Daily Archives: October 29, 2014

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29.10.2014 Waterford (Ireland): pogrom against local Rroma

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O’Connor/Gittens (2014) report on a pogrom of 200 right-wing extremists against 30 Rroma, resident in Waterford, Ireland. The right-wing mob accused the Rroma of a series of criminal activities in the city and smashed the windows and doors of their house. Thanks to the in time intervention of the police, the worst could be prevented. Responsible authorities see a demagogic Facebook group as a possible catalyst for the action: More than 200 protestors gathered at Manor Street in the city at 5pm after a rally organised on Facebook turned ugly: “The demonstrators targeted a group of 30 people from the local Roma community who were being blamed for a series of alleged crimes in the area. A number of toddlers and grandmothers were among the group who were evacuated from the house after scenes turned ugly. One man in his 20s was arrested in connection to the incident but was later released without charge. Solicitor Gareth Noble told independent.ie that tension has been building in Waterford recently, with anti-Roma Facebook pages being created. “Gardai were on the scene and removed the Roma people for their safety.” […] “I’ve been in communication with the Superintendent in Waterford with regard to the incitement to racial hatred online. Our immediate aim is to ensure the safety of these people who’ve been displaced”, he added.” The described events are symptomatic of the strengthened xenophobia in Europe, which is directed against ethnic minorities. The incident also shows the dangers of social media, when irresponsible persons abuse minorities and incite to hate crimes. At the beginning of October, a Rroma hostile Facebook group was deleted after an objection. Only minutes later, a new group with the same content was created under a new name. According to the Rroma Foundation, in the UK, there are an estimated 90,000 to 120,000 Rroma. The majority of them are integrated and have a job. However, in recent months and years, right-wing populist parties and media have fuelled fears of a mass immigration of Eastern European Rroma that supposedly would abuse the British social system and do not want to integrate. In addition, Murphy’s Notice (2014) in the Irish Mirror, communicating to the readers the exact place and time of a post-demonstration to the pogrom is highly questionable.

Holland (2014) adds that several Irish politicians decidedly condemned the incident: that lynch-law had no place in Ireland and had to be fought firmly. Ciara Conway, member of the Labour Party, pointed out that ethnic Irish do commit most crimes in Ireland, however, no one does demonstrate in front of an Irish family’s house. The Minister for Equality, Aodhan Ó Ríordáin, condemned the incident sharply and called it “cowardly, prejudiced and racist”. Wednesday evening, an anti-racism demonstration is planned on Railway Square. The organization “Pavee Point”, which represents the interests of Irish Travellers and Rroma, called for decisive actions from politicians and authorities (compare Counihan 2014, Ó Cionnaith 2014, Irish Examiner 2014, O’Connor 2014).

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29.10.2014 Rroma mediators against prejudices

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Werkhäuser (2014) reports on a current project of the council of Europe, which, with specifically trained mediators, aims at reducing prejudices between the Rroma minority and majority populations of the European nation states. In addition to the prevention of racial prejudice, the ROMED-2 project aims to improve the access of Rroma to the labour market and to education: “He often gets asked the following, tells the Sinto Romeo Franz at the launch of new mediators program: “Mr. Franz, why are you discriminated against? Then he answers: “You don’t need to ask me, ask those who discriminate against me”, Franz tells with a wink, but the message is clear: Sinti and Roma in Germany have to deal with a variety of prejudices. This applies to the recently immigrated Rroma from South Eastern Europe as well as to those families, who have lived in Germany for centuries, like the one of Romeo Franz. […] With a million Euros per year for all 12 participating countries, including Bulgaria and Romania, the funding for the program is not exactly abundant. Therefore, in Germany, one resorts to mediators whose positions are already funded. But money is not the main problem, says Bunjes [coordinator for Rroma issues in the council of Europe. “The EU provides many resources for Roma projects that are not used.” In many places, the willingness to deal at all with the problems of the Roma is prevailing, he states.” It has been repeatedly pointed out by critics that Rroma themselves do too little for a successful integration. This statement negates persistent discrimination and structures of inequality that make it individual people very difficult to change their situation on their own (compare Lambeck 2014).  

