Monthly Archives: November 2014

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21.11.2014 Rroma in Slovakia from a German perspective

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Bauer (2014) reports on the visit in Slovakia of a German delegation of politicians and church leaders of Schwäbisch Hall. The delegation wanted to get an idea of the Rroma situation in their home country, Rroma who who sometimes beg on the roads of Hall. While the representatives from politics and the church were able to reduce prejudices about organised begging gangs, the one-sided focus on marginalised Rroma gives the impression of a culture of poverty among the minority: “For the Roma from the 835-strong resort [Kaloša] 300 kilometres east of Bratislava, begging in Hall is a business model that enables their families to survive an allows them to build a simple house after a few years. “The fear of some citizens of Hall, that the beggars belong to organised criminal gangs is completely unfounded”, says Bettina Wilhelm, Halls first female mayor. She was part of the delegation to Kaloša, the place of origin of most of beggars in Hall. […] Since the fall of communism 25 years ago, many Roma have no work, they live on welfare and child support. In return, they must work a certain number of hours per month in charity. Also because of this, they return after 14 days in Hall to Slovakia. Neither to craftsmanship nor to agriculture, they bear reference. Since the collective farms were closed, the land lies fallow. Not even for their own use do they grow vegetables.” In Slovakia, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 450,000 to 550,000 Rroma. Not all of them are losers of the 1989 turnaround, as this article suggests. Rroma belong to all strata of society, many of them are well integrated.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

21.11.2014 Persistent segregation of Rroma pupils in the Czech Republic

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Beger (2014) reports on the continued segregation of Rroma pupils in the Czech Republic. The disproportionately high allocation of Rroma into so-called “practical schools”, with which the students have almost no chance to a job in a free market economy, was repeatedly criticised in recent months and years. A few weeks ago, the European Commission has threatened to initiate proceedings against the Czech government for violation of the anti-discrimination legislation. But  in spite several verdicts of the European courts, including the case “D. H. and Others vs. the Czech Republic”, which the condemned the Czech rulers for discrimination, until now, little has changed on segregation: “On a recent visit to Děčín, in the north of the Czech Republic, Amnesty International met Tereza. After her eldest son was transferred to a school for children with ‘mild mental disabilities’, having missed classes following a broken leg and surgery, she was determined not to let history repeat itself with her younger son, Dan. Despite pushing for Dan to remain in mainstream education, the director told Tereza that she didn’t want him in the school, and didn’t have the resources ‘to be bothered’ with him. Currently, both sons of Tereza attend a ‘practical school’. The prospects for Romani children who do make it to mainstream education aren’t much better. Many are segregated into ‘Roma only’ schools or classes with lower educational standards, with Romani parents given little choice as to where to send their children. In January 2014, a primary school in Ostrava rejected 12 children at registration; 10 were Roma. All the children lived in the catchment area.” Whether the Czech government will fulfil the demand of the European Commission to end desegregation, is still uncertain. In the Czech Republic, there live an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Rroma (compare Jurist 2014).

News Western Europe

21.11.2014 Jean-Marie Le Pen sentenced for racist remark against Rroma

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The Paris appeal’s court sentenced Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the right-wing nationalist Front National, to a fine of 5’000 Euros. The strident politician had claimed at the Summer University of the Front National that Rroma would steal as naturally as birds fly. In French, the word “voler” means to fly as well as to steal. In its judgment, the court of appeal upheld the first instance verdict of the criminal court in December 2013. Le Pen’s defence attorney – Mr. de Saint-Just – decidedly referred to the right to freedom of expression. This would clearly be violated by the judgment of the appeal’s court: ““This final verdict is a massive violation of freedom of expression”, judged Mr. de Saint-Just on Monday, assuring that his client “will go before the European Court of Human Rights that fights for the freedom of expression and that normally supercedes the appeal’s court, unless it is Jean-Marie Le Pen.” “It’s not about freedom of expression, it is about a racist expression, which is a crime”, Mr. Pierre Mairat, the lawyer for the movement against racism and for friendship between people (Mrap) stated. “This last, politically incorrect expression of Le Pen corresponds to his leaving: that of a man who has always associated his statements with hatred, responded Mr. Patrick Klugman, lawyer of SOS Racisme, saluting “a welcome verdict”” (Libération 2014). Jean-Marie Le Pen has been repeatedly noticed for his anti-Semitic remarks gainst foreigners, minorities and the trivialisation of the Holocaust (compare Le Huffington Post in 2014, Le Monde in 2014, Le Parisien 2014).

