 The final item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 1257 in the name of Kenneth Gibson on hate crimes against Polish migrants. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Those members who wish to speak in the debate, please press their request to speak buttons now. I call on Kenneth Gibson to open the debate. Seven minutes, please, Mr Gibson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would first like to thank all those SNP, Green and Labour members, who signed the motion so that we can have this debate on a topic that is so relevant and important at this time. I am disappointed that none of the 31 Tory or five Lib Dem MSPs felt able to support it. Hate crimes of any type directed at any group of people should never be tolerated in our society. It is sadly transpired in recent months that a number of people find it acceptable to act out their dangerous and prejudicial views. As the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance has pointed out, there has been a rise in recent years of alleged attacks on Muslims, while anti-semitism reached record levels for the UK only two years ago. The focus of hate crimes in recent months has been on East Europeans, who appear now to bearing the brunt of them, particularly our largest and most visible East European community, the Poles, as Polish migrants in particular have suffered at the hands of bigots. Only a few short weeks ago, a Polish migrant lost his life allegedly due solely to his ethnicity. As that case is subjudice, I cannot refer to it specifically today. However, I am sure that all our hearts go out to the family of the individual concerned. There are more Polish nationals in Scotland than any other group from outside the British Isles and our two countries share a deep, rich history that has been important for both nations. Those links go far back to at least the 1400s when trade agreements between Aberdeen and the old Hanseatic seaport of Danzig, now known as Gdansk, were signed. It is thought that around 30,000 Scots migrated to Poland over the following 250 years as they embraced those new opportunities. Scots integrated well, completely into Poland and often acquired great wealth. The relationship with the two nations was greatly strengthened by prosperity as numerous Scots contributed to the growth of charitable institutions in the new home, while still supporting their roots back in Scotland. Robert Gordon University, as it is known today, is a famous example, originally a hospital built by Aberdonian Robert Gordon himself, who earned his money in trading in Danzig. It was not until the Second World War, however, that there was a reciprocal arrival of Poles to Scotland. The two countries became more deeply intertwined as they fought a common enemy. In Ayrshire, there is a plaque on the Polish Monument in Prestwick to commemorate their service personnel who died in the Battle of the Atlantic. The majority of Polish soldiers based in the UK during the war were stationed in Scotland, and Wellsell Cemetery in Persia is the largest of the many burial grounds in Scotland where Polish soldiers are laid to rest. After the war, even stronger connections were drawn between Scotland and Poland as many Poles chose to stay on, and it is estimated that around 2,500 Polish Scottish marriages took place in the immediate post-war period. Those fruitful links between the two countries continue to this day and must be protected. Those range from the informal twinning arrangements between Cracow and Edinburgh to steps taken by local councils to welcome Polish migrants, such as offering English language lessons on both a one-to-one basis as well as through colleges and learning centres. The Polish community brings much to Scotland more often than people realise. The national records of Scotland show that 86 per cent of people of Polish ethnicity are economically active, and in the UK that rises to 92 per cent, making them the most economically active group in the country and significantly above Scotland and the UK as a whole. Similar figures can be found in terms of education, with Poles in Scotland having a considerably higher than average level of qualification. Indeed, 41 per cent of the Poles in Scotland are educated to a degree level or higher, compared to 22 per cent for those who define themselves as white Scottish. The work ethic of the Polish community is renowned and I have had personal experience of that, Presiding Officer. Many Poles came to Scotland during the recession and struggled to find an appropriate job despite qualifications. Polish migrants have therefore taken roles in many areas of society, particularly services of agriculture, construction and business, and boosted the Scottish economy with its skills and hard-working attitude. The fact that people chose Scotland as their country, they wish to call home, is something that we should be extremely proud of. The Polish community has brought so much to Scotland and should not suffer assault or insecurity that the recent surge in reported hate crimes has caused in other parts of the UK. Sadly, that is a matter that goes further than simply the Polish