Monthly Archives: May 2013

Greece News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

31.05.2013 Segregation of Rroma in Greece

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123recht.net (2013) discusses the segregation of Rroma children in Greece. The European Court of Justice condemned the separate enrolment of Rroma  children as “ethnic exclusion” which goes against the prohibition of discrimination. The schools of the city Sofades have to pay the plaintiff 1,000 euro per family in damages. Whether this condemnation will change something  to the effective practice of segregated schools is questionable. 123recht.net (2013) states curtly: “According to the European Convention on Human Rights, signatory States must implement the judgments of the Strasbourg Court. Often, condemned countries simply pay the penalties without eliminating the abuses.” In Sofades there are four public schools, three of which are reserved to ethnic Greeks according to current practice.

Jezerca Tigani, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia criticising the Greek government for its inability to respect European court decisions, of which there are now already three, to repeal the segregation of Rroma children. In a statement, he proposes that the EU should use all available legal and political means to force Greece to comply with the anti-racism provisions. She noted: “EU institutions must use all the political and legal measures in their power against countries that fail to effectively implement the Race Equality Directive which prohibits discrimination on grounds of ethnic origin in many areas including education“ (Amnesty International 2013).

Sources:

  • Amnesty International (2013) European Court again chides Greece over discrimination against Roma schoolchildren. In: Amnesty International online vom 30.5.2013.
  • 123recht.net (2013) Menschenrechtsgericht rügt “ethnische Ausgrenzung” von Roma-Kindern. In: 123recht.net vom 30.5.213. 
Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

31.05.2013 Rroma in the Czech Republic: Anti-Rroma Pogroms in Duchvok

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Neumann (2013) reports about an anti-Rroma rally in Duchvoc, in the North Bohemian part of the Czech Republic. After a Czech couple was attacked by a group of Rroma, around 800 people protested against the Rroma in the Republic. According to Neumann, the pogrom is reminiscent of riots that happened in the same place two years ago. At that time a dispute between adolescents led to massive violence that could not be prevented by the authorities. Neumann assesses the situation as follows: “Experts have repeatedly pointed out that the situation since the events in Zipfel has not significantly changed. At any time, in any place in the Czech Republic, widespread antipathy can erupt into open violence against Roma. Conversely, long-term unemployment and the getthoisation of life for Rroma make for an uncontrollable social powder keg.” He looks in particular the risk of renewed exploitation of this situation by extreme right-wing groups.

Zimmermann (2013) provides information on Czech students aged 12 to 15 years views on ethnic diversity. The company Scio made a study of the students’ behaviour and tested it amongst other with the game “Multipolis”, which through role-plays allows insight into the situation of other ethnic groups. The conclusion of the study was sobering: A third of the students surveyed do not want to be friends with a Rrom. About 40 percent would even actively participate in a protest march against Roma. Among other reasons, the study criticized the reductionist views which are presented to children in their own families, in the media and in school. But it also points out to how deeply rooted social values ​​and attitudes are, and what weight social conformity has when it comes to questions of acceptance. A sobering finding. Zimmermann commented: “Students could also determine how they imagined an ideal friend. They were able to choose from a series of images and descriptions. The result was that most of the youth decided against people with a different skin colour, against overweight and against nerds. Therefore, the most important factor to respondents was as little deviation from the norm.”

Kachlíkova (2013) reported on the Khamoro Rroma festival in Prague. The festival focuses on musical entertainment, but also shows movies and organises discussion events on social issues such as active integration. Successfully integrated Rroma are to offer the younger generation insight in their work in national and international institution and thus motivate them for their own future.

Sources:

  • Kachlíková, Markéta (2013) Roma-Festival „ Khamoro“ feiert 15. Geburtstag. In: Radio Praha vom 28.5.2013.
  • Neumann, Steffen (2013) Angst vor Ausschreitungen gegen Roma. In: Sächsische Zeitung vom 31.5.2013.
  • Zimmermann, Marco (2013) Starke Abneigung gegen Roma bei tschechischen Schülern. In: Radio Praha vom 31.5.2013.  
News Eastern Europe Romania

31.05.2013 Rroma in post-socialist Romania

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Cartarescu (2012) provides information on the situation of Rroma in post-socialist Romania. He notes a massive dumbing down and dehumanizing among sensationalist mass media and their consumers. The eviction of a Rroma settlement is commented by a TV channel with the statement that this eliminated “a source of danger and of hostile acts against society”. In connection with the blatant racism against Rroma, Cartarescu reminds of their enslavement in Romania after their arrival from the East. But that it is this forced settling which led to today’s Rroma plight, and eradicated their culture and beliefs, as Cartarescu writes, is historically doubtful, as nomadism can only partially be seen as a natural way of life and is rather a product of persecutions. But that the enslavement led to flagrant abuses for Rroma cannot not be denied. Cartarescu presents these facts movingly, even though he reduces the Rroma too much to the role of victims. He further criticises the still used method of distinguishing between established lower and higher ethnies. This method also leads to racism against Romanians themselves, as they often rely on their differences towards Rroma using them as a counter-concept for their own identity. Cartarescu notes: “How easy is it to make the Roma responsible for Romania’s bad image in the world! Constantly one complains that foreigners mistake Romanians (honourable citizens, peaceful, industrious, preserver of all ancestral virtues) for Roma, the “ersatz-nation” as they appears in our stupid and racist jokes. […] Bound as serfs and multiplying like animals, the Roma population from the Romanian principalities has increased here more than elsewhere in Europe. We have therefore created the problem of our Roma. It is our historical debt.”

