Monthly Archives: February 2013

22.02.2013 Politicization of the Westward Migration of Rroma from Southeast Europe

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A hysteria on the mass immigration of Rroma from Bulgaria and Romania has broken up in Germany in expectation of the impeding 2014 relaxation on the freedom of movement with those two countries and the EU. A wealth of articles have been published in recent days about the predicted or already happening mass immigration, a selection of which is discussed below. The immigration of people from southeast Europe has become a political issue, as you can see from contradictory statistics and emotionally charged statements. The fear is the potential increase in social spending and benefits for these poorly educated migrants. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the integration minister of North Rhine Westphalia, Guntram Schneider, warned about this issue (Burger 2013). German politicians are now calling Southeast European governments for dedicated steps to better integrate the Rroma.

Reinhard Veser (2013) General of the Frankfurter Zeitung writes about what he sees as a fact that all Roma in Southeast Europe – mainly Romania and Bulgaria – are marginalized and poor, which results in a large migration of Roma to Western Europe. He uses this insight, to call for a clear naming and representation of the “problem.” He states: “It is wrong when, on the debate on poverty immigration from Bulgaria and Romania, those who come are not named. Most of these people are Roma”

In addition to social programs in South East Europe on should help the German cities, which are affected by the poverty driven influx of Rroma, since the efforts to better integrate the Rroma in their countries of origin is not a big success.

Also “die Welt” reported in several articles about the seemingly increasing poverty driven migration of Rroma to Germany. Between 2007 and 2011 the number of migrants from Romania and Bulgaria had increased from 64,000 to 147,000. Most of them are Rroma and were often smuggled by organized traffickers to Germany, from where they would be exploited. As a result they are often forced to earn illegal income working for dumped wages, or in prostitution or begging. Many big cities are overwhelmed by this migration and are crying for help them up as petty crime has increased dramatically and residents start to feel alienated (Von Borstel 2013, Crolly/Frigelj 2013).

The Zurich Rroma Contact Point is amazed at the ability of journalists of recognized newspapers to regurgitate politically generated knowledge uncritically and without any hesitation, presenting it as scientific fact. Recognizing that many Rroma in Southeast Europe are living in poverty and exclusion is certainly to be agreed. But from a massive immigration – even a migration – of Rroma to Western Europe, and to call for dedicated countermeasures is highly problematic. The journalists are simply reproducing once more the common stereotypes about Rroma. They establish a clear link between ethnicity and socio-economic circumstances and thus discriminate against those Rroma who are well integrated and live in total integrity in their home countries. These invisible Rroma, who are not part of the media coverage, are thus made part of one-dimensional representation that portrays Rroma as discriminated economical refugees. That transnational migration requires great courage – leaving family and friends behind – is not addressed any more than the ethnicization a poverty problem.

This problem should be identified as a socio-economic paradigm and not as an ethnic and even less presented as one. Using the latter must inevitably leave one open for accusations of racism. In this regard, Verica Spasovska calls for a committed action of the EU in all Member States (Spasovska 2013).

Even the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung agrees to this chorus of laments on the apparent mass immigration of Southeast Europeans Rroma, resulting in astronomical increases of costs for the Social Department and in the aggravation of social conflicts. The numbers from the statistical office are not questioned at all (Hauser 2013).

It needs to be noted that people, regardless of their origins, are not entitled to social assistance, “if they have not been paid in the social system by having a regular job” (Reichmuth 2013). This fact is not considered at all in the emotional debate.

The Migazin (2013) criticized the numbers of Federal Statistical Office on the immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria as inaccurate. While it is true that 147,000 people had migrated in 2011 from Romania and Bulgaria to Germany, but out of that number, a large amount of people leaving Germany needs to be excluded. If those leavers are taken into account, only 58’350 people from the countries concerned immigrated to Germany, a massively smaller number. In addition, the statistics of the Federal Department included many temporary workers would should not be counted as permanent residents.

Torsten Krauel (2013) is outraged at the apparently special treatment of Roma families in major German cities and calls for the equal treatment of all EU citizens, regardless of ethnicity. Else the “resilience of the state towards the behaviour of some Roma families could be a starting point for anti-European sentiments.” He further postulates a mass immigration of Rroma families to German social services offices, which is “not a God given state of affairs” and always talks of the so-called “Roma issue”. The article emphasizes the diversity of life among Rroma, but pours in his portrayal a collage of stereotypes, tells of Roma kings and draconian force in extended families. He notes:

The Roma families […] live in their own universe. At the same time, they are the freest and least free people of Europe. They consider themselves not bound to any State to law and have no loyalties except to their own […] The world of the Roma is as varied as ours, their values ​​are glamorous or as harsh as before in the Middle Ages – and in some of their extended families [these values] are not compatible with the ideas embodied by the Civil Code. Yes, there are child gangs. Yes, there are criminal clans. And yes, there are also large families that are not noticed by such offences. The latter are potential allies against the excesses [of others].

