Everyday transnationalism of the right Global Diversities and Inequalities Research Centre

As a consequence of the EU’s enlargement in 2004 over one million Polish nationals have moved to the UK, creating Polish communities in almost every British town. Although there has been a significant amount of literature looking into what is now one of the biggest British ethnic minorities, research into their political activism is still lacking despite signs of growth in popularity of far-right ideologies and groups among Polish immigrants. This issue has been reported by the media, NGOs monitoring radicalisation and Polish communities themselves that in vast majority refrain from legitimizing far-right ideologies. The trend has also attracted the interest of the British authorities due to cases of racially aggravated acts of violence perpetrated by Polish immigrants in the UK, including terror offences. Coupled with growing influence of the far right in Poland, it is clear that we are witnessing a new kind of transnationalisation of far-right politics not just in terms of transnational connections between distinct national groups, but also in terms of immigrants from Europe being attracted to far-right groups in receiving countries.

Find out more about the broad spectrum of some of these organisations and why and how Polish-British transnational far-right connects.

This project is a pioneering, risky and innovative study of this phenomenon using a combination of ethnographic, qualitative methods and political science tools of discourse and ideology analysis. We conduct deeply ethnographic, immersive but overt observations of various milieus, public events, marches, demonstrations, political rallies, private events, rituals and gatherings. We meet and interview a diverse range of activists across the right-wing spectrum, some active, some disengaged. As the study is not about the Polish “community” as such, but rather about complex interconnections between Polish and British political spaces, we also interview British activists and second or third generation Polish Brits. Alongside this, we conduct discourse analysis of their written communication – manifestos, pamphlets, blogs, songs, political declarations and so on.

The aim is to explore and analytically make sense of the migration-radicalisation trajectory of people, their reasons to join far-right groups, the extent to which their activism was imported or stimulated by their migration history, and how they make sense of their nationalist ideas as migrants, white Europeans, Brits and/or Poles. Read more about this in our 2024 publications, “Immigrants in the Transnational Far Right: Integration through Racisms and Negotiating White Supremacy in a Migratory Context” and “Polonization of the British Soil and Home-Making Through Deathscapes: The Far-Right's Reluctant Transnational Adventures”.

There is now a huge body of work on the far right. However, due to its international spread and complexity, the project’s departing assumption is that it is vital to examine the phenomena on the ground not as distant and external observers but as ethnographers who aim to understand the person behind the ideology. The term far right in itself is also debatable, difficult to pinpoint and highly contentious. Our research shows that the umbrella term “far right” in fact hides a diverse, fragmented and sometimes conflicted set of practices and ideas.

The toxic debate around immigration, race and diversity these days, however, has a dangerous potential to turn violent – as exemplified by the recent wave of riots in England. The overarching ethical and epistemological objective of this project is therefore to understand in order to prevent and mitigate. To design educational and policy tools preventing people from being attracted by far-right discourses, or violently acting upon their beliefs, it is crucial to make sense of their social worlds. This research thus has a clear social impact, both locally and internationally. Below, you can read about our pioneering impact outputs: a documentary “That Boy” where a Roma activist talks to ex-neo Nazi, and “The Extremist and Me” a conversation between a former neo-Nazi and a former radical Islamist and Muslim extremist.

The ethnographic work within far-right groups or activists is also an emotional and ethical challenge as it interrogates our unique positionalities – as researchers, scholars with complex gender, ethnic and religious identities, and as immigrants. We have also contributed to some forthcoming academic work on the ethics of researching the far right.

Project Advisory Board: Prof. Louise Ryan (London Metropolitan University), Prof. Anne White (University College London), Prof. John Eade (University of Roehampton), Dr Marcin Galent (Jagiellonian University), Prof. Martin Shaw (University of Sussex).

1. Soborski, R. Jochymek A., Garapich M. (2025) “Home-making through deathscapes or how to circumvent the contradictions of nationalism: The case of Polish far-right activists in Britain”. Nations and Nationalism
2. Jochymek A., Soborski R., Garapich M. (2025) “Solidarność from Gdańsk in 1980 to Calgary in 2022: Political remitting and glocalization of symbols across time and space”. Consumption Markets & Culture
3. Garapich M., Jochymek, A., Soborski, R. 2024. “Immigrants in the Transnational Far Right: Integration Through Racisms and Negotiating White Supremacy.” International Migration Review 58 (4).
4. Soborski, R., Garapich, M., Jochymek, A. 2024. “Polonization of the British Soil and Home-Making Through Deathscapes: The Far-Right's Reluctant Transnational Adventures.” The Working Papers Series produced jointly by the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement (TMCIS) and the CERC in Migration and Integration.