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21.11.2014 International Day of children’s rights: Rroma children should be fostered more in school

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On the occasion of the International Day of children’s rights, Dubuc (2014) reports on the education of Rroma children in Romania. According to Eugen Crai, director of a Romanian school fund for the promotion of Rroma, the enrolment rate of Rroma children is still unsatisfactory. In 2005, only 46% of Rroma children over 12 years went to school for more than four years. George Puiu, a schoolteacher from Fantanele, sees one reason for this in the lacking practical orientation of the schools. Parents, who are affected by extreme poverty and went to school themselves only for a short time, would not sufficiently appreciate the value of education and instead need their children as labourers for the family income: “At the edge of the measures, which the government implemented since 1990 to integrate the children into the school system, various programs have been launched, such as the “Let’s go to school” UNICEF initiative. In Fantanele, where one of 250 schools is involved in the initiative, the faculty decided to develop two projects, in order to connect extracurricular and educational activities to make the school more attractive: a day of sporting encounter with the other schools and an excursion to the zoo and the botanical garden of Bucharest. “This allows the children to put into practice what they have learned in the physical and science classes… but also to create a link between the school and the community, by including the parents – spectators, but also mediators and accompanying persons”, explains the director of the school, Dora Stefan.” – The article wants to provide a balanced presentation of the topic. Nevertheless, it hides important aspects: racist teachers or school authorities that impede Rroma access to education. A visit to the zoo or the botanical gardens will change little about this. The part of Rroma, who are well educated and do not live in ghettos, is ignored: from the estimated one and a half to three million Rroma in Romania, many build part of the middle class. In addition, access to the labour market is not egalitarian, as in many other countries. In addition, Romania has its history of Rroma slavery; a historical responsibility towards the minority that is often ignored.

News Western Europe

21.11.2014 Great Britain: survey confirms discrimination, but perpetuates biased Rroma image

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A survey conducted on behalf of Anglia Ruskin University and the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups, which interviewed 120 Rroma and Irish Travellers, confirms the discrimination and exclusion of Rroma and Irish Travellers in the areas of health care, access to education and the labour market, and indicates elevated levels of infant mortality and lower life expectancies. However, due to the very small group of subjects it seems likely that only already marginalised Rroma and Irish Travellers were interviewed for the survey. Of the 90,000 to 120,000 Rroma, who have been living integrated in England for generations, belonging to all social strata, not a word is said of in the study. The study seems concentrated on the easily identifiable, marginalised Rroma and Irish Travellers, who only represent a part of these groups. The investigation is understood as a critique of the Rroma policy of the British government, which so far only undertook insufficient efforts to help the minority integrate successfully: “Nearly nine out of every 10 children and young people from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller background have suffered racial abuse and nearly two thirds have also been bullied or physically attacked. As a result many are scared to attend school. The infant mortality rate of Gypsies and Travellers is three times higher than the national average. The life expectancy of Gypsies and Travellers has been estimated to up to 12 years shorter than that of the general population. They are significantly more likely to have a long-term condition and suffer poorer health. Gypsies and Travellers use mainstream health services less than other members of the population because of practical difficulties, such as complex procedures for registering and making use of services. Traditional occupations such as scrap metal dealing are being made more difficult or disappearing altogether due to Government policies. Roma are often exploited by gang masters.” In addition to the one-sided focus of the study on a marginalised minority of the minority, it is must be criticised that one didn’t deal precisely enough with terminologies and cultural explanations. While the distinction between Irish Travellers with European roots and Rroma with Indian origins made, the differentiation between “Gypsies” in opposite to “Rroma” and “Irish Travellers” remains unclear. Moreover, the claim that clan chiefs often exploit Rroma is the reproduction of a popular prejudice about Rroma. Rroma are not organised in hierarchical clans, but structured largely egalitarian (compare Lane/ Spencer/Jones 2014).

