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19.04.2013 Relocation of Rroma Settlement in France

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20minutes (2013) reports on the relocation of illegal Roma settlement. The inhabitants, who, according to the newspaper, managed to settle down successfully in the new location, criticized the lack of cooperation from the authorities. There was a clear discrepancy between the promises of the politicians and the executing officials. The cooperative Latcho Rom stated: „[On regrette]  décalage entre le discours du maire et l’application par le service qui gère les campements. On ne comprend pas le temps que ça nécessite pour faire quelque chose qu’on a envie de faire“. [We regret the discrepancy between the mayor’ statements and the execution by the service responsible for the settlements.  We do not understand the time it takes to achieve something we all want to do.]

Leclerc (2013) reports on the resettlement of Roma families in Ris-Orangis, a suburb of Paris. The prefect responsible must appear in court as when clearing this Rroma settlement, he went against EU law. Accordingly the law, the Prefect should have provided alternative lodgings for the victims and an overall socially acceptable solution, but that did not happen. If the ruling goes against the mayor, the state will be forced to pay the affected people 75 Euro per day and person. At the same time, the mayor of Mont d’Hautmont, Joël Wilmotte protested vehemently against the plan to build a Roma settlement in his district.

In the Rhone-Alpes region, the local Ombudsman Jean-François Carenco was condemned by a judgment of the Court of Lyon, on April 4th, to find a re-accommodation for evicted Rroma. He had previously preferred to pay 75 euro per day as compensation instead of finding them a proper accommodation. In the first three months of 2013, about four thousand Rroma in France were forced to leave their homes due to foreclosures and about a thousand because of aggression against their houses or because of fires (Le Monde, 2013).

Midi Libre (2013) give the conservative Marie Le Pen a voice: The losing presidential candidate criticized the French government for his Rroma policy. The state is being blackmailed by Rroma who are deliberately setting their settlements on fire to get new houses and lodging from the state for free. This representation of Ms. Le Pen can only be described as absurd and racist. The Rroma have no interest to discriminate against themselves and chases themselves away.

France 3 (2013) reports on the forced resettlement of Rroma in Fontaine. The affected families had previously wintered in mobile homes provided for free that are now dismantled. The families were not informed of the impending removal of the containers and now have problems to organize new accommodations on the fly. Three of them were sent to hospital in Grenoble, where they are seeking asylum, more in the direction of l’Isle d’Abeau. Most of them do not want to leave the temporary living quarters.

Vincent (2013) reported on the controversial and contradictory attitude of the French state towards the Rroma communities in France. The Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has written a position paper that requires the reduction of forced evictions of Rroma settlements,  a paper signed by seven other ministers. With the end of the winter grace period at the end of March, the problem of the settlements will now again be a key topic. The debate in the position paper focuses on the question of the integration of Rroma. A decree requires the prefects wanting to evict Rroma settlement to send qualified personnel to evaluate the integration “potential” of the local Rroma. This should avoid violent evictions without successful relocation or at least reduce them to a minimum. The application of the new procedure varied quite a lot. Sometimes the evaluation had been made, sometimes not, and sometimes right before the evictions. The diagnosis should allow to better integrate individual Rroma in the workforce and in public institutions. Liberal find the focus on Rroma exaggerated and one-sided. Others ask for more patience and money regarding the successful integration of Rroma, which could take many years to complete and thus state that for that very reason, such settlements should be tolerated. A third group considers it imperative to evict the Rroma and clear the settlements in order to force Rroma to a faster respect of municipal laws.

Besse (2013) reported of a trial in a school in Madeleine to introduce a class for non-scholarised Rroma children. The plan was met neither by a categorical rejection nor by open enthusiasm on the parents’ side. However, two leading local politicians disagree. The school administration is decidedly for the introduction of a class and thus hopes to contribute to a better integration of this ethnic group. The school administration declared:

La direction a souhaité rassurer les parents présents, qui ont pu faire part de leurs inquiétudes, et a rappelé que tout enfant présent sur le sol français avait droit à une scolarisation, explique le groupement. Cette classe d’insertion peut être une chance pour apprendre à connaître l’autre et mieux vivre ensemble. Nous remercions la direction de sa participation à cette réunion. [The school director would like to reassure the present parents who had the opportunity to share their concerns, and stated that every child present on French soil was entitled to an education, says the group. This insertion class can be a chance to get to know each other better and live together. We thank the management of its participation in this meeting.]

Sources:

  • France 3 (2013) Fin de trêve hivernale : Les associations dénoncent les conditions de “déménagement” des Roms de Fontaine. In: France 3 vom 16.4.2013.
  • Ighirri, Alexia (2013) Du mieux pour les Roms, mais… In: 20minutes France vom 18.4.2013. 
  • Le Monde (2013) Le préfet du Rhône se résout à reloger les Roms expulses. In: Le Monde vom 10.4.2013.
  • Leclerc, Jean-Marc (2013) Les préfets contraints de reloger les Roms. In: Le Figaro vom 14.4.2013.
  • Midi Libre (2013) Marine Le Pen reproche à nouveau à l’Etat de se laisser abuser par les Roms. In: Midi Libre vom 17.4.2013.
  • Vincent, Elise (2013) Schizophrénie gouvernementale sur les Roms. In: Le Monde vom 6.4.2013. 
Frankreich News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Rumänien

19.04.2013 Anina Ciuciu: A Gypsy woman fights against Stereotypes

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Courrèges (2013) tells the story the Gypsy woman Anina Cuiciu who is completing a study in law at the Sorbonne University. Cuicui has written a book about the life as a Gypsy woman. She now spends her time with the promotion of her book and learns for exams. In the book she writes about the stigma that they she experienced as a Rromni, Rroma being said to be dirty in school, and thus, they all kept their identity secret. She was born in Craiova in Romania. Her father lost his job due to a denunciation. After losing his job, her father saw no future for himself and his family in Romania. Followed the migration to France, a time of uncertainty and transition, without any solid structures. With the award of a ten-year right to stay and after a successful high school exam, Ciuciu gained confidence. Due to the injustices she experienced, she decided to study law and to write a book about her life. With its publication she wants to contribute t to the deconstruction of the negative stereotypes on Rroma and help them develop a positive self-image.

Source:

  • Courrèges, Emmanuelle (2013) Anina Ciuciu : une Rom contre les clichés. In: Elle (fr) vom 12.4.2013. 
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12.04.2013 Bremen SPD Excludes Martin Korol from the Party

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Wolschner (2013) reports on the exclusion of the politician Martin Korol from the SPD. The local politician had created a stir arranged with racist abuse towards Rroma that he had published as a position paper on its website. Last Monday Korol was officially excluded from the SPD. Group Executive Martin Tschöpe presented serious pejorative remarks against Rroma, migrants and women as a reason for exclusion. Included in the questionable statements were the following views:

The Roma and Sinti “still live socially and intellectually in the Middle Ages,” it said. In another text, it was stated that a representative could only be, “who has a German education”. On the subject of gender equality Korol said that the patriarchate “that society lost the balance”, but that the rule of women is no better, which shows the “madness of the so-called self-realization of women”, in “the pleasure of alienation of the particular job in a company and in the mass murder of abortions.“

Korol denied the allegations. They were hasty, kneejerk manifestations of an older man who culturally critical and who should rather have thought first and then written. This insight is unfortunately a bit late.

Source:

  • Wolschner, Klaus (2013) Martin Korol ganz privat. In: TAZ vom 8.4.2013.
News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Slowakei

05.04.2013 Segregation in Slovakia

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Aaron Lake Smith (2013) reported on the continued segregation of Rroma in Slovakia. The fire in the Castle of Krásna Hôrka in March 2012, which was attributed to arson by two Rroma boys, gave rise to an increase in the discrimination of Rroma in Slovakia. Nationalist movements and among them for example politician Marian Kotleba reasoned that the stereotypes about Rroma are true and unavoidable. Open xenophobia against Rroma in the Hlinka Slovak People’s Party, a party which has the same name as the fascist regime during World War Two, is not unusual. Rroma are the cause for the discrimination against “honest people”, the ethnic Slovaks. Followers of Hlinka support geographical segregation of the Rroma in reservations or even their extermination modelled after the one of the Jews by the Nazis. The one billion dollars in development funds that the EU and the World Bank provided for inclusion of Rroma in the workforce, the schools and the social community seem to have borne little fruits and have often been diverted to realize local pet projects of municipalities. An interviewed member of parliament sees these funds as an pretext to help prevent the migration of the Rroma in the West, where they also are usually undesirable.

