Tag Archives: Roma

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03.10.2014 European Antiracist Grassroots Movement calls for more commitment for the Rroma

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On the occasion of the proclamation of the “Rroma Pride” day of October the 5th, Abtan (2014) of the anti-racism organization “European Grassroots Antiracist Movement” calls for more commitment of all forces operating in Europe to reduce the discrimination against the Rroma minority. On the initiative of the organisation and in cooperation with local Rroma associations, days of action will be held in various European countries. Abtan uses the Czech concentration camp Lety as an example that the recognition of the Rroma and their history is until today not sufficient. At the site of the former camp, where an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Rroma were murdered, there is a pig farm, which was built during the Soviet rule. Again and again, Rroma organisations have asked for the demolition of the farm and the creation of an appropriate monument: “What does the defilement of the location of Lety tell us? It is the attempt to erase a past that [allegedly] did not happen. The indifference to certain sufferings of certain individuals. The relationship between the past genocide and the racist violence today. It tells us a story of commitment to remember. A revival of dignity and solidarity with which human rights activists, Roma and non-Roma, have organised the first European memorial on site. 18 countries were represented. It tells us about the shared sense of belonging to Europe, about the common love of the values ​​of democracy. The defilement of Lety tells us a part of the current history of Europe. However, across the continent, there are racist acts of violence perpetrated against Roma.” That’s why the fight against the continued injustices against the Rroma is so important, so that the younger generation may have a better future, which is not shaped by hopelessness and discrimination (compare Abtan 2014/II).

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03.10.2014 Journalism prize for article on the genocide of Czech Rroma

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The article by journalist Silvie Lauder (2014) on the genocide of Rroma from the Czech Republic gives attention to a little addressed historical event and shows the importance of moral courage against collectively committed injustices: “Seventy years ago Czech and Slovak Roma embarked on a grim path to nearly complete annihilation. In the spring and summer of 1943, 4,500 Roma were shipped off to the so-called Gypsy camp in Auschwitz: one-third were from camps in Lety and Hodonin, in the south and southwest of the country, and two-thirds were taken from their homes. The fates of local Roma remain one of the least investigated chapters of the war, and one part of this story is completely unknown – that some Roma survived the Nazi attempt at extermination thanks to the help of “white people.”” At this point, one needs to comment that the genocide would not have been possible without the collaboration of the Czech authorities, who cooperated with the regime of the National Socialists, or at least obeyed them. Even before the rise of the Nazis, laws against Rroma were adopted in the Czech Republic: in 1927, the Czech Parliament initiated a law against “wandering gypsies” that forced them to register themselves with fingerprints and henceforth forbade them to enter certain areas. A detailed description of the experiences of survivors, who survived the Holocaust thanks to the help of dedicated individuals follows. Nevertheless Lauder comes to a bleak conclusion: “Twenty thousand of the 23,000 European Roma who went through the Gypsy camp did not survive. Czech and Moravian Roma, after German and Austrian Roma, made up the second-largest group and on them the Nazi persecution fell with the most terrifying strength. “The majority of adults were killed along with entire families and clans, and with them their family traditions, customs, music, songs, and stories were lost,” notes Vlasta Kladivova in the book, The Last Stop: Auschwitz-Birkenau. “There was no one left to pass them on to.””

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03.10.2014 Journalism prize for article on the genocide of Czech Rroma

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The article by journalist Silvie Lauder (2014) on the genocide of Rroma from the Czech Republic gives attention to a little addressed historical event and shows the importance of moral courage against collectively committed injustices: “Seventy years ago Czech and Slovak Roma embarked on a grim path to nearly complete annihilation. In the spring and summer of 1943, 4,500 Roma were shipped off to the so-called Gypsy camp in Auschwitz: one-third were from camps in Lety and Hodonin, in the south and southwest of the country, and two-thirds were taken from their homes. The fates of local Roma remain one of the least investigated chapters of the war, and one part of this story is completely unknown – that some Roma survived the Nazi attempt at extermination thanks to the help of “white people.”” At this point, one needs to comment that the genocide would not have been possible without the collaboration of the Czech authorities, who cooperated with the regime of the National Socialists, or at least obeyed them. Even before the rise of the Nazis, laws against Rroma were adopted in the Czech Republic: in 1927, the Czech Parliament initiated a law against “wandering gypsies” that forced them to register themselves with fingerprints and henceforth forbade them to enter certain areas. A detailed description of the experiences of survivors, who survived the Holocaust thanks to the help of dedicated individuals follows. Nevertheless Lauder comes to a bleak conclusion: “Twenty thousand of the 23,000 European Roma who went through the Gypsy camp did not survive. Czech and Moravian Roma, after German and Austrian Roma, made up the second-largest group and on them the Nazi persecution fell with the most terrifying strength. “The majority of adults were killed along with entire families and clans, and with them their family traditions, customs, music, songs, and stories were lost,” notes Vlasta Kladivova in the book, The Last Stop: Auschwitz-Birkenau. “There was no one left to pass them on to.””