community, and in recent months hate crimes against migrants from all areas have risen, and reports of hate crimes increased by 42 per cent in the week before and a similar figure in the week after the EU referendum. Studies show that only around one in four hate crimes are reported to police until the real figure is likely to be significantly higher. A large part of that rise is undoubtedly due to poisonous irresponsible reporting by certain sections of the media. Patients at risk from EU doctors screamed a front-page headline by a particularly xenophobic newspaper only 10 days ago. It has sadly become the case that a small minority of individuals seem to believe that the result of the EU referendum is a licence to behave in a racist and discriminatory way. We must ensure that Scotland's reputation is an open, accepting and tolerant country continues. There is no room for complacency regarding potential attacks on our neighbours no matter who they are and where they come from. The aftermath of the EU referendum is more important than ever, that reputation endures and that Scotland's and indeed the UK's message of welcome continues. No one should be made to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome in the country they have chosen to call home. There is no place for prejudice or any kind of intolerance, be it racial, religious, sexual or any other kind. Recorded crime is at a 42-year low, and our country is an increasingly safer place to live. We must therefore work even harder to ensure that tolerance of any form is not accepted, and the latest social attitude surveys give cause for hope. However, while it appears that Scotland has experienced nowhere near the spike in hate crimes seen in England over the summer, one hate crime is one too many. It is the duty of us all, both in the Parliament and Scotland as a whole, to condemn those acts of hatred and bigotry, and all that we can to protect and welcome all who choose to live their lives here. In times like this, solidarity is more important than ever. Scotland stands by the people of Poland and will continue to welcome and support our Polish community in the months and years ahead. Thank you very much. I call Alexander Stewart. We have followed by Ivan McKee. Mr Stewart, four minutes please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First of all, I will start by echoing the comments from made by Kenneth Gibson this afternoon in securing the debate on this important issue. Such crimes of hate that are perpetrated against those people from Poland who have made their home in Scotland and the United Kingdom must be categorically condemned in the strongest terms. There has been a long tradition of migration from Poland to Scotland and the United Kingdom. Poland played a crucial role in the Second World War. The Poles were allies for the largest force and helped to secure essential victories against acts and ensured that victory came. The United Kingdom has a long history of our Polish friends. Between 1930 and 1940, over 100,000 people from Poland settled in the United Kingdom. Moreover, in 1947, the House of Parliament passed the Polish Resettlement Act, which recognised the outstanding contribution of Poles that were made in the war and offered British citizenship to over 200,000 Polish troops who had been displaced by the conflict. Many of the Polish Magans found new employment in Britain and played a vital role in re-establishing from the Second World War. Mr Gibson talked about Welsh Hill Cemetery. It was my honour and privilege to be the councillor for Welsh Hill from 1999 until 2007 until my ward was enlarged to Perth South. For the past 18 years, I have attended ceremonies at that and I look forward to on 6 November laying a wreath on behalf of the Scottish Parliament at that cemetery. Today, Polish Magans continue to engage fully in British society and in that economy. As is mentioned, 92 per cent of working-age Poles live in the United Kingdom have either higher education or employment, a level much higher than the average person in the population. In the terms of character and work ethic, those individuals from Poland have a huge contribution to make to our society. They participate, they engage and they become pillars of the establishment within any community that they represent and they live in. That has to be welcomed. There is no doubt that hate crimes against anyone in this country, wherever they are born here or they have chosen to live here, is totally and utterly unacceptable. It is my great belief that the perpetrators of such crimes are very limited and on the fringe, Deputy Presiding Officer, of society. The vast majority of people in Scotland and the United Kingdom recognise the information and the opportunity that Polish people have brought into our country and continue to do that. We must at all times ensure that we ensure that any perpetrator is challenged, is subjected to the law and is punished, because we cannot allow information of that nature to go out. You have commented, Mr Gibson, about the media. The media has a role to play very much in this process. The media has had a role to play in migration through the