Source:

  • Cartarescu, Mircea (2013) «Gebt uns unsere Karren zurück». In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung vom 27.5.2013. 
Bosnia News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

31.05.2013 Rroma in Bosnia Herzegovina

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Fuster (2013) reports on the precarious ethnic politics in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The government accepted only considers three ethnic groups as relevant: Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Serbs and Croats. The rest, including Rroma are, according to Fuster considered to be deviant and politically discredited. Only the Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats have real opportunities to access management positions and other State jobs. Those who oppose to this ethnic categorization, fall both statistically and socially into the category of “others”, and are excluded and ignored. The new census of the population, planned for this October, which will also capture ethnic “neutrality” has become a much-publicized political issue. The present rulers they fear the new census because it could diminish their power or legitimacy and confirm the emergence of non-ethnic Bosnians. The responsible director of the Bosnian Statistics Agency is facing in a questions on the definition of ethnicity, language and religion, questions which have nothing to do with statistics. Fuster explains: “Political power is still defined by an ethnic key based on the census of 1991. At that time, 4.4 million people were counted, 44 percent were Muslims, 31 percent Serbs and 17 percent Croats. […] What would happen if Muslims would no longer define themselves as Bosniaks, Catholics no longer as Croats, and Orthodox no longer as Serbs? The idea of ​​ethnic federalism, based on only three ethnic groups could hardly still be justified.” Fuster sees a clear distinction between urban and rural areas in terms of ethnic identiy. In an urban context, there are more and more ethnically mixed marriages while in the country, ethnic categories still prevail in thoughts and are still politically exploited. For Rroma, the status quo means a continued lack of acceptance of their voice and concerns. They belong to the “others”.

Source:

  • Fuster, Thomas (2013) Das Leben der anderen. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung vom 28.5.2013. 
Bulgaria Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

31.05.2013 Rroma Debate in Germany

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Peters (2013) informs about the fate of Nizaqete Bislimi, a “poverty migrant” from South Eastern Europe, who now works as a lawyer. It addresses the different facets of her life, such as the difficulty to openly stand by her Rroma origin. She notes: “I’m not going to adjust my life. […] I did not want to be a Gypsy woman, I felt ashamed. […] When I confessed it once to a girl friend she said that: You? But you’re clean! And good in school!” Peters shows the bias contained in the politicians’ reasoning such as for example Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich: They distinguish only between economically interesting, elite-migrants and poverty immigrants. That the transitions between these two extremes is continuous and that poverty immigrants can improve their attractiveness to the labour market, is not taken into account in this simplistic views. There follows a detailed description of the regulatory hurdles that Bislimi had to overcome to study law and get a residence permit. The statistics on the predicted povertymigration are to be taken with caution: for example, the number of immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria from 2007 to 2011 passed “from 64,000 in 2007 to 147,000 in 2011 more than doubling” but this number ignores thousands of seasonal workers, According to Peters even up to two-thirds. In addition, 20.9 percent of the Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants have a college degree, a proportion higher than the one of the majority population in Germany, which is at 18.1 percent.

At the end of the article Bislimi confirms the issue raised by Contact Point Rroma on visible and invisible Rroma and the reduction of Rroma identity around poverty: “I personally know of lecturers at universities, students, entrepreneurs, doctors. But most do not identify themselves as Roma, fearing old stigmata, from which they want to especially to protect their children.”

Gürgen (2013) discusses the work of the regional office for job training, integration and democracy (RAA). The organisation is committed to the successful integration of immigrant children in German schools, the focus currently lying on immigrated Rroma children. After initial reservations, especially on the teachers’ side, the work of the organisation is now broadly recognised and brings a lot of positive experiences. The aim is to successfully mediate between immigrant families and public schools. On the families’ side, according to the project spokeswoman Susanna Ismailovic, there are deeply rooted reservations about state institutions. A positive fact is that all the active auxiliary teachers speak Rromanes.

Walther (2013) speaks about two “invisible Rroma” who have successfully studied political science and subsequently spent two months at the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) in Flensburg. The two young Rroma are a stark contrast to the usual stereotypes and image of Rroma propagated in the debate on poverty immigrants: They are not poor, uneducated, work-shy and criminal but hard-working and intelligent. Diana Iuliana Pirjol and Aleksandar Marinov come from a humble background in Romania and Bulgaria. They emphasise that their families support them in their efforts and see education as a valuable resource. Regarding the anti-Rroma policies in Western and Eastern Europe, Aleksandar Marinov states, “We have no national state, to which we can feel connected, and must rely on the support of the government.” This really simple fact has been lost on many European government so far.

Sources:

  • Gürgen, Malene (2013) Pilotprojekt für Roma. In: Neues Deutschland vom 31.5.2013.
  • Peters, Freia (2013) Die Roma, die unbedingt nach oben wollte. In: Die Welt vom 30.5.2013.
  • Walther, Antje (2013) Den Roma auf der Spur. In: Flensburger Tageblatt vom 28.5.2013. 
France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