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03.10.2014 Athens: attempted eviction of a Rroma camp leads to protests

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Kemmos (2014) reports on an attempted eviction of an informal Rroma settlement in Halandri, a suburb of Athens. The Rroma who, according to the journalist, have been living on the private grounds since 40 years, shall now be evicted, following a decision by the ministry of interior. They were offered a site in Megara, a town forty kilometres east of Halandri. However, the inhabitants of the settlement do not want to move voluntarily to the new location. Firstly, the new site is not yet habitable, and on the other hand, they have set up small businesses in Halandri, such as the recycling of metal, and have a social network there. Upon the police’s appearance, the residents reacted by erecting barricades: “But the residents of the camp, supported by the mayor, decidedly resist. Entrenched in the inside, they organise the defence. The demolition operation that was planned for this morning did not take place. Forty residents of the camp of Halandri, located in the northeast of Athens, were able to block the arrival of the police cars by setting up barricades on the main access roads, producing significant traffic congestion at the entrance to the capital. At another entrance of the camp, trash and tires were set on fire, which forced the evacuation teams to make a U-turn.” The further fate of the settlement is still unclear. In Greece, according to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, there are 200,000 to 300,000 Rroma. Quite a few of them have training, a job, and a flat. Rroma belong to all social classes, but are indeed particularly affected by poverty and discrimination (compare Citizenside France 2014, Okeanews 2014, Press TV).  

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03.10.2014 Stereotypes: homeless Rroma-immigrants in London

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Miller (2014) reports on homeless Rroma-immigrants in London for the tabloid Daily Mail. The facts are presented with as a result, the creation of the stereotypical image of a group of poorly educated Eastern Europeans that are on welfare and do not want or cannot integrate. It is said: “Complaints from local residents and businesses include reports of Eastern European gangs begging, washing in fountains, dumping rubbish, and defecating in public. Speaking last month Mayfair hairdresser Hakan Altay’s said the problem has been worse for his business than the economic crash. He said: ‘My business is down 20 per cent because of these gypsies. It didn’t affect us straight away, but it’s slowly killing it. Every single day we have problems.” Repeatedly, by reporting about Rroma – or supposed Rroma – that cause trouble, a one-sided notion of the minority is conveyed. This stereotype corresponds to the polemics of right-wing nationalist parties who have repeatedly warned of a mass immigration of Rroma into the British welfare state. The fact that this is a minority of the minority, is not reported. Rroma belong to all social classes. According to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, 90,000 to 120,000 Rroma live in the UK, often for generations. Most of them are integrated, have a job and their own flats.

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03.10.2014 Martigues: threatened eviction of a house occupied by Rroma

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Info Maritima (2014) reports on the threatened eviction of an empty house occupied by Rroma in Martigues. Martigues is a port town, 30 kilometres west of Marseille. The building is owned by the agency for environment, facilities and accommodation (DEAL), which has requested the eviction. The judiciary has approved the request, and ordered the eviction of the around 40 people within a month. It also points out that in the near future, a bypass is planned at the site of the building, and that the security of the place is not guaranteed. On the opposite side, the affected Rroma and their supporters point out that all children of the families are enrolled in local schools. The adults continue to educate themselves, have employment contracts, or are enrolled at the employment agency. An eviction would hinder these integration efforts with new obstacles that don’t foster an inclusion of the immigrant Rroma and significantly complicate their chances to a better future: “The young Simonia, 14 years old, did not speak French five years ago. Today, she speaks the language and leads the normal life of a grammarschool. “Everything is going well at school. I have friends. For me it is important to study, because I do not want to have the same life as my parents do. I want to have a job and my own house.” Because they support and guide a community that wants to integrate, the collective of supporters demands a longer time frame [for evacuation] at the meeting with the provincial office next Monday.” Once more, one needs to emphasise that the forced evacuations of informal settlements or empty houses complicate the long-term integration of the Rroma immigrants. The evictions reverse the integration efforts of those affected or exacerbate them. The rigorous expulsion of the minority reflects the unwillingness of the French government to engage in an active integration policy. In addition, through the one-sided media focus on the informal settlements it is suggested that there are only Rroma who belong to the underclass and are poorly educated. However, the Rroma from the slums – an estimated 17,000 persons – constitute only a small part of all Rroma in France. According to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma live in France. These invisible Rroma are integrated, work, and have their own flats. They belong to the middle or even upper-class and are ignored by the French media, the public and politicians. For fear of discrimination, many of the integrated Rroma keep their identity a secret.

