Daily Archives: April 19, 2013

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19.04.2013 The Roma Image Studio

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The exhibition “The Roma Image Studio” in Berlin-Neukölln tackles the representation of Rroma in contemporary media. To this end, photographs and sculptures going image beyond the usual clichés are presented. Exhibition curator, André J. Raatzsch, emphasizes the importance of a critical audience, who, when viewing pejorative, romanticized and differentiated representation of Rroma can identify the latter and assess these as appropriate. The exhibition is part of the European cultural initiative. “Romanistan: Crossing Spaces in Europe”.

Source:

– Berlinonline (2013) Vernissage: “The Roma Image Studio”. In: Berlinonline vom 15.4.2013. 

Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

19.04.2013 The History of Sufferings of Sinti and Roma

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Stankiewitz (2013) reports on the still poorly acknowledged destruction of Rroma under National Socialism. In the centre he presents the now eighty years old Hugo Höllenreiner, who is one of the few survivors of this crime of the State. Speaking at a memorial in the Munich town hall, Höllenreiner calls the horrors of the past back to life. About half a million Rroma were victims of systematic extermination policies of the National Socialists. Food for thoughts is the fact that theses crimes were only very insufficiently investigated. Stankiewitz emphasizes the often misinterpreted fact that the apparent wandering of the Rroma is not a willed way of life, but rather is the result from the fact that they were not allowed to settle anywhere. Forced to constantly wander, the stereotype of the vagabond Rroma was created. He notes:

It is certain in any case that the immigrant groups and extended families – like the Jews – were not allowed to settle, and he could only exercise certain professions. Thus, the stereotypes of the eternally wandering, nomadic, asocial, or the “free, funny gypsy life” were created. A kitschy representation in art, literature, film and operetta (“The Gypsy Baron”) which is maintained to this day.

At the end of the 19th Century, a systematic monitoring service on Rroma was established. The former police director Alfred Dillmann even set up a “Gypsy Police”, which was to be dedicated on the “containment of dangerous vagrancy”. In inflammatory articles published in the March 1912, “The Gypsy plague”, Rroma were accused of introducing epidemics and of terrorist activities. In Bavaria, in 1926, the “Gypsy and work-avoiders” laws, which among other things criminalised the “travel in hordes” were introduced. Besides this, however, there were always well integrated Rroma who were valued and respected in their professions,   mostly artisanal ones.

With the rise of the Nazis, the systematic criminalization of the Rroma in Germany began. Eugenicists such as Josef Mengele measured the physiognomy of members of the Rroma and presented abstruse theories of racial inferiority and relationships between physique and behaviour. Rroma were identified black triangles, the Rroma equivalent of the Jewish star,  and branded as anti-social and deported to concentration camps. After the war reparation were not paid, as it was claimed that no racial persecution had existed. Databases on travellers were continued well after the War and only disbanded in the 1970s. Stankiewitz concludes:

After the war, the persecuted Sinti and Roma had no political advocates in contrast to other groups of victims. The Höllreiner family, those who survived, were never compensated for their stolen property and for the time in camps. A reparation was out of the question after the Federal Court in 1956 decided that deportations of Rroma were not a racial persecution, but a “crime-preventive measure”.

Source:

  • Stankiewitz, Karl (2013) Es begann in Bayern. Vom Leidensweg der Sinti und Roma. In: Kulturvollzug vom 15.4.2013. 
Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Spain

19.04.2013 Silence about one’s Origins

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Nadine Michollek (2013) from the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported on the many young Rroma in Germany who conceal their origins. Reasons for this concealment are deeply rooted in the prejudices of the majority towards Rroma, which make it all but impossible to speak about one’s origins. Many fear the loss of jobs, friends or customers. For Michollek, the negative perceptions and some romanticized stereotypes come from movies, operas, and especially media reports. Michollek further exposes the problem of well integrated and of marginalized Rroma. A first group of Rroma arrived already 600 years ago in Germany. The Sinti make most of their descendants. Already during the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and later under the Nazis, they were victims of exclusionary policies. Michollek sees the Sinti as excluded from the labour market whereas immigrants from the 1960s arriving from Yugoslavia, Spain, or Turkey, are described as successfully integrated in the labour market, a statement that must be questioned. Sinti tend to demarcate themselves from newer immigrants which speaks against this statement. The testimony of a young Rromni who explains the problem of silence as follows should provoke some thinking:

Sometimes I’m worried about my apprenticeship. At my workplace, I would not tell anyone that I’m a Gypsy woman. I was afraid that if something is missing, I would be made responsible, that people say, maybe it was so, that is indeed one of those. […] There are just too many prejudices, for example, that we steal and lie. My boyfriend and my best friend know. But many of my friends have spoken in front of me negatively on Roma and Sinti, and I just do not want them to think wrong about me.