31.05.2013 Prejudice and Social Realities: Rroma in France

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Vincent (2013) speaks about the prejudices against Rroma found in France. The recurrent protests by residents against members of this minority give him the opportunity to do so. Recently, there was a demonstration against Rroma settling in a country house in Fontainieu. Vincent goes after some stubborn stereotypes that the opponents of Rroma refer to again and again: Aggressive begging, theft, poor hygiene and excessive noise. Regarding aggressive begging, he notes that the opinions of the answers of people cover a broad spectrum. Some massively irritated by the begging of Rroma and describe them as intrusive; others think it is restrained and not conspicuous. Conflicts are the exception. As for children begging, about which some residents complained, none was to be seen, simply because they were in school. Vincent sees the attribution of thefts to Rroma as undifferentiated. The surveys of local residents are often hastily written, and associate Rroma to poverty motivated crime. A resident in an interview stated that: “Je n’en ai jamais pris, mais on les soupçonne. Quand tu as 50 centimes en poche, tu ne fais pas le tour du magasin.“ [I never caught any, but one suspects them. When you have 50 cents in the pocket, you don’t go around the shops] The Police in turn denies that in the case of the crimes in Fontainieu one is dealing exclusively with the acts of Rroma. To note that these houses had been marked with a cross is implausible, because thieve gangs who did this years ago would incriminate themselves. Critics accuse Rroma to be responsible for a marked increase of disease cases, especially tuberculosis. With counter-studies, Vincent dispels this accusation: A local doctor finds no increase in cases of disease. In the centre and north of Marseilles, there will inevitably be more health problems than elsewhere, but this is due to difficult access to health-care and not to ethnic factors. The noise is also clearly more a product of structural conditions in the settlements than a result of cultural factors. Nevertheless prejudices and resentment persist among many residents. One wishes less benevolent policies towards countries of origin, such as Romania, because of the fear of a mass migration, as in other European countries or Western Europe or because one is convinced of the incompatibility of the Rroma culture with the French one.

Metro News (2013) provides information on the whereabouts of some 170 Rroma in Lyon, who, after a fire in a house they occupied, have been accommodated temporarily occupy in the gymnasium of a school. For unexplained reasons, the gym can no longer use as a. Sixty of those affected are being helped by a local program, the rest are literally thrown on the street.

Libération (2013) reports a demonstration of Rroma and people sympathetic to their cause in Paris. The protesters, including many children, have criticised the current practices of the French government who put Rroma on the street without alternative accommodation, who deprives them of the status as an EU citizen or forcefully deports them.

Source:

  • Libération (2013) Manifestation parisienne contre les expulsions de Roms. In: Libération vom 25.5.2013.
  • Metro News (2013) Lyon : que vont devenir les Roms après l’incendie mortel? In: Metro News France vom 30.5.2013. 
  • Vincent, Julien (2013) Tout ce que vous avez toujours voulu savoir sur les Roms… In: Marsactu vom 30.5.2013. 
Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

31.05.2013 Anti-Semitism in Hungary

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Odehnal (2013) conducted an interview with the publicist Paul Lendvai about the conflicting anti-racism policies of the Orban government. Lendvai, in his opinion, sees Orban as a Janus on racism: Towards the foreign press he represents a liberal, anti-racist view while towards the Hungarian press he presents a nationalist position. Lendvai sees the missing historical work on the Holocaust as a reason for the large upswing of right-wing nationalist parties like Jobbik. He also notes a “brain drain” of many young, well-educated Hungarians, who because of the political situation in their homeland see no future there. You hardly notice “the creeping erosion of democratic structures […] It’s all in the hands of the government. The National Bank was the last bastion. Which is now also fallen.”

Pester Lloyd (2013) reported on the continued segregation of Rroma children in Hungarian schools. A demonstration of the civil rights movement “The Constitution is not a toy” is opposed to the establishment of private school foundations within state schools, to the creation of pure Rroma classes and is against the segregation of children at events and in school buildings. Pester Lloyd criticises also the support programmes initiated by minister Balog as part of national Roma strategy as these are indeed and in truth promoting school segregation nor rather than to fighting it. The programme is reducing all Rroma to a concept and is not taking them seriously in their individuality. The focus agenda has not “educational, but rather racial standards.” As other media, the Pester Lloyd addresses the question as to whether the separation of powers in Hungary is still present or has now united under one roof a corrupt judicial, executive and legislative branches.

Sources:

  • Odehnal, Bernhard (2013) «Viktor Orbán ist ein grosser Zyniker». In: Tages-Anzeiger vom 26.5.2013.
  • Pester Llyod (2013) Demo gegen gesetzlich geförderte Segregation von Roma-Kindern in Ungarn. In: Pester Llyod vom 28.5.2013. 
Czech Republic France Germany Hungary Italy Kosovo News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

24.05.2013 Rroma in the European Union

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Publicly, the German Euro MEP Cornelia Ernst criticized what she deems in her eyes to be poor policies of the EU members towards Rroma. Since the ratification of a Rroma strategy, the EU Commission has undertaken little to effectively achieve the set targets. Currently about 4% of EU Eastern European help is devoted to Rroma. Ernst calls for an active prevention against racism and discrimination towards Rroma, which have increased spectacularly in recent years (Finanzen.net 2013).

Ernst (2013) describes the Rroma in the Czech Republic as the losers of the changes and who lived in modest prosperity prior to 1989. Today, in the Czech Republic, there are about 300 Rroma ghettos while before the changes there were only twelve. Many live in homes for asylum seekers, the unemployment rate exceedingly high at around 90%. She also criticizes the European Rroma strategy as it is not binding and does not foresee any sanctions for non-compliance.

The University of Hildesheim held a seminar on the topic of the participation of Rroma of in public education. The seminar is led by the educationalist Viola B. Georgi and examines the mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion of Rroma, which lead to a weak representation of members of this minority in educational institutions. In addition, there is an exhibition on the Rroma persecution under Nazism (Long 2013).