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03.10.2014 RACE in Europe Project: report on organised crime reproduces misinformation

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The research group “RACE in Europe Project”, a collaboration of several organisations which are involved in the fight against organised crime and trafficking, has presented a report on human trafficking in Europe for the purpose of criminal activities. The authors come to the conclusion that there is a serious lack of reliable information on the phenomenon. In spite of this acknowledged lack of reliable data, they arrive at very clear results: in many of the examined cases, the victims of trafficking for the purpose of criminal activities were identified by authorities as being perpetrators rather than as victims. Roma children are particularly often cited in this context. It is claimed that in the UK, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, but also in other European countries, Roma children are particularly affected by criminal networks: “The majority of persons trafficked to the UK for petty crimes, such as pick-pocketing and the sale of counterfeit goods, as well as for forced begging are from Central and Eastern Europe. Most are of Roma origin, and a high proportion are children. A host of socio-economic factors, such as high levels of poverty and discrimination in their countries of origin make Roma groups particularly vulnerable to trafficking. […] The RACE Project research identified that those who are most commonly trafficked for forced criminality and begging come from South-East Europe (many of them of Roma origin) and from South-East Asia (Vietnam and China)” (RACE in Europe Project 2014: 5, 11). As a reason for the high rate of Rroma among victims of human trafficking, the authors of the study name the increased vulnerability of the minority, which results from their discrimination and the consequential poor access to education, the labour market and public institutions. In addition, it is stated that extortionate loan sharks particularly affect members of the minority: “Debt bondage is cited as a major driver of trafficking. While some Roma communities will rely on neighbours (both Roma and non-Roma) for support, ‘their survival strategies are often for them to resort to informal money lenders (known as ‘kamatari’, essentially loan sharks), who charge exorbitant interest rates and use repressive measures to ensure payment’. These measures can include forcing them to undertake criminal acts such as begging or pick-pocketing, or to traffic their own children for the same purpose, in order to clear debts they may have accumulated” (RACE in Europe Project 2014: 13).

The characteristics of trans-nationally operating trafficker networks, as presented here, are questioned by research in social sciences. While their existence is not denied, their manifestation, number, omnipotence, and the motivations attributed to them have to be questioned. Ideological fallacies connected or even equated with ethnic groups such as the Rroma are often the source of those myths. Furthermore, connecting child trafficking to Rroma has to be critically examined. The stereotype of Rroma as child traffickers dates back to their arrival in Western Europe, and is in part based on the racist notion that Rroma actively recruit young people for their criminal gangs. Regarding the de facto trafficking of children, social science studies convey a more complex notion of this subject and point out that crimes such as incitement to beg and steal or alleged child trafficking are often permeated by various morals in the analysis and assessment by authorities, who don’t appropriately consider the perspectives and motivations of those affected, and instead force on them their own ideas of organised begging, criminal networks, or of child trafficking. Structural differences of the involved societies and the resulting reasons for a migration are given too little consideration. In reality, behind begging children there are simply often only impoverished families, in which the children contribute to the family income and who therefore do not correspond to bourgeois notions of a normal family and childhood. Furthermore, the incomes from begging are very modest, which makes it unattractive for actual organised crime (see Cree/Clapton/Smith 2012, O’Connell Davidson 2011, Oude Breuil 2008, Tabin et al 2012).

