Campaign #onidlanas [#TheyForUs]

The online campaign #onidlanas (or #TheyForUs) has been active for a week. The purpose of the initiative is to present how foreigners and Poles with ancestry from other countries co-create and enrich the Polish society. The campaign’s hashtag also means that They are important for us and that we oppose the rampant racism, xenophobia and the “Poland for Poles only” sentiment.

For about a year, Poland saw violent acts against foreigners and Poles of foreign ancestry. Polish authorities have failed to take measures to stop this wave of hatred.

At the same time, the government has taken a firm stand on the attacks targeting Poles in the United Kingdom. Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs suggested a long-term educational campaign, which is to raise the UK population’s awareness of the Polish contribution to the social, economic and cultural development of the United Kingdom.

We follow the Minister’s advice and want to show how foreigners co-create the Polish society. We want to show their involvement, achievements and successes. We invite members of the public to use social media as means to portray their friends, colleagues, co-workers, athletes, artists, politicians and celebrities.  The initiative has been endorsed by Rinke Rooyens, Draginja Nadażdin, Prof. Klaus Bachmann, Ton Van Anh, Paolo Cozza, Lubna Al.-Hamdani or Arsen Kasabiyev.

In order to organise the action, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights joined forces with a wide array of partners: The Association of Young Journalists “Polis”, the “No Hate” campaign, the Association for Legal Intervention, the Polish Migration Forum and Migrant Info Point.

Follow this link to access the event’s Facebook profile.

The action, originally launched on 19 September, was extended until 2 October 2016.