Smith then goes on about the history of Rroma in Eastern Europe. Under the Soviet Union rule, they were generally well integrated into the workforce, the official policy being at full employment. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, they were progressively excluded in segregated suburbs. Paradoxically, the new minority status led to more exclusion and to less protection, mainly because it was soon politicized and instrumentalised. Rroma are also discriminated because of their purportedly poor hygiene. Rhat hygiene should not be judged based only on observations of the conditions of gardens and courtyards is not part of this discussion. Until 2004, according to the journalists, forced sterilizations of Rroma women were undertaken. From the State’s perspective, these women exploited the social system by excessively drawing on children’s allocations. The segregation of Rroma children in Slovakia continues to this day. Many are excluded from regular schools by fictitious diagnosis of disabilities.

A section is devoted to the fate of Rroma during World War II. The persecution and extermination of approximately 500,000 to 1.5 million Rroma by the Nazis was historically never really acknowledged. One explanation for this omission is the no less racist reasonning that Rroma were persecuted and killed by the Nazis, not for racial reasons, but because of their anti-social and criminal behaviour. Lake Smith concludes his article with a statement of his journalist colleagues Markus Pape that the nationalisms of Eastern Europe are the result of a crisis of identity after the fall of the Soviet bloc. In this new form of identity, there is no room for Rroma.

Source:

  • Lake Smith, Aaron (2013) The New Roma Ghettos. Slowakia’s Ongoing Segregation Nightmare. In: Vice United States vom 4.4.2013. 
Ungarn News Osteuropa News Westeuropa

05.04.2013 Rroma in Hungary

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The film “Csak a szél” (Just the Wind) by Bence Fliegauf thematises the increasing racism against Rroma in Hungary, why does not shy at physical violence. At the centre of the movie is a real series of attacks that occured between 2008 and 2009 and which killed 55 Rroma. Right-wing extremists set fire to Rroma houses at night and shot the Rroma fleeing from the fire. The protagonists in the film are the children of a Rroma family and each deals differently with the rampant hatred. While the sister tries to ignore the daily taunts and normally goes to school, the brother stays away from school and remains holed up in a hideout. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival 2012 and is running this week in the Salzburg cinemas.

Newsat (2013) reported on the plans of Hungarian nightclubs to introduce a 10% quota for minorities such as the Rroma. The Office for National and Ethnic Minorities is undertaking a referendum against this racist law project.

Source:

  • Newsat (2013) Roma-Quoten in Lokalen? In: Newsat vom 31.3.2013.
  • Miedl, Magdalena (2013) „Just the Wind“: Ungarns Roma in Angst vor Rassisten. In: Salzburger Nachrichten vom 3.4.2013.
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05.04.2013 Rolf Bauerdick’s book “Gypsies – Encounters with Unloved People”

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Andrea Seibel (2013) of the newspaper “Die Welt” discusses the latest publication of the journalist Rolf Bauerdick. She describes him as routined Southeast Europe traveller, who is willing to lift the veil of political correctness and breach facts openly. This may be true to a certain degree, for example when she reports on Bauerdick’s criticism of Roma experts who speak about the situation of Rroma with no experience of reality or when he criticizes the role of victim, in which Rroma will often let themselves be pushed into. On the other hand Bauerdick alleged insolence towards the political correctness can also be called ignorance especially when Seibel presents pejorative representations as revelations and when externally assigned names such as “gypsies” are presented as endonyms:

Wherever they came, they wrecked the entire infrastructure. He experienced the family of the Romanian Gabor where men never worked and always found excuses as to why. They drank even more, beat their wives, because they were also drinking, after they had been beaten and got an infinite number of children who are not allowed to go to school. A narrow, dirty, rough, desperate world.

Such statements may reflect part of the reality, but they can be from the perspective of the politically correct, they are just stupid as they confirm the standard stereotypes in the minds of many people.

Seibels finds the strength of the book in a presentation that neither glorifies nor damns. Bauerdick presents the plurality of Roma ways of life, speaks about individuals, and not of “the Roma”, a presentation which must necessarily falls short. He also speaks of the much-quoted exclusion from mainstream society and from the own responsibility in face of the exploitation of the Rroma by Rroma. He sees this exploitation of Rroma by Rroma as an important factor. This factor is equally to be discussed as the tales of ​​Rroma kings and criminally organized Rroma clans. Bauerdick notes:

The oppressive circumstance to which the criminal sociologist Szilveszter Poćzik points s often concealed. One in two adults and three out of four juvenile delinquents in Hungarian prisons are Roma. And that with a population of eight percent. That the inter-ethnic criminality is by far surpassed by the intra-ethnic violence is concealed. Most victims of the Roma are themselves Roma, beaten women, abused girls and exploited children. And the voices of those Gypsies who depart from this cartel of silence are themselves concealed. (Bauerdick 2013: 149)

Bauerdicks focus on field research and the social reality of his Interview partner is certainly laudable. The fact that the work of intellectuals is so vehemently discredited, testifies to an ignorance of epistemological and political force that can also be applied in the form of knowledge itself. Anyone whose exclusive concern are the visible ones tends to overlook the existence of social structures and power relations that exist beyond the visible Rroma slums. He also neglects the invisible Rroma, to which access is exceedingly more difficult to find than that of Roma in the slums on the outskirts of cities.

In his article for ‘die Welt” Bauerdick (2013) presents his view of the massive exploitation of Rroma by Rroma. He finds the desperate situation of many Rroma to be only mkarginally caused by exclusion, and more to be the result of internal exploitation. He notes:

With their stereotypical racism allegations, Roma politicians have for decades dominated all discussions, without any marked improvement of the situation of Gypsies. They hide the fact that the Roma are less exploited by the dominant part of the population than by the members of their own ethnic group. The Roma themselves suffer most from child abuse, women trafficking and prostitution, under usury, extortion and organised theft.

How uncritically he reports on Rroma kings and organized traffickers astonishes, especially as the existence and relevance have been repeatedly deemed questionable. In particular, the plausibility of the existence of an organized supervision and punishment structure, which would be necessary for such structures. Bauerdick’s thesis of the prevalence of self-exclusion among Rroma is also to be critically looked at. If all related, then exploitation is the result of exclusion, which turned into self-discrimination. To consider these themes separately and to consider them independent is a testimony of the lack of knowledge about the relationship of individuals and groups to society. Internal and external views can never be considered separately from each other, and are mutually dependent. Discrediting the exclusion of Rroma as an exaggeration simplifies the issue unnecessarily. This exclusion leads to apathy towards improving their own situation, but it is not a voluntarily act.

Sources:

  • Bauerdick, Rolf (2013) Zigeuner: Begegnungen mit einem ungeliebten Volk. München: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt.
  • Bauerdick, Rolf (2013) Wer ist Schuld am Elend der Zigeuner? In: Die Welt vom 25.3.2013.
  • Seibel, Andrea (2013) Das gar nicht lustige Zigeunerleben. In: Die Welt vom 19.3.2013.
  • Nennt euch Nazis wenn Ihr uns Zigeuner nennt! Rolf Bauerdick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKZnXZ0QrYk
Albanien Deutschland Kosovo News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Serbien

05.04.2013 Forced Return of Rroma in Kosovo

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Bahri Cani (2013) reported about the fate of some 2500 Rroma who left Germany in the last three years and had to go back to Kosovo. The forced return destroyed lives and families that were built up over years in the new home. Often these victims of forced returns speak little or only very poorly Albanian and Serbian, as they are grew up in Germany. The school thus becomes a major challenge. The deportations are the result of a bilateral agreement between Kosovo and Germany, which were ratified in 2010 and enables simplified deportations. Back in Kosovo, returnees are confronted with high unemployment rates and a lack of integration. Many of the deportees see no future for themselves in Kosovo.

Source:

  • Cani, Bahri (2013) Traum von der Rückkehr nach Deutschland. In: Deutsche Welle vom 1.4.2013. 
Albanien Deutschland Kosovo News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Serbien

05.04.2013 Forced Return of Rroma in Kosovo

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Bahri Cani (2013) reported about the fate of some 2500 Rroma who left Germany in the last three years and had to go back to Kosovo. The forced return destroyed lives and families that were built up over years in the new home. Often these victims of forced returns speak little or only very poorly Albanian and Serbian, as they are grew up in Germany. The school thus becomes a major challenge. The deportations are the result of a bilateral agreement between Kosovo and Germany, which were ratified in 2010 and enables simplified deportations. Back in Kosovo, returnees are confronted with high unemployment rates and a lack of integration. Many of the deportees see no future for themselves in Kosovo.