  • RACE in Europe Project (2014) Trafficking for Forced Criminal Activities and Begging in Europe. Exploratory Study and Good Practice Examples. Anti-Slavery online vom 30.9.2014. http://www.antislavery.org/includes/documents/cm_docs/2014/r/race_europe_report.pdf
  • Cree, Viviene E./Clapton, Gary/Smith, Mark (2012) The Presentation of Child Trafficking in the UK: An Old and New Moral Panic? In: Br J Soc Work 44(2): 418-433.
  • O’Connell Davidson, Julia (2011) Moving children? Child trafficking, child migration, and child rights. In: Critical Social Policy 31(3):454-477.
  • Oude Breuil, Brenda Carina (2008) Precious children in a heartless world? The complexities of child trafficking in Marseille. In: Child Soc 22(3):223-234.
  • Tabin, Jean Pierre et al. (2012) Rapport sur la mendicité « rrom » avec ou sans enfant(s). Université de Lausanne.
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01.10.2014 Rroma and Migration in Germany: discussion instead of polemics

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Dribbusch (2014), on the occasion of the nomination of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia as safe countries of origin, argues for more discussion culture rather than reductionist polemics. Unfortunately, she mixes economic migration and political asylum and does not questions enough, how these categories intermingle, blend, and are dealt with: “The economic integration of people who have come to stay, must be openly debated because a solely humanitarian appeal is not enough to create acceptance. The question is: should taxpayers in Germany be responsible for offering a Roma woman from Bulgaria and their children, or a young African from Chad, better life opportunities? The answer could be yes. But only if there is also integration assistance, that means, not only should asylum seekers been freed of [current] work interdictions, but should also been paid language courses and qualification measures. […] If one wants to open up new possibilities for a poverty policy, it is also appropriate to set limits. It is acceptable that Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia are now defined as “safe countries of origin”, to speed up the asylum process. The asylum applications from Serbia recently skyrocketed.” Dribbusch is right when she calls for more integration help that consist of concrete offers and not just acceptance. However, she conveys a very one-sided notion of the minority, if she portrays Rroma as “economic refugees”. She negates the well-educated migrants, as well as individual experiences of discrimination that exist spite the safety from political persecution. Moreover, Rroma only constitute a part of the migrants from the Southeast Europe. There are also a lot of ethnic Serbians, Macedonians, Bosnians and others, who migrate to Western Europe (compare Die Presse 2014, Kılıç 2014).  

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01.10.2014 Remembering instead of suppressing: addressing the Rroma Holocaust at German schools

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Mirwald (2014) reports on the work of Petra Rosenberg, chairman of the national association of German Sinti and Roma in Berlin-Brandenburg, as an expert on thematic days in German schools. Rosenberg continues the work of her father, Otto Rosenberg, which campaigned until his death for the equality of the Rroma and informed about the history of the minority: “the 62-year-old graduate teacher described the terrible experiences that her father documented in the book “The burning glass”. The young audience, who in the classroom is currently learning about the Third Reich, learned that Otto Rosenberg, who was one of the founding fathers of the civil rights movement of the Sinti and Roma in Germany, was able to write down his memories only in old age. Her father was a broken man, who was never able to work again. He woke up at night, cried and asked why he had survived as the only one of eleven siblings. “As a child I didn’t know anything. I only felt the grief, took his hand and cried with him”, Petra Rosenberg described scenes from her childhood. […] It was shocking to hear that doctors and scientists that had questioned and examined Otto Rosenberg in 1936 as race researchers in the camp Berlin-Malzahn, were able to practice after the war in Frankfurt am Main, and that the policeman who sent Otto Rosenberg to Auschwitz, later worked in Ludwigsburg as a detective in a high position.” Even after the war ended, discrimination against Rroma therefore continued, and it took the collective protest of many Holocaust survivors and their descendants, so that the injustices were finally officially recognized. Unfortunately, the prejudices about the minority continue until today, as the debate on the so-called “poverty immigrants” reveals.