Source:

  • Michollek, Nadine (2011) Schweigen über die Herkunft. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger vom 27.10.2011. 
Germany News Eastern Europe News Switzerland News Western Europe Romania

19.04.2013 Rroma in Lausanne

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Maspoli (2013) reports on an elderly woman in Lausanne, who, during the cold winter months, supplied a Rroma family living in the street for 35 days with clothing and food. The pensioner was worried about the family, consisting of the parents, two sons and a pregnant daughter in law. After about a month, in December, the family told the pensioner that they wanted to go back to Romania and broke off all contacts. A month later, the woman discovered the family begging in the city centre, again in poor clothes. She feels betrayed. A friend of her had also given money to the family, money that had been used to repay debt to a usurer in Romania and for paying the smugglers for the travel between Romania and Switzerland.

The article is written in a very one-sided manner and presents an unbalanced view on Rroma, representing them as sneaky and unreliable. Such articles contribute to the negative view of society on Rroma and can only be described as unfortunate.

Bourgeoise (2013) reports on the views of the organization Opre Rrom that questions the existence of beggar networks among Rroma. Money earned begging is very rarely handed to mafia-like networks, and is rather intended for their own families in Eastern Europe. The debate about Rroma networks is similar to the current discussions in Germany about Rroma kings and strong self-oppression among the Rroma. The UDC party in Vaud is starting an initiative to criminalize begging in almost all areas in Lausanne. Motivation for the ban is the belief that the Rroma beggars are part of organized criminal networks that one does not want to support.

Sources:

  • Bourgeoise, Lise (2013) «Les Roms de Lausanne ne font pas partie d’un réseau». In: 24heures vom 8.4.2013.
  • Maspoli, Philippe (2013) «J’ai aidé des Roms et j’ai le sentiment d’avoir été arnaquée» In: 24heures vom 19.4.2013. 
Bulgaria Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania Serbia

19.04.2013 Rroma Debate in Germany

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In the context of the ongoing debate in Germany about Rroma,  DerWesten (2013) reports about the Rroma situation in the Balkans. In the course of the debate, some centre-right politicians have expressed the fear that large crowds of poverty migrants from Romania and Bulgaria would flood Germany. Key to the debate discussion on the freedom of establishment between Germany and the new EU member states Romania and Bulgaria due to come in force at the beginning of 2014. The journalist visited the Rroma settlement of Fakulteta in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. He presents the common image of misery in a suburban ghetto where there is much suffering and little prospects for the future. He cites young men looking for better living conditions in Western Europe, mainly in because they are marginalized in Bulgaria itself, and often cannot engage in any remunerated work. The Rroma settlement is also misused by local business as an illegal landfill, where they unload their trash next to the houses and huts of the Rroma. In addition, lack of sanitation leads to disease, especially among children. The journalist asks about the truth of the feared mass immigration due to poverty and concludes that it is not the case, referring to the low numbers of migrants quoted by the European Union and the Central Council of German Sinti and Rroma.

Neverthelss, the journalist of DerWesten fails to paint a differentiated picture of Rroma in the Balkans. He also falls into the pitfall of misery stereotypes and the portrayal of a parallel world. At the end, he tells of his encounter with a Rrom who runs a transport company, and who is angry at the lack of representation of integrated Rroma in the media. This remains a marginal statement in this article otherwise dominated by a presentation of misery:

The sun is slowly setting on Fakulteta. […] Some men are standing in a circle around two fighting dogs. With shouts, they fire the dogs and they pounce on each other head-on. For foreigners it seems required to leave the this place with the incoming darkness. Almost 400 kilometres to the northwest, right in the middle of the Serbian capital Belgrade, one finds the notorious Roma settlement of Belvil. There are no brick and mortar houses, no cars, no horses. Only crooked huts made of everything that can be found. And tons of waste.