Although Mr Krauel, in his descriptions of the “Rroma world,” tries to give a differentiated representation of the facts, it is surprising how decisively he represents the “otherness” of the values ​​of the Rroma. The statement “They do not consider themselves bound by any state, law and have no loyalties except their own” is a crass defamation and pretentious ascription of identity to an ethnic group that can only be described as racist. It constructs the Rroma intentionally as the opposite and negation of the so-called loyal and compliant values​​. The addition of  “freedom in its positive aspect” to these statements doesn’t change much to them. He thus assignes Rroma a blanket identity of self-imposed exclusion, whereas in fact, this is  a history of foreign exclusion. Mr. Krauel writes that the Rroma value measures are “glamorous and harsh as before in the Middle Ages.” This evolutionary portrayal of the values ​​of the Rroma as an anachronism is deeply patronizing. It defames all those Rroma who are well integrated and live an integer life in European societies. Those invisible Rroma he mentions only marginally. The idea that the majority of Rroma live under the influence of regional Roma kings, can only be deemed totally absurd. At the beginning of the article, Mr. Krauel says that what was happening in German cities is not xenophobia. What he writes in this article, however, is.

The SPD politician Martin Korol (2013) recently published a paper on the “Roma in Bremen” on his webpage. In it he refers to what he deems as a striking increase  of the West migration of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma to Bremen. They are coming by families, by whole clans, not for political reasons but “because of the poverty in their country and the opportunity here to live in a warm and dry enough place, to eat to satiation and in case of emergency, to have medical treatment.” Like the majority of German media, he sees the Romanian and Bulgarian Roma as economical refugees. That in itself is not to be condemned. However, there are preposterous statements, now deleted in the newest version, in which he states that Rroma “take their daughters out of school […] to force-wed them,” and that young Rroma men “melt their brains away with adhesive fumes brain away […]. The prospect that each Rrom contributes to GNP or even to his own pension or mine “is” null” (Schirrmeister 2013) Even the current version of the text still has racist statements like, “But it amazes me now that Bremen suddenly discovered its love for Roma, who socially and intellectually still live in the Middle Ages, in an ancient patriarchal society in a way that raises the strongest concern among every party, every church and every association in Germany in general and particularly in Bremen.”

The rest of the text contains a correspondence between Korol and a person responsible for immigration in Bremen. In it, he is annoyed at the blatant disinterest, in his opinion, for the house that he wanted to give for temporary migrants. Korol is actually staging himself as a misunderstood benefactor for immigrants from South-eastern Europe.

The SPD chief of Bremen distanced himself decidedly from Korol’s paper and stated that this position was in no way in line with the social democratic values. Also, the The Rroma Contact Point can only vehemently condemn Korol’s statements and  even denounce the malicious defamation that his blog partially contains. That such statements can be made by an SPD politician in Germany is very surprising and offensive.

Sources:

  • Burger (2013) Armutsmigration wird zunehmen. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 21.2.2013.
  • Crolly, Hannelore / Kristian, Frigelj (2013) Roma in Deutschland – ausgebeutet, illegal, kriminell. In: Die Welt vom 21.2.2013. 
  • Hauser, Jan (2013) Dortmund rechnet mit Millionenkosten für Roma. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 21.2.2013.
  • Korol, Martin (2013) Roma in Bremen. In: http://www.martinkorol.de [22.2.2013]
  • Krauel, Torsten (2013) Gleiches Recht für alle in der Roma-Frage! In: Die Welt vom 22.2.2013.  http://www.welt.de/113817150 
  • Migazin (2013) Keine Belege für Armutszuwanderung aus Rumänien und Bulgarien. In: http://www.migazin.de/2013/02/22/keine-belege-fur-armutszuwanderung-aus- bulgarien-und-rumanien/ [22.2.2013].
  • Reichmuth, Christop (2013) Angst vor Armutseinwanderung. In: Neue Luzerner Zeitung vom 19.2.2013.
  • Schirrmeister (2013) SPD-Abgeordneter hetzt gegen Roma. In: TAZ vom 21.2.2013.
  • Spasovska, Verica (2013) Arme Roma – Ein Problem das Europa gemeinsam lösen sollte. In: Deutsche Welle vom 21.2.2013.
  • Veser, Reinhard (2013) Armutseinwanderung Roma. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 22.2.2013.
  • Von Borstel, Stefan (2013) Roma-Zuwanderung – Großstädte schlagen Alarm. In: Die Welt vom 16.2.2013.