Source:

  • Cani, Bahri (2013) Traum von der Rückkehr nach Deutschland. In: Deutsche Welle vom 1.4.2013. 
Bulgarien Deutschland News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Rumänien

22.03.2013 The Invisible Rroma from Germany

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The ARD report “How Roma experience discrimination in Germany” (2013) shows how strong the prejudices of the majority against the Rroma truly are, and are increasing now due to the current debate. The media hype about Rroma as social help recipients and as the cause of rising crime and littering, is contrasted in this report against integrated Rroma from Germany. They – except the protagonist of the documentary – keep their identity secret. There were too many bad experiences with negative stereotypes. The young Rroma student depicted in the report is an exception. She wants to make a difference politically, right the highly distorted picture that society has on Rroma. The report shows clearly, how strong the power of media and prejudices are.

Even articles such as the one of the TAZ (2013) confirm the public perception that neglected Rroma living on the border of criminality. Although the article highlights the positive efforts of the Berlin Integration Supervisor Monika Lüke who wants to build a dormitory for homeless Rroma, it is such a one-sided reporting resulting in an nourishing the problem mentioned in the above report, namely that of a unilateral construction of identity of the Rroma based on negative sterotypes.

Bulgaria’s President Rosen Plevneliev, in an interview with the German magazine Focus, disputes the existence of a mass migration of Roma to Germany (Epoch Times Germany 2013). The statistics are doubtful. On often speaks of millions of Rroma in Bulgaria, even though according to government statistics, only 300,000 Rroma live in that country. Bulgaria also has undertaken massive efforts to secure its border. He criticized that Romania and Bulgaria unfortunately always serve as convenient explanation for problems of the partner countries of Europe (Europe Online Magazine 2013).

The German President Joachim Gauck criticized during his visit to Schleswig-Hohlstein the hysterical debate on Rroma immigration from Romania and Bulgaria and the ignoble tradition of discrimination and exclusion (Spiegel Online 2003). He stressed that the people left their homes because of poverty and discrimination and stated it is wrong to stigmatize an entire ethnic group. Such prejudices are a disrespect for the well integrated Rroma living in Germany since the 1960s. The statement quoted at the end of the article stating that “in the first six months of last year, about 500,000” emigrated from Romania and Bulgaria to Germany is to be really questioned. This would truly correspond to the predicted mass immigration.

Dagmar Rosenfeld and Özlem Topcu (2013) of the Zeit see the feared mass immigration in Duisburg already having become a reality. They visited a high-rise building in the district Rheinhausen Bergheim, where mainly Rroma are living. 6’176 people from Bulgaria and Romania, mainly Rroma have immigrated recently to Duisburg. The report cited report on immigration from South-eastern Europe (Duisburg 2013) notes that Duisburg, because of its numerous, empty houses in poor condition attracts poor immigrants. Not every immigrant child can be offered a pace in school because rooms and teachers are missing and many of the immigrant children and adults cannot read nor write. In addition, there is also probably forced and child prostitution. The article concludes with the sober observation that social peace in Duisburg is in jeopardy. Emotional and hatred have taken hold.

Sources:           

  • Epoch Times Deutschland (2013) Bulgariens Präsident bestreitet massenhafte Zuwanderung von Roma in andere EU-Staaten. In: Epoch Times Deutschland vom 22.3.2013.
  • Europe Online Magazine (2013) Plewneliew: Keine massenhafte Zuwanderung bulgarischer Roma. In: Europe Online Magazine vom 22.3.2013.
  • Memarina, Susanne (2013) Wohnen ist das Problem. In: TAZ vom 21.3.2013.
  • Rosenfeld, Dagmar / Topcu, Özlem (2013) Das umkämpfte Haus. In: Die Zeit vom 14.3.2013.
  • Schayani, Isabel / Onneken, Peter (2013) Ausgerenzt: Wie Roma in Deutschland Diskriminierung erleben. In: Monitor (WDR) vom 14.3.2013.
  • Stadt Duisburg (2013) Zuwanderung von Menschen aus Südost-Europa. In: http://www.wir-sind-du.de/?p=5227 (22.3.2013).
  • Spiegel online (2013) Gauck macht sich für Sinti und Roma stark. In: Spiegel online vom 22.3.2013. 
Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa News Westeuropa

22.03.2013 Negative Perception of Rroma in the Czech Republic

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Radio Praha (2013) reports on the persistent problem of discrimination against Rroma in the Czech Republic. Prejudice and racism against Rroma are still widespread in the Czech Republic, and are traditionally anchored. There are also structural disadvantages such as their exclusion in the education and in the labour market, which prevents a long-term change in their situation. The findings are the result of the shadow report of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR).

Source:

  • Kachlíková, Markéta (2013) Rassismus-Jahresbericht: Negative Wahrnehmung von Roma in Tschechien. In: Radio Praha vom 21.3.2013. 
Bulgarien Deutschland Kosovo News Osteuropa News Westeuropa North Macedonia Rumänien Serbien

15.03.2013 Rroma Debate in Germany

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Reinger Burger (2013) of the FAZ concerns himself rather one-sidedly with the topic of poverty migration to Germany. He focuses on the media hype surrounding an apartment tower in Duisburg, which is regularly visited by politicians and journalists. There is nothing really new that he can tell, but he lets the residents speak out in an emotionally loaded way without any context with residents complaining about littering and rising crime. The gloomy forecast from people responsible for integration in Duisburg, which says that because of the freedom of movement within Europe that will start at the beginning of 2014, they will need to spend an additional 15 millions, cannot be missing. Men mostly do undeclared work while many young women prostitute themselves. He brings a few new points to the debate namely that many in Germany believed that Rroma, as they are travellers, would only temporarily stay in Germany. The opposite is the case: Many want to stay and build a future for their children, because in Romania and Bulgaria they see no future for themselves. Hannes Swoboda, chairman of the SPD in the European Parliament demands a dedicated Commissioner for Rroma issues. To ignore the situation is not an adequate response to the prevailing events.

The Welt (2013) reports on the action of Saxony’s interior minister Markus Ulbig. He will travel from March 17th to 20th to Serbia, Macedonia, and Kosovo and talk to state, charities and Rroma representatives. His aim is to rationalise the debate about poverty immigration. Migrants from Southeast Europe are almost to 100% not political refugees but are fleeing poverty. This leads to the abuse of political asylum.

The Bremen SPD politician Martin Korol is being excluded from the local SPD fraction (Möller 2013, Hudemann 2013, Stengel 2013). After anti-Rroma statements were made public on Korol’s website, a public debate started centred on the content and intentions of this blog. Korol tried to appease it, which did not succeed with his party colleagues. From his point of view he wanted to start a constructive debate on the situation of Rroma in Germany. Since his statements go against social democratic principles, an exclusion proceeding has been instituted against him. Korol only just became a citizen of Bremen.

Arndt (2013) is writing a report for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation on the situation of Rroma in Bulgaria. The article consists of a series of statistics which does not describe how they were collected and does not discloses their sources disclosed nor discusses them. Arndt distinguishes initially three dominant minorities in Bulgaria: Bulgarians of Turkish origin, Pomaks and Rroma. About the Rroma living conditions, he reports is fully in line with the standard misery views: the majority of Bulgarian Rroma live in closed communities, 55% in urban areas and 45% in rural areas. The number Rroma completing school is blatantly lower than among ethnic Bulgarians. Illiteracy, particularly among women, is also much higher. Many Rroma children speak little or no Bulgarian, when they arrive at school. This data may be correct, even though in the absence of any sources, criticism is almost impossible. The report becomes problematic when it starts to operate on the level of values. Arndt notes for example that: “Due to the shortcomings of their socialization they often lack the necessary social behavioural patterns required to be successful in school. […] The biggest obstacle to a successful integration is likely to prove to be the ghettos with their patriarchal and feudal, often criminal structures, less so the Roma culture.” What shortcomings in the socialization does Arndt mean? How is this justified? His article postulates facts without context and these are not explained. This approach is seriously to be questioned. 