Source:

  • DerWesten (2013) Niemand will sie haben. – Reise zu den Roma auf dem Balkan. In: DerWesten vom 17.4.2013. 
France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

19.04.2013 Relocation of Rroma Settlement in France

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20minutes (2013) reports on the relocation of illegal Roma settlement. The inhabitants, who, according to the newspaper, managed to settle down successfully in the new location, criticized the lack of cooperation from the authorities. There was a clear discrepancy between the promises of the politicians and the executing officials. The cooperative Latcho Rom stated: „[On regrette]  décalage entre le discours du maire et l’application par le service qui gère les campements. On ne comprend pas le temps que ça nécessite pour faire quelque chose qu’on a envie de faire“. [We regret the discrepancy between the mayor’ statements and the execution by the service responsible for the settlements.  We do not understand the time it takes to achieve something we all want to do.]

Leclerc (2013) reports on the resettlement of Roma families in Ris-Orangis, a suburb of Paris. The prefect responsible must appear in court as when clearing this Rroma settlement, he went against EU law. Accordingly the law, the Prefect should have provided alternative lodgings for the victims and an overall socially acceptable solution, but that did not happen. If the ruling goes against the mayor, the state will be forced to pay the affected people 75 Euro per day and person. At the same time, the mayor of Mont d’Hautmont, Joël Wilmotte protested vehemently against the plan to build a Roma settlement in his district.

In the Rhone-Alpes region, the local Ombudsman Jean-François Carenco was condemned by a judgment of the Court of Lyon, on April 4th, to find a re-accommodation for evicted Rroma. He had previously preferred to pay 75 euro per day as compensation instead of finding them a proper accommodation. In the first three months of 2013, about four thousand Rroma in France were forced to leave their homes due to foreclosures and about a thousand because of aggression against their houses or because of fires (Le Monde, 2013).

Midi Libre (2013) give the conservative Marie Le Pen a voice: The losing presidential candidate criticized the French government for his Rroma policy. The state is being blackmailed by Rroma who are deliberately setting their settlements on fire to get new houses and lodging from the state for free. This representation of Ms. Le Pen can only be described as absurd and racist. The Rroma have no interest to discriminate against themselves and chases themselves away.

France 3 (2013) reports on the forced resettlement of Rroma in Fontaine. The affected families had previously wintered in mobile homes provided for free that are now dismantled. The families were not informed of the impending removal of the containers and now have problems to organize new accommodations on the fly. Three of them were sent to hospital in Grenoble, where they are seeking asylum, more in the direction of l’Isle d’Abeau. Most of them do not want to leave the temporary living quarters.

Vincent (2013) reported on the controversial and contradictory attitude of the French state towards the Rroma communities in France. The Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has written a position paper that requires the reduction of forced evictions of Rroma settlements,  a paper signed by seven other ministers. With the end of the winter grace period at the end of March, the problem of the settlements will now again be a key topic. The debate in the position paper focuses on the question of the integration of Rroma. A decree requires the prefects wanting to evict Rroma settlement to send qualified personnel to evaluate the integration “potential” of the local Rroma. This should avoid violent evictions without successful relocation or at least reduce them to a minimum. The application of the new procedure varied quite a lot. Sometimes the evaluation had been made, sometimes not, and sometimes right before the evictions. The diagnosis should allow to better integrate individual Rroma in the workforce and in public institutions. Liberal find the focus on Rroma exaggerated and one-sided. Others ask for more patience and money regarding the successful integration of Rroma, which could take many years to complete and thus state that for that very reason, such settlements should be tolerated. A third group considers it imperative to evict the Rroma and clear the settlements in order to force Rroma to a faster respect of municipal laws.

Besse (2013) reported of a trial in a school in Madeleine to introduce a class for non-scholarised Rroma children. The plan was met neither by a categorical rejection nor by open enthusiasm on the parents’ side. However, two leading local politicians disagree. The school administration is decidedly for the introduction of a class and thus hopes to contribute to a better integration of this ethnic group. The school administration declared:

La direction a souhaité rassurer les parents présents, qui ont pu faire part de leurs inquiétudes, et a rappelé que tout enfant présent sur le sol français avait droit à une scolarisation, explique le groupement. Cette classe d’insertion peut être une chance pour apprendre à connaître l’autre et mieux vivre ensemble. Nous remercions la direction de sa participation à cette réunion. [The school director would like to reassure the present parents who had the opportunity to share their concerns, and stated that every child present on French soil was entitled to an education, says the group. This insertion class can be a chance to get to know each other better and live together. We thank the management of its participation in this meeting.]