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21.11.2014 German Federal Supreme Court asked to take a stance on its hostile judgments on Rroma

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Romani Rose, chairman of the central council of German Sinti and Rroma, has demanded the German Federal Supreme Court in a statement on the 4th Roseburg-symposium to take a stance on its jurisdiction against Rroma under National Socialism and in the post-war period. In 1956, the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) had largely rejected the claims of Holocaust survivors for compensation, on the grounds that there had been earlier official measures against Rroma: “In January of 1956, the Federal Supreme Court had largely denied compensation to “gypsies” who were persecuted by the Nazis. The exclusion and resettlement policy of the Nazis until 1943 was denied to have been motivated by their racial fanaticism, but was said to be part of the “usual police preventive measures”. The judges of the Federal Supreme Court justified their verdict with the suggestion that due to the nature of the people, there had always been measures against the “Gypsy plague”. Without any relativization it says: “They tend, as experience shows, towards crime, particularly thefts and frauds, they often lack the moral drives to respect the property of others, because they appertain like primitive men an unrestrained occupation instinct.” It was not until 1963 that at the Federal Supreme Court recognised that Rroma were persecuted in Nazi Germany before 1943. However, the racist police considerations, which allege a collective predisposition to crime for Rroma, were still recognised. Rose therefore demanded an official dissociation of the Federal Supreme Court from its past verdicts, as he stated at the symposium: ““Then, the Supreme Court adopted the justification strategy of the Nazis and their demagogic agitation”, criticized Rose. Until today, there has been no dissociation on part of the Federal Supreme Court. “We would appreciate it very much if such a statement – in whatever form – would be possible today.”” – In Auschwitz-Birkenau alone, 30,000 Rroma were murdered. Researchers estimate at least half a million casualties among the Rroma (Rath 2014).

News Eastern Europe

21.11.2014 Fidesz mayor Ferenc Haszilló agitates against Rroma

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Ferenc Haszilló, the recently re-elected mayor of the Hungarian city Kecel, has come under massive attack in the Hungarian media and politics, and has announced his resignation from office. The reasons for the furore around Haszilló are  a recordings of statements, which he made in 2012 after an official interview with the local television. The utterances, not meant for publication, include massive defamations of Rroma and Jews, criticism of the ruling party and great sympathy for right-wing extremist views: “An employee of the local television, who wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed Magyar Narancs the authenticity of the recording, but explained it should never have become public – it was leaked with the malicious intention to cause a scandal and bring the Mayor and city into disrepute. […] Regarding the Roma, he [Ferenc Haszilló] says: “dirty, worthless assholes, who grow up in piss, are as stupid as animals and come to the municipality if they need a little firewood; I wish I could go out and kick them in the face, the Jobbik is probably right about that.(…) One can not allow that they freeze to death (laughter) … The truth is that should they all die (…) and the state also … on this subject I totally agree with Jobbik, kiss my ass … one should chop them into shithouse.” – The context that led to the publication of the recordings is still unclear. Although Haszilló has now apologised for his comments, they are evidence of a great sympathy for misanthropic views that degrade certain ethnics groups and declare them inferior. Such statements meet the statement of facts of demagoguery and racism to the full extent and should be punished accordingly (Pusztaranger 2014).

France Italy News Western Europe

21.11.2014 Discrimination against Rroma in Italy

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As in the beginning of November, the Local (2014) reported about the discrimination against Rroma in Italy. Subject of contention are the numerous camps in which the Italian authorities deliberately hold the minority at the margins of society. The conditions in these state camps are heavily criticised: the air is insufficient to breath, an inmate says, as well as the hygiene: tuberculosis, scabies and lice are much more frequently than usual. The permanent monitoring in the camps, which is part of the facilities, leads particularly among children to anxiety and sleep disorders as well as phobias, the Rroma Rights Centre criticises in a report: “It [the Rroma Rights Centre] also warned of daily discrimination and violence against Roma in “an ever-growing climate of racism”, including repeated cases of local residents attacking camps with Molotov cocktails while police turn a blind eye. Although over half the 170,000 or so Roma and Sinti people in Italy are Italian citizens with regular jobs and houses, hate crimes against the poorest strata are rife, fuelled by inflammatory comments by politicians on both the left and right quick to paint Roma as crooks. […] Camp dwellers are prevented by council regulations from applying for public housing even if they were born in Italy, trapping them permanently in fenced-off centres far from schools, shops, health care centres or workplaces.” Because of this strong discrimination against Rroma, the European Commission has threatened legal actions against the Italian government for violation of the anti-discrimination legislation. Rroma belong to all social strata, but are indeed particularly affected by poverty and discrimination. Since the euro and economic crisis, various parties especially instrumentalise them as scapegoats for social ills. As in France, the public image of the minority is marked by extreme prejudice and misinformation: in the minds of many Italians, Rroma are synonymous with the residents of camps in the suburbs. The aspect of social exclusion is largely ignored.

