Racism and xenophobia experienced by Polish migrants in the UK before and after Brexit vote

In recent years the public discourses on Polish migration in the UK have rapidly
turned hostile, especially in the context of economic crisis in 2008, and
subsequently after the EU referendum in 2016. While initially Poles have been
perceived as a ‘desirable’ migrant group and labelled as ‘invisible’ due to their
whiteness, this perception shifted to representation of these migrants as taking
jobs from British workers, putting a strain on public services and welfare. While
racist and xenophobic violence has been particularly noted following the Brexit
vote, Polish migrants experienced various forms of racist abuse before that. This
paper draws on narrative interviews with Polish migrant women illustrating their
experiences of racism and xenophobia in Greater Manchester before and after the Brexit vote, and how they make sense of anti-Polish discourses and attitudes. This paper illustrates the importance of the interplay between the media and political discourses, class, race and the local context in shaping relations between Polish migrants and the local population