An article about the recognition by Switzerland of the crimes against Humanity committed by the state against Jenische. And this until 1972…
An article about the police action in the French speaking cantons of Switzerland that attempts to prevent Roma travellers from coming to Switzerland. The Police in Valais even illegally blocked a highway to prevent Roma from passing. They issue fines, but also summons.
This is clearly racist.
All what we said all along about the dreadful situation of Roma in Transcarpathian Ukraine in a reportage in the Swiss press. Well, their history is not quite straight, as the existence of these camps goes back to the Ungarian domination of this region and to Maria-Theresia of Austria. And there, they still call it cigánytelep [Gypsy settlement] rather than the term tabor meaning a camp.
A Swiss politician says he wants to forbid travellers to enter Switzerland, and wants to kick them out with bulldozers… Isn’t that racist? Switzerland actually had an interdiction of entry for travellers from 1497 to 1972 (yes, that late).
Shame.
Another story, this time in the canton of Neuchatel, where Roma tried to rent a camping site and after an initial accord, were told there was no longer a vacancy.
In brief, Switzerland doesn’t want Roma travellers…
The head of the police force in the Canton Valais has been defending his decision to stop the ca. 40 caravans of French Roma on a highway on April 15th.
In an interview published Saturday in “Le Nouvelliste”, Christian Varone, commander of the Valais cantonal police, spoke at length about the blocking of caravans on Tuesday, April 15, on the highway in Saint-Maurice, disrupting traffic between Vaud and Valais for more than seven hours in the region.
HeE said: “There’s zero tolerance for situations where public order is not respected.”
The problem is precisely determining the extent to which these Roma failed to respect public order while traveling to Gampel, where they had duly rented a private campsite. They had paid some 15,000 francs in advance for the rental. They were driving peacefully along the highway with their wives and children before encountering the Valais sheriff and his deputies.
The Police commander said that the Roma themselves to the owner of this land as Swiss Jenishe when they were actually Roma of French nationality. Upon learning of this, the lessor considered it a fraud and cancelled the agreement.” He communicated his decision to us orally, then in writing a few days later.
Following the illegal action of the police in the Canton of Valais, stopping caravans of Roma, an article that totally missed the point. It says that Jenische object being thrown in the same bag as Roma travellers and misses the fact that the real issue is the lack of camping site.
We are not speaking of a large issue: There are maybe 3’000 YEnische travellers, and the same number of Roma who come over the summer…
An exhibition of the works of Małgorzata Mirga-Tas is currently open in the Lucerne Art Museum.
Another article in the Swiss press about 200 policemen stopping 42 caravans and ca. 150 French Roma on a highway, forcing them to turn back, this in spite of not having done anything illegal.
The police de facto blocked the highway for 7 hours!
Shame.
The police of the canton of Valais stopped a convoy of 42 caravans and around 150 Roma on the highway. They had no right to do so, as they had not done anything wrong. The Roma had to turn around and go back to the Canton of Nechatel.
Shame.
The beggars who challenged the law forbidding begging in the canton of Vaud have lost their appeal. The Constitutional Court rejected the petition of nine plaintiffs, including four Roma, a homeless person, and a pastor. Their fundamental rights were not be violated.
The canton of Vaud will not attempt a pilot experiment for Roma integration, which was supposed to provide housing for a limited period of time to around fifteen families. On Tuesday, members of the Grand Council rejected the proposal to this effect.
Switzerland admitted this week that they committed a crime against humanity when they took away the children of Yenische in the so-called Kinder der Landstrasse between 1926 and 1973. Over 600 children were removed from their families. The press also mentions Sinti and Manouches. They were not really affected by this, as the action was truly centred in the Swiss German part of the country and against Yenische.
However, this legal brief and the Swiss government denied the genocidal aspect of this action.
The story of Romanian beggars who have been in Neuchâtel since end of last year. And now, they are not part of a criminal beggar gang, as the Swiss press often claims.
The Zurich politician Mario Fehr, after already having made comments on large Roma families from the Ukraine, has now stated that from now on, he doesn’t want to accept large families from Western Ukraine as refugees in the canton.
For large families from Western Ukraine, please read “Roma families from Transcatpathian Ukraine”. Let us know what you think about this!
Another article, this time in the TV news about the formal complaint against a Bernese politician for racism. Since he sits in the government from the canton, the prosecutor had to ask for lifting his immunity. The decision will be taken on November 25th, but according to the article, the article, it seems he has little to fear.
Switzerland has a long way to go on racism …
Pierre-Alain Schnegg, a politician from Bern and member of the canton’s government made statements about Roma refugees a few months ago which prompted a formal complaint for racist statements. Now the Canton’s parliament has to vote to lift his immunity so that the prosecution can continue.
Let’s see…
The Swiss online shop and portal Galaxus launched a new advertising campaign in Switzerland with their usual slogan of “almost everything for everyone”.
What is different this time, is that each of these posters which can be seen everywhere in Switzerland, is in languages spoken in Switzerland. And that goes way beyond French, German, Italian and Romantsch. As far as having one of these advertisements in Romanes …
The Swiss politician Mario Fehr (not affiliated to any party) gave a press conference on asylum in Zurich, Switzerland. There, he said that he would be willing to give residency to all Ukrainians who work, but would send back the others. And finally, he said that Roma come with false papers, and are not threatened by war.
We had the opportunity to Speak to Mr. Fehr, for which we are thankful, and he confirmed that the statements in 20 Minutes are not what he said.
Very soon, begging in the streets of Lausanne, Vevey or Yverdon will no longer be a good idea. On October 1st, the Grand Council of Vaud adopted a new law on begging that is stricter than the draft of the Council of State, which prohibits the persons concerned from begging in a large number of places, such as markets, near public buildings, daycare centres, schools, playgrounds, banks, post offices, cash machines and parking meters, shops, medical and care facilities, museums, theatres and cinemas.
While the law was originally thought against Roma beggars, it affects many drug addicts who are Swiss too…
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