Hundreds in march for man ‘killed for speaking Polish’
HUNDREDS of people gathered in Harlow yesterday for a vigil commemorating the 40-year-old Pole who was beaten to death after a gang of teenagers heard him “speaking in Polish”.
In a show of solidarity, Poles from across the UK travelled to the scene of the fatal attack where factory worker Arkadiusz (Arek) Jozwik was reportedly verbally abused before being brutally assaulted.
Mr Jozwik, who had been living in England for four years, was knocked unconscious on Aug 27 and later died in hospital.
Police reportedly told his family that he had been attacked “for speaking the Polish language”.
Yesterday, speeches and prayers in his memory were said before the group marched in silence to a church in Harlow, Essex. The co-organiser of the vigil, the Rev Robert Findlay, said Polish people had travelled to the town from as far as Edinburgh and Leeds.
“The purpose of the march is that we meet to honour Arek who has died,” he said. “We also pray that our gathering will bring comfort to the family and friends of Arek, and beyond that we want to affirm to all Polish citizens that they are welcome here. It began as a local vigil but has expanded nationally.”
Polish activist Wiktor Moszczynski, who travelled to Harlow from London, said: “I was obviously shocked by what happened. I wanted to express my solidarity with the Polish people of Harlow, who obviously must be feeling vulnerable at the moment.”
The death of Mr Jozwik has sent shockwaves through the Polish community. The incident prompted an outpouring of tributes, with Polish flags being hung from local shops.
The Polish ambassador, Arkady Rzegocki, visited the scene earlier this week with local MP Robert Halfon to pay his respects to the dead man and lay a wreath. They made a plea for calm after accusations that the attack had been a hate crime.
A murder inquiry has now been launched and six teenagers, aged 15 and 16, have been arrested and released on bail, pending further enquiries.