This week, it was revealed that the External Relations Department had raised concerns with the Home Affairs Minister about a perceived increase in xenophobia in Jersey following the UK’s decision to leave the EU last year.
The department’s Brexit Residents’ Survey, which had 800 respondents, found that 27 per cent of nationals of the EU or EEA [which also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway] felt that there had been an increase in hostility to foreign nationals following the referendum in June 2016.
But Jersey’s Polish consul Magadalena Chmielewska said that she had not received any reports of increased xenophonia. She added that she believed it was far more of a problem in the UK than in Jersey.
‘My view is that we are actually very lucky living in a place like Jersey, where the people are so kind and the authorities are so supportive to minority communities,’ she said.
‘It’s nothing like England here – since Brexit my local friends have actually been very supportive. I would say that xenophobia has actually decreased since the referendum as we have received so much help because they are so concerned about us now.
‘That is my experience and I am sure it would be the experience of anyone in our community who has local friends.’
She added that she believed foreign workers would remain important to Jersey post-Brexit and that the Polish community had been reassured by Chief Minister Ian Gorst’s promises to protect the rights of EU nationals already living in Jersey.
‘We don’t know what is going to happen [post-Brexit] so there is nothing to be concerned about at this time. It’s hard to say what difficulties we will have,’ she said.
‘The Chief Minister wrote a letter after the referendum result to the immigrant communities in Jersey giving us reassurances.
‘Foreign workers will always be needed, so if they are doing the right things and contributing then there should not be a problem.’
Jersey’s Portuguese Consul, Manuel Rodrigues da Silva, also said that he had not received any complaints about an increase in xenophobia in Jersey following the EU referendum.
‘I don’t have any concerns so far. Nobody has come up to me complain, so my position is nothing has changed [since the EU referendum],’ he said.
