have been stoped & searched?
It annoys me that when a foriegner (who looks different) says they were stoped because the border control officers are racist, this is bulls**t, it sounds like you are the racist- towards Poland, why even bring a subject like this up on PF?

pauls:

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.'

Poland might have hope for what? Poland is one of the most thriving countries of Europe with numerous international companies investing here because they know it is a booming place, & the "boom" has only just begun, just wait some more years & Poland will take over a lot of the "western" richer countries.
Take a look at your country of descent, why did your family leave that place? Before you go insulting other places use your head a little!!!

♂

Edited by: ShortHairThug May 16, 09, 20:24 #49

pauls:

in Poland today, there isn't even such a warning to those regarded as inferior.

In Poland or anywhere else for that matter. You were let go, so what seems to be the problem?

I don't get it. EU and US imposed a rigorous security checks on air passenger travellers and everyone ******* at the customs officers having do their job. If you have a problem with the new rules on how the checks are conducted start raising the objection to your own politicians in your respective countries to change the way things are done, don't blame it on the people who have to enforce those rules. You yourself was more than willing to give up your rights in the name of security. When the politicians came up with the idea of stricter air travel control you all thought it was a good idea and supported them, now you ***** because it hits too close to home.

It's OK as long as someone else is being checked. Well that's not the way it works, everyone will be inconvenienced at one point or another except for the privileged class flying government, corporate and private jets. Everyone else who fly's commercial airlines will have to deal with it. If you think the profiling is not part of it then keep deluding yourself. Is it racial profiling? You bet it is, sanction by your own government in the first place. If you have any complaints I suggest you start there.

♂

May 17, 09, 11:27 #50

NO 14:

What makes you think that?

What made me think so? Oh it's the officers' facial expressions that they looked so scared as if I would bite. I would probably have taken a picture or two to show you had it been allowed.

NO 14:

Poland is one of the most thriving countries of Europe with numerous international companies investing here because they know it is a booming place, & the "boom" has only just begun, just wait some more years & Poland will take over a lot of the "western" richer countries.

Believe it or not, I actually agree with you. And this is precisely the reason why it is shocking to see the amount of hostility towards foreigners in Poland.

And of course, from what I've read on this website, quite a few Poles would like to think that Poland would have been leading the world by now had it not been because of the Jews, the Germans, the Russians...or whoever.

NO 14:

Take a look at your country of descent, why did your family leave that place? Before you go insulting other places use your head a little!!!

If you are interested in critisising anything in China (where my ancestry lies), in Australia (where I was born), or in Britain (where I currently reside), I certainly would not take it as an insult to me at all. My mind is far more open than that. Is this a difference between you and me?

SzwedwPolsceThreads: 12 Posts: 1,915 Joined: Feb 21, 09 ♂	Edited by: SzwedwPolsce May 17, 09, 12:03 #51
The problem is usually the opposite in EU/Schengen. You don't even have to show your passport at all. The last 5 times I've flied Swe-PL (and vice versa) I haven't showed my passport. Criminals etc. can travel as they want in the Schengen area. What happened to you could have happened to anyone.

Wroclaw Boy	May 18, 09, 09:31 #52
Guest: No, i am not saying that at all, i am saying that you look funny to us Europeans. Dont bracket us Europeans into that into that shallow little club. Speak for your self mate.. i.e eastern Europeans.

♀

May 18, 09, 09:56 #53

Wroclaw Boy:

its the second time i got nailed a few months before crossing the border from switzerland to austria (no schengin) then. Fined me 20 EUR for having a photo copy of my car registration doc, 20 for my wife not having ID as she lost her bag and another 20 for not having a dog passport.

From what I have been told or read, the Germans love their rules.
If I were you, I would make sure there would be nothing in the car that could be an issue. I would also make sure that all my documents are in "order". Order is everything to a German.

I doubt it was racism....more likely that you looked like a "fat cat" who coud afford a fine. :)

scrappletonThreads: - Posts: 1,365 Joined: Apr 28, 09 ♂	May 18, 09, 09:59 #54
Wroclaw Boy: 20 for not having a dog passport. ??... A passport for a damn dog?

♀

May 18, 09, 10:22 #55

scrappleton:

A passport for a damn dog?

A) it is not a "damn dog", they are little people with fur! :)
B) every country has rules about taking animals over borders

Taking a Pet Overseas

If you decide to take your pet with you when you go abroad, you should check with the embassies of the destination countries as to specific requirements that must be met before a pet may be brought into the country. Many countries have strict health, quarantine, agriculture, wildlife, and customs requirements and prohibitions. A listing of foreign embassies and consulates in the U.S. is available on the Department of State’s website at http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/dpl/32122.htm. Foreign embassy and consulate contact information can also be found on the Country Specific Information for each country.

This quote was taken from the US Dept. of State
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html#pet

scrappletonThreads: - Posts: 1,365 Joined: Apr 28, 09 ♂	May 18, 09, 10:32 #56
shopgirl: A) it is not a "damn dog", they are little people with fur! :) :-( .. hoo boy.

mvefa

May 18, 09, 12:50 #57

Let's all cut the crap...
well all know and let's not be Hipocrit, that the airport checks and detentions are Racists. Let's not try to cover the sun with one finger. I Travel around the world a lot, and i see the same thing, people of darker color always being singled out of the lines, and asked to open their luggage. I've heard soo many lame excuses like in Holland ( you carry too many big bags, when the white people besides were carrying even more! )
Or in Britain when we passed the border with our car from the ferry, and a car before us was stopped and checked because 'they had loaded the car too much" ( the people inside were black)...and so on...let's not be so corny about, this checks are racist, done, there is not much we can do about it, so let's not be hipocrit anymore and own up to it...

foxtrot1213Threads: 2 Posts: 49 Joined: Aug 29, 08 ♂	May 18, 09, 13:12 #58
They don't use machines like everywhere these days? Still magnifying glass?

JustysiaSThreads: 15 Posts: 2,868 Joined: Oct 14, 07 MEMBER ♀	May 19, 09, 00:45 #59
foxtrot1213: They don't use machines like everywhere these days? Still magnifying glass? ha ha Gdansk airport. they wanted my id AND passport last time, and both of them were thoroughly looked at under the magnifying glass for quite a long while. once, they even made me take my earrings off and stand sideways. it's a f*cking laugh.

♂

May 20, 09, 15:50 #60

pauls:

My mind is far more open than that. Is this a difference between you and me?

No, not at all, i am very open minded to different cultures & people, but when i think that someone is talking bull**t i will be the first to say so, & it just sounded to me that you were having a go at Poland.
I see it this way- if you travel to a foreign country then you have to expect that you may not be treated the way you want to be treated, people may look, people may stare, but as long as you accept this then thats fine, at the end of the day its you that is in another country. You have to respect the system.

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