Sources:

  • Arndt, Marco (2013) Geschlossene Gesellschaft. Zur Lage der Roma in Bulgarien. In: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung – Auslandsbüro Bulgarien vom 8.3.2013.
  • Burger, Reiner (2013) Das bessere Leben im Problem-Hochhaus. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 11.3.2013.
  • Delius, Mara (2013) „Die Zigeuner“, ein imaginäres Kollektiv Europas? In: Die Welt vom 14.3.2013.
  • Die Welt (2013) Ulbig will Situation der Roma auf dem Balkan erkunden. In: Die Welt vom 14.3.2013.
  • Ebbinghaus, Uwe (2013) Europa erfindet die Zigeuner, um sie zu verachten. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 13.3.2013.
  • Hudemann, Steffen (2013) Rassismus oder Denkanstoss? In.: Radio Bremen vom 22.2.2013.
  • Möller, René (2013) SPD meidet Martin Korol. In: Radio Bremen vom 8.3.2013.
  • Staats, Christian (2013) Kitsch und Hass. In: Die Zeit vom 28.2.2013.
  • Stengel, Eckhart (2013) Auch SPD-Fraktion will Rechtsabweichler loswerden. In: Frankfurter Rundschau vom 1.3.2013. 

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08.03.2013 Rroma Debate in Germany

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The heated discussion about the immigration from Romania and Bulgaria to Germany continues. Opinions are still divided and range between of gloomy forecasts of overburdened social security system and increasing shadow economy to call for moderation and a rationalisation of the debate and arguments. That the forecasted consequences of such an immigration are political constructs is only emphasised by some of the German media, others simply see them as given and as an inevitable fact.

Duisburg’s Mayor Sören Link speaks of 15 million additional costs to social welfare. He calls on the EU to improve the situation in Romania and Bulgaria quickly so that the people affected – from the perspective of many politicians and journalists primarily Rroma – do not even come to Germany. Link’s concern is based on the upcoming enactment of the freedom of establishment between Germany, Romania and Bulgaria from early 2014 onward. By then, the citizens of the countries concerned will be allowed to stay longer than the current 90 days without work permit in Germany. Link is in line with the gloomy predictions of the German Cities Association and does not really critically questions the issue (Schmidt 2013).

According to a survey by the weekly newspaper Focus, a majority of German citizens is in favour of a restriction of immigration from all EU countries. The Federal Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich is quoted as saying that the cities should strive for their own good is a strict compliance with existing legislation. He is alluding specifically to the unfair abuse of social aid funds and calls for tougher controls and fines. Migration researcher Klaus J. Bade is presented as the antipode to Friedrich. Bade criticizes the hysterical reactions to migration from South Eastern Europe and identifies the dire predictions on the consequences of mass immigration as a political construct. Statistics on the massive increase in welfare costs due to immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria are presented at the end of the article. How accurate these statistics from the Federal Labour Office are or how they were constructed is not presented nor discussed (Focus 2013, Berliner Zeitung 2013).

Frigelj (2013) reports on what he calls a “clash of two worlds”. The article focuses on visible Rroma with a negative image living in social housing in Duisburg. As a starting point the journalist chooses a well-established couple living in that estatge since a long time who, since the influx of Southeastern Europeans, “including many Rroma”, no longer feels safe. The majority of the article focuses on the negative issues resulting from the arrival of migrants from Eastern Europe and propagates the image of a drastic disruption of social peace. That there are indeed negative consequences and issues will not be denied, but the one-sided focus on negative stereotypes on Rroma and South-eastern Europeans needs to be decidedly criticized. Sections as the one that follows bring no contribution to the rationalisation of the debate: “The couple Halle and neighbours tell about catastrophes  on other side of the street: loud music, shouting, and barbecue feast till late in the night, garbage thrown out of the windows, human excrement on the premises, no manners, no decency.” As a counterpoint in this debate, the article portrays a resident priest, who is campaigning for a more differentiated and objective debate. According to Frigelj very few of the involved parties want to achieve this.

Joachim Brenner (Voigts 2013) from the association Förderverein Roma e.v. in Frankfurt criticizes what in his view constitutes the exaggerated figures of the immigration from Eastern Europe. He notes: “The excitement is constructed. With the slogan “The boat is full” votes can be gotten. That more people are coming than ten years ago may be true, but still: We are moving into an area where, for a society like ours, what is socially feasible is not significant. It’s a shame if this is so hyped.”

Thorpe (2013) enriches the debate by post from a Rroma village in Bulgaria. The local situation is portrayed as most German politicians and journalists present it: a life of misery, poverty, without future. The food is often bought on credit. A university degree often doesn’t even help Rroma to find work because of the discrimination. Migration seems the only way towards a better future in more dignity. Prostitution of Rroma girls in Western Europe is presented as a voluntary decision that had nothing to do with human trafficking, but is made out of economic considerations. The social reality displayed in this article cannot be denied, but once again the focus is solely on  marginalized Rroma living in misery. At more thorough research would have unearthed better-off Rroma can that do not conform to these stereotypes. These Rroma who are not written about in the newspapers, are an integral part of the Rroma reality, and even though they represent the majority, they are almost unknown to the general public. The article finally touches that topic when the Rroma representative Rumyan Russinow is quoted. It states that those Rroma who work abroad and do not take any social state benefits are invisible because they operate outside the public stereotype of Rroma, stereotypes which are constructed also by the media: “Stereotype are created by the media, who blow the behaviour of a tiny minority out of proportion.”

Romani Rose, chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma calls for a more concrete intervention of the federal government in cities affected by the immigration and for a solution to the problem of poverty and exclusion in the countries concerned (Frasch 2013). Efforts to improve the situation of Rroma often bear no fruits because of lack of political will to improve the Rroma situation. One often would prefer if they did not exist. He also sees a problematic blanket criminalization of immigrants especially for those who left their countries of origin because of poverty and a lack of perspectives. Such presentation of the facts plays right in the hand of right-wing parties, which so successfully politicized this theme.

In an interview with the Schwabian newspaper (Kling 2013), he also provides fixed point: “The dispute on the free movement within the EU will be held in Germany on the back of a minority. We are confronted here with immigrant fleeing poverty, which are then criminalized solely as Roma: they exploit social care systems, they throw dirt and grime in front of the door, and so on and so forth.“

Michael Martens (2013) of the FAZ writes about the status quo in the Bulgarian society. The resignation of Prime Minister Simeon Djankov, and the protests were symptomatic of the poverty and underdevelopment of the Bulgarian state. For this reason, the Bulgarians are leaving their country in droves. According to statistics of the European Statistical Office, the number of Bulgarians shrank from 2001 to 2011 from 8.15 to 7.33 million. Martens criticized the position paper of the German Association of Cities for an ambiguous naming of the problem.“ While the integration of ethnic Bulgarian (and Romanian) immigrants usually proceeds without significant difficulties, the migration of Roma creates significant problems.” This statement is not acceptable from an RCP’s perspective. Although it may not have been intentionally aiming at a blanket condemnation of all Rroma, as a principle an ethnic representation of an issue is always decidedly to be questioned. Representing the problematic immigrants as Rroma may, in Martens’ view help finding a solution, but ethnic representation and categorisation is always dangerous. This is why, on the other hand, the careful wording of the German Association of Cities is clearly welcomed.

On needs to criticise the Articles of Staat (2013), which reproduces the stereotype of rich Rroma kings who live on the exploitation of Rroma children. As a source, a social worker Norbert Ceipeck is named. He tells of his experiences in Romania, an expertise which is not in doubt. In particular, he details the estate of a Rroma King whose wealth solely stems from the exploitation of Rroma under him. Children were taken away from their parents and taught to steal or even forced into prostitution. The existence of such Rroma chiefs is actually not that clear, as noted by Martens (2013). There are indeed hierarchical relationships and dependencies, but professionally organized exploitation systems, organised by Rroma exploiting other Rroma highly doubtful. These are more an exception to the rule rather than the norm. Speaking of Rroma kings facilitiates the cliché of exploited underlings at the mercy of a chief, exploiting each others, and as such also partly responsible for their own misery:

The children take the long-distance bus to Western Europe und groups of three to five. Each group is accompanied by a woman. Ceipek calls these women “wardens”. Before the groups depart, middlemen organize the accommodations at the destination. The middlemen are also Roma and as the couriers and wardens belong to the inner circle of clan chiefs. […] The clan chief finds ways to entrap the parents of children in ever more debt. When the girls are older, 15 or 16, they are sold to another clan. The new clan pays a large sum, but he expects the girls that they give birth to many children. “The girls literally have to produce children” says Ceipek. Just so does the business model keep  running (Staat 2013).

Such statements are, even if they want to denounce poverty, are simply as racist towards the Rroma as the repetition of the standard stereotypes.

The report by Weuster (2013) is satisfied with the context-free playback of crimes that were committed by Slovak Rroma on a house in Mülheim. She notes: “Within days, seven Roma refugees ravaged an empty house in Mülheim. burnt wooden banister, ripped conduits from the walls, used rooms as a toilets and garbage dump.” That she might raise ethnic hatred and xenophobia appears unbeknownst to the author.