centuries and generations, but even more so today. The social media that we have, which instantly makes things happen across a network and things can go viral, can, without question and without doubt, create a big information, as we move forward, in concluding. All of us in this chamber must contend these acts and make it clear that the true values of inclusion and acceptance is what we in this country hold dear and send a strong message across from this chamber and outside that this behaviour must not be tolerated in any shape, way or form. I thank Kenny Gibson for bringing that motion to the Parliament and for allowing us the opportunity to speak on that important issue. As Kenny said, the links between Scotland and Poland are long and deep. In the 16th and 17th centuries, well-established transport links existed across the northern Baltic seas, offering opportunities for trade and migration in both directions. A sizable Scottish community grew up in Poland. By 1650, up to 40,000 Scots were living across the country, working as everything from travelling peddlers to officers in the Polish army. Indeed, Alexander Chalmers served as mayor of Warsaw in the 1690s. Many maintained links back to their homeland and then, of course, an independent Scotland. Many settled and intermarried with the local population, and those family ties occurred at all levels in society. Perhaps none more famous in the marriage of the old pretender, James Francis Edward Stewart to Maria Sowiecka, the granddaughter of one of Poland's most famous kings, Jan Sowiecki. Indeed, Bonnie Plinch Charlie was a pole. The late 19th century saw the wave of immigration from Poland known as a clebim for bread, escaping the starvation levels of poverty in a pole, which had by that time lost its independence. Many reached the USA, making Chicago the largest Polish city outside of Poland. France was another popular destination. Mariana Brzynska, from the district of Wood, my great-grandmother, found herself at age 14 in the melting pot of cultures that was Glasgow by the turn of the 20th century. A rather wave of Polish immigrants arrived in Scotland during the Second World War. The Polish club in Glasgow was named after Władysław Sikorski, Prime Minister of the Polish Government, and exiled during those dark years in Polish and European history. The immense contribution of the Polish air force pilots in the Battle of Britain is well documented. The adaptability of language plays an intriguing role in the integration process. I first met the great Scots language enthusiast and historian Billy Kaye in a restaurant in Warsaw. Billy was on a tour of Polish universities lecturing on the historical links between Scotland and Poland and promoting his fine book about the diaspora of the Scottish world. Billy spoke of the history of Polish nameplaces adapted from the original Scots names given to them by their 17th century Scottish founders. Interestingly, in my constituency recently I know that there are a couple of Polish surnames, perhaps a spelling mistake or maybe a creeping Caledonianisation. Mtsulewlewych, simply by capitalising the U, transforms into McCulloch and Mtskoviak, similarly to Machkoviak. It is a process that works well in reverse. Miki is read in the Polish language as Mtske, a small step to Mtskewlewych, surname of Poland's greatest national poet. To the most recent wave of Polish arrivals to Scottish shores, with budget airlines rather than steamships, now the transport of choice, many have been here since Poland joined the EU in 2004 and are well integrated with children born in Scotland, contributing immensely to Scotland, its economy and its culture. Many, my own wife included, have married Scots. Others are even more recent arrivals, still baffled by the unpredictability of the Scottish weather. However, recently, Polish friends in Warsaw brought my attention to an incident that occurred in Edinburgh, reporting the Polish press of a Polish family living in our capital city being the victims of racial abuse and vandalism, an unacceptable situation and unfortunately part of a recent trend and one that we might almost take steps to eradicate. We welcome all from wherever they come to contribute to the complex tartan that is more than Scotland. We do so sadly in a Europe that is unfortunately witnessing growing and dangerous levels of intolerance and xenophobia. Both Scottish and Polish societies need to be open to those of all faith, colours and creeds. Tolerance is a two-way street. Some 50 years ago, a politician stood in solidarity with her people and said, ëIgben Ein Berlinerí. Today, I want to send a message from this Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, across this country and beyond. If you should say ëYes, this is me, Paul Cammieí, we are all Poles. Vitamina Scotty, welcome to Scotland. Thank you very much. The call Mary Feed, followed by Annie Wells. Ms Feed. My goodness, we are awkward up to listen. Take your time. Can I start by thanking Kenny Gibson for tabling this motion and for the work he has done in raising awareness of the rise in hate crimes against the Polish community in Scotland? It is sadly