Germany News Western Europe

19.11.2014 “Till the end of the world”: differentiated and prejudiced views about Rroma in Germany

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The feature film “Till the End of the World” tells about the relationship between a German pensioner and a young Rrom who recently immigrated to Germany. In the beginning, the woman has major reservations about the Rroma who moved into her house. However, her prejudices are increasing changed after she meets a young, extremely musically talented Rrom. Despite the desire to portray the Rroma as differentiated and unbiased as possible, the film is not without clichés: “The widow Maria Nikolai (Horbiger) dares barely to go out the door, since more and more foreigners live in her neighbourhood, especially Roma refugees in her house which she regards as riffraff. But as it is: When shopping, her wallet falls out of her pocket – and it is the Roma boy Bero (Samy Abdel Fattah), which brings it back to her. When he later finds shelter in her apartment from extreme right-wing thugs, the pensioner recognises his musical talent. The music-loving woman encourages the boy, meets his family and can overcome some of her prejudices. […] Of course, the film does not address the problems and biographies of all Roma in Germany. At the heart is the situation of a refugee family that suffers from poverty, their cramped living situation and back-breaking jobs. […] And that the boy can play the accordion so beautifuly, is ultimately a decision for a cliché” (Sakowitz 2014). In Germany, according to assessments of the Foundation Rroma, there are an estimated 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma. Before the Nazi genocide, there were much more. Many have lived in Germany for generations, speak fluently German, have a job and send their children to school. They are the proof that the prejudices about the minority do not correspond to reality (compare Gangloff 2014, Hupertz 2014, Schilling-Strack 2014).

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19.11.2014 Stereotypes: criminal Rroma clans

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Guggisberg (2014) reports on criminal Rroma clans that allegedly force children into crime. Parents surrender their children to an omnipotent clan chief – to whom they are indebted – for begging and theft and some even end up in prostitution. Guggisberg uncritically reproduces the perspective of the “Wiener Drehscheibe”, a social service for begging and stealing children who have been arrested by the police. Guggisberg does not question that the social educator Norbert Ceipek – the head of the institution – who identifies each begging or stealing child as a victim of human trafficking, could himself be subject to prejudices and be providing misinformation on Rroma: “Ceipek opens another photo file. It shows a Roma village in Romania, which he recently visited. He tells of houses, cobbled together from planks and plastic sheeting, and dirt roads full of garbage. In the middle is a magnificent villa. “It belongs to the clan chief. He rules the villages as a state within a state”, says Ceipek […]. Many of the children dealt with in Vienna belong to the Roma. […] “The phenomenon of Eastern European gangs of beggars is not new. But since a couple of months, it taken new proportions”, says Ceipek. Very active are the Bosnian gangs, he states. Every few weeks, they would bring the children to different European cities, according to a rotating system. The social worker explains that his aim was to provide a perspective to the children, a little education. They might get on better path.”” Alexander Ott, head of the Foreign Police Bern, who has already been quoted repeatedly in articles about criminal Rroma gangs and trafficking of children, has his say. He reproduces the usual prejudices about hierarchical Rroma clans with a clan chief who leads children into crime: “The network of child traffickers reaches from Eastern Europe to Switzerland. “The victims are recruited in Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Often they come from large Roma families, are purchased or borrowed”, says Ott. One sends the boys to steal, urges them into prostitution, or forces them to beg. The instigators know well that the Swiss justice system cannot prosecute the perpetrators because of their young age. Adolescent burglars are booming in the autumn and winter months. Ott emphasises that they have to deal with highly professional, specialised and hierarchically-run clans, who practice their craft since generations.” Rroma are not more criminal than other ethnic groups. They are not hierarchically organised, as is often claimed, but structured largely egalitarian. So-called “Rroma kings” are self-elected and have purely representative character. Guggisberg and experts’ claim that behind begging children there is inevitably trafficking and organized crime, is wrong.