The same can be said of the article by Brücher / Xanthopoulos (2013). Titles such as “In 7 out of 10 thefts and burglaries, Roma are the perpetrators” can only be described as racist and amateurish. Every journalist should be aware that that making a connection between ethnicity and delinquent behaviour is inherently racist. This should be obvious, even without studying sociology or anthropology.

Kiewels (2013) article, “I am Rom – and did it” gives the impression that most of the Rroma are hostile to education and illiterate. The success story of Jane Simon, who managed to make he baccalaureate (A-levels) by studying in evening classes is to be welcomed especially since currently there are many negative messages on Rroma in the press, but the contextualization of the article is unfortunate. Ex negativo, the article reinforces the negative stereotypes against Rroma.

The Bild newpaters continued its series with an article called “The Truth about the Roma,” (Bild 2013). In this recent article it identifies six so-called truths about the Rroma in Germany: 1. There was no mass immigration. This finding must be greeted, as statistics did not consider seasonal workers and leavers. Moreover, the term “mass immigration” is a question of definition. From what number onwards does one o speak of mass immigration? 2. Many cities are overwhelmed and have to prevent extortion and excesses. This should not be denied, but it must be stressed that these events have nothing to do with Rroma per se. 3. Crime is increasing: 2011 crime statistics listed 26,348 Romanians and 10,960 Bulgarians criminals. How many of them are Rroma is not recorded. The importance of the last statement should be emphasized. Wilfully making connection between ethnicity and criminal activities is unnecessary and racist. 4. The countries of origin are the problem, because Romanians and Bulgarians are disproportionately at risk of poverty and Rroma are often marginalized. 5. Europe is failing in helping Rroma in South Eastern and Eastern Europe, with many unsuccessful programs. We clearly agree on points 4. and 5. 6. About half of the Rroma cannot read or write. This number, coming out of an EU statistics, stating that only 42% of Rroma are likely to finish the elementary school, may be true, but begs the question on how the overall number of Rroma (i.e. the total was determined, as this number in itself is subject to discussion). It is nevertheless very questionable to reaffirm in this way the stereotype that Rroma are illiterate. We cannot agree with this statement.

The Rroma debate in Germany is also misused by far-right parties in Germany to fuel hatred, as the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports. The faction Pro NRW (North Rhine Westphalia) is planning to march in front of several refugee camps to protest what they deem to be an abuse of asylum. This rightist party uses the heated debate to stir up their racist views (Schmalenberg 2013).

The TAZ (Jacob 2013) reports on the problem of invisible Rroma in Germany. The article describes the life of the Rroma interpreter Diana S., who, in spite of professional success conceals her origins. She talks about the open rejection she experienced in Romania, where she was ostracized at school, despite excellent performance and where she was discriminated against. Also in Hamburg, where she now lives, she keeps her Rroma origin for herself. Too negative was the experience when she revealed her Rroma identity to some friends.

The newspaper “Die Zeit” reported on the work of the Hungarian Rroma activist István Forgács (Bota 2013). Forgács grew up in a Hungarian town near the border with Austria. His family benefited from the financial skill of his father during the collapse of the socialist system. He went to the university and worked for renowned organizations. Today he runs his own counselling centre for Rroma issues. Forgács calls for greater commitment on both sides: both the Gadje (non-Rroma) and the Rroma have to do more for a successful coexistence. Exactly as in the current debate in Germany. Contrary to may other experts, he sees the problem not as poverty issue but renames clearly as a Rroma one: on “Stop to call it poverty. We do not need more money for social inclusion, but for Roma projects. Roma Fund. Best a Roma Bank, which lends money to the states for 20 years for their local Roma projects.” He sees the necessity for Rroma to change their image, so that the rooted hatred they suffer from finally abates. This is why Roma projects are so important.

According to the report of Soldt (2013) of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the immigrants in Mannheim they examined, contrary to what many German media and politicians state are not just Rroma, but are members of the Turkish minority from Bulgaria. The Rroma, which in Neckarstadt-West represented from seven to nine per cent rather came from France, from where they left due to Sarkozy’s policies against Rroma. Mannheim wants to use language courses and “low-key integration proposals” for the integration of migrants. 20% of immigrants hold a university degree, 40% have a vocational qualification, and most Bulgarian immigrants are highly motivated to work. It is very important to keep them away from the shadow economy.

Sternberg (2013) from the Märkischen Allgemeine paper writes about the so-called “Rroma houses” in Neukölln. In most of these, Rroma are exploited by corrupt landlords, and only in a few did charities provide decent conditions. Sternberg’s article is in line with the general hysteria over mass immigration: Mafia-like structures are the rule, Rroma are systematically exploited and still come in droves to Germany because they here for take advantage of social care. The article provides no real new views to the debate, but confirms the conservative fears about the negative impact of immigration.

Jürgs (2013) provides a summary discussion of the talk show Maischberger on poverty immigration. He reports a strong clash between the CDU politician Wilfried Scharnagl and Rroma activists Hamze Bytyci. Scharnagl demands a visa regime and laments at the lack of EU intervention. The Integration Minister Guntram Schneider criticizes the in his view incompetent federal action regarding immigration. The activist Michael Will Hard criticized politicians for rejecting responsibility and for putting the blame on EU and on the Federal government. Concrete concepts are in demand. This is also request by the author Özlem Gezer of the Spiegel, who proposed intensive years in education and language for immigrants. The show was more of a political slugfest rather than a forum for concrete and fruitful proposals. 

Sources:

  • Berliner Zeitung (2013) Migrationsforscher warnt vor Abschottung gegen Roma. In: Berliner Zeitung vom 2.3.2013.
  • Bild (2013) Die 6 Wahrheiten über die Roma in Deutschland. In: Bild Zeitung vom 6.3.2013.
  • Bota, Alice (2013) „Das sage ich euch als Zigeuner“. In: Die Zeit vom 28.2.2013.
  • Brücher, J. / Xanthopoulos G. (2013) Bei 7 von 10 Diebstählen und Einbrüchen sind Roma die Täter. In: Bild Zeitung vom 8.3.2013.
  • Frigelj, Kristian (2013) „Mit Zugug der Roma prallen Welten aufeinander“. In: Die Welt vom 25.2.2013.
  • Focus (2013) Zwei Drittel der Deutschen wollen Zuwanderung begränzen. In: Focus vom 2.3.2013.
  • Frasch, Timo (2013) „Deutschland muss viel mehr Druck ausüben“. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 24.2.2013. 
  • Jakob, Christian (2013) Keiner weiss, dass wir Roma sind“. In: TAZ vom 7.3.2013.
  • Jürgs, Alexander (2013) Ex-“Bayernkurier”-Chef rechnet mit der EU ab. In: Die Welt vom 27.2.2013.  
  • Kiewels, Maximilian (2013) Ich bin Roma – und habe es geschafft. In: Bild Zeitung vom 5.3.2013.
  • Kling, Claudia (2013) Die Roma werden zum Sündenbock gemacht. In: Schwäbische Zeitung vom 8.3.2013.
  • Martens, Michael (2013) Exodus aus Bulgarien. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 18.2.2013.
  • Martens, Michael (2013) Es gibt keinen Zigeunerkönig. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 4.3.2013.
  • Schmalenberg, Detlef (2013) Auf der Jagd nach Feinbildern. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger vom 8.3.2013.
  • Schmidt, Ingo (2013) Immer mehr Roma kommen nach Duisburg – Stadt fordert Hilfe. In: Der Westen (WAZ) vom 1.3.2013.
  • Soldt, Rüdiger (2013) Auf dem Arbeiterstrich. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 6.3.2013.
  • Staat, Yvonee (2013) Elend als Geschäftsmodell. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 24.2.2013.
  • Sternberg, Jan (2013) Wohnprojekte in Berlin für Roma vom Balkan. Märkische Allgemeine vom 8.3.2013.
  • Thorpe, Nick (2013) „Wir dreckigen Zigeuner“ – Das Elend der Roma. In: Die Welt vom 23.2.2013.
  • Voigts, Hanning (2013) „Die Aufregung ist konstruiert“. In: Berliner Zeitung vom 25.2.2013.
  • Weuster, Katrin (2013) Roma haben mein Haus verwüstet. In: Bild Zeitung vom 5.3.2013. 
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22.02.2013 Politicization of the Westward Migration of Rroma from Southeast Europe

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A hysteria on the mass immigration of Rroma from Bulgaria and Romania has broken up in Germany in expectation of the impeding 2014 relaxation on the freedom of movement with those two countries and the EU. A wealth of articles have been published in recent days about the predicted or already happening mass immigration, a selection of which is discussed below. The immigration of people from southeast Europe has become a political issue, as you can see from contradictory statistics and emotionally charged statements. The fear is the potential increase in social spending and benefits for these poorly educated migrants. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the integration minister of North Rhine Westphalia, Guntram Schneider, warned about this issue (Burger 2013). German politicians are now calling Southeast European governments for dedicated steps to better integrate the Rroma.