the case that here in Scotland, as well as across the rest of the UK, we have witnessed a rise in hate crimes, motivated by race since Britain's vote to leave the European Union on 23 June, particularly aimed at Polish migrants. It has been acknowledged by many prominent politicians and journalists that the rhetoric of the leaf campaign during the EU referendum was divisive and dangerous. In the aftermath of that referendum result in the summer, the former Government Minister, Barnes Varsai, described elements of the leaf campaign as divisive and xenophobic. Barnes Varsai was correct then, and that remark still stands correct now. The leaf campaign was divisive and xenophobic. It was a campaign designed to scare people, divide communities and scapegoat European migrants as the root of all the problems that we face across the UK. Rhetoric like this is dangerous and divisive, as it simplifies the very many complex issues that we face as a nation by scapegoating European migrants for all of these problems. Scotland should lead the UK by ensuring that we are a modern, tolerant and inclusive nation that accepts people of all race, religion and nationality. Polish nationals in Scotland should feel safe, safe from threats, safe from abuse and safe from attack. The motion for this evening's debate makes reference to Scotland and Poland's historic and strong relationship. The importance of the historic links between Scotland and Poland stretch back, as we have already heard, as far as the 15th century and cannot be understated. In the late 15th century, trade agreements were agreed between Aberdeen and the former Baltic seaport of Danzig, now modern-day Gdansk, a city that I was happy to visit over the summer months. In the 250 years that have followed, more than 30,000 Scots moved and settled in Poland. Later in the 17th century, the Aberdonian merchant Robert Gordon would make his wealth from trading out of Danzig and settling in the city. In the early 20th century, after the fall of Poland to Nazi Germany, around 38,000 Polish soldiers came to be stationed in Scotland and took over the coastal defence of Fife and Angus as they were unable to return to occupied Poland. In 2016 Scotland, the links between Scotland and Poland are still as strong as ever, and Polish nationals continue to contribute to the diverse and rich fabric of our society. Recent figures from the national records of Scotland highlight the considerable contribution that the 55,000-plus Polish diaspora in Scotland are making to modern Scottish economy. Six hundred years after the first Polish-Gottish trade links were established. Finally, it is crucial that we unite against the dangerous rhetoric that aims to divide our society with xenophobic scaremongering. We must challenge, condemn and report all hate crime if we witness it. Scotland has to lead the way within the UK by ensuring that Polish nationals who choose to make Scotland their home always feel welcome, always feel safe and always feel appreciated. I understand that you have to leave early. Perhaps for a lie down in a gargle would be a good idea. I now call Annie Wells to be followed by Stuart Stevenson, Ms Wells. We all agree in the chamber today that hate crimes in Scotland and the wider UK should always be condemned, and that we should do our utmost to make sure that everyone living in this country feels welcome. I am proud that this country is one where we tolerate one another's beliefs and actively celebrate our diversity in a way that strengthens our society. Scotland and Poland share a rich history, as we have heard already, and it is estimated that nearly 80,000 Polish people were living in Scotland. In Glasgow alone, over 8,000 people identified themselves as Polish in the 2011 census, and I would like to also add that my great-grandfather was Polish and came to Scotland at the start of the last century as a navie helping to build Scotland's railway, and I support the sentiments of this motion wholeheartedly. However, the referendum has left us in a position where we have to increase our efforts to make sure that we come together as a nation and make sure that we curb the worrying increase in racist and xenophobic acts. I was shocked to see incidents of neo-Nazis stickers going up around Glasgow during the summer, and I was shocked to learn about the worrying increase of hate crime in the wider UK, including an incident where a Polish community centre was vandalised with graffiti in Hammersmith. The vote on the EU and exercising democracy must not be turned into something contemptible and racist, and I am pleased in Scotland that that has largely been seen as the case. More generally, the proportion of charges that specifically relate to racially aggravated harassment and behaviour in Scotland has fallen over recent years by over 15 per cent since 2008. Police Scotland reported that it has not seen an increase in the number of crimes reported over the referendum. Those must be reassuring figures indeed. Although that is very positive, I do of course acknowledge that 14 per cent increase in the number of hate crimes across the UK is a whole, crimes that affect not just the Polish