In a recent publication, Amnesty International (2013) criticizes the non-application of basic human rights for Rroma especially in Hungary and in Kosovo. But countries like Germany are also involved, as they deport members of this minority back to their home countries without actually considering the discriminatory practices. These examples indicate a discrepancy between official country analyses, used to determine the local situation, and the real situation of minorities. The report also criticises illegal evictions in 36 states. It emphasizes the issues of Rromas settlements in France and Italy, which in recent months repeatedly were mentioned in the press and generated attention in politics. Politics are exploiting Rroma camps, especially in nationalist parties (n-tv, 2013).

Romani Rose, chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Rroma criticised the removal of a Holocaust memorial at a school in Wiesbaden. The exhibition presented the deportation of a resident Rroma family and was dismantled a first time in 2006 before being re-instated in 2008. This was brought to attention only through the actions of the school who requested the Documentation Centre of the Sinti and Rroma to remove this exhibition from the list of memorials. Rose criticized the closure of the memorial with the comment that this was an expression of irresponsible handling of history (Mueck-Raab 2013).

Bermeitinger (2013) reports on the construction of a Holocaust memorial in Mainz, which goes back to a commitment of Hildegard Coester. On 6 May 1940,107 Rroma from Mainz were deported according to records and sent to a concentration camp.

Pamperrien (2013) discusses the new non-fiction book by journalist and photographer Rolf Bauerdick. Bauerdick’s book “Gypsies: Encounters with an unpopular minority” is deliberately not politically correct. He distances himself from Klaus-Michael Bogdals thesis of a tradition of exclusion and of being considered alien and instead calls attention to the status of victim that Rroma themselves maintain. They are caught in their own apathy. He is belligerently states: “There is also another truth. I hardly remember a Rom who looked for a piece of responsibility among themselves about the roots of their misery, even less so one who found one.” With his political incorrectness, Bauerdick wants to highlight the need and to encourage Rroma to take their own responsibilities. But he forgets that unilateral action significantly depends on the one the available and structures and that there are very repressive for many Rroma. His simple distinction between real problems and intellectually produced pseudo-problems created by scientists falls short. It discredits the de facto interweaving of real events and social images and thoughts that fuel and spurns each other. Bauerdick is quite right in denouncing abuses among the Rroma themselves, when he speaks of exploitation by usurers who force their own people into prostitution, begging and theft. To use this as the determining discourse and to denotes it to be the dominant form of relationships among Rroma can heavily be doubted. A single journalist simply lacks the capacity for such a study among all Rroma. It perpetuates the picture of misery that he discredits the image of economically successful and inconspicuous, well integrated invisible Rroma. Bauerdick notes:

“All who intensively worked with Roma, have, as soon as this decade was announced[European Decade of Roma Inclusion], said that this would go down the drain. And so it did. It did so because the Roma are not taken seriously. One wants to help them without demanding something of them. This is how you behave towards people from whom you don’t expect anything. For me, this is the most insidious form of discrimination and exclusion at all” (Pamperrien 2013).

Brill (2013) sees the media discourse about Rroma as dominated by commentators who hide their ignorance of Rroma behind negative or positive biases. He refers in his remarks to the book “Poor Rroma, bad Gypsies” written by the Eastern Europe correspondent Mappes-Niediek. In spite their intention to defuse stereotypes,  Brill’s remarks lead to the production of new ones. It states in a generalising fashion “Community and a sense of the State you will be looking in vain. The differences with the majority population are enormous, from the limitations of the Roma language to the divergent conceptions of time and money, past and future, property and business, cleanliness and what is good and important in life.” So Brill constructs a picture of Rroma, which wrongly assumes their incompatibility with European values ​​and habits. He creates an “othering” in the meaning of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Whether these views stem from Brill or are versions of Mappes-Niediek views is not clearly apparent. The observations that Rroma look at journalists with suspicion and do not provide reliable information, is critically challenged.

Roucaute (2013) informs about the often contradictory policies of the French authorities towards Rroma. They base their rigorous policy of clearing camps on unacceptable conditions of hygiene and danger of fires that prevails in these settlements. One executed the plans of the minister Manuel Valls, said an official. You have to comply with existing laws. A circular of six ministers of the new government states that “„les opérations de démantèlement des campements illicites (…) sont pleinement légitimes, dès lors qu’elles interviennent en application d’une décision de justice ou pour mettre fin à une situation de danger ou de risque sanitaire immédiat.“ [the operations of removal of illegal camps are fully legitimate as soon as they are the result of the application of a legal decision or in a situation of immediate danger or sanitary risk.] De facto, this is a firmly established policy of the French government since a few months, as it considers the highly visible Rroma camps as negative to the French state and wants to be rid of them. The government invests in the development of infrastructure in Romania, where a portion of the migrated Rroma is originating. Many Rroma in turn see their future in France, however, because they see no future there for them due to the structural conditions in Romania. There are thus conflicting priorities between the bio-political objectives of the French state and the expectations of the Rroma for the future, and these seem unlikely to converge in the near future.