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01.10.2014 Demagoguery against Rroma in the Internet

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Meier (2014) reports on open agitation against Rroma in a Facebook group from Duisburg. A user posted a wanted poster with a blurred photo, in which he claimed that two dark-haired, veiled women had tried to abduct a child. The offenders are Rroma, the initiator suggested. However, according to the police, theses accusations are unfounded: “The police sees the story, which reproduces the century-old stereotype of child-abducting “gypsies”, as invented. Nevertheless, the Facebook does not fail its purpose: “to Auschwitz”, “rape them”, “to the gas chamber”, these are comments under the “wanted poster”. It was shared about 6,000 within a few days, spread by other users. A stupid conflagration of hatred, having no consideration for the law, logic or spelling.” Meier sees the many affirmative responses to the inflammatory posting as a symptom of general, increasing xenophobia in Duisburg, that is not directly only towards, but in particular against Rroma. The inflammatory facebook group was in the meantime taken offline and an investigation for demagoguery was started. The accusations were not without impact, as the many supportive comments on the social network show, as well as similar expressions at town hall meetings. They stand in a tradition of negative stereotypes, which have been spread about the Rroma for centuries: already in the Middle-Ages, the minority was accused of abducting and trafficking children. It is thought provoking that these allegations still find so much response. In Germany, according to the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma. The majority are well integrated, work, send their children to school and live in apartments.

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01.10.2014 The French Rroma policy and the public image of the minority

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Media Part (2014) discusses the public perception and representation of Rroma in France, and its influence on the social interaction with the minority. The notion of Rroma is charged with so many negative attributes that already a small influx of Rroma provokes the anger of local residents. This disables an objective, unbiased interaction with members of the minority as well as policies aimed at integration: “The most often mentioned stereotypes may serve as evidence: these families, attracted by the wealth and the quality of our social security have behaviours not compatible with our lifestyles. Living off begging and theft, they contribute significantly to the growth of daily delinquency that enrages our fellow citizens. They lack hygiene, their collective behaviour makes their proximity unbearable. Their culture and their way of life do not allow, without exception, to integrate them into our society. They do not know or do not accept our rules. In short, for the good of one as the other, they must return to their countries.” This polemic, reductionist perspective Mediapart rightly condemns as intellectual arson that maintains the exclusion of the minority. The author calls for a paradigm shift away from polemical representations of the Rroma towards differentiated, respectful minority politics: “Whatever our faith, our political commitment, our affiliation, our heritage, our way of life, we have to show intelligence and awareness of the past. It is not naivety or pity, but our ability to tolerance and the recognition of the right to allow anyone to live with his/her idiosyncrasies.” In response to the accusation of a one-sided, racist representation, it is often argued that this is not based upon prejudices, but real tangible facts. The Rroma are made responsible for their marginalised status by their own behaviours. This justification is very dangerous as it represents exclusion and poverty as part of cultural characteristics, rather than recognising them as exclusion and poverty. In addition, many Rroma are well integrated and form part of the middle or even upper class. They are completely ignored in the public discourse about the minority. Most journalists do not recognise this last point.

Debot (2014) points out in his commentary to the article that despite the demand for a respectful minority policy, there is still the problem that one mostly speaks about but not with the minority. An adequate minority policy therefore requires a close dialogue with the concerned group. The problem of taking statements of individual Rroma as representative for all of them continues, and does not recognise the differences between the Rroma groups as well as individual opinions. This includes the recognition of stereotypes that cannot always be easily recognised and deconstructed as prejudices by outsiders.

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01.10.2014 Swiss funding, Northeast Hungary, and the discrimination against Rroma

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Odehnal (2014/I) reports on the current status of Swiss development projects in Northeast Hungary, in the city of Kazincbarcika. The region was awarded about 5 million francs for infrastructure projects and economic development: “The money from Switzerland was supposed to help in creating jobs: by creating corporations and by fostering tourism. In a business and incubator park in the centre, available jobs should be announced and young entrepreneurs should receive advice and assistance, for example in the form of cheaper offices. In the neighbouring village Sajókaza, the baroque castle ought to be renovated and expanded to a “meeting and talent centre”. In the former mining colony Rudabanya, the occurrence of bones of a 10 million old ancestor of man is planned to be expanded to an archaeological centre.” When Odehnal visited the region in 2012, all projects were initiated, and they had obtained tenders. When he now visited the city in September 2014, he found that not one of the planned projects had been realised. Some of those responsible refer to expensive tenders others refuse to provide information. Where infrastructure projects were actually implemented, as a water supply system in the city of Ozd, the pipes end in front of the Rroma quarter. The same thing in Sajókaza, where the European Union funded a sewerage system: “The lines stop where the Roma quarter begins. The local government does not want to improve the quality of living of Roma, says Tibor Derdek, head of the Buddhist Dr.-Ambekar-Gymnasium in Sajókaza, that wants to give Roma the possibility to go to highschool: “This is a corrupt, racist system in our community. And it works only with the support of the EU.”” Odehnal (2014/II) sees the reason for the lacking implementation of the Swiss projects in the selection of unsuitable partners, who prioritised the wrong things, as well as in the lack of on site control. The review takes only place on paper, he states. Odehnal’s articles are a direct repudiation of Hungarian bureaucracy, who is pursuing its own goals. As regards to the Rroma, it must be noted that although Rroma in Hungary are indeed affected by severe poverty, which has expanded massively since the end of the Soviet bloc and the state jobs, this is not representative of all members of the minority. Quite a few Rroma were able to successfully integrate into the new system, have jobs and belong to the middle class and some even to the upper class. They are not perceived as Rroma (compare Schindler 2014).