community. I do not condone this and it concerns me as much as it would any other member in this chamber today. It is more than unfortunate that the increase is linked with her exit from the EU, but I am also reassured that the UK Government is taking decisive action to tackle the rise in hate crimes. The Government's new hate crime action plan has been implemented in England and Wales this summer, a plan that will increase the number of reporting of hate crimes, prevent hate crimes on transport and provide stronger support for victims. In addition to that, £2.4 million of funding will be made available to places of worship for extra help with security and installing equipment for mosques, synagogues and other religious institutions that need extra protection. The Government will continue to develop the fund national projects True Vision and Tell Mama initiatives that have set up to raise awareness of hate crimes and encourage victims to report them. In Scotland and closer to home, I welcome Glasgow's involvement this month in the national initiative Hate Crime Awareness Week, a week in which there will be a host of events taking place. Today's awareness about hate crime, how to respond to it and encourage victims and witnesses to report it. Initiatives such as those show to me that, ultimately, the UK is an inclusive and tolerant country and one that celebrates diversity. If we stand together, we can work to stamp out the racism that exists at the periphery and make all communities living here feel welcome. I thank Stuart Stevenson, John Finnie and the last speaker in the open debate. Let me start by thanking Kenny Gibson, as others have done, for giving us the opportunity to have this particular debate. When I was a minister in the Scottish Government, I found myself very regularly representing the UK in discussions with Polish ministers. I am never quite sure why that was the case. Perhaps they simply recognised the natural affinity that we Scots have with so many people in Poland. For my personal part, I first became aware of the polls through a friendship with the person who became my patrol leader when I was the Boy Scouts, that was Zbigniew Clymun Skroddski. He was a result of one of the 200,000 marriages when Janet Barkley married Captain Stanislaw Skroddski of the Polish cavalry, Zbigniew Clymun Skroddski and his sister Felicia, where he was the result. Bush, because that is the nickname by which people who are called Zbigniew are pretty universally known in Poland, was a terrific character, much admired by my friends and perhaps envied for the fact that he had a Vincent Black shadow motorcycle and many of the tales we could have of Bush. Bush continued the record of service that there was across the Polish community to Scotland and to the UK. Bush himself followed in the steps of many polls who came to fight against the Nazis after the war. Indeed, it is worth making the point that Polish squadrons, of which there were four based in Scotland, had a strike rate against the enemy, which was two and a half times greater than pilots in indigenous squadrons. Bush joined the Royal Naval Air Service, and perhaps not surprisingly to us, Bush managed to have three crashes in his first four years there. Unfortunately, the last of them was fatal. We still miss Bush to this day. However, he is just one of many polls who have contributed enormously to our community. Of course, the history of the connections between Scotland and Poland are very significant. To this day, there are many towns and cities in Poland that have parts of their city called Nova Scotia, New Scotland. Gedansk also has somewhere called Starrie Scotia, old Scotland. Warsaw has a similar place, and Cracow, which used to be the capital of Poland, similarly has a new Scotland. The links between us go deep, and they have been long established. Indeed, in 1585, the Polish Lithuania and King Stephen Bartery said that our court cannot be without them. They supply us with all that is necessary, their then being the Scots, and said that let there be a certain district assigned to them. The Scots were singled out in the 1500s for their contribution to Polish life. We also know that today the Poles are contributing enormously. In my constituency, each of the four secondary schools have Polish as one of the language that is represented in the people who go to these schools. At a local college whose graduation ceremony I attended only on Saturday, there were a significant number of people from Poland who were making the most of their potential and graduating from that college. Let me just close by perhaps addressing the more fundamental issue that has brought us here. That is the ill treatment and racism that too many of our Polish friends have been subjected to. Robert Kennedy, a well-known United States politician, said, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others, not as fellow citizens but enemies, to be met not with co-operation but with conquest, to be subjected and mastered. He was correct, and he was also correct in saying that that is unacceptable in a civilised society. Tonight we unite to send a message to our Polish friends. We