The characteristics of transnational operating trafficker networks, as presented here, are questioned by social science research. Their existence itself is not denied, something that cannot be in the interest of combating injustice. But their manifestation, their number, their omnipotence and the motivations attributed to them have to be questioned. These are often tainted by ideological fallacies, brought into connection or even equated with ethnic groups such as Rroma. Furthermore, the equation of child migration and trafficking has to be set into context. The stereotype of Rroma as child traffickers dates back to their arrival in Western Europe, and is in part based on the racist notion that Rroma did actively recruit children for criminal gangs. Regarding the topic of child migration, social science studies convey a more complex notion on the subject and point out that crimes such as incitement to beg and steal or alleged child trafficking are often permeated by various morals in the analysis and assessment by authorities, who don’t appropriately consider the perspective and motivations of migrating children and their relatives, and instead force on them their own ideas and definitions on organised begging, criminal networks or child trafficking. Structural differences of the societies involved and resulting reasons for a migration are given too little consideration. In reality, behind begging children there are often simply impoverished families, in which the children contribute to the family income and who therefore do not correspond to bourgeois notions of a normal family and childhood. De facto child trafficking is rare according to the sociological studies. Furthermore, the incomes from begging are very modest, which makes them unattractive for organised crime.  Guggisberg, who states that 200’000 children are recruited annually by the trafficking mafia, contradicts this. 

At the end of the article, Guggisberg quotes another expert opinion by Norbert Ceipek, the director of the “Wiener Drehschreibe”: At 15, many of them would get married and have children themselves, so that the cycle of crime continues. Likewise, Guggisberg reproduces this racist prejudice uncritically. The majority of Rroma, who live integrated, go to work and send their children to school, remain unmentioned (compare Cree/Clapton/Smith 2012, O’Connell Davidson 2011, Oude Breuil 2008, Tabin et al 2012).

  • Cree, Viviene E./Clapton, Gary/Smith, Mark (2012) The Presentation of Child Trafficking in the UK: An Old and New Moral Panic? In: Br J Soc Work 44(2): 418-433.
  • Guggisberg, Rahel (2014) Das Schicksal der Roma-Kinder von Wien. In: Tages-Anzeiger online vom 14.11.2014. http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/leben/gesellschaft/Das-Schicksal-der-RomaKinder-von-Wien/story/14626308
  • O’Connell Davidson, Julia (2011) Moving children? Child trafficking, child migration, and child rights. In: Critical Social Policy 31(3):454-477.
  • Oude Breuil, Brenda Carina (2008) Precious children in a heartless world? The complexities of child trafficking in Marseille. In: Child Soc 22(3):223-234.
  • Tabin, Jean Pierre et al. (2012) Rapport sur la mendicité « rrom » avec ou sans enfant(s). Université de Lausanne.
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19.11.2014 Stereotype coverage of Rroma

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Hürlimann (2014) reports on the November 18th press conference of the Rroma Foundation. The foundation presented the results of their five-year study on the coverage of Rroma in the Swiss German print media. The conclusion is dismal: The representation of the minority is almost entirely negative, whereby the different newspapers (NZZ, Blick, 20 Minuten, Tages-Anzeiger, Beobachter, Weltwoche, Wochenzeitung (WOZ)) only minimally differ in their one-sided view of the Rroma. Hürlimann comments: “According to the study, the yet very different eight newspapers only differ in shades regarding the stereotyped, negative image of Roma. This essentially conveys the message that most Roma are poor, uneducated, criminal, poorly integrated and live in archaic-patriarchal clan structures. Stéphane Laederich does not deny that there are such Roma, also in this country. However, he stresses that the vast majority of Roma live unobtrusively and well integrated in Switzerland – but barley dare to out themselvers because of the widespread, one-sided views of the minority. […] The Roma Foundation suggests that about 80,000 Roma live in Switzerland. If one outs oneself as Rom or Romni, one is immediately asked whether one can read and write or at least dance, Stéphane Laederich states: “Would one report about other minorities as one does about the Roma? And doesn’t history teach us, where such prejudice can lead to, how dangerous they are?, the director points out.” The majority of Rroma are integrated are discriminated against by this one-sided reporting and are continuously confronted unjustly with massive prejudices. These misrepresentations, which amounts to intellectual arson, is important to be critically questioned and replaced with a balanced, differentiated journalism that fulfils its responsibility of a realistic representation of the world. Unfortunately, of 470 invited journalists, only four accepted the offering of a critical dialogue (compare Héron 2014).  