Sources:

  • Bermeitinger, Michael (2013) Stele erinnert an verschleppte Sinti und Roma. In: Allgemeine Zeitung vom 17.5.2013.
  • Brill, Klaus (2013) Von Roma-Slums und “Gipsy Industry”. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung vom 21.5.2013.
  • Ernst, Cornelia (2013) Weil wir Nachbarn sind. In: Neues Deutschland. Sozialistische Tageszeitung vom 24.5.2013.
  • Finanzen.net (2013) Neues Deutschland: Europaabgeordnete Cornelia Ernst kritisiert anhaltende Diskriminierung von Roma in der EU. In: Finanzen.net vom 23.5.2013.
  • Lange, Isa (2013) Seminar untersucht Bildungsteilhabe von Sinti und Roma in Europa / Ausstellung in Hildesheim. In: idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft vom 23.5.2013.
  • N-tv (2013) Roma in Ungarn und im Kosovo sind angeblich nicht sicher Amnesty prangert Flüchtlingspolitik an. In: N-tv Deutschland vom 23.5.2013.
  • Pamperrien, Sabine (2013) Gefangen in der eigenen Apathie. In: Deutschlandradio vom 23.5.2013.
  • Roucaute, Delphine (2013) Roms : à Lyon, l’attitude “schizophrène” des autorités. In: Le Monde vom 23.5.2013.
  • Mück-Raab, Marion (2013) Die Vitrinen-Affäre. In: TAZ vom 22.5.2013.
News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

17.05.2013 Rroma in Norway

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The Norway Post (2013) provides information about the government’s plans from Oslo to criminalise sleeping outisde. This criminalization would affect, among others, some travelling Rroma. Rroma demonstrated against this plan together with other opponents, addressing political leaders direcly.

Source:

  • The Norway Post (2013) The Roma people demonstrate in Oslo. In: The Norway Post vom 15.5.2013. 
Italy News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

17.05.2013 Rroma in Italy

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The documentary “Lashi Vita” tells the story of the origin of pogroms against Rroma in Italy which started in early 2007. That year, an Italian woman was murdered by a Rrom, leading to a wave of xenophobia and racially motivated violence. The documentary goes to the roots of racial prejudice and examines the gray area between human rights, legislation, and social practice as lived in human interactions. The State’s practice practise of enclosed Rroma camps with systematic monitoring and categorising of the inmates shocks, and can be qualified in terms of Orwellian state surveillance state of alien bodies. (Mundi Romani 2008)

Source:

Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

17.05.2013 Rroma in Hungary

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Pester Lloyd (2013) presents the doings of a Rroma mayor in Cserdi in southern Hungary. Many local Hungarians and Rroma respect László Bogdán as being a local leader. He thus represents a contrast to many other communities in Hungary, which elected rightwing politicians. Since 2006, Bogdán is committed to the cooperation between Rroma and Magyars in his village. Through his initiative, with the help of grandparents children are better prepared to school, attendance and truancy rates have fallen. The village Cserdi is a good example showing that the adopted national Rroma strategy should be implemented just not only nationally but first locally. Under Bogdan’s leadership, a farming cooperation has been created and many houses were renovated by community work. He plans to create a Roma skanzen, a traditional Rroma village, for touristic and cultural purposes, which also will create new jobs. The village Cserdi is, as stressed by the Pester Lloyd, a rarity, but one that actually represents the “manifestation of a possible normality”. It remains an exception in Hungary until further notice.

Pester Lloyd (2013/II) also reports on the increased severity of penalties against Rroma in Hungary. Nine young Rroma were found guilty by the court of Miskolc to have attacked four Magyars in a car and to have done so for racist motives. The special feature of the case is the fact that the attacked Magyars belonged to the National Guard, which had previously been deployed in the place in question and who acted against Rroma. The defendants sat two years in custody prior to the trial.

The newspaper “Magyar Hírlap” where Zsolt Bayer called with in a column for the extermination of Rroma, was condemned by the Hungarian Media Council because of the publication of the article to a fine of 800 euro. In addition to the fine, the newspaper must publish the decision of the Media Council in one issue. The really fundamental question, namely the incitement to hatred and racial discrimination was rejected by the relevant courts, however, since no “real and immediate threat” of the verbally attacked minority existed. That verbal incitement goes unpunished in Hungary is very questionable. It shows lack of understanding about the historical experience that hate just does not begin with physical actions, starts with hate speech (Pester Lloyd 2013/III).

Sources:

  • Pester Lloyd (2013) Der Best-practice-Zigeuner. In: Pester Lloyd vom 14.5.2013.
  • Pester Lloyd (2013/II) Verschärfte Haftstrafen gegen “rassistische” Roma, Schnellverfahren gegen Nazis in Ungarn. In: Pester Lloyd vom 11.5.2013.
  • Pester Lloyd (2013/III) Medienrat in Ungarn bestraft Hetze gegen Roma mit Geldbuße. In: Pester Lloyd vom 9.5.2013. 
France Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

17.05.2013 Rroma in France

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Casabianca (2013) reports on the eviction of a Rroma camp on the river Var, in the Cote d’Azur. Despite protests and support from organizations such as Amnesty International, the local Rroma had to leave their camp. Bulldozers from the commune then cleared the camp that was under a bridge next to the river. Critics complain that this ripped schooled children away from their classes, and that it went against a successful integration despite the precarious sanitary conditions.

To date, no alternative accommodation was found for those affected. Eric Ciotti, UMP deputy, on the other hand showed his inflexible stance towards Rroma: “Leur place est en Roumanie et en Hongrie, pas dans les Alpes-Maritimes. […] Europe a donné 20 milliards d’euros à ces pays pour qu’ils intègrent correctement les Roms. Il faut que ce gouvernement socialiste fasse preuve de fermeté ou exige que ces pays sortent de l’Europe. Parce qu’on ne va pas laisser des bidonvilles s’installer un peu partout aux portes de nos agglomérations” [Their place is in Romania and in Hungary, not in the Alpes-Maritimes … Europe gave 20 billion euro to these countries so that they properly integrate Rroma. The socialist government needs to show firmness or request that those countries leave the European Union. Because we will not tolerate new slums near our agglomerations] (Nice Matin, 2013).