15.02.2013 Worsening Poverty in Hungary

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SRF online reports on the rampant poverty in Hungary and the impoverishment of the middle class. In the meantime, a third of Hungarians is now living below the poverty line. Due to high public debt, the Hungarian government benefits will be massively scaled back. Rroma, with a high unemployment rate, will be the victims of these cuts. The participants of the hunger marches in Hungary say Orban is indifferent and full of scorn, according to Eastern Europe correspondent Marc Lehmann. The correspondent further criticized the failed social and economic policies of the Hungarian government, which have exacerbated an already bad situation.

Source:

  • SRF online (2013) Ungarn wehren sich gegen die Verarmung. In: SRF online vom 11.2.2013. 

15.02.2013 Study on the Right of Rroma in Geneva

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Law students from the University of Geneva, will conduct a study on the rights of Rroma in Geneva and present the results the public. The study deals with the ambivalence and pluralisms in jurisdiction in relation to the vulnerable situation of Rroma and their rights. Fourteen students from higher semesters will be working on this survey under the coordination of graduate students. Specifically concerns are the clarification of legal issues about their stay in Switzerland, their working right, the use of public spaces and the begging ban in Geneva. Scholars in the field of law, NGOs, police representatives, hospital staff, and representatives of the Rroma are invited to participatory seminars.

Source:

  • Roselli, Sophie (2013) Université se penche sur les droits des Roms. In: Tribune de Genéve vom 14.2.2013.

15.02.2013 Rroma Family Deported

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Abdoulaye Penda Ndiaye from the 20minutes paper in Lausanne reports on the expulsion of Rroma family to Macedonia. One of the two daughters of the couple had had a medical problem with the hip, which a condition not sufficiently well treated in Macedonia. The family learned about their fate just after the sudden death of their one-year son, who suffered from a genetic defect. The parents are under shock and are be treated in a hospital in Lausanne against severe depression. The Swiss Federal Office for Migration disputes the claim from the family that the father was persecuted by the Macedonian police, and also discredited the claim that medical care in Macedonia is not available. The family is therefore forced to leave the country.

Source:

  • Abdoulaye Penda Ndiaye (2013) «Mon fils est enterré ici, et on expulse ma famille!» In: 20minutes Lausanne vom 11.2.2013.

15.02.2013 Rroma Children in Emergency Shelters

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Caroline Gebhard from the 20minutes paper in Lausanne writes about the increasing number of Rroma children sleeping in emergency shelters in winter in Lausanne. The Rroma kids aged up to 6 years live in shelters and have been separated from their families which recently arrived in Lausanne. The shelters are not accustomed to accommodate children. According to those in charge of the shelters, this increase of the number of  children is probably due to the repressive policies in France and the dismantling of Rroma settlements. Vera Tcheremissinoff of Opre Rrom is quoted as saying that parents often let their children with their grandparents, when they go away to collect wood or to beg. The article concludes with the statement that most of the Rroma children are picked up again by their parents, but four or five Rroma children were left unattended.

Caroline Gebhard representation of Rroma parents as irresponsible and leaving their children unattended raises the question of the impact of such statements on Rroma. Rroma Contact Point would once more like to emphasize that individual stories should not be presented as a universal truth for all Rroma and that such a portrayal is in fact racist.

Source:

  • Gebard, Caroline (2013) Les bébés roms s’invitent dans les abris d’urgence. In: 20 minutes Lausanne vom 17.2.2013

15.02.2013 Re-Sentencing of a 21 years old Rrom

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Christian Mensch of the paper “Der Sonntag” reported on the re-sentencing in the case of a 21 year old Rrom in the Basle region. The young man had committed theft in the Swiss border area and was convicted and sentenced by the criminal judge Enrico Rosa, to two years of unconditional imprisonment despite the plea of the prosecution and defensem  for a milder sentence. Christian Mensch sees that judgment in the context of a conflict between Rosa and the Basle prosecutor about heavier sentences. As a magistrate and as an expert Rosa had earlier repeatedly criticized the prosecutor’s office work.