Download Study: https://www.rroma.org/reports/reports-nav/ch_berichterstattung_final.pdf

News Western Europe

19.11.2014 Rroma in Austria: Rudolf Sarközi and the Holocaust

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Rudolf Sarközi, Holocaust survivor and founder of the “Cultural Association of Austrian Roma” is celebrating his seventieth birthday. Sarközi has won several awards for his commitment to the Rroma: “Almost to the day 70 years ago, Rudolf Sarközi was born in the Nazi detention camp in Lackenbach (district Oberpullendorf). Of the approximately 4,000 imprisoned Roma and Sinti in Lackenbach, only a few hundred survived the Holocaust – one of them was Sarközi. On Saturday, at the memorial in Lackenbach, one was commemorating the people murdered by the Nazis. Gymnasium students of Oberpullendorf and young Roma and Sinti co-created the celebration with touching speeches. Sarközi, chairman of Austrian Roma, found clear words: “I hope that the young in the group can say one day that we are not disadvantaged.” At the memorial event, Governor Hans Niessl (SPÖ) and regional vice Franz Steindl (ÖVP) presented Professor Sarközi one of the highest awards in Burgenland: the Commander’s Cross. “The fact that Roma and Sinti today have equal rights as other ethnic groups would not have been possible without the commitment of Rudolf Sarközi”, said the governor” (Kurier 2014, compare Salzburg24 2014).

Germany News Western Europe

19.11.2014 Rome e.V awarded with integration medal

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The Cologne “Rome e.V.” association, under the direction of Simone Treis, which is committed to the integration and acceptance of Rroma in Germany, was awarded the integration medal of the Bundestag. The school “Amaro Kher”, founded by the association, especially supervises Rroma children from refugee camps. Despite the very positive work of the association, stereotypes about Rroma are also reproduced here, when speaking about alphabetisation coursers and migrants. 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma have been living in Germany for generations, can read and write and are integrated. This integrated, invisible Rroma are not mentioned here: “Simone Treis is chairman of “Rome e.V.”, which since 1986 is committed to fight antiziganism and discrimination against Sinti and Roma. Her projects include literacy classes, social counselling and intercultural festivals. The goal is a lived practice of integration, which includes the Sinti and Roma into the society and at the same time indorses them in preserving their traditions. Because, according to Treis, many of them have the option of either hiding their culture or to face hostility. […] At the ceremony, Volker Beck pointed to the continuing problem of antiziganism in Germany. Education is the foundation for a free and independent life, this is particularly true for marginalized minorities such as Sinti and Roma, he stated” (Iding 2014).

France News Western Europe

19.11.2014 Luc Jousse sentenced for racist remarks against Rroma

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The mayor of Roquebrune-sur-Argens, Luc Jousse, was sentenced by the Draguignan’s criminal court to a fine of 10,000 Euros and a year of non-eligibility. At a public meeting in November 2013, the UMP politician had made the crude remark that the fire brigade arrived too early during a fire in a local Rroma settlement: “It was in the course of this event, which was recorded by a participant and disseminated by Mediapart, that the mayor denounced thefts and the cause of a fire, which he attributed to the Roma. “Nonetheless I would like to remind you that the travellers, I mean, the Roma, have set a fire nine times”, begins Luc Jousse. He continues: “The last one, they set themselves. You know what they do: they steal electric cables and afterwards they burn them to get the copper, and they set fire in their own caravans! A gag! It’s almost a shame that someone called the fire brigade so soon!” (Le Parisien 2014). In addition to his racist remarks against the Rroma, Jousse falsely equates the Rroma with travellers, most Rroma are however sedentary. Many travellers in Europe – such as the Irish Travellers or the Yeniche – originated in Europe itself. Luc Jousse is not alone in his racist remarks against Rroma. Numerous French mayors and politicians have attracted attention in recent years by racist remarks about Rroma. Some were sentenced to mild fines, others were completely acquitted, based on arguments on the freedom of expression. Manual Valls, for instance, who presented the Rroma as asocial and incompatible with French culture was acquitted. In the French public, Rroma are equated with the 15,000 to 20,000 Rroma, who live in illegal settlements. The 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma, that have being living integrated in France since generations, are continuously ignored (compare Miguet 2014, Le Monde 2014).