Sources:

  • Casabianca, Pierre-Olivier (2013) Les Roms installés sur la rive gauche du Var quittent leur campement. In: France 3 online vom 17.5.2013. 
  • Nice Matin (2013) Les Roms des rives du Var en sursis. In: Nice Matin vom 15.5.2013. 
Bulgaria Germany Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

17.05.2013 Rroma Debate in Germany

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Schupelius (2013) is critical of the “Action Plan for the integration of foreign Roma” proposed by the Senator for Integration Dilek Kolat (SPD). Kolat worked together with several research groups in recent months to define steps for a successful integration of immigrant Rroma. Among the recommended measures one finds tenant counselling, promoting enrolment of Rroma children in school, prevention of violence and the psychological support for prostitutes. The action plan will very likely not be implemented due to lack of funds. Schupelius criticized the months of work of the working groups under Kolat, whose catalogue of measures, being obvious, does not justifythe required research time.

RBB (2013) reports on the planned shelter for 22 Rroma families in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Because the owner of the designated property does not share the politicians’ plans, the projected emergency housing did not come to be. The Integration Commissioner Monika Lüke accused the leaders to have acted clumsily in selecting the locality and to have presented the decision to the district authorities as a fait accompli.

Krampitz (2013) discusses the work of Duisburg’s pastor Dieter Herberth. He works for the successful integration and acceptance of immigrant Rroma. He sees the immigrants from Southeast Europe as poverty migrants who see no future in their homeland. Those who find any work, even modestly paid, tend to stay in their country. He sees the idea that immigration exists solely to benefit from social services social funds as flawed. “Only people in difficult social circumstances come to NRW (North Rhine Westphalia).” Herberth requests the residents more tolerance towards Rroma. Integration does not happen overnight. The immigrants are often members of Gurbets group who is be particularly discriminated against in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

Steeger (2013) gives information on a Rroma celebration in Neukölln. The “Herdelezi”, a festival in honour of Saint George and the patron saint of Rroma, was celebrated with lots of music and enthusiasm. It was organized by the youth organization Foro Amaro, an organisation where Rroma and Gadje are working together and committed to a tolerant, non-racist society. Herdelezi is celebrated by both Muslim and Orthodox Christian Roma all over the Balkan.

Sources:

  • Krampitz, Martin (2013) Pfarrer wirbt um Verständnis für Roma in Duisburg-Bergheim. In: Der Westen vom 13.5.2013.
  • RBB (2013) Notaufnahme für Roma-Familien nicht in Charlottenburg. In: RBB online vom 14.5.2013.
  • Schupelius, Gunnar (2013) Pläne für Roma-Familien sind unbezahlbar. In: BZ Berlin vom 12.5.2013.
  • Steeger, Gesa (2013) Balkan-Pop gegen Vorurteile. In: TAZ vom 12.5.2013. 
News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania Slovakia

17.05.2013 Rroma and the Economic Crisis

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The philanthropist George Soros commented in the Romanian weekly Dilema Veche about the situation of Rroma in Europe. He sees the members of this minority to be particularly affected by the economic crisis. The impact of the crisis is now added to the already existing exclusion and human rights violations. He further criticises the EU for failing to provide Member States with a counterbalance. The EU is not a community of equals among equals, but represents tthe power of lenders. Soros stated:

[The Rroma community] which was already the victim of human rights violations and social exclusion, is one of the worst affected by the economic crisis and the poverty it has engendered. This has been compounded by the growing hostility to the Roma among the majority of the population, which also has to contend with economic difficulties. Worse still, the situation is being exploited by populist politicians (Presseurop 2013).

Conka (2013) informs about the infamous Rroma settlement Luna IX in Slovakia, where several thousands Rroma live. Conka himself grew up in Luna IX, when it was still less segregated, as he says, and had regular contact with Slovak non-Rroma. His family then moved to Prague, Holland and later to London, where he still lives now. Conka sees many of the Eastern European Rroma losers of the fall of the Iron curtain who were excluded in the news economy and will. He says:

“What I remembered as my happy home has turned into an unrecognisable ghetto with no way out for those who live there, trapped by poverty and prejudice. Some blame the collapse of communism. Although lacking in freedom, communism was like a sticky glue that bound everyone together, and my mum and dad said they would never have left had it not collapsed, because everyone had jobs and decent housing, and there was better integration between Roma and ethnic Slovaks, who shared the same houses, schools and jobs. In the 1990s the local factories closed, and since recruitment methods for smaller employers were relaxed, old prejudices against Roma resurfaced and Romani inhabitants of Lunik IX found it much harder to get work than their Slavic neighbours.”

Conka further references the debate about Rroma immigrants from Eastern Europe in the UK. Conka criticises the politician Nigel Farage for his blatant misrepresentation of the Rroma. He represents Rroma as hordes of welfare cheats who would only come to the UK for assistance. Conka counters this view decisively and explains that many of the disadvantaged Rroma are rather coming in order to get a fair chance to live a decent life. If this was not possible in their country of origin, they will migrate because of the lack of perspective. This must be taken into account in this undifferentiated discussion.

In his short documentary “Lunik IX: A Short Documentary” he shows a sobering images of life on the edge of subsistence, a vicious circle of poverty (Conka 2012).