In this context the case of 21-year-old Romany is now being re-discussed, with the aim of “sensible” reduction of the penalty.

Rroma are often mentioned as in this article only in a negative context (here theft) and as such, the press offers a distorted view of the Rroma. The Rroma Contact Point would like to state that by far not all the 50,000 Rroma in Switzerland conform to these negative stereotypes.

Source:

  • Mensch, Christian (2013) Hartes Roma-Urteil wird neue verhandelt. In: Der Sonntag vom 10.2.2013. 

15.02.2013 Lausanne Criminalises Begging

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The city of Lausanne has decreed numerous zones and areas in the city as areas where the begging is punishable by law. By a decision of the Municipal Council, begging near shops, public buildings, and on public transports is now criminalised. Organised begging is punished by a fine of up to 1,000 Swiss francs. This decision, according to the proponents of the initiative, is directed against organized begging and not against the poor who beg to make end meet at the end of the month. The definition of organised begging versus the poverty begging is controversial to say the least. While some see begging as the work of organised bands, for others this is just the result of poverty, and the criminalization of begging de facto is the criminalization of poverty.

Rroma Contact Point would like to emphasize that the while so-called organised Roma beggars exist, to present it as part of the Rroma identity is highly problematic. The poverty and the consequent activities such as begging, are not part of Rroma identity, but the result of institutionalized stigmatisation and exclusion.

Source:

  • Jaquet, Christiane (2013) La frousse bourgeoise face à la misère rom. In: Gauchebdo vom 8.2.2013.

15.02.2013 Debate on Transit Sites for Travellers in Paris

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Caroline Sallé of “Le Figaro” reported the efforts of the Mayor of Paris, to organise sites where Travellers can stay. The facilities are to be located in the woods of Boulogne and Vincennes, and are politically controversial. These places, to be voted on Paris’ Council next week, are projected to costs 10 million euro. The idea to have sites for travellers on the outskirts of Paris goes back many years. In 2000 plans were drafted but sites were never built. In 2004 there was a plan to create to 200 smaller sites, a number that was reduced in 2009 to 90 sites. Another project was not implemented due to lack of flood protection and inadequate conservation measures. Even the current two projects are under an unlucky star: The Polo facility near one of the two sites is opposed to the project. Furthermore, the sites must be approved and committed to by many ministries, which can take a long time.

That all Rroma are travellers is a Cliché. There are Rroma travellers, but the majority of the Rroma is and has always been sedentary.

Source:

  • Sallé, Carloline (2013) Des aires des gens du voyage dans les bois de Boulogne et Vincennes. In: Le Figaro vom 7.2.2013. 

15.02.2013 An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker

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Danis Tanovic’s entry in this year’s Berlinale tells the true story of a Rroma family from Bosnia-Herzegovina, which plays itself the movie. The mother was pregnant, had a miscarriage and was subsequently not properly treated due to lack of health insurance. Only on the third attempt did she get help. The husband earns a modest income by finding and selling scrap iron. Verena Lueken sees the film as a portrait of social cohesion in a Rroma ghetto that is increasingly being tested.

Source:

  • Lueken, Verena (2013) Beilhiebe in Wagentüren. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 14.2.2013.

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The toughening of the begging laws through a political initiative in Lausanne happens in the context of increased public disfavour towards systematic begging. Several newspapers of the francophone part of Switzerland write about the hardening of the jurisdiction against organised begging. The new legislation is the result of a counterproposal to a public initiative against begging, started by middle and right wing parties.

Most of the journalists of the articles see Rroma as main target of this undertaking, which are perceived as professional beggars. That it is morally questionable to name people of ethnic groups in connection with criminal activities is not problematized. Neither is there made any separation between ethnic membership and socio-economic circumstances.

The toughening of the begging laws is not supposed to criminalize poverty but to prevent organized mendacity. The new legislation will prohibit begging in public transportation, next to trains stations and shops, administration buildings, museums and cash machines. It will further criminalize organized begging and mendacity in company or with the use of children. The government of Lausanne is also planning to foster the education of Rroma in Romania through a school project of “Terre des hommes” and implements an information campaign about the situation of the Rroma.