Germany News Western Europe

29.10.2014 MiGAZIN: Alternative for Germany (AfD) voters have strong prejudices against Rroma

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The MiGZIN (2014) reports on the relationship of voters of the right-wing Euro-sceptic party Alternative for Germany (AFD) towards Rroma. Occasion for the analysis of the relationship between party affiliation and socio-political attitudes is the study „Die Parteien und das Wählerherz 2014“ of the University of Leipzig. The researchers surveyed 2400 Germans from 18 to 91 years about their electoral behaviour and political opinions. Regarding the relationship towards Rroma, the study states: “About 96 percent of the NPD voters have a problem with having Sinti and Roma in their living environment and think they tend to crime. 91 percent want to remove Sinti and Roma from the inner cities. The corresponding values ​​for the followers of the AfD are at 75 percent and 73 percent. Also the majority of non-voters and supporters of the CDU/ CSU and SPD are rather Gypsy hostile. The most liberal are the supporters of the Green Party, but also among them, a third rejects Sinti and Roma.” The study also examined correlations between the level of educational attainment, income, and susceptibility to right-wing nationalist ideas: “Among the voters of the NPD and the non-voters we find the largest group poor people. One sixth of the NPD voters and one-fifth of non-voters have a monthly income of less than 1000 Euros. Among the voters of the FDP and the AfD there are few with a low income. Only 26.1 percent of the voters of the NPD have a monthly household income of more than 2500 Euros. In contrast, 55.6 percent of the FDP voters, 48.3 percent of the Pirate Party supporters, and 47.3 percent of the Green Party voters have an income of more than 2500 Euros. Among the voters of the Green Party, one finds the most people with higher education, 43.5 percent of them have high school diploma. In contrast, only 8.8 percent of non-voters and 13 percent of the NPD voters have the high school diploma.” The study shows that lack of education and economic deprivation increase the susceptibility to right-wing nationalist positions. It is therefore the duty of politics to promote the higher education of as many people as possible and to ensure the economic appreciation of the different professional groups. The study’s identified characteristics do of course not mean that poor uneducated people are automatically susceptible to extreme viewpoints. However, they have a higher statistical probability than other groups to sympathise with these positions and to be politically manipulated. In Germany, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma. Before the genocide by the Nazis, there were much more. Many have lived in Germany for generations, speak fluently German, go to work and send their children to school. They are the proof that the stereotypes about the minority are inconsistent with reality (compare Decker/Brähler 2014, Universität Leipzig 2014). 

France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

29.10.2014 Luc Jousse in court because of racist abuse against Rroma

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Miguet (2014) reports on the trial against Luc Jousse, mayor of Roquebrune-sur-Argens. Jousse had announced that it was a shame that somone called the fire department so quickly, after a fire had broken out in a local Rroma camp. The prosecution now asks for a 20,000 Euros fine and the non-eligibility of Jousse for a one year period: “SOS Racism and the League for Human Rights filed suit. In order to defend himself, he had declared that this statement did not come from himself. “This is not a faux pas. It is the comment of an exasperated local resident, and I explain every time that the statement is not mine. I could never have done that”, he assured. Problem: Two weeks later, the mayor of Roquebrune-sur-Argens made ​a nearly identical statement about the Roma at another public meeting. When it learned about this, the state association of UMP Var decided to exclude him from the party. The decision that was supported by the national association.” With his racist remarks against the Rroma, Luc Jousse is not an isolated case. Several French mayors and politicians have attracted attention in recent years with racist remarks about Rroma. Some were sentenced to mild fines, others were completely acquitted, referring to the freedom of expression: For example Manual Valls, who stated that the Rroma do not want to integrate and have a culture incompatible with that of France. The judgment in Luc Jousse case will be passed on November the 17th (compare Malongo 2014, Verdi 2014).

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

29.10.2014 Giving a voice to Romnija

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Schultheis (2014) reports on a program by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in the Czech Republic that seeks to promote the political participation of Romnija (Rroma women). For this purpose, eight selected students were trained in political participation for one year, to motivate them to an active role in socio-political processes: “The foundation, close to the Green party, would like to motivate Roma women (Romnija) to become politically active and to become decision makers themselves. Thereby, they also shall refute the stereotype of Roma as uneducated, passive welfare recipients, by their own example.” Schultheis spoke with Eva van de Rakt, director of the program in Prague, on the experience of the last course: “The special thing about this year was that we had an exceptional election year. It began in October 2013, with the earlier new elections, then in May the elections to the European Parliament, and now in October the communal and senate elections. That was indeed very, very helpful for this course, because one could discuss very specific questions in the group that were related to these elections. For practical part it is important that we try to establish direct contacts. This year, many conversations with politicians took place, and the experience shows that these are core experiences for the Romnija. They always report that it incredibly motivated them to become active themselves. The theoretical knowledge that the Romnija were taught in, encompasses knowledge about the political system of the Czech Republic, the parties spectrum, the current educational, social and health policy, but also skills in rhetoric and public communication. Through the program, many of the participants were encouraged to become actively involved in politics or in civil society. But the problems of access of Rroma to the education system remains, mostly because of discrimination and institutional obstacles. Moreover, not only Romnija that already have good education should be fostered politically, but also marginalised Rroma, both women and men.