Reinhard Veser (2013) General of the Frankfurter Zeitung writes about what he sees as a fact that all Roma in Southeast Europe – mainly Romania and Bulgaria – are marginalized and poor, which results in a large migration of Roma to Western Europe. He uses this insight, to call for a clear naming and representation of the “problem.” He states: “It is wrong when, on the debate on poverty immigration from Bulgaria and Romania, those who come are not named. Most of these people are Roma”

In addition to social programs in South East Europe on should help the German cities, which are affected by the poverty driven influx of Rroma, since the efforts to better integrate the Rroma in their countries of origin is not a big success.

Also “die Welt” reported in several articles about the seemingly increasing poverty driven migration of Rroma to Germany. Between 2007 and 2011 the number of migrants from Romania and Bulgaria had increased from 64,000 to 147,000. Most of them are Rroma and were often smuggled by organized traffickers to Germany, from where they would be exploited. As a result they are often forced to earn illegal income working for dumped wages, or in prostitution or begging. Many big cities are overwhelmed by this migration and are crying for help them up as petty crime has increased dramatically and residents start to feel alienated (Von Borstel 2013, Crolly/Frigelj 2013).

The Zurich Rroma Contact Point is amazed at the ability of journalists of recognized newspapers to regurgitate politically generated knowledge uncritically and without any hesitation, presenting it as scientific fact. Recognizing that many Rroma in Southeast Europe are living in poverty and exclusion is certainly to be agreed. But from a massive immigration – even a migration – of Rroma to Western Europe, and to call for dedicated countermeasures is highly problematic. The journalists are simply reproducing once more the common stereotypes about Rroma. They establish a clear link between ethnicity and socio-economic circumstances and thus discriminate against those Rroma who are well integrated and live in total integrity in their home countries. These invisible Rroma, who are not part of the media coverage, are thus made part of one-dimensional representation that portrays Rroma as discriminated economical refugees. That transnational migration requires great courage – leaving family and friends behind – is not addressed any more than the ethnicization a poverty problem.

This problem should be identified as a socio-economic paradigm and not as an ethnic and even less presented as one. Using the latter must inevitably leave one open for accusations of racism. In this regard, Verica Spasovska calls for a committed action of the EU in all Member States (Spasovska 2013).

Even the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung agrees to this chorus of laments on the apparent mass immigration of Southeast Europeans Rroma, resulting in astronomical increases of costs for the Social Department and in the aggravation of social conflicts. The numbers from the statistical office are not questioned at all (Hauser 2013).

It needs to be noted that people, regardless of their origins, are not entitled to social assistance, “if they have not been paid in the social system by having a regular job” (Reichmuth 2013). This fact is not considered at all in the emotional debate.

The Migazin (2013) criticized the numbers of Federal Statistical Office on the immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria as inaccurate. While it is true that 147,000 people had migrated in 2011 from Romania and Bulgaria to Germany, but out of that number, a large amount of people leaving Germany needs to be excluded. If those leavers are taken into account, only 58’350 people from the countries concerned immigrated to Germany, a massively smaller number. In addition, the statistics of the Federal Department included many temporary workers would should not be counted as permanent residents.

Torsten Krauel (2013) is outraged at the apparently special treatment of Roma families in major German cities and calls for the equal treatment of all EU citizens, regardless of ethnicity. Else the “resilience of the state towards the behaviour of some Roma families could be a starting point for anti-European sentiments.” He further postulates a mass immigration of Rroma families to German social services offices, which is “not a God given state of affairs” and always talks of the so-called “Roma issue”. The article emphasizes the diversity of life among Rroma, but pours in his portrayal a collage of stereotypes, tells of Roma kings and draconian force in extended families. He notes:

The Roma families […] live in their own universe. At the same time, they are the freest and least free people of Europe. They consider themselves not bound to any State to law and have no loyalties except to their own […] The world of the Roma is as varied as ours, their values ​​are glamorous or as harsh as before in the Middle Ages – and in some of their extended families [these values] are not compatible with the ideas embodied by the Civil Code. Yes, there are child gangs. Yes, there are criminal clans. And yes, there are also large families that are not noticed by such offences. The latter are potential allies against the excesses [of others].

Although Mr Krauel, in his descriptions of the “Rroma world,” tries to give a differentiated representation of the facts, it is surprising how decisively he represents the “otherness” of the values ​​of the Rroma. The statement “They do not consider themselves bound by any state, law and have no loyalties except their own” is a crass defamation and pretentious ascription of identity to an ethnic group that can only be described as racist. It constructs the Rroma intentionally as the opposite and negation of the so-called loyal and compliant values​​. The addition of  “freedom in its positive aspect” to these statements doesn’t change much to them. He thus assignes Rroma a blanket identity of self-imposed exclusion, whereas in fact, this is  a history of foreign exclusion. Mr. Krauel writes that the Rroma value measures are “glamorous and harsh as before in the Middle Ages.” This evolutionary portrayal of the values ​​of the Rroma as an anachronism is deeply patronizing. It defames all those Rroma who are well integrated and live an integer life in European societies. Those invisible Rroma he mentions only marginally. The idea that the majority of Rroma live under the influence of regional Roma kings, can only be deemed totally absurd. At the beginning of the article, Mr. Krauel says that what was happening in German cities is not xenophobia. What he writes in this article, however, is.

The SPD politician Martin Korol (2013) recently published a paper on the “Roma in Bremen” on his webpage. In it he refers to what he deems as a striking increase  of the West migration of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma to Bremen. They are coming by families, by whole clans, not for political reasons but “because of the poverty in their country and the opportunity here to live in a warm and dry enough place, to eat to satiation and in case of emergency, to have medical treatment.” Like the majority of German media, he sees the Romanian and Bulgarian Roma as economical refugees. That in itself is not to be condemned. However, there are preposterous statements, now deleted in the newest version, in which he states that Rroma “take their daughters out of school […] to force-wed them,” and that young Rroma men “melt their brains away with adhesive fumes brain away […]. The prospect that each Rrom contributes to GNP or even to his own pension or mine “is” null” (Schirrmeister 2013) Even the current version of the text still has racist statements like, “But it amazes me now that Bremen suddenly discovered its love for Roma, who socially and intellectually still live in the Middle Ages, in an ancient patriarchal society in a way that raises the strongest concern among every party, every church and every association in Germany in general and particularly in Bremen.”

The rest of the text contains a correspondence between Korol and a person responsible for immigration in Bremen. In it, he is annoyed at the blatant disinterest, in his opinion, for the house that he wanted to give for temporary migrants. Korol is actually staging himself as a misunderstood benefactor for immigrants from South-eastern Europe.

The SPD chief of Bremen distanced himself decidedly from Korol’s paper and stated that this position was in no way in line with the social democratic values. Also, the The Rroma Contact Point can only vehemently condemn Korol’s statements and  even denounce the malicious defamation that his blog partially contains. That such statements can be made by an SPD politician in Germany is very surprising and offensive.

Sources:

  • Burger (2013) Armutsmigration wird zunehmen. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 21.2.2013.
  • Crolly, Hannelore / Kristian, Frigelj (2013) Roma in Deutschland – ausgebeutet, illegal, kriminell. In: Die Welt vom 21.2.2013. 
  • Hauser, Jan (2013) Dortmund rechnet mit Millionenkosten für Roma. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 21.2.2013.
  • Korol, Martin (2013) Roma in Bremen. In: http://www.martinkorol.de [22.2.2013]
  • Krauel, Torsten (2013) Gleiches Recht für alle in der Roma-Frage! In: Die Welt vom 22.2.2013.  http://www.welt.de/113817150 
  • Migazin (2013) Keine Belege für Armutszuwanderung aus Rumänien und Bulgarien. In: http://www.migazin.de/2013/02/22/keine-belege-fur-armutszuwanderung-aus- bulgarien-und-rumanien/ [22.2.2013].
  • Reichmuth, Christop (2013) Angst vor Armutseinwanderung. In: Neue Luzerner Zeitung vom 19.2.2013.
  • Schirrmeister (2013) SPD-Abgeordneter hetzt gegen Roma. In: TAZ vom 21.2.2013.
  • Spasovska, Verica (2013) Arme Roma – Ein Problem das Europa gemeinsam lösen sollte. In: Deutsche Welle vom 21.2.2013.
  • Veser, Reinhard (2013) Armutseinwanderung Roma. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 22.2.2013.
  • Von Borstel, Stefan (2013) Roma-Zuwanderung – Großstädte schlagen Alarm. In: Die Welt vom 16.2.2013.
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The toughening of the begging laws through a political initiative in Lausanne happens in the context of increased public disfavour towards systematic begging. Several newspapers of the francophone part of Switzerland write about the hardening of the jurisdiction against organised begging. The new legislation is the result of a counterproposal to a public initiative against begging, started by middle and right wing parties.