How it can be so certainly said that all organized begging is down by Rroma, is not problematized. The responsible parties and journalists don’t seem aware of the complexity of ethnic membership and its identification. The RCP therefore recommends to use national affiliation instead of ethnic membership, when it seems necessarily to label beggars according to their origins, even tough also national labels can be negatively politicized.

Véra Tchérémissinoff of the organization “Opre Rroma” criticizes the criminalization of begging, arguing that Rroma in Lausanne already now have to pay fines for camping wildly and other minor offences and this scheme won’t solve the source why people beg. Left wing party members criticized, that the new legislation will criminalize begging down out of poverty, since the distinction of organized and “normal” begging is difficult to determine.

Sources:

  • Audétat, Daniel / Prin, Mehdi-Stéphane / Trotta, David (2013) Lausanne rend la vie impossible aux mendiants. In: 24heures vom 6.2.2013.
  • Audétat, Daniel (2013) Lausanne rend la vie impossible aux mendiants. In: Tribune de Genève vom 6.2.2013.
  • Audétat, Daniel (2013) La mendicité entre bonne et mauvaise consience. In: 24heures vom 5.2.2013.
  • Bournoud, Renaud (2013) Lausanne doit passer la théorie à la practique. In: 24heures vom 7.2.2013.
  • La Liberté (2013) Lausanne durcit le ton. In: La Liberté vom 6.2.2013.

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Jan Jirat from the WOZ rites about nationalist ideologies among right-wing Hungarians and there impacts on minorities like the Rroma. According to his interview partner Magdalena Marsovszky, a local social scientist, one has to grasp the right wing ideologies as a result of a historical trauma: the separation of Hungary after the end of the First World War and the downfall of Austria-Hungary. Subsequently, a nationalist identity of the Magyars, going back to the origins of Austria-Hungary, was constructed, apparently consisting of shared cultural values and blood ties. Political scientist E. J. Hobsbawm called this the “Invention of Tradition”, the structuring of history in favor of an nationalist identity. – Marsovszky is described to perceive the ideology among nationalists as one of ethnic closing and separation, rather than an opening towards a more diverse, tolerant society.

The ascription of criminality as a part of Rroma identity has to be understood in this context of thinking in ethnic-nationalist categories, which his highly racist and problematic. A further aspect is the construction of Magyar identity in relation to the Rroma. The Rroma are misused to structure the ethnic self-perception in relation and against them. The spread of the so called “Antiziganism” combined with the election of Fidesz representatives has lead to an increase in discrimination and violence against Rroma. The civil defense militia of the Jobbik party – the Hungarian guard – has regularly attacked Rroma during the last years, threatening and even killing Rroma in areas designated as Gypsy habitats.

According to the documentary filmmaker Adam Cisllag, Hungary is in a state of social disrupt, a state of decline of social solidarity, and open racism against Rroma that can be witnessed through all realms of society. As reason for this increased racisms he names the growing poverty amongst the Hungarian Middle class.

Jirat article is well researched and eloquently written. But one has to criticize his unbalanced portrayal of the topic. When reading the article, one gets the impression that a vital part of Hungarians are racists and most Rroma live a life hopelessness and despair and are part of pointless employment programs.

Source:

  • Jirat, Jan (2013) Faschismus mit adretter Frisur. In: WOZ vom 7.2.2013.

01.02.2013 Verdict Acknowledges Segregation of Rroma Children in Hungary

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According to the Hungarian minister responsible for the situation of the Rroma, there is no discrimination of Rroma in Hungary, neither is there a segregation of Rroma children in Hungarian schools. A verdict by a north-Hungarian court acknowledges now officially that the segregation of Rroma children is illegal. The verdict recognised that Rroma children are regularly positioned in lower classes than other children, discriminated during lunch hours, swimming lessons and public school events.

According to the Pester Lloyd, the discrimination of Rroma children is an established practice in Hungary, with a tradition of several decades. It often gets initiated by parents who don’t want their children to mix with Rroma children. This denial of good education keeps the unsatisfying situation of many Rroma in Hungary a status quo.

Source:

01.02.2013 Political Correctness and Minorities Names

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Kathrin Spoerr of “Die Welt” elaborates about the use of terms ascribed to minorities and the political correctness or incorrectness inherent in them. She takes the example of one of her daughters, who disguises herself in the kindergarten as Gypsy, for a project about different children from the world. The teacher of the catholic kindergarten gets problem with her supervisor, when designating the children as “Zigneuner”, which the supervisor sees as politically incorrect. For Spoerr, the use of the term itself isn’t the problem, but the intention of how it is used. When persons, children or adults, use terms for ethnic groups and use them in connection with pejorative, negative attributions, the term becomes a negative meaning. Spoerr therefore pleads for less political correctness and more intelligence and reflection, when talking about other people, no matter of what origin.