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29.10.2014 European Commission sues Czech Republic because of continuing segregation of Rroma pupils

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Cameron (2014) reports on a complaint of the European Commission against the Czech government. The reason is the continued segregation of Rroma children in public schools. This happens in spite a landmark ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in 2007 that condemned the segregation of Rroma children as being illegal and racist. Czech Rroma children constitute 35% at so-called “practical schools” for pupils with learning difficulties, although Rroma represent only 2.8% of the Czech population. Doubtful psychological assessments and test lead to this high rate. Because little has changed since the court ruling of 2007, the European Commission has now started a procedure for breach of contract. In a first phase, the Czech government is once again given the opportunity to abolish segregation. If this does not happen, the lawsuit is initiated and delegated to European courts: “The Commission has initiated what it calls “infringement proceedings” against the country for failing to improve the situation, seven years after a landmark European Court of Human Rights ruling. […] Julek Mika was one of 18 Roma plaintiffs in a landmark case – DH and Others v Czech Republic – that was brought before the European Court of Human Rights by a group of NGOs. In 2007, the court ruled the Czech Republic was in breach of EU anti-discrimination law and ordered the country to make amends. It was a ground-breaking verdict. But little has changed. […] Children in special classes follow a less demanding curriculum and, like Julek, have virtually no prospect of going on to secondary school or university. The best they can aspire to is an unskilled job or a life on benefits. “This is a serious wake-up call for the Czech government”, says Marek Szilvasi, research and advocacy officer for the Budapest-based European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC). “This is the first time the European Commission has decided to start infringement proceedings against a country for failing to implement the Race Equality Directive”, Mr Szilvasi told the BBC.”

The Ministry of Education announced that the new government, in office since January, has prepared several measures to ensure equality in public schools. This shall be implemented in January 2015. However, whether the Czech government will fully abolish segregation, remains open. According to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an  estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Rroma in the Czech Republic.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovakia

29.10.2014 Czech Republic: Rroma subjected to forced sterilisation shall receive compensation

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RFI (2014) reports on the efforts of the Czech government to compensate financially some 90,000 Rroma women, who were forcibly sterilised between 1971 and 1989. The planned compensation payments, for which the legal framework is created at the moment, were considered only after massive criticism by the United Nations. Although in 2009, the government apologized for the caused suffering, until now, the victims had to individually sue the various hospitals where the sterilisations were performed: “Between 1971 and 1989, up to 90 thousand Roma women in former Czechoslovakia were sterilised. The government has apologised, but until this point has offered little else. […] The Czech Republic’s Human Rights Minister Jiri Dienstbier said that the necessary legislation should be completed by the end of this year. Forced sterilisation during this period has also been documented in what is now Slovakia, but that government has made no similar move to provide compensation. RFI’s Anne-Marie Bissada spoke with Katerina Cervena, a lawyer and project leader with the Czech League for Human Rights, who said that Czech courts never criminalised forced sterilisation because the police had been involved, and that some cases of sterilisation may have occurred as late as 2007.” Already under the Habsburgs, in particular under empress Maria Theresa, Rroma severely suffered under repressive measures. Maria Theresa enacted a strict program of forced assimilation that prohibited the Rroma to speak their language, to wear their traditional dresses and even to practice their traditional occupations. At the height of the repression, she even prohibited the Rroma to marry among themselves and children over five years were brought into non-Rroma families.

Italy News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

29.10.2014 Borgaro Torinese: mayor wants racial segregation in public buses

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Many newspapers reported about the racist demand of Borgaro Torinese’s mayor, a municipality neighbouring Turin. He asked for to transport Rroma in segregated buses. The focus of attention is on bus line 69, which runs along the outskirts of Turin, among others also along a large Rroma settlement. It is said that this line has been the site of repeated attacks, be it insults or physical ones. Wherefrom the certainty is taken that the perpetrators are Rroma, is not addressed. At a community meeting, Claudio Gambino promised to fight the asserted ethnically related crime of this minority: ““The Roma” have plagued us for more than 20 years”, he told the local media. In the buses, there are thefts and other petty crime. “To ensure the safety of our citizens, we need two buses”, he said, according to the reports. “One for citizens, the other for Roma.” The city council member Luigi Spinelli of the Party Left, Ecology, Freedom (SEL) also supports the initiative. His party leader Nichi Vendola called of Spinelli on Saturday. To ascribe people different rights, is called “apartheid”, he told the newspaper La Stampa” (TAZ 2014). Rroma are not more criminal than other ethnic groups. Many people have unfortunately memorised the racist statement that criminal activities are part of the Rroma culture. In Western Europe, the racial prejudice has been passed down for centuries from generation to generation. In addition, since the economic crisis and the rise of right-wing nationalist parties, Rroma are more and more often scapegoats for social ills that de facto origin in society as a whole. Unsurprisingly, Claudio Gambino, member of the Social Democratic Party, received encouragement from the right-wing populist Lega Nord.

Brown (2014) interprets the incident in the context of a widespread Rroma hostility in Italy, which is fuelled by massive prejudices and misinformation, and is critically questioned only among few: “From the right to the left, Sinti and Roma are confronted with revulsion: 85 percent of Italians admit a negative opinion towards them, this is a European peak. The devaluation and hatred is associated with a completely distorted image: thus, 84 percent of Italians actually believe that “Zingari” are “travelling people” without residence. About 80 percent are convinced that they live voluntarily separated in miserable camps, because they want to be “among themselves”. Therefore it is not surprising that even the stereotype of Gypsies stealing children is still alive in Italy. In 2008, in Naples, a true pogrom against a Roma camp took place, because a young Romni had allegedly tried to rob a baby” (compare Die Welt 2014, RP Online 2014, Tiroler Tageszeitung 2014, Vogt 2014).

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