An Italian court in Turin found 6 people guilty of arson aggravated by racial hatred for a raid on a Rroma camp in December 20122. The defendants set the camp on fire after an Italian girl falsely claimed to have been raped by Rroma.
As we already reported, the debate in the Berlin Senate on the vote of an interdiction of begging for or with children based on “Missbrauch” [abuse] of the children is continuing. The abuse refers to violations of the child’s welfare as well as a violation of the law on compulsory education. Associations, however counter that begging is often the only revenues for families and that an interdictions will not help.
Every morning, as early as 5 AM, the city of Strasbourg expels ca. 20 Rroma who camp illegally, as they have no other possibility of sleep. This game continues and seems not to have any end. A shame.
A further article about a “horror house” in Berlin Schöneberg. Many Rroma families live in this house and the owners have let it decay (while profiting from inflated rents). The Zentralrat of the Roma and Sinti criticised the local government for not having stepped in earlier and having let the situation escalate to the current levels.
We have to agree with them!
As usual in the summer, the expulsions continue in France. In Marseille, where the expulsed came back and were again expulsed; in Lilles; in Chelles; in Croix; in Ivry, Aubervillers, and Ris Orangis near Paris; in Nantes; while in Hautbourdin (North) and Bordeaux, Rroma can still stay for a while; and in Grenoble, the fate of the camp is now in the hands of the justice; and finally in Roubaix, a fire destroyed a camp.
The new Rrom parliament member Özcan Purçu has been denouncing the police violence in Rroma settlements (Mahala), which, according to Purçu, the Police is using as training grounds for their riot and crowd control division.
This has to stop. JOIN US to protest
In a mock open trial, the French state was condemned for violations of the rights of children in the context of the evictions of Rroma camps.
Well done!
The mayor of a French village in the Dordogne region of France turned off the water supply to a Rroma camp in an attempt to chase them away. What else would he try?
The Gardai (Irish police) is investigating a vigilante attack against Rroma in which a house and two cars were damaged. No arrest so far, but we hope the perpetrators will be soon brought to court!
An interesting report on an integration project in the district of Neukölln in Berlin. Many migrants, among which quite a few Rroma have settled in recent years in that part of town.
Shopkeepers want to set up a vigilante group to combat the Rroma who “harass” tourists and shopkeepers alike in the centre of town.
We are definitively against any such measure. There is a police and there is a law. There is no place to have vigilantes, especially when their targets are clearly defined along minorities lines.
JOIN US to protest.
Berlin is now pondering the interdiction of begging for and with children under 14 years old. Similar measures were passed in many cities, for example in Switzerland, based on the same reason, i.e. protecting the children and avoiding exploitation of children. However, these measures do nothing to solve the inherent poverty problem which is at the core of the problem. It is not a Rroma issue, it is simply a poverty problem.
According Human Rights League, France expulsed nearly 4’000 Rroma from camps over the first 6 months of 2015.
One needs to bear other numbers in mind: 20’000 Rroma migrants live in such camps according to the French authorities. And there are roughly 500’000 Rroma in France. Again, there is a question of proportion: The press devotes all its news to less than a percent of Rroma overall in France!
A theatre representation in the Munich suburbs of Dachau aims at building down stereotypes towards Rroma and Sinti. The place, Dachau, is more than symbolic, as during the Nazi times, there was a notorious concentration camp there were many German Rroma and Sinti were interned.
To watch!
A series of pictures of the eviction of one of the Rroma camps that dot the outskirts of Paris.
In spite of the French focus on these camps and migrants, let’s not forget that these represent less than 20 thousand people whereas there are roughly 500 thousand Rroma in France. So a minority.
René Gallinier, the retired Frenchman who shot at two teenage Rroma burglars a while back was sentenced to 5 years of prison, 4 of which on probation. As we already reported, he shot and wounded two girls who were robbing his house and his trial generated quite a buzz in the French press.
This is a mild sentence for something that easily could have resulted in a death.
Nearly 700 members of the Turkish riot and security police descended on the Rroma Neighbourhood of Edirne at 5 AM on 1st of July. This razzia was officially due to state security and 44 people were detained on charges of looting, disturbing the peace, threats, and resistance against the police. The police is said to have said “How happy is he who can say he is a Turk”…
The Rroma minority in Turkey is quite discriminated but actions such as the one in Edirne and the racist slogans are new. Unfortunately.
Following requests for some camps for travellers in the region of Biel/Bienne in Switzerland, the unfortunately usual discussion about who is what started anew in the press. Who are Jenische (Swiss travellers, also present in France, Germany, Austria); Sinti, who in Switzerland are often intermarried with Jenische but otherwise come from France, Germany and Italy; Rroma, whom the Swiss understand as “Foreign Travellers”, who are mostly French and German Rroma etc…
Meanwhile in France, the usual expulsions, defence, squats still make the headlines. In the University of Paris 8, the right for children to go to school is at the centre; in Ivry, near Paris, 73 families have to leave their camp; in the South West, two families are also expulsed; while in the Paris region, tensions are reported near a Rroma camp.
The French prime minister has against to defend himself in court for his statements in 2013 whereby Rroma cannot and do not want to integrate. He was cleared in court already on this topic, but the associations that cited him in court are now appealing this verdict.
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