Source:

  • Spoerr, Kathrin (2013) Das darf man doch nicht sagen! In: Die Zeit vom 31.1.2013.

01.02.2013 Accelerated Return of Rroma to Serbia and Macedonia

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The NZZ writes about the accelerated return of Rroma asylum seekers to Serbia and Macedonia, which is the result of a new policy of the national migration office (BfM), which implemented a so called 48-hours procedure for people from countries, which are declared safe of prosecution. This new policy may seem favorable from the viewpoint of the BfM, which sees the Serbian and Macedonian Rroma as economic migrants, which don’t have any “real” reason for migration to Switzerland. However, this viewpoint dismisses the ongoing, de facto discrimination of many Rroma in Serbia, which suffer from ongoing racism against them. The article by Andreas Ernst acknowledges, that the policy doesn’t recognize the ongoing problems of Rroma in Serbia, but the author doesn’t seem aware of the questionability of declaring a country safe of prosecution, but not considering the role of ethnic minorities like the Rroma. Ernst sees the topic as an economic issue and that Rroma should be better fostered in their home countries. The problem of de facto social discrimination doesn’t receive the attention it should. This becomes also evident, when reading the interview with Mario Gattiker, supervisor of the BfM. According to Gattiker, who takes the line with the official political assessment, there is no persecution of Rroma in the Balkans. The political categorization of Rroma as not being persecuted may be true when analyzing their situation through official evaluations. The range of what persecution really means and what Rroma people experience de facto, can not be covered by this official political assessment. One young Rroma man from Belgrad, for istance, told about his abuse through the Police of Belgrad in “Menschen bei Maischberger». He described the situation of Rroma in Serbia as one of strong discrimination.

The RCP wants to emphasize, that official political assessments of countries, declaring minorities free of discrimination, have to be consumed with prudence.

Sources:

  • ARD (2012) Feindbild Sinti und Roma: Sind wir zu intolerant? «Menschen bei Maischberger» vom 20.11.2012.
  • Ernst, Andreas (2013) Problem ist gelöst – ausser für die Roma. In: NZZ am Sonntag vom vom 27.01.2013.
  • Häuptli, Lukas (2013) Weniger Asylgesuche dank Schnellverfahren. In: NZZ am Sonntag vom vom 27.01.2013

01.02.2013 The Expelled

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Journalist Bernhard Odehnal writes about a Rroma family in a village outside Budapest and the situation of Rroma in Hungary in general. After the call for the extinction of Rroma by the extremist publicist Zsolt Bayer, the topic of Rroma has gained increased attention by the media. However, according to Odehnal, poor Rroma families often don’t consume any official media and are not ware of the Bayer debate going on. Odehnal goes on to describe the hardships and discrimination most Rroma face in Hungary, with long time unemployment leading to apathy and resignation rather than revolution and upheaval.

He continues to explain how the Jobbik party systematically ethnicizes every criminal act done by a Rroma as inherent part of Rroma identity, declaring it as “gypsy criminality”. This mixing of ethnic identity and criminal activities is highly racist, as are attributions of journalists, who describe Rroma as of an aggressive, hostile nature.

Despite the empathetic focus of Odehnal article, the author reproduces stereotypes about the Rroma by stating that most Rroma live in Ghettos outside the villages and have excessive amounts of children. Additionally, he citties a Spanish infant educator, who sees Rroma women as “submissive and only wanting many children and Rroma men being openly sexist”. Also, when reading the article, when gets the impression, that according to Odehnal all of the 750’000 Hungarian Rroma live in the conditions he portrays in his article. He doesn’t talk about the invisible Rroma, which don’t live in Ghettos, the ones who live a life in the middle class and are not seen on the streets.

Aladár Horváth and Anikó Kiss (Pester Lloyd 2013) from the citizen’s movement of Hungary posted an official manifesto to the Orban government, asking to finally acknowledge that a humanitarian crisis is on the march, with one million people in Hungary, among them around a quarter of Rroma, living under precarious conditions, being close to starving and freezing to death. They criticize, that there is no public moral support for the situation of the Rroma, that the government doesn’t distance itself from extremist statements made against Rroma and that there are no social-critical articles in the official media.

Source:

rroma.org
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