are with you. Stay with us. I would like to add my congratulations to Kenny Gibson for bringing this highly pertinent debate to Parliament. It is an ugly term hate crimes, but at graphic other states I think of a noted Kenny correct to say that acting out danger is in prejudicial views. We must, and I am delighted to hear the unanimity across the chamber about how we address that. I am not going to rehearse all the historic references that have been made there. They are well established. The Second World War references resonated with me because of the affection my father and his brothers would have had for the Polish people who joined in the fight against fascism. We know that there were 16,000 families settled in the UK at the end of that war, and they contributed greatly to us. Who were those people? Those people were the parents of classmates, and similarly they were joined by many people from the Baltic states. The recent migration to Scotland in the UK, 7 per cent of the Scotland's population, was born out with the UK. Poland became a member of the EU in May 2004, and it is estimated that 44,000 Polish migrate each year to the UK. That was the case between 2004 and 2012, when the figures were available. The largest group of individuals born out with the UK and Scotland are Polish residents. It was interesting to hear from a professor of Polish studies at the University College London, Ann White, who talked about the pattern of Polish migration to the UK. It tends to be migration of young families, rather than young single migrants who returned to Scotland after several years. Many parents moved to the UK for a year or two, bringing over their children. As we know, many Polish migrants start their own business after a few years. She writes, and I think that that is very significant, that there are now a generation of Poles at home in the UK. There is certainly a great number at home in the Highlands and Islands, and long may that be the case. People have talked about the contribution that EU migrants have made to the UK economy. The figures that I have here for 2000 to 2011 are 20 billion, 20 billion the contribution. In EU migrants, 43 per cent less likely to be in receipt of benefits, 7 per cent less likely to live in social housing than the UK born. As has been quoted earlier, more highly educated. I think that there are some disturbing figures in a poll taken in 2015 in advance of the referendum. 23 per cent of Poles felt that they experienced discrimination. 23 per cent of that number felt in more than one occasion, and there is obviously under reporting. There is also the issue of workplace issues around fees for retaliation and victimisation and fees that presented people taking their employment cases there. Kenny Gibson talked about poisonous reporting, and the motion talks about irresponsible and shame for reporting. I would take issue with my Conservative colleague. I do not think that that was on the fringe, and I would ask to what end. We have all seen the collages of lurid headlines from the express in the mail. I do not doubt for one second that those pass some legal test, but they do not pass a moral test, and that certainly caused me great offence. It certainly does not offend Mr Diker, the owner of the Daily Mail sufficiently. The EU does not offend him that it stopped him claiming a quarter of a million pounds in EU funds for his sporting estate. The EU referendum was characterised, in my view, by lies, distortion and threats. Racine requires to be challenged at all times. We have heard about the stickers that have gone up, and we need to challenge graffiti. I think that we need to be cautious, not to be complacent about where we sit in Scotland. The far right is on the rise across Europe and Scotland is no different. As I said by many previous speakers, I stand in solidarity with the Polish people. I stand in solidarity with all people, in fact. To all of them, I would say that they are all very welcome. One part is on point that the Green campaign—European campaign—had a tagline, which I am sure everyone would now subscribe to. That is a just and welcoming Scotland, but I would add to that a safe and secure Scotland for our Polish residents. Thank you very much. I now call on Alasdair Allan to close for the Government. Minister, seven minutes, please. Presiding Officer, I first commend Mr Gibson for bringing an extremely important issue to the floor of Parliament and creating a welcome opportunity to talk about the important role of the Polish community in Scotland. Indeed, as he mentioned, the very long history of Scots who have settled in Poland—a point also made by Mr McKee and many others. As a nation, Scotland has a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths and of supporting their integration into the Scottish community. That is a two-way street because those who choose to make Scotland their home help to influence our own culture and for the better. It is with the Polish community who have chosen to make Scotland their home. There are more than 61,000 Polish people living in Scotland. Scotland has a close and enduring partnership and relationship with the