May 2013 - Page 2 of 2

Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

10.05.2013 Rroma in Hungary

May 10, 2013 Published by: Roma Foundation

Kálnoky (2013) reported on the somewhat paradoxical judgment of a Hungarian court. It sentenced nine Rroma because of racist acts. They are reported to have attacked members of the racist Hungarian Guard. Already in 2010, several Rroma were convicted of racially motivated violence. At that time, the decisive evidence for the verdict was a stick marked with “Death to Magyar”. Magyar is the name given to the members of the Hungarian majority society. The judgment of the court is somewhat sensitive, as the banned Hungarian Guard had held a meeting in the village in question with the aim of intimidating the local Rroma. The indictment of racial hatred in the condemnation ignored this context.

The Hungarian Council for Mass Media has fined for the newspaper “Magyar Hirlap” of the right-wing populist Zolt Bayer for incitement of hatred against the Rroma. Bayer had compared the Rroma with animals and called for their extermination. The reason behind these inflammatory articles was a conflict between Hungarians and Rroma on New Year’s Eve 2012/2013 was (Stimme Russlands, 2013).

In a public announcement, The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has described Rroma as being the “hidden resource and reserve the Hungarian economy”. He wants to distance himself from the positions of his Fidesz party, which has repeatedly been accused of racism against members of the minority. This January, the government has introduced an Arbitration Council for Roma Affairs, headed by Orban himself. He stated a goal to provide 100,000 Rroma with a job by 2015 and to promote education among them so that they may find their place in the Hungarian future (The Press, 2013).

Sources:

Die Presse (2013) Ungarn: Orban nennt Roma “verborgene Ressource”. In: Die Presse vom 7.5.2013.
Kálnoky, Boris (2013) “Rassismus” gegen Rassisten – Haftstrafen für Roma. In: Die Welt vom 9.5.2013.
Stimme Russlands (2013) Ungarische Zeitung muss Geldstrafe wegen Anti-Roma-Aussagen zahlen. In: Stimme Russlands vom 9.5.2013.

France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

10.05.2013 Rroma in France

May 10, 2013 Published by: Roma Foundation

Nord Eclair (2013) informs on the eviction of an illegal camp in Saint-André. The local Rroma lived in the Rue Constantine for the last three years. The mayor’s arguments are that Rroma were a risk to the public and the environment. Advocates of the Rroma fighting against the decision note that the affected family of seven had not disturbed anyone. For the mayor, the value lies in the example and precedent. The city chief Olivier Henno stated that the Rroma in question were not political refugees and therefore would not enjoy any special status.

Beigbeder (2013) reports on a form of vigilante justice in Villeneuve d’Ascq. Residents of the city suspect members of an adjacent Rroma camp to have repeated executed thefts in their neighbourhood. They hung up posters in the streets showing potential delinquents and demanding their arrest. The action happens in the context of increasing tensions against members of the minority, which are fuelled among others by the Front National.

The Rroma settlement in a riverbed in Nice will be cleared based on a request of the General Council. The official justification of the ruling cites safety issues due to the location of the settlement, based on the risk of flooding and danger due to electricity. But the real reason is likely to stem from the displeasure of the President of the General Council Eric Cotti, who noted that the judiciary has finally put an end to the lack of action by the government (Largillet 2013).

Sources:

Beigbeder, Matthieu (2013) Villeuve d’Ascq: les habitant affichent de supposés cambrioleurs dans les rues. In: L’express (France) vom 10.5.2013.
Largillet, Jean-Pierre (2013) Camp Rom de Nice : la justice ordonne son démantèlement. In: WebTimeMedias vom 8.5.2013.
Nord Eclair (2013) Saint-André : les Roms installés rue Constantine en voie d’expulsion. In: Nord Eclair vom 8.5.2013.

Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

10.05.2013 Rroma Debate in Germany / Austria

May 10, 2013 Published by: Roma Foundation

No case of enticement to racial hatred will be filed against the old politician from Bremen, who excluded from the SPD Bremen. Korol had published racist statements against Roma immigrants from Southeast Europe on his website, which prompted his exclusion from the SPD Bremen. The prosecution based its decision on the argument that what Korol stated fell under freedom of opinion could not be considered as an incitation to racial hatred. Korol had claimed on his website that Rroma live “socially and intellectually in the Middle Ages, their men have no inhibitions to send their children to beg instead to school or to kick their women’s teeth” (Stengel, 2013).

In Amstetten a group of travelling by Rroma wanted to set up a temporary camp in front of a former auction hall. Camping is however prohibited there. The group was evicted by the local police. The incident occurs at a time where in the debate in Europe around migration due to poverty, Rroma are increasingly discussed and simplifying stereotypes about them are in circulation (The Courier 2013).

In Nienberge in Westphalia, a group of a dozen Rroma settled on truckers’ stop. The site had been previously been locked. Social Councillor Thomas Paal is unhappy that this space is being used. It is unfit for this purpose, especially for families with children. Ms. Brigitte Hasenjürgen in charge of this place is committed to keep it open. The immigrants from Romania are planning to stay in Germany and enrol their children in school there (Peter 2013).

Around 5000 Rroma live and work currently in Schleswig-Holstein. The Commissioner for Minorities Renate Schnack asked the residents of the area in a public announce to support the Rroma in their efforts to integrate. As part of the project “Maro temm” (Our Land) of the Housing Association of the Sinti in Kiel, 13 housing units for needy Rroma were built (Shz 2013).

In the Neukölln district of Berlin on can currently see the exhibition “The Rroma Image Studio”. The exhibition gives Rroma artists the opportunity to present a self-view of the group whose identity is otherwise mostly represented by outsiders. The show is intended to enable a view beyond that of the “racist clichés, the supposedly criminal migrant workers or [the] kitschy images of Balkan and Gypsy folklore”. The black and white portrait series “Mas Vilag” shows for example a fragmentation and complexity rather than a clear, singular view of the Rroma self-identity (Oxen 2013).

The NZZ (2013) speaks on the Rroma debate in Germany. It commented that it was quite relevant, whether in the debate on poverty immigration, one talks about ethnic or social issues and background. In the first case one will speak about cultural tolerance and minority rights while in the case of “social issues”, of individual rights and social standards. The so-called “Rroma problem” is much more a question of poverty rather than a lifestyle choice. In the course of post-socialist transformation to capitalism, large masses of Rroma were impoverished. This themes should be the prominent ones, and not the questions of ethnicity.

Sources:

Kurier (2013) Roma-Karawane musste Stadtgebiet verlassen. In: Kurier (Österreich) vom 7.5.2013.
NZZ (2013) Die Roma und die «Armutseinwanderung». In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung vom 10.5.2013.
Oxen, Nicolas (2013) Weg vom Roma-Klischee. In: Neuköllner.net vom 8.5.2013.
Peter, Sandra (2013) Zwei Toilettenhäuschen für Mirgranten-Landfahrerplatz bleibt Notlösung. In: Westfälische Nachrichten vom 8.5.2013.
Shz (2013) Kommunen sollen Sinti und Roma unterstützen. In: Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag (shz) vom 8.5.2013.
Stengel, Eckhard (2013) Hetze gegen Roma bleibt straflos. In: Berliner Zeitung vom 7.5.2013.