I've been to Wroclaw (pronounced Vross-Waff) and Krakow on city breaks with the wife. Both beautiful, historic cities with lovely people. I would recommend both destinations to readers. No beggars or people asking me for money in the street (name one large town or city in the UK where that doesn't happen).
The Poles I have met in the UK are hard working, decent people. They pay tax and NI.
If you don't know about the battle of Monte Cassino, Italy, then Google it. Thousands of Polish soldiers killed and terribly injured fighting wearing British uniforms and carrying British guns. The Polish pilots who flew for the RAF also proved themselves endlessly. Regular British soldiers looked down on the Poles and considered them second class. The interesting fact was that most of the young Polish men who had faced tremendous odds to come to the UK to carry on the fight with the Germans were much better educated than the British squaddies. British and American army units were decimated by the German troops at Monte Cassino. The Poles were sent in as a last resort and because the Allied commanders were running out of intact fighting units in the area. The Poles took Monte Cassino fighting uphill, rock to rock, with SS and Fallschirmjaeger (paratroopers) units machine gunning them from the top of the hill. The Poles couldn't get their Bren carriers (light armoured vehicles) across the rocks so had to leg it all the way up the hill. The Poles got a bit more respect after that but were still beaten up in the street in Britain for being Polish.
Britain and France sold Poland down the river in 1939 when the Germans invaded Poland. The signed treaty meant that Britain and France would rush to Polands aide if it was invaded. The Polish resistance held out bravely against the Germans believing that 'the British will come, they are gentlemen and will honour the agreement'. I am ashamed to say that Britain and France welched on the agreement. The Polish resistance fighters suffered torture and slow deaths at the hands of the Germans.
My opinion: The Polish people who live in the UK are welcome here. Their previous generations earned the right.
Derby