Most of the journalists of the articles see Rroma as main target of this undertaking, which are perceived as professional beggars. That it is morally questionable to name people of ethnic groups in connection with criminal activities is not problematized. Neither is there made any separation between ethnic membership and socio-economic circumstances.

The toughening of the begging laws is not supposed to criminalize poverty but to prevent organized mendacity. The new legislation will prohibit begging in public transportation, next to trains stations and shops, administration buildings, museums and cash machines. It will further criminalize organized begging and mendacity in company or with the use of children. The government of Lausanne is also planning to foster the education of Rroma in Romania through a school project of “Terre des hommes” and implements an information campaign about the situation of the Rroma.

How it can be so certainly said that all organized begging is down by Rroma, is not problematized. The responsible parties and journalists don’t seem aware of the complexity of ethnic membership and its identification. The RCP therefore recommends to use national affiliation instead of ethnic membership, when it seems necessarily to label beggars according to their origins, even tough also national labels can be negatively politicized.

Véra Tchérémissinoff of the organization “Opre Rroma” criticizes the criminalization of begging, arguing that Rroma in Lausanne already now have to pay fines for camping wildly and other minor offences and this scheme won’t solve the source why people beg. Left wing party members criticized, that the new legislation will criminalize begging down out of poverty, since the distinction of organized and “normal” begging is difficult to determine.

Sources:

  • Audétat, Daniel / Prin, Mehdi-Stéphane / Trotta, David (2013) Lausanne rend la vie impossible aux mendiants. In: 24heures vom 6.2.2013.
  • Audétat, Daniel (2013) Lausanne rend la vie impossible aux mendiants. In: Tribune de Genève vom 6.2.2013.
  • Audétat, Daniel (2013) La mendicité entre bonne et mauvaise consience. In: 24heures vom 5.2.2013.
  • Bournoud, Renaud (2013) Lausanne doit passer la théorie à la practique. In: 24heures vom 7.2.2013.
  • La Liberté (2013) Lausanne durcit le ton. In: La Liberté vom 6.2.2013.
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01.02.2013 Political Correctness and Minorities Names

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Kathrin Spoerr of “Die Welt” elaborates about the use of terms ascribed to minorities and the political correctness or incorrectness inherent in them. She takes the example of one of her daughters, who disguises herself in the kindergarten as Gypsy, for a project about different children from the world. The teacher of the catholic kindergarten gets problem with her supervisor, when designating the children as “Zigneuner”, which the supervisor sees as politically incorrect. For Spoerr, the use of the term itself isn’t the problem, but the intention of how it is used. When persons, children or adults, use terms for ethnic groups and use them in connection with pejorative, negative attributions, the term becomes a negative meaning. Spoerr therefore pleads for less political correctness and more intelligence and reflection, when talking about other people, no matter of what origin.

Source:

  • Spoerr, Kathrin (2013) Das darf man doch nicht sagen! In: Die Zeit vom 31.1.2013.
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01.02.2013 Verdict Acknowledges Segregation of Rroma Children in Hungary

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According to the Hungarian minister responsible for the situation of the Rroma, there is no discrimination of Rroma in Hungary, neither is there a segregation of Rroma children in Hungarian schools. A verdict by a north-Hungarian court acknowledges now officially that the segregation of Rroma children is illegal. The verdict recognised that Rroma children are regularly positioned in lower classes than other children, discriminated during lunch hours, swimming lessons and public school events.

According to the Pester Lloyd, the discrimination of Rroma children is an established practice in Hungary, with a tradition of several decades. It often gets initiated by parents who don’t want their children to mix with Rroma children. This denial of good education keeps the unsatisfying situation of many Rroma in Hungary a status quo.

Source:

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25.01.2013 Rroma and Structural Violence

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The situation of many Rroma in different countries around Europe is closely connected to the sociological concept of “structural violence”. Structural violence is a term used by different social scientists to denote structures of repression of epistemological, political, economical and social nature, which keep the affected people from improving their livelihoods. In the case of Rroma, structural violence has the form of highly negative epistemological ascriptions, which hinder them from improving their circumstances, combined with a history of exclusion and disadvantage, which leave many of them in a kind of “devils circle” of hopelessness towards any major change. Paul Farmer defines ‘structural violence’ as follows:

“Structural violence is one way of describing social arrangements that put individuals and populations in harm’s way… The arrangements are structural because they are embedded in the political and economic organization of our social world; they are violent because they cause injury to people … neither culture nor pure individual will is at fault; rather, historically given (and often economically driven) processes and forces conspire to constrain individual agency. Structural violence is visited upon all those whose social status denies them access to the fruits of scientific and social progress (Farmer 1999: 79).

The concept is therefore closely linked to the notion of ‘agency’, which refers to the individual power of a single person in a social structure to perform his/her aspirations and affect his/her social environment. ‘Ageny’ also emanates from subjects, who are conditioned in the way they act, or perform an action. The idea that “the things they do are in some sense determined by the ways in which their identity has been constructed” (Ashcroft/Griffiths/Tiffin (2007: 6) refers to the idea that social possibilities of individuals or groups are linked to the identity fellow human beings ascribe them and the way people reconstruct their own identity between outside ascription and self-ascription of identity. In this reflections, it is important to consider that it is neither just individual agency and neither just the structure surrounding a person, that determines his/her destiny, but a complicated negotiation of the two. Bourdieu sees it as a dialectic between “externalizing ones agency”, and “internalizing the structure”, which is at work when constructing personal and group identity (Bourdieu 1990). 

In the case of Rroma, the structure – with which I want to denote the structure of society as well as knowledge which society produces and emanates about the Rroma – is today clearly still the dominating factor in the relationship of agency and structure. Individual and group actions of Rroma have contributed to improve their situation in society, but negative stereotypes and prejudices still continue to dominate them so strongly, that many Rroma have to life with their identity as a burden, rather than be proud of their identity. It is the task of all mankind and political and economical leaders in particular, to change the relationship of agency and structure in such a way, that individual persons, no matter of what origin, don’t have to feel powerless because of the strong overweight of structure over individual agency. Fostering equal access to education, working possibilities and financial means can be a step towards achieving this goal. 

As part of the institutionalized exclusion of Rroma in large parts of Western society, one can detect what Bauman calls the production of “human wate”, which is closely connected with the dangerous feeling of being redundant in and for society. Bauman pessimistically explains the feeling of humans who feel redundant in this world:

The others do not need you; they can do as well, and better, without you. There is no self-evident reason for being around and no justification for your claim to the right to stay around. To be declared redundant means to have been disposed of because of being disposable – just like the empty and not refundable plastic bottle or once-used syringe, an unattractive commodity with no buyers, or a substandard or stained product without use thrown off the assembly line by the quality inspectors. Redundancy shares its semantic space with ’rejects’, ’wastrels’, ’garbage’, ’refuse’ – with waste (Bauman 2004: 12).   

This dangerous feeling of being disposable for society because of exclusion and repression from educational, economic and political possibilities has to be seen as an inherent and major part «structural violence». From Bauman’s (2004) viewpoint, the systematic exclusion of people is a vital part of modernity and it’s production of order. It is in its simplest form the result of economic processes, which differentiate between useful and un-useful humans for production and consumption. In it’s more complex forms, the production of order is a form of “state racism”, which is the systematic evaluation of knowledge about people and its subsequent re-ascription, in the form of the differentiation of “useful” and “un-useful humans”. This differentiation is amongst others based on the dominant “stories”, which are told about groups of people. In case of the Rroma, the dominant tale is one of negative stereotypes, of intentional criminality and deliberate unwillingness towards integration. This “tale” is so deeply rooted in European history, that is dominates realistic scientific knowledge and statistical knowledge about Rroma, which would paint a different picture of Rroma realities. Rroma Realities are complex, diverse, fragmented, individual stories, which evade simple reduction. This approval of complexity has been termed “the postmodern condition” by Jean Francois Lyotard. For the case of Rroma, it means to acknowledge that there is not “the Rrom” as simple as there is not such a thing as “the Swiss” of “the Italian”. Most Rroma speak the language Rromanes, but some don’t. Some Rroma are Christians, some are Muslims, some are part of other religions. A few engage in criminal activities, but most of them don’t. When wanting to understand the reality behind the stereotypes about Rroma, it is important to acknowledge that there is no simple answer to the question of how Rroma really are. An individual destiny can never been reduced to simple labels.