Polish people and the Polish nation. We have strong cultural and historic links, as demonstrated recently when our Governments worked together to support the Wojtek the Bear memorial. That now stands proudly in Princess Street Gardens as a symbol of the enduring friendship between our nations. That memorial provides an opportunity to remember with respect all those Poles who fought to ensure their own freedom during World War II, as Mr Stewart, Mr Stevenson and others have rightly alluded to. Let me be clear when I say to all Polish people here and to anyone else who has come from elsewhere in the EU to make Scotland their home. Scotland is your home. You are welcome here and we appreciate your contribution. Indeed, Scotland would take a different approach to the issue of migration if we had the powers to do so. The relentless focus of the UK Government on reducing net migration irrespective of the value that migrants bring to our country is, in my view, harming Scotland's economic prospects. In Scotland, we welcome our important, established migrant populations and the contribution that they are making to our economy and our society. The outcome of the EU referendum has caused understandable anxiety within the Polish community, and I deeply regret that. Almost immediately following the vote, I took the time to visit local Polish communities and businesses in Edinburgh, and I needed to meet Poles in my constituency—and I am sure that other members did likewise—to hear their concerns and to seek to offer reassurances. That work continues. My ministerial colleague, the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, will attend the unveiling of the panels of history and sacrifice in Glasgow's Polish house this weekend. We remain committed to engaging with Scotland's Polish community to hear their concerns and to understand their priorities. However, the reality is that, even despite the UK Prime Minister's speech this weekend, we do not yet know what Brexit means. It is a disgrace that the UK Government has not yet guaranteed the position of EU citizens. I repeat again my call on the UK Government to do the right thing and stop using human beings as bargaining chips. To add to that, we have seen in other parts of the UK a sharp increase in reported incidents of hate crime against ethnic minority groups, including very sadly Polish people. We have seen, as Ms Wells mentioned, reports of a Polish cultural centre in London, Dobbin and Graffiti, and the toxic debate around immigration that so dominated the EU debate in parts seems to have created an environment where some feel that it is acceptable to show prejudice and target others on the basis of their nationality. Indeed, the recent report of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination held that the campaign was marked by divisive, anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric, and that many politicians and prominent political figures not only failed to condemn it but also created and entrenched prejudices, thereby emboldening individuals to carry out acts of intimidation and hate towards ethnic or ethno-religious minority communities and people who are visibly different. The committee also noted that the surgeon hate crime was absent in Scotland. I think that that demonstrates that, despite political differences, the debate in Scotland was conducted in a different way. However, like Mr Finlay, I do not say that to be complacent, nor can we pretend that the toxic debate from elsewhere has not impacted either on EU nationals living here or on the views of those in Scotland who still believe that it is acceptable to be prejudiced. We will continue to work with Police Scotland and others to monitor the situation closely, and we will continue to engage with the Polish community on their concerns and issues. I encourage anyone who feels that they have been the victim of hate crime to report it to Police Scotland. They take all such reports very seriously and will conduct thorough investigations to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. We have published a race equality framework, which will run until 2030 to take a long-term approach towards improving outcomes for Scotland's minority ethnic communities. We will shortly announce the appointment of a race equality framework adviser to help to drive that work forward. Our independent advisory group on hate crime, prejudice and community cohesion has published its findings, and we will consider them carefully in informing our future work in this area. Through our Scottish approach to building community cohesion, we are focused on ensuring that fundamental principles of social justice, human rights and an inclusive national identity are woven throughout everything that we as a Government do. Let me be clear, there is absolutely no place for bigotry and prejudice in Scotland. The Scottish Government is committed to tackling hate crime, and we will continue to work with communities, not least the Polish community, to create a Scotland that celebrates diversity and creates equality of opportunity for everyone. Thank you. That concludes the debate. I now close this meeting.