Sources:

  • Conka, Artur (2013) What Is Life Really Like for Roma Families Around Europe? In: Huffington Post vom 14.5.2013.
  • Conka, Artur (2012) Lunik IX: A Short Documentary. In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUFUkVivh_M (17.5.2013).
  • Presseurop (2013) For George Soros, Roma are victims of the crisis. In: Presseurop online vom 6.5.2013. 
Germany News Western Europe

17.05.2013 Remembrance for the Deportation of Rroma in Germany

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The Faction “Alliance 90” and the Greens commemorated the 73 Anniversary of the deportation of Rroma in Germany and thought about the outstanding social and political task towards this still marginalised minority. The Alliance stated:

“The mention in the Constitution is a small but strong step. It is now important that Roma and Sinti in our society actually get all the benefits and rights and antiziganism comes to an end. We welcome the fact that a parliamentary committee for the interests of the Sinti and Roma was created as a direct consequence of the constitutional amendment. It will be our task to achieve concrete improvements for the Sinti and Roma in this committee”. (Jacob 2013)

Mueck-Raab (2013) reports on the secret removal of a memorial for the Rroma murdered under Nazism. In the Krautgarten school in Wiesbaden until recently on could find a small glass display case with photographs and texts about the fate of the deportees Maria Theresa Lehmann and her family. Along with about a hundred other Rroma the region, they were taken to a local jail, photographed and a number was tattooed numbered on their arm. This was followed by deportation to a concentration camp. The memorial was set up in 2006 under the initiative of the then headmistress. The showcase now contains football trophies. The children of Theresa Lehmann are outraged. The exhibits were not returned to them, contrary to the statements of a representative of the school. By email it was said: “A memorial has never existed in the Krautgarden school”.

The case to the removed memorial raises the question of the importance of remembering against the need to forget or to dispel. To truly forget, one needs to accept the past. This can only happen via the conscious recollection of the past.

Prime Minister Torsten Albig, in a speech in Kiel, spoke about the importance of remembering the deportation of Rroma in Germany. On 16 May 1940, 2.000 Rroma were arrested in northern Germany, “racially” evaluated and taken to concentration camps, where they were exterminated. The Prime Minister said: “We owe it to the victims of the Nazi genocide to keep the memory year after year. […] We remind with this ceremony a time where respect of others did not exist. We long for a fair relationship between majority and minority” (02elf evening paper). The request to consciously remember is contrary to the above dismantlement of a memorial in a school. Albig also stressed that the respectful handling of Rroma is a pan-European issue which requires a total commitment of Europe.

Sources:

  • 02elf Abendblatt (2013) Ministerpräsident Torsten Albig zur Gedenkfeier für deportierte Sinti und Roma: Erinnerung Jahr für Jahr wachhalten. In: 02elf Düsseldorfer Abendblatt vom 16.5.2013.
  • Jacob, Claudia (2013) Sinti und Roma endlich gleichbehandeln. In: Bundes Presseportal vom 16.5.2013.
  • Mück-Raab, Marion (2013) Ort der Erinnerung entsorgt. In: TAZ vom 15.5.2013. 
France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

17.05.2013 Fire in a Rroma House in Lyon

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The NZZ (2013) reports a fire in a Rroma camp in Lyon. In a vacant office building, 200 Rroma were living temporarily. The building was completely destroyed by the fire, the cause of which remains unclear until now. So far, three deaths, two women and a child were reported.

In recent months in France, there have been repeated fires in Rroma settlements or buildings. To reduce this increase to thoughtless handling of fire sources only is not very likely. Political motives behind several of these fires are rather suspect, related to the social debate about Rroma. Right-wing parties and their supporters are outraged about a perceived erosion of the welfare state due to immigrants such as the Rroma. Using them as a negative image for their political purposes they accuse them of deliberate arson of their camps to access social welfare, a fact cited by Marie Le Pen. From another perspective, the increased number of fires can much more be seen as a consequence of the hatred of residents or other elements, which are offended by the presence of the Rroma.

Euro News (2013) complements the coverage of the fire with the statements of Interior Minister Manuel Valls. He expressed regrets over the incident, but also said he felt concerned that the occupation of houses and warehouses “ poses every time a real danger that needs to be cleared” would. What exactly he means by a “real danger” is unclear. Valls has argued in recent months for increasing returns of Rroma to Romania.

Coudert (2013) stated that the 200 Rroma in the building were temporarily housed in an adjoining gym. The decision of the Rhônes Civil Service to close the hall every day from 10-15 clock for cleaning purposes has been criticised. This is inhumane, especially given the fact that there are newborns among the people.

Sources:

  • Coudert, S. Mazni T. (2013) Les Roms sommés par le préfet d’errer sous la pluie. In: Lyon Capitale vom 16.5.2013.
  • Euronews (2013) Tote bei Brand in von Roma besetztem Haus in Lyon. In: Euronews vom 135.2013.
  • NZZ (2013) Drei Tote bei Brand in alter Fabrik. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung vom 13.5.2013. 
Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Serbia

17.05.2013 Documentary about the Self-View of the Serbian Rroma

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Majic (2013) reports on the work of Lidija Mirkovic, a documentary filmmaker who wants to present through her work a picture of the Rroma beyond certain foreign stereotypes. Mirkovic has interviewed countless Rroma in months of work and documented their everyday lives. She receives regular visits from journalists from Germany who are interested in her work. Usually she asks them two questions. First, what he or she wants to know about the slums and secondly, what he or she actually knows himself about Rroma. With this second question Mirkovic goes to the core of the issue. Her intention is to create new images that can compete with the entrenched stereotypes. Besides stereotypes, the essence of the slums lies at centre of the film “slumdogs”. Majic states: “What in the West is either glorified or branded a part of gypsy culture, is actually the result of unbearable misery. This reality cannot be banished away from one’s own doorstep, by simply declaring its consequences to be the nature of a particular ethnic group.” The film critically examines this ethnicisation of poverty as a self-chosen way of life, and take a look into the slums, not in a third world countries, but the middle of Europe.