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14.11.2014 Stereotypes: marginalised Rroma in Albania

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Glass (2014) reports on Rroma living at a large garbage dump on the outskirts of Tirana. Both the children and parents, who live in extremely modest circumstances, participate in the search for re-sellable materials that ends up on the garbage dump. The children go to school and hope for a better future. A woman speaks of discrimination by a local hospital that did not want to treat her because she is Rroma. The short documentary gives an insight into a life of extreme poverty. In his statement, the mayor denies that people are living at the garbage dump. He claims that there was a wall built around it. Despite its emphatic perspective, the report reproduces one-sided stereotypes about Rroma: that they are poor, uneducated, have many children and live in slums. Economic misery is the fate of many people of former Soviet states, and is not restricted to Rroma. In Albania, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 Rroma. Many of them are well integrated and have their own homes, but are not perceived as Rroma by the public, because they do not conform to stereotypes about the minority. Especially in the Balkans, the integration of Rroma into the majority society is historically documented: there are Rroma teachers, doctors, lawyers, police officers and much more. Unfortunately, all too often, the media neglects this aspect.

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14.11.2014 Rroma against racism: conference on anti-Rroma racism in Vienna

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APA-OTS (2014) reports on a current Rroma conference in Vienna. From November the 10th to the 16th, under the slogan “Putren le jakha! – Open your eyes”, around 70 young Rroma activists from eleven countries came together to discuss the topic of “antiziganism”. The event was hosted by the Austrian Rroma association Rromano Centro: “Antiziganism is a form of racism that is directed against people that are stigmatised as gypsies.” The manifestations range from daily discrimination and structural racism to violent assault and murder. Under National Socialism, half a million people defined as “Gypsies” were murdered. This genocide is still little recognised. […] Mustafa Jakupov from Macedonia reports that Roma are being prevented from leaving their country: “At the insistence of Western European countries, strict border controls are carried out. Racial profiling means that many Roma are no longer allowed to leave their country. 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, there is again a country in Europe that does not allowed its citizens to leave.” […] ““Beggars” dominate the representation of Roma in the Austrian media and many journalists spread stereotypes that they do not question. These images lead to an increasing rejection,” Samuel Mago from Vienna stresses the responsibility of the media.” The term “antiziganism” has become an established concept, but is actually an unfortunate term, because by using the word “gypsy” it reproduces the derogatory term for a variety of groups as the Rroma, the Yeniche, the Irish Travellers, which have different historical backgrounds and characteristics (compare Die Presse 2014, Kurier 2014).

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14.11.2014 ORF: “The struggle of the Rroma”

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Rudich (2014) tries to convey a differentiated picture of Rroma in Europe. On the occasion of the resurgence of right-wing nationalist parties, the journalist visited Rroma representatives in European politics, young Rroma students, but also marginalised Rroma in Hungary and Spain. By selecting a variety of Rroma from all strata of society, she succeeds in portraying the minority beyond highly popular stereotypes: “In Hungary, Roma are dispossessed and displaced and forced to hear that Hitler should have killed them all”, warns the Roma activist Agnes Daroczi, “it is hardly surprising that more and more are considering to emigrate to Western Europe.” But also in the countries of Western Europe, affected by the economic crisis, the poorest minority in Europe are made to scapegoats. “The ultra-right parties stir up similar prejudices against Roma as in the 1930s against the Jews”, says the Swedish Romni Soraya Post, who fights as MEP against discrimination, exclusion and persecution. […] Julieta Rudich also shows in her reportage the new, self-confident generation of Roma, who no longer wants to hide their origin though assimilation. She speaks with, among others, with Juan de Dios Ramirez, the first Gitano in the European Parliament, about how is it that the coexistence with the majority population in Spain works reasonably frictionless […]” (APA-OTS 2014). Julieta shows how the enrolment of Rroma children is actively encouraged in Spain, and how a Rroma mayor in Hungary boosts the work moral of his community. Nevertheless, the focus of the documentation remains on the marginalized part of the minority.