Sources:

  • Ashcroft, Bill/Griffiths, Gareth/Tiffin, Helen (2007) Post-colonial studies. The key concepts. London/New York: Routledge Publisher.
  • Bauman, Zygmunt (2004) Wasted Lives. Modernity and its outcasts. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Bourdieu, Paul (1990), The Logic of Practice, Polity Press: Cambridge.
  • Farmer, Paul (1999) Infections and Inequalities. The modern plagues. Berkeley: University of California Press. 
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18.01.2013 Fostering Social Housing in Bosnia-Herzegovina

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Liechtenstein will foster education and public housing of Rroma in Bosnia-Herzegovina with 105’000 Swiss francs, helping the local international organization for refugees and migration aid (IMFH). According to the article, a big part of the aid money will be used to build facilities of the public housing program, which is aiming to improve the conditions of Rroma living in countryside, often under precarious hygienic conditions. From the viewpoint of the state of Liechtenstein, the housing program will also help to decrease migration movements to Western Europe, which are caused by social-economic hardships.

The educational program of the foundation “Kinderdorf Pestalozzi” is currently enabling around 5’000 Rroma children in Serbia and Macedonia to get a regular school education. The state of Liechtenstein is also fostering this program with a financial contribution (Lichtensteiner Vaterland 2013).

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18.01.2013 Criticism towards Czech Republic’s public school system and the discrimination of Rroma children

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A new study recently published by the ‘Open Society Justice Initiative’ criticizes the systematic disadvantage of Rroma children in Czech Republic’s public school system. The study emanates from the ‘D.H. and Others versus Czech Republic’ case: In 1999 18 Rroma children from Ostrava sued the Czech school system for systematic discrimination before the European Court of Human Rights. As a result, eight years later, the court declared the suit legitimate, demanding from the Czech state increased actions to stop the discrimination of Rroma children in the public school system. According to the publication, most Rroma children in the Czech Republic end up in inadequate, third-rate schools, making it very difficult for them to acquire advanced job opportunities and therefore inhibiting social advancement.

The children that were part of the ‘D.H. and Others versus Czech Republic’ case have grown up and look back to what has changed since the lawsuit was filed. Most of them come to a pessimistic conclusion, stating that despite some official statements and renaming of schools, the exclusion of Rroma children from public schooling remains an everyday practice. Several interview partners stated that discrimination came not as much from the other children attending the school but from teachers systematically judging and treating Rroma children badly. One method used to downgrade Rroma children is to declare them psychologically retarded. According to the report, this is a common way to exclude them from the public school system and therefore from social advancement. The former Commissioner for Human Rights of the European Union, Thomas Hammarberg, stated in his report «Human Rights of Roma and Travelers in Europe»: “with thousands of Roma children effectively excluded from the mainstream education system in the Czech Republic and condemned to a future as second class citizens every year… it is now time to speed up the implementation of the inclusive education agenda” (Open Society Justice Initiative 2012).

Source:

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11.01.2013 Gypsies and the anthropology of Enlightenment

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The literary scholar Klaus Michael Bogdal wrote a book about the representation of Rroma in European literature during the last centuries. Before, he intensely concerned himself with historical discourse analysis and Foucault (Bogdal 2011). He unfolds a story of the representation of Rroma in Europe from the Middle Ages to the present, in which he shows how they have always been constructed as an antipode to bourgeois values ​​in order to differentiate and depict oneself in opposition to them. The Roma were portrayed as savages, who live in an anachronistic, archaic society. Through depicting them as a «nomadic horde» in a state of nature, they became the antipodes of bourgeois values ​​and the source «a permanent civil war against state order» (Bogdal 2011: 162).

The images that are evoked about them – which rarely have to do anything with reality – were passed down over centuries through literature and oral tradition. Negative literary descriptions were often used as ethnographic facts and further disseminated. All the pejorative stereotypes that are attributed to the Rroma – that they are thieves, children robbers, vagabonds, spies for the Ottomans – constitute a form of negative dialectics, a form of domination of men over men through knowledge. In this case, the quality of knowledge plays a secondary role. For the public it doesn’t matter if the negative stereotypes correspond to reality, but that they become the dominant narrative about the Rroma, which dominates all other narratives. This form of disciplining of humans through knowledge by misattribution is also called «epistemological violence». Bogdal states: «Die Argumentation der Kontrahenten ist weniger durch den Willen zum Wissen, als durch deutende Gewalt charakterisiert. In ihren Abhandlungen erzwingen sie die Lesbarkeit des Fremden, Anderen, indem sie dessen Zeichen nahezu beliebig innerhalb des eigenen Verstehenshorizontes deuten“ (Bogdal 2011: 146).

Miss-ascription of knowledge about the Roma was not confined to verbal forms of racism and social exclusion and discrimination, but was applied to control them. In Switzerland one used the knowledge about them, to identify, intern and chastise them. As part of the initiative “Kinder der Landstrasse” hundreds of Roma and Yenish were taken away their children and placed in orphanages, psychiatric and educational institutions or foster families. In several lectures the fascist attitude of the supervisor Alfred Siegfried became evident. However, he remained head of the organization until shortly before the dissolution in 1973. He continued to separate children from their parents, order sterilizations and internments in psychiatric hospitals and thereby made the lives of many Roma and Yenish an agony. The Rroma children were often declared mentally incompetent and therefore remained in the power of the patronizing organization (Meier 2003).

In Germany, institutionalized pejorative knowledge was distributed about them – based on pseudo-scientific racial theories that were then classified as science  – which allowed their systematic murder by the Nazis. Bogdal emphasizes that it is not knowledge about the Roma that allowed their exclusion and extinction, but the power to enforce a certain knowledge about them. He states: «Es ist also nicht das Wissen über die Zigeuner, das bestimmte staatliche Gewaltmassnahmen erforderlich erscheinen lässt, sondern ist umgekehrt nach 1933 die Macht vorhanden, ein bestimmtes Wissen in allen gesellschaftlichen und staatlichen Bereichen weitgehend durchzusetzen» (Bogdal 2011: 337). One accuses the Rroma of the destruction of the foundations of society, caused by their lack of possessions and differing lifestyle. Through this they would illegitimately demand the work of the majority. Poverty is therefore criminalized a declared a stigma. One also attributes them hereditary criminality and begins to physically measure them. In the wake of the Nazi extermination policy «actions should no longer prevented, but lives exterminated» (Bogdal 2011: 340). State racism, which builds on the deviation of a defined norm, and decides over «useful» and «useful« lives as form of biopolitics, becomes and institutionalized variable. Positive knowledge about the Rroma, as produced by the Enlightenment anthropology and ethnography, which propagate for the integration of the Roma, remain unheard. Bogdal sees a supremacy of the positivist sciences, which have dedicated themselves to progression and applied knowledge, but unfortunately create a form of negative dialectics through unethically applying their knowledge. He states: «Die beiden für die Wahrnehmung und Verortung der epochalen Wissensformationen, die aufklärerische Anthropologie und die Ethnographie, brachten vor allem in ihren philosophischen und kulturhistorischen Dimensionen immer auch positive Aspekte zur Sprache und zogen, wenn auch nur für kurze Momente, die Möglichkeit einer Assimilation und Integration in Erwägung. Hingegen haben ausgerechnet die modernen, sich dem gesellschaftlichen Fortschritt und der praktischen Anwendung verschreibenden Wissenschaften der ersten Jahrhunderthälfte die Politik der Verfolgung, Ausgrenzung und Vernichtung bewusst befördert und gerechtfertigt» (Bogdal 2011: 342).

Source:

  • Bogdal, Klaus-Michael (2011) Europa erfindet die Zigeuner. Eine Geschichte von Faszination und Verachtung. Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag.
  • Meier, Thomas (2003) Hilfswerk Kinder der Landstrasse. In: Becker, Helena Kanyar (Hrsg.) Jenische, Sinti und Roma in der Schweiz. Basel: Schwabe & Co, S. 19–38.
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