Source:

  • Majic, Danijel (2013) Die Slums in der Mitte Europas. In: Frankfurter Rundschau vom 13.5.2013. 
France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe North Macedonia

10.05.2013 Šutka TV

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The first official Rroma TV channels, TV Šukta, was founded by Andrijano Dzeladin in September 2012 in his apartment in Paris. The native Macedonian felt misrepresented by the reporting of illegal Rroma settlements in in France and he decided to found his own TV station. The programs are designed to create a counterpart to the often one-sided coverage on Rroma and highlight the cultural diversity of this minority. The only drawback is that all programs are broadcasted in Rromanes and thus the majority society with its distorted view on Rroma will not be touched. The channel, initially produced only by Dzeladin and a station employee, focuses on musical, cultural and culinary programs and can be seen on http://www.livestream.com/tvsutka the Internet (Boitiaux 2013).

Source:

  • Boitiaux, Charlotte (2013) Live from a Paris apartment, the first Roma TV station. In: France 24 vom 9.5.2013. 
Bulgaria News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

10.05.2013 Rroma in the UK

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Kann (2013) deconstructs the widespread myths about the Rroma commonly found in the British media. He ironically notes at the beginning that they, the Rroma, all have huge weddings, live in caravans and are constantly thinking of a migration to England to live at the expense of social welfare, and defines these views as being a media myth. Most of the 300,000 British Rroma are sedentary. The nomadism normally ascribed to them may partly be a cultural trait, but, but is mainly the consequence of seasonal work and of political persecution. There is also a rampant myth that they are intentionally unemployed based on the fact that they do not like to work and that they are not willing to learn. Kann contrasts these stereotypes with Rroma success stories of artists and academics. Rroma are even statistically under-represented in British prisons. British media is also confusing Irish Travellers with Kale Rroma. While the Irish Travellers came in 19th Century to England as well as after the Second World War due to the thriving construction industry, the Kale-Rroma are in UK since the 16th Century. A second and third wave of immigrants arrived after the end of the Soviet bloc and later with the establishment of the European Community. It was never a mass migration, as claimed by polemical media. Rroma are not a burden on the British welfare but an asset for the British society.

During May and June, the English “Community Channel” will report on the life of Rroma and Travellers in the UK. The reports will document and portray both ordinary people as well as celebrities from literature, art and science (Community Channel, 2013).

Jay (2013) of the Daily Mail reports on the plans of the European MEPs Jean Lambert to better link immigrants to social and health care. This is in contrast to the plans of Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants to cut social assistance for immigrants. The somewhat racist article by Martin Jay begins with the generalizing statement: “A Green Party MEP is demanding that immigrants who come to Britain to beg and commit crimes should be guaranteed the right to full state benefits and even be provided with police protection.” The author this unjustly assumes that all immigrants only come to the UK to beg and steal. Somewhat later, his statement on hordes of Rroma, particularly women who harass people on the street, can only be described as sheer racism. Jay says: “In particular, she [Jean Lampert] wants the hoards [sic; hordes] of Roma Gypsies – in particular the women – who illegally harass people on the streets of central London to ‘not be excluded’ from social security benefits as ‘undocumented migrants.” That such defamatory statements can be made under the label of freedom of expression is a scandal and shows a total lacks of respect for people. Later, Jay mixes, the terms “illegal immigrant” and “migrant” and finally equates them. He conjures the picture of a mass immigration of 50,000 Romanians and Bulgarians per year up as soon as the freedom of movement comes into force, referring to forecasts from Migration Watch. These migrants, it is suggested, would draw social benefits. This article has nothing to do with objective journalism. It is an affront to all members of minorities and supporters of humanism.

Source:

  • Community Channel (2013) Gypsy Roma Traveller Season: Highlights. In: Community Channel (UK) vom 10.5.2013.
  • Jay, Martin (2013) Roma gypsies should be guaranteed cash hand-outs and police protection, claims London MEP. In: Mail One vom 7.5.2013.
  • Kann, Alex (2013) 5 Big Fat Myths about Gypsies, Travellers and Roma. In: The Independent vom 9.5.2013. 

News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovakia

10.05.2013 Rroma in Slovakia

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Higgins (2013) reports on the segregation of Rroma children in Slovak schools. In the community Šarišské Michaľany in eastern Slovakia everything was segregated at the start of the headmaster’s tenure. Rroma children were playing on a separate playground, ate lunch separately from the white children and were placed in separate classrooms, officially due to different education levels. Higgins compares the fight against the segregation of Rroma with efforts to achieve racial equality in the United States in the 1950s. In Slovakia, the efforts to achieve equality are waged primarily through the courts. In spite of his advocacy for legal action, the headmaster of the school is described to be leaning more towards cultural mediation. He opened the school canteen for Rroma children, suppressed the segregated playgrounds as well as the rule that forbade Rroma parents to enter the school building. Common classes and teaching is still in its early stages. This process must be done slowly, as otherwise white Slovaks flee the school to go to other ones reinforcing racism and segregation. The prejudices of participating parties are deeply rooted. The Rroma, due to the prolonged segregation,  are reported now as having a wall in their minds.

Source:

  • Higgins, Andrew (2013) In Its Efforts to Integrate Roma, Slovakia Recalls U.S. Struggles. In: New York Times vom 9.5.2013. 
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