An article about the somewhat peculiar relationship between Lausanne and its few beggars. There are around 60 of them at any given point in time (not much), a few of them are Rroma, mostly from one region of Romania, and Lausanne is in a love hate relationship with them.
A lot of noise for a small problem…
A new prime time movie showcases Sinti on prime time in Germany. We haven’t seen it, but the plot has a few of the standard stereotypes … Unfortunately.
A sordid story of a mal prostitute from Romania and his client and violence. The prostitute slit the throat of the client in whose flat he was living, killed the dogs and torched the flat.
OK, it is crime. What is the relevance here of the fact that the two criminals were Rroma? Does it add anything or does it just strengthen stereotypes?
The Geneva police went to investigate a case of human trafficking – a man accused to have sold his invalid son to go and beg in Geneva. As usual, stereotypes prevail. No one has so far proven that there are criminal clans engaged in begging. There are families who live from that, but this is about it. And it is not a business – not for 20 CHF per day.
An article about the mobilisation of the Swiss rightist party (SVP/UDC) against Rroma travellers in Martigny, in the French speaking part of Switzerland.
Populists!
Norman Gobbi, from the rightist Swiss party SVP is a candidate for the election to Minister in the Swiss government. Unfortunately, Mr. Gobbi is not a blank page: He has contact with the Italian Lega, and in the case of travellers, he stated “Sind das noch Menschen oder doch eher Tiere?”[are these still human beings or just animals] in the context of depredations of a Highway stop in the South of Switzerland.
The guy belongs to another century and country!
A report in several European countries highlights that Rroma are the least popular minority, ahead of Moslems …
Long way to go|
The debate on forbidding begging (assimilated to Rroma) is still going on in spite of the low numbers of beggars and no real logic or impact in forbidding it.
Total BS …
Rroma are being used for political purposes by the Swiss right, this time in the French speaking part of Switzerland.
An article that highlights the fact that Rroma are not migrants per se but are increasingly being forced to be… This is a phenomenon that was historically seen in Europe, with the Sinti becoming “nomad” simply because they were not allowed to settle anywhere in Germany.
SHAME!
Yes, indeed – Rroma are from Northwestern India and left there more than a thousand years ago. Genetic studies show this quite clearly. Mind you, if you speak Rromanes, you don’t necessarily need a study to find this out …
The City of Biel / Bienne in the Swiss Jura is trying to prevent “foreign” Travellers, i.e. Rroma from neighbouring countries to stop there on so-called transit camps. This is the result of political activism from the Swiss Jenische (Travellers), and this, is spite of the fact that these foreign Rroma have been coming regularly every year for decades.
SHAME!
A BBC documentary on the Rroma Decade (2005-2015)…
Hotel Gračanica is an exception … Unfortunately.
Interesting reading on the Rroma Decade and its failures. This from the OSI. Fact is, the Rroma decade did not achieve much, if anything…
A new genetic study about Rroma clearly shows their origins and part of their migrations. Serious and interesting.
Geneva fines beggars. The fine is set at 220.— CHF, a steep sum when one thinks that begging brings in at most 20-30 CHF per day. This is being used to actually deport people as, when they are not in apposition to pay, they de-facto become criminals (they are sent to prison) that can be sent back to their country of origin with an interdiction to come back to Switzerland.
An article about the engagement of NGOs in Lausanne to enroll 6 young migrant Rroma in schools there. Well done, but let’s not forget that these migrant Rroma represent less than ONE PERCENT of the Rroma in Switzerland. And these go to school, and even to university!
An article on the migrants that sleep outside in Lausanne. 30 to 80 on average. And, yes, while there are a few Rroma amongst them, they are by far not the majority.
In Geneva, four Rroma were arrested and are accused to have trafficked a mentally disabled person and forced him to beg in Geneva’s streets. As always, when such a case occurs, all the usual clichés about organised bands, human trafficking, and so on come back about Rroma.
If they really did it, which still needs to be proven, then they are criminals. The fact that they are Rroma has nothing to do with that.
English (UK) English (UK) 
Deutsch
Français