Rudich, Julieta (2014) WELTjournal: Europa – Der Kampf der Roma. In: ORF online vom 12.11.2014. http://tvthek.orf.at/program/Weltjournal/1328/WELTjournal-Europa-Der-Kampf-der-Roma/8772882

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14.11.2014 Jobbik’s politician becomes mayor of Ózd

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The northern Hungarian city Ózd, which made it to the headlines this summer because the local government cut the Rroma from the water supply, is once again a focus of the media. Dávid Janiczak, member of the right-wing nationalist Jobbik party, was elected mayor of the town in the second round. He asserted himself against the alliance of Fidesz and the Christian Democrats, whereby both sides accused each other of election fraud. Janiczak had already been elected during the official municipal elections of October the 12th. As the hitherto reigning mayor Fürjes accused Janiczak of electoral fraud, an accusation confirmed by the court, there was a second  ballot: “Janiczak won the October 12 election with a smaller margin, but former mayor Fürjes appealed, arguing that more voting slips were found in the ballot boxes than the number of people who turned up for the vote. The Debrecen appeals court then went on to annul the results of the earlier election. Jobbik party director Gábor Szabó issued a statement following the vote claiming that Janiczak had gained “a historic victory.” But the party also filed a police report alleging that Fidesz-affiliated activists had illegally transported Roma residents to polling stations in an organised fashion.” The municipality Ózd has 35,000 inhabitants, a quarter of them Rroma. After the first ballot of October the 12, Janiczak announced that local Rroma should adapt, or otherwise they would be driven out of the city. The right-wing nationalist Jobbik party has been repeatedly noticed for its anti-Rroma rhetoric (Szécsi 2014).

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14.11.2014 Institute Economic and Social Studies (INESS): Rroma in Slovakia are not financially advantaged

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The Slovak Spectator (2014) reports on the publication of a new study by the Slovak Institute for Economic and Social Studies (INESS). The study comes to the conclusion that Rroma, contrary to widespread stereotypes and myths arguing that the minority receives excessive social funds, are not treated differently by the state. The study also refutes established ideas about the high number of children among Rroma. The analysis came to the conclusion that 90% of the families who receive child benefits, have one or two children: “NOT even 2.2 percent of total public spending goes to Roma citizens even though they are often depicted as those who abuse the social welfare system in Slovakia. This is the finding from an analysis conducted by the Institute for Economic and Social Studies (INESS) released on October 22. The think-tank looked into numbers provided by the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR), social insurer Sociálna Poisťovňa and the Atlas of Roma Communities and concluded that the costs of welfare paid in districts with a two-thirds Roma population makes up 2.2 percent of public spending, which is €578 million. “Even though Roma are proportionally higher recipients of public transfers these don’t amount to such a proportion of public finances as is discussed in inns or at the family table,” INESS analyst Ján Dinga, one of the study’s authors, told The Slovak Spectator.” Jarmila Lajčáková from the Research Centre for Ethnicity and Culture also pointed out that the misinformation and prejudice about the alleged preferential treatment of the Rroma in the social system complicates the integration of the minority, because they are confronted with these prejudices when trying to access the education system and the labour market. In Slovakia, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 450,000 to 550,000 Rroma. Many of them belong to the middle class, have educations and their own apartments. They are almost constantly hidden in the public debate over the minority.

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14.11.2014 Eviction of a Rroma settlement in Ivry-sur-Seine

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Métout (2014) reports on the eviction of an informal settlement Rroma in Ivry-sur-Seine. Around 30 families lived on a terrain of the French rail network (Réseau Ferré de France RFF), since July this year. On September the 30th, the justice ruled that the location has to be evacuated. The reasoning of the court referred to the security flaws in the camp: “RFF had demanded the intervention of the public authority, pointing to an imminent threat. People had been spotted on the railway tracks, and the power supply of the camp had been done through a transformer, which is used by the SNCF. Therefore, the prefecture has promised an urgent intervention. Upon the arrival of the police this Thursday, one of the two grounds was completely free of any residents. “On the site there were a dozen families, as the collective in support of the Romanians of d’Ivry stated. They decided to go away on their own. The others have no clue, where they shall go.” In France, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma. The majority of them is integrated, goes to work, speaks French and has its own accommodations. Many of them live in France for several generations. The media, the politicians and the public do not perceive these invisible Rroma: they are even denied existence. On the other hand, there is a minority of the minority, approximately 17,000 recently immigrated Rroma, who get all the media attention. – These marginalised Rroma are hindered in their integration efforts by the relentless expulsion policy of the French state, especially the children, who are often enrolled in local schools, are negatively affected by the continuous expulsions (compare RTL 2014).  

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