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01.10.2014 Lille: evacuation of an informal Rroma settlement

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Bergès (2014) reports on the evacuation of an informal Rroma settlement in Lille. Numerous families inhabited it. However, the journalist does not report any exact numbers. The Rroma were repeatedly exposed to the pressure of the police and local residents, who demanded the closure of the site. Under the threat of eviction, the last remaining inhabitants have now abandoned the settlement. The camp was built on wasteland next to a motorway junction. The site will now be immediately fenced and handed over to the authorities of a real estate program, who wants to create office and residential premises on the parcel. At an adjacent intersection, there are other Rroma camps that have not been evicted yet.

Also in Loos, in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, one discusses the eviction of an informal Rroma settlement, while the affected Rroma and their supporters plead for a referendum. The focus of the discussions is especially concerned with the location of the settlement: the parking field of the prison of Loos (Mocellin 2014).

It should be emphasised that the forced evacuations of informal settlements complicate a long-term integration of the Rroma immigrants. The forced evictions or the harassment of residents do not solve the existing problems and the integration question, but simply move them from one location to the next. The rigorous expulsion of the minority reflects the unwillingness of the French government to engage in an active integration policy. Also, through the biased media focus on the informal settlements, the impression is created that there are only Rroma belonging to the lower class, who are poorly educated. However, the Rroma from the informal settlements constitute only a small portion of all Rorma in France. According to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma are integrated and live unobtrusively in French society. They belong to the middle or even upper-class and are constantly ignored by the French media, the public and politicians. Out of fear of discrimination, a lot of these integrated Rroma keep their identity a secret (compare Nord Éclair 2014, Radenovic 2014).

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24.09.2014 Essen: theatre play addresses Rroma stereotypes

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In the latest play by Volker Lösch, who is known for his political and provocative productions, six Rroma actors together with six Gadje (non-Rroma) address various stereotypes about Rroma. They do this through a very free interpretation of Homer’s “Odyssey”: “The ancient Homer text about the adventurous wanderings of the warrior Odysseus back to his beloved home is broken repeatedly with reports from the lives of the performers: they give a face to the everyday discrimination and tell of the futile escape from poverty. Pride speaks from their stories, and occasionally rage about the sometimes rigid structures of their community. Odysseus and his companions on other hand, are the “good citizens” in Lösch’s production. […] His odyssey leads this Odysseus to the other, into the strange world of the Roma. Fast-paced, the winds drive along his ship from cliché to cliché: The strangers show themselves to the king of Ithaca as a social benefit scammers, unsightly Cyclops or as rampant, belly dancing sirens of seduction. In the large family of the wind god Aeolus, Odysseus encounters incest” (Dame 2014). The “strangers” that Homer and his fellowship encounters, are embodied by Rroma actors. They are described in detail and characterised by Homer and his companions during the see voyages, long before they actually encounter them. Thereby, the process of how prejudices are created is reflected itself. The stereotypes of the frame story are juxtaposed with the real-life experiences of the Rroma actors, who are confronted with these prejudices in everyday life.