Sources:

  • France 3 (2013) Fin de trêve hivernale : Les associations dénoncent les conditions de “déménagement” des Roms de Fontaine. In: France 3 vom 16.4.2013.
  • Ighirri, Alexia (2013) Du mieux pour les Roms, mais… In: 20minutes France vom 18.4.2013. 
  • Le Monde (2013) Le préfet du Rhône se résout à reloger les Roms expulses. In: Le Monde vom 10.4.2013.
  • Leclerc, Jean-Marc (2013) Les préfets contraints de reloger les Roms. In: Le Figaro vom 14.4.2013.
  • Midi Libre (2013) Marine Le Pen reproche à nouveau à l’Etat de se laisser abuser par les Roms. In: Midi Libre vom 17.4.2013.
  • Vincent, Elise (2013) Schizophrénie gouvernementale sur les Roms. In: Le Monde vom 6.4.2013. 
Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

19.04.2013 Police Violence against Rroma in Hungary

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The prosecutor of the southern Hungarian Baranya County counts five suits of local Rroma against the police. The plaintiffs accuse the police of Sellye to have beaten them during interrogations and extorted confessions out of them. The complaints of the Rroma have been made possible only through the support of lawyers of the St. Martin – Caritas Foundation. In addition, the prosecutor himself was sued for failing to act (Pester Lloyd, 2013).

Source:

  • Pester Lloyd (2013) Polizeigewalt gegen Roma in Ungarn: Anwälte erstreiten Ermittlungen. In: Pester Lloyd vom 16.4.2013. 
Albania News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

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The Rroma civil society launched a petition against the derogatory reporting on Rroma in the Albanian media. Repeatedly, pejorative terms such as “cigan” or “Gabi” were used, which denotes a blatant lack of respect towards Rroma. Despite the centuries-old presence of Rroma in Albania, their holistic integration and acceptance by the majority of society is still not a reality. The petition is available under the following link:

URL: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ndal-gjuhes-ofenduese-ndaj-romëve-ne-media.html

News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

19.04.2013 Open racism against Rroma “Seniorenbund” Calendar

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The paper “die Presse” (2013) reports on overt racism in the calendar of the Upper Austrian Federal Association of Retired people of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). The paper warns senior citizens about the dangers of relatives impersonators. It states that: “offenders are mainly members of the Roma and Sinti. […] This ethnic group is very ruthless, exploiting their victims often up to the economic destruction of their existence.” A concerned citizen filed a complaint for incitation of racial hatred. A spokesperson of the Austrian People’s Party Association apologized for the inadequate representation, but justified the statement by noting that the wording had been taken unedited from straight the police. Sarközi Andreas, Head of the Cultural Association of Austrian Roma, denounced the formulation as a “stereotypical, racist and discriminatory” (the Press, 2013).

The problem of this racist formulation, in addition to their obvious incompatibility with Anti-Semitisms regulations, is that thousands of seniors receive this calendar and are therefore influenced by this one-sided picture of the Rroma. The authors of the contributions for this  calendar are not named, but the calendar is issued under the joint authorship of the Association of the Upper Austrian SAeniors, who thus bear the responsibility for the inappropriate statements (stone Lechner 2013).

Sources:

  • Die Presse (2013) Seniorenbund-Kalender: ‘Roma und Sinti sind skrupellos’. In: DiePresse.com vom 18.4.2013.
  • Steinlechner, Daniel (2013) Roma-Hetze bei ÖVP. In: News.at vom 18.4.2013. 
France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

19.04.2013 Anina Ciuciu: A Gypsy woman fights against Stereotypes

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Courrèges (2013) tells the story the Gypsy woman Anina Cuiciu who is completing a study in law at the Sorbonne University. Cuicui has written a book about the life as a Gypsy woman. She now spends her time with the promotion of her book and learns for exams. In the book she writes about the stigma that they she experienced as a Rromni, Rroma being said to be dirty in school, and thus, they all kept their identity secret. She was born in Craiova in Romania. Her father lost his job due to a denunciation. After losing his job, her father saw no future for himself and his family in Romania. Followed the migration to France, a time of uncertainty and transition, without any solid structures. With the award of a ten-year right to stay and after a successful high school exam, Ciuciu gained confidence. Due to the injustices she experienced, she decided to study law and to write a book about her life. With its publication she wants to contribute t to the deconstruction of the negative stereotypes on Rroma and help them develop a positive self-image.

Source:

  • Courrèges, Emmanuelle (2013) Anina Ciuciu : une Rom contre les clichés. In: Elle (fr) vom 12.4.2013. 
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