Daily Archives: November 15, 2013

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

15.11.2013 Rroma in Northern Bohemia

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Schultheis (2013) reported on the successful efforts of Drahomíra Miklošová, the Mayor of Obrnice, to integrate the Rroma in the community. The approach is centred on a structural support which is not specifically tailored to Rroma, but to the needy in general. Miklošová strove for a political post and then fought decidedly against exorbitant rents and crime. For the Rroma, she sought to integrate rather than to drive them out, as is still common. The head of the Centre for Social Services considers the cause for the success of the local projects as being a focus on the needy in general and the strengthening of social cohesion: “The issue today is no longer about Roma or non-Roma. [… ] Some people here think: You are doing everything just for the Gypsies. But this is relevant to all socially disadvantaged. They all have the same problems: unemployment, usury, debt. A vicious cycle. Approximately one-third of the families who come to us in the consultation are not Roma.” This very positive article should not obscure the fact that discrimination against Rroma in the Czech Republic is still a huge problem.

News Switzerland

15.11.2013 Rroma and the Zurich Street Prostitution

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20 Minuten (2013) with its article on a lawsuit against two Rroma pimps presents a perspective of culturally determined relations of exploitation, reproducing the notion of clan-like dependencies, ratios, exactly as the Weltwoche does over and over again: “The District Court of Zurich convicted the clan chief in the summer of 2012, among others for human trafficking and sexual assault, the son for promotion of prostitution. [… ] The prosecutor told the Superior Court of the brutal and unscrupulous actions of the accused. These corporal punishments and threats made the exploited victims docile with corporal. The women who were purchases as goods had to give all the revenues of the clan chief.” What is questionable is of course not the charges of the violence done to these women, , but the finding that it is due to culturally determined structures and relations of exploitation. The article implies the fact that this pimping is a Roma-specific phenomenon.

Hasler’s (2013) article discrediting human trafficking also gives the impression that this case is the consequence of clan-like, strongly hierarchically organized Rroma groups: “Since 2008, The Zurich stree prostituion on the Sihlquai and the Langstrasse was dominated by Hungarian Roma. The area allocation among the pimps was not without tensions. [… ] The son did not hesitate to send his partner and mother of his children to prostitute herself and they harass her when she opposed it. He used such physical violence that the woman had to be driven to hospital by ambulance. At the conclusion of the criminal investigation, the wife of the public prosecutor announced that she wanted to marry the 25 year old.” Several authors explain convincingly that the notion of clan-like, hierarchical structures among the Rroma is wrong (Daniels, 2013, Mappes – Niediek 2013, Martens 2013, Tabin 2013). Representing pimping as a culturally driven phenomenon can only be described as absurd. That on needs to decidedly combat human trafficking is beyond question.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania Slovakia

15.11.2013 Incitement against Rroma in the “Daily Express”

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Jeeves (2013) defames Rroma in an article full of prejudice and generalizations up to the limit of open hatred: “Earlier this week, former Home Secretary and Sheffield MP David Blunkett highlighted the “serious problems” after the arrival of Romas from Slovakia. […] Teenage girls are said to offer sex for less than the price of a pint of beer. Others believe drug deals are taking place, with cars pulling up and packages being exchanged. Concerns that Roma gangs already in Britain are engaged in such appalling criminal acts will add weight to the Daily Express crusade to force the Government to keep controls in place on Romanians and Bulgarians, rather than opening the doors to both countries on January 1.” Jeeves’ article presents a highly one-sided, racist image of Rroma: they are portrayed as a criminal gang incompatible with English society. The Rroma are misused as a vessel for the vote on the free travel and establishment of persons from Romania and Bulgaria. The clearly conservative minded author projects his racist and distorted ideas about migrants unwilling to adapt who will be a cost on the British welfare system, and thus defames Rroma. A proper reporting is different.

Croatia News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

15.11.2013 European Rroma Policies from an American Perspective

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Bilefsky (2013) of the New York Times comments on the events surrounding the European integration, respectively, non-integration initiatives on Rroma. On the background of the trial against 27 Croatian Rroma who are accused of child trafficking and education towards delinquency, he raises the question of the role of the Rroma in European society. However, his questions are clumsy: he sees the Rroma as being inevitably forced to delinquency by widespread poverty and discrimination. But poverty does not automatically mean a drift into illegality. Such a concept corresponds to conservative views, seeing all poor Rroma as embedded in hierarchical, exploitative structures. The defence of the 27 accused Rroma have put forward a questionable traditions of otherness in their arguments. Therefore Bilefskys provocative question in the title of the article: „[the] members of the defense team offered an unusual legal defense: rather than focusing on the argument that the Roma are forced to resort to crime because of poverty and discrimination, it claimed that in some cases they were simply following age-old Roma traditions and generally operate outside the norms of society in «the style of the Middle Ages. »“  This view of a cultural otherness is precisely the one favoured by Manuel Valls and conservatives. The fact that the defence used this to rehabilitate the defendant Rroma is particularly questionable and raises the question of their integrity. The prosecution, however, favoured a perspective of organized crime: the Rroma children were deliberately educated to become thieves because of the widespread impunity they have as children and they are part of clan-like structures. This, however, according to Bilefsky confusing analysis, is not a cultural explanation. Then what? He takes a liberal attitude towards the cited opinion: The Rroma, as he suggests in a concluding quote have to try to emancipate themselves through their own efforts. That this also requires the readiness of the public should not be forgotten.

Bulgaria Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

15.11.2013 Cementing of Prejudices with the Case of Maria

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In the case of the blond bulgarian Rroma girl Maria, Scholz (2013) sees a renewed strengthening of racist prejudices against Rroma. Both the researcher on racism Wolfgang Benz, as well as the Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, criticized the reporting of numerous media as well as the actions of the involved police agencies as being based on “racist patterns”. The un-reflected articles promoted the exclusion and general prejudice against Rroma living in Europe. Rose, according to  Scholz, loudly criticised the one-sidedness of the reporting that always relies only on problem cases and completely neglects the “invisible” integrated Rroma: “A few days ago in an interview with the “Südeutsche Zeitung” Rose had already warned  against “always focusing on only one part of the Roma.” One must distinguish between the ones “who live in anonymity and those who lead a perfectly normal life in Germany”.” Rose further calls for the establishment of a committee of experts to examine antiziganism in Germany and who would make public (also compare German Wave 2013).

Peters (2013) precises that according to a recent survey, 64 % of Germans would reject Rroma as neighbours. And this even though many already have Rroma as neighbours, but do not know it because they keep their identity secret. Peters also draws clear parallels to the discrimination against the Jews with reference to Wolfgang Benz. Such journalism would not be allowed in Germany about the Jewish minority due to the historical events. But for Rroma surprisingly, this is acceptable. Rose criticizes: “Worldwide, missing children are now suspected to be among Roma. Hundreds of parents now hope that their missing children are alive and were abducted by Roma. This makes all Sinti and Roma to potential child thieves.”

Gezer (2013) comes to a dismal conclusion about the current acceptance of Rroma in Europe. The public image is dominated by negative stereotypes, Rroma are used as scapegoats and as a projection for a wide range of social fears and debates that are taking place on their back: fears of immigration, of change, economic impoverishment, “Yes, Europe has a new villain, he is called Roma and is everywhere. The new villain has dark skin, sings and steals, gives his children no shoes on because it is their tradition to do so. In Europe it is acceptable again to stigmatize a group because of their ethnicity.” She especially criticizes the silence of many politicians and public figures who hush up the blazing racism against Rroma. It is the same type of behaviour that was observed when the migrants were the Turks.

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