As part of our impact activities, we are cooperating with various civil society organisations in Poland and the United Kingdom ensuring our study generates a discussion leading to social and cultural change aimed at preventing extremism. We also produce policy briefs for British and Polish government institutions.

Focusing on the educational aspect of our findings so far, we have produced two documentary films that explore extremism, ideology, childhood traumas, and life trajectory towards rejecting hate and de-radicalizing. Both explore these themes through a deeply personal story involving people we met during our ethnographic work.

That Boy: a conversation about hate and healing

This film documents the encounter between Toby Gorniak MBE, a Roma activist, and refugee who fled Poland in early 1990s, after enduring violence from neo-Nazi skinheads and Mirek, a former neo-Nazi and football hooligan from Poland, now born-again Christian giving testimonies about his past and transformation. Their unfiltered conversation touches on the origins of hate, its consequences, and the possibilities for reconciliation.

While grounded in Toby’s story, the narrative also delves into Mirek’s transformation from a life of hate and violence to becoming an advocate against extremism. By offering his perspective, Mirek provides unique insights into the psychology of extremism and the potential for redemption. The film emphasises his dedication to educating others on the destructive impacts of hatred—not only on its victims but also on those who propagate it.

The encounter between former victim and oppressor probes the healing potential of restorative justice in cases of hate crimes and violent racism. Through raw storytelling and compelling testimonies, the film demonstrates how personal transformation and honest dialogue can become powerful tools for fostering understanding and challenging hatred.

This film is co-directed and filmed by New Vandal, a UK-based film production company.

The first screening of the film took place at the European Parliament in Brussels, as part of Roma Week, on 9 April 2025.

The Extremist and Me

This film documents a deeply personal conversation between Mirek, a former neo-Nazi, and Sohail Ahmed, a former radical Islamist and Muslim extremist who is raising awareness about the dangers of extremism while championing LGBT+ rights.

Through their exchange, they explore the psychological, social, and emotional forces that led them towards extremism, uncovering both similarities and differences between far-right and Islamist radicalisation. Reflecting on their experiences, they examine the vulnerabilities that made them susceptible to extremist ideologies, the traumas that fuelled their beliefs, and the pivotal moments that led them to change.

While discussing the appeal of extremist narratives, they highlight the personal cost of hatred—not just to their victims, but to themselves. As Mirek and Sohail confront their pasts and explore the interconnected nature of radicalisation, the film offers a rare insight into extremism from those who have experienced it firsthand and highlights the power of redemption and honest dialogue in addressing radicalisation.  

Directed by Berlin-based filmmaker Adam Janisch, and consulted by Fiyaz Mughal OBE, the founder of Faith Matters, a de-radicalisation NGO, the film was made with the support of London Metropolitan University film studies students: Emily Sommerfield, Ginevra Sesti, Lou Paquier, and Aaditya Hirachan; and staff members: Christopher Lane, Frank Lopez, Emils Lisovskis, John Hucker, Steve Lowe.

1. Ethnographic impossible encounters: An anthropologist among Polish migrants in the UK – presentation at the International Conference on Polish Communities in the UK after Brexit, “Identity – Openness – Integration”, 7 November 2024.
2. Transnational dimension of the 2024 Riots - invited talk for University of Sheffield Migration Research Group Seminar, “Understanding the 2024 Race Riots: Toxic Polarisation and Resilient Communities”, Sheffield, 31 October 2024.
3. Transnationalizing the far right: negotiating white supremacy in migratory context – presentation at CSPIR Research Seminar, London Metropolitan University, 14 October 2024.
4. Powroty ekstremistów re-emigranci jako element radykalizujący; Auto-tokenizacja polskich skrajnie prawicowych aktywistów w Wielkiej Brytanii: transnarodowy wymiar, polityczne implikacje i integracja przez rasizm; Ruch antyimigrancki na emigracji: Ideologia, działacze i integracja-poprzez- rasizm Narodowego Odrodzenia Polski w Wielkiej Brytanii – three presentations at the International Migration Research Network Annual Conference, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, 23-25 September 2024.
5. “Polish pride is something else” Polish diaspora nationalism, integration through racism and the far right – presentation at ECPR General Conference in Dublin, 12-15 August 2024 (Anna Jochymek also acted as Discussant, on the panel “Ethnographic and qualitative approaches to the study of the far right”).
6. Global Shifts and Local Rifts - Future of Migrations and Rise of the Far-Right from Anthropological Perspective – keynote at the Global Studies Research Network Conference, “The World on the Move: Understanding Migration in a New Global Age”, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, 17-19 July 2024.
7. Transplanting roots to become native: Narratives and rituals of home-making by Polish far-right activists in Britain; Transnationalizing White Power and integration through racism – Polish skinheads in Canada and Great Britain – two presentations at the 21st IMISCOE Annual Conference “Migration as a Social Construction: A Reflexive Turn”, Lisbon, 2-5 July 2024.
8. “National populists of the world, unite?” Supranational and transnational dimensions of far-right alliances in post-Brexit Britain – presentation at Joint Sessions Workshop “Populism and Minorities”, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, 25-28 March 2024.
9. “Trucking towards Latin Civilization”: Transnational far-right, the Freedom Convoy and its appeal to Polish Canadians – presentation at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations workshop, Coventry University, 18 January 2024.
10. Integration through racism? Far-right activism among immigrants and ethnic minorities in Britain and Canada – Brown Bag Seminar for CERC Migration at Toronto Metropolitan University, 25 October 2023.
11. Integracja poprzez rasizm? Skrajnie prawicowy aktywizm polskich imigrantów w Wielkiej Brytanii – presentation at the Annual Conference of the Committee for Migration Research of the Polish Academy of Science „Migracje w obliczu wielkich zmian społecznych – wyzwania dla teorii i praktyki”, University of Bialystok, 20-22 September 2023.
12. What’s behind transnational glocalization of the far right? The case of Polish immigrants’ participation in far-right groups in Britain – presentation at the 16th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Section: ST07 - International Migration, Nationalism and Interethnic Relations, University of Potsdam, 5-9 September 2023.
13. Key paradoxes of the global far right in an era of displacement and social change – plenary panel with Will Allchorn and Elzbieta Korolczuk at the 16th Conference of the Global Studies Research Network “Agency in an Era of Displacement and Social Change”, Oxford Brookes University, 19-21 July 2023.   
14. Polish immigrants in the British far-right organisations: integrating through racism or engaging in diasporic nationalism? – presentation at the International Migration Research Network Annual Conference, University of Warsaw, 3-6 July 2023.
15. Ecologism in the ideology of transnational far-right groups: The cases of Poland and Britain – presentation at the “Capitalism, Fascism, and the Environment”, workshop of the European Association of Social Anthropologists - Anthropology of Fascisms and Anthropology of Economy Networks, University of Cologne, 3-4 July 2023.             
16. Transnationalism of the far right: Polish immigrants’ participation in far-right groups in Britain – presentation at the Mobilization Network Conference “Protest, Nonviolent Resistance, and Democratic Retreat”, University of San Diego, 9-10 June 2023.
17. Glocalizing far-right ideologies: the case of transnational immigrant activism in Britain – presentation at Global Studies Association UK 2023 Annual Conference “Globalization in the time of the Anthropocene”, University of Northampton, 31 May-1 June 2023.
18. Glocalizing far-right ideologies: the case of transnational immigrant activism in Britain – presentation at Second Mid-Term Conference of Global, Transnational and Cosmopolitan Sociology “Which globalization during and after multiple crises?”, Catholic University Milan, 18-20 May 2023.          
19. Everyday transnationalism of the far right – Polish immigrants in far-right groups in Britain – invited talk at the D.Rad Academic Workshop on “Social Mobilisation and Radicalisation”, PSA Headquarters London, 6 April 2023.
20. Everyday transnationalism of the far right: An interdisciplinary study of Polish immigrants’ participation in far-right groups in Britain – invited talk at the “State Power and Globalization” Research Centre event, Richmond American University London, 28 February 2023.