A summary of the events and latest developments in the rising tensions in Bulgaria and on the increasing instrumentalisation of Rroma among rightist parties.
An article on the schooling of Sinti children in the housing estate “Maro Temm” [our land] in the city of Kiel. Sinti children in Germany often don’t finish school, are often absent, and generally have a low education level. The article highlights some of the reasons.
Another of these articles equating Rroma with criminals and poverty… This time on the houses where Rroma migrants are currently lodging in Berlin. No word, of course, of the fact that these are rented to them by unscrupulous owners at high prices, that poverty is prevalent, etc.
Rita Iszak, the author of the UNHCR report on Rroma that investigates the situation of this minority in terms of human rights is interviewed on the report.
A worthy read!
The French polemist Eric Zemour was condemned to a fine of 5’000 EUR for incitation of racial hatred. On live radio, on May 6th 2014, he said among others:
“les grandes invasions d’après la chute de Rome sont désormais remplacées par des bandes de Tchétchènes, de Roms, de Kosovars, de Maghrébins, d’Africains qui dévalisent, violentent ou dépouillent” [ The big invasions after Rome’s fall are now replaced by groups of Chechens, Roma, Kosovars, North-Africans who steal, rape, or rob.]
In France, the summer is the season for expulsions. The reason being that the arguments that children are in school do no longer work due to the fact that the summer holidays have started.
Amnesty reports on this and the general issue of children in Ivry, and in Ris-Orangis in Evry, both near Paris. The last locality, Evry was the municipality that refused burial to a Rroma child a while back, something that is noted in Liberation as being an attack against Rroma. Other news contain the fact that Rosny and Montreuil, near Paris refuse the installation fo Rroma; that in Grenoble, on the initiative of the church and Rroma, a dinner was organised between the two communities; while in Wissous, the situation is getting tense a month after a judge ordered the expulsion.
In the redevelopments launched by the AK party and affiliates, yet another historic Rroma neighbourhood from Istanbul is being razed and its inhabitants displaced to the outskirts of the city. This in spite of the courts having declared the redevelopment of Sulukule illegal – a win for the Rroma that alas came way too late.
A shame for Istanbul
– Historic Roma neighborhood latest victim of profit-oriented development. In: Sunday’s Zaman. 21.05.2015. http://www.todayszaman.com/national_historic-roma-neighborhood-latest-victim-of-profit-oriented-development_389725.html
According to the Novinite News Agency of Bulgaria, the continuing ethnic tensions in Bulgaria show that politicians are good at doing nothing. The article gives a good summary of the issues, the views of the various groups on the Rroma situation in Bulgaria. That this has changed in recent times is unfortunate. Rroma were quite well integrated in Bulgaria.
A statement of a Bulgarian political scientist is totally off … Rroma are not a century old problem in Bulgaria. Nationalism is. Rroma lived fully integrated in Bulgaria for centuries before nationalists declared them and other minorities unwelcome.
Shame.
A report from a social research foundation in Sweden contradicts the well entrenched stereotype of Rroma living in organised crime families. According to the report, Rroma are not being trafficked into Nordic countries and are not under the influence of criminal gangs. This article focuses on newly arrived Rroma and not on the actual Nordic Rroma who have lived there since the 16th century.
The UN rapporteur on minorities, Rita Izsak, highlighted the continuing struggle of the Rroma communities around the world and stated that more should be made to integrate and to further social inclusion.
According to the European commission, EU member countries have made some progress on Rroma integration in the last year. We really do wonder where… Certainly not in Bulgaria, in Hungary, in Romania, all countries where the pendulum is swinging the other way around. And Western Europe is not much better, see France, England etc.
In the night of the 15th, a group of unknown people tried to storm the Rroma neighbourhood of Garmen. This is the latest escalation in a series of confrontations between Rroma and general population in that village. The confrontation centres on the will of the municipality to destroy “illegal” buildings, i.e. houses built without permits or landownership. This overwhelmingly affects poor Rroma.
This is dangerous, especially since there were until recently very few tensions between Rroma and the general population in that country.
A report on a drug raid in Mallorca. Can we ask the dear journalist why the use of “Roma and Sinti” … Besides the fact that this is like saying Londoner and Brits, the majority of Rroma in Spain are Gitanos who call themselves either that or Cale. So if politically correct, please inform yourself.
An article on one of the largest “Osada” – Rroma ghetto – in Slovakia in the town of Moldava nad Bodvou. There are now rumours that it will be removed. Living situations in those osadas are dreadful, akin to favellas if not much worse. A worthy read.
Recent inspections by the local Miskolc authorities that can be qualified as raids against Rroma living in the North East of the city are violating the rights of the Rroma – the ombudsman in charge of minority affairs said. These raids were meant to “instil fear” among Rroma, very much in line with the recent policies of evictions of Rroma in other parts of this town.
Hungary has been chided by the Council of Europe due to the common and open racism against the Rroma minority of Hungary. According to the report, racism is not restricted to the extreme right party Jobbik, but is commonplace in the country and in the press.
It is really bad.
The newspaper “Le Monde” published two articles on the fate of Rroma children who live in camps are are often the victims of the forced evictions that are the norm under the current government of Valls. For the children, it often means stopping going to school and thus, another failed integration.
Rroma integration will be a key aspect of the discussion of Serbia with the EU for eventual accession talks. Rroma in Serbia are often discriminated against, they are disadvantaged in the education system, and very often unemployed.
Helsinki police says they dismantle illegal Rroma camps almost on a daily basis. It is not said from where the Rroma come – whether these are local Finitke Kāle or more recent arrivals in Finland.
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