News Schweiz

24.09.2014 Oberwinterthur: transit sites only for Swiss travellers is unlawful

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Hirsekorn (2014) reports on the reopening of the transit site in Oberwinterthur. Different journalists reported that the transit site was closed in late August due to strong hygienic issues. Primarily foreign travellers, above all, foreign travelling Rroma were made responsible for these issues. After maintenance work, the site has now been reopened, but only for Swiss travellers, as the police commander of Oberwinterthur, Daniel Beckmann, states. Therewith one enters a legal grey area, since a transit site only for Swiss travellers is unlawful according to various legal experts: “prohibitions of stay and separate sites for Swiss and foreigners remain legally contentious for several reasons: prohibition of discrimination I: the federal constitution guarantees equal treatment for all people (Art. 8, paragraph 2). No one shall be discriminated against, not because of his heritage or lifestyle. “Unequal treatment is appropriate only when there are serious objective reasons”, says Markus Schefer, professor of constitutional and administrative Law at the University of Basel. Whether these reasons are given with the Jeniche not using this site and the problematic hygienic conditions in Winterthur is highly questionable. Prohibition of discrimination II: according to the agreement on the free movement of persons (FMP), every EU-citizen must not be hindered or denied stay or entry into Switzerland. “As long as no congestion for transit travellers occurs, there is no problem”, says Fiona Wigger of the federal agency for culture. This is contradicted by Schefer: “If a traveller is part of the FMP, the site prohibition is a serious problem.” Prohibition of discrimination III: “Such an interdiction generalises in a serious manner”, said Schefer. If this leads to a collective judgment, the case is even more problematic. It feeds the suspicion that per se, they behave badly: “The result are pejorative stereotypes against a particular group.” Huber’s statement (2014) that a ban on foreign travellers does not violate the prohibition of discrimination is therefore incorrect. In addition, a general interdiction of foreign travellers contradicts the principle of proportionality. Andrea Egbuna from the Swiss Competence Centre for Human Rights (SCHR) states that therefore, in the event of problems, one must evaluate if individual travellers can be sanctioned with a deposit for cleaning costs, rather than cast a general suspicion on all foreign travellers. As has been repeatedly criticised by the Rroma Contact Point, the conflict concerning permanent and transit sites in Switzerland is a general problem of too few sites for travellers. This conflict is then fought on the backs of foreign Rroma who are instrumentalised as scapegoats for these general structural problems. That there are indeed such massive differences between foreign-travellers and Swiss Jeniche that make any peaceful co-existence impossible is doubtful. The claim that Rroma use no toilets and instead do their business outdoors is absurd. Particularly the Rroma have strict hygiene regulations, which is reflected in the tradition of ritual impurity. Moreover, it seems that the differences between Jeniche and Rroma are deliberately highlighted and exaggerated because of occasional conflicts. Most Rroma are sedentary and not travelling anyway.

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26.09.2014 “Red card Against Racism: diplomats support Roma football club”

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Radio Praha (Kraus 2014) and Le Matin (2014) report on a charity match between a Czech Rroma soccer team and a diplomatic team with the ambassadors from Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and Denmark. Organised by the Swedish ambassador Annika Jagander, the game is meant to draw attention to the discrimination against Rroma: “In the still young season, two teams have refused to compete against the TJ Junior Roma, and instead preferred to pay 3,000 crowns (about 109 Euros) of fine. As a reason, the county division cites an incident dating back to 2011. A match between FC Děčín und Lokomotiva Děčín then ended in a brawl and the police had to intervene. […] “Football and sports should actually bring people closer together: both people of the same as well as from different nationalities. That this no longer works, we feel very bad about. That’s why we want to show the red card to racism” (Kraus 2014). Libor Šimeček, chairman of the Czech Football Association, meanwhile denied that the case has anything to do with racism. One will now examine in detail why five of the eleven teams in the league do not want to play against the Rroma team, he stated. The club from Frantiskov had announced that they did not want to play against the team because of the aggressive behaviour of the players of TJ Junior Roma. The Czech Republic has a population of 300,000 to 400,000 Rroma. Exact figures do not exist. Many are integrated and have a job. However, numerous are also affected by strong exclusion and social problems. Particularly, since the economic crisis and the strengthened nationalism that occurred since the end of the Eastern Bloc. Also, in several schools there is still a segregation of ethnic Czechs and Rroma (compare Le Monde 2014).

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26.09.2014 European Centre for Antiziganism Research criticizes the status of safe countries of origin

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Graff (2014) spoke with Marko Knudsen, the head of the European Centre for Antiziganism Research. Knudsen decