The article presents the question of the functioning centres for foreigners (asylum seekers)
run by the Office for Foreigners in Upper Silesian cities Katowice (2008—2009) and Bytom
(2008—2010) in the media discourse at the local, regional and national level. The analysis concerns
the texts and articles and comments from online forums related to the presence of foreigners —
mostly Muslims from northern Caucasus, mainly from Chechenya — applying for refugee status
in Poland. It was also analysed how the media created the image of these foreigners as well as the
naming strategies and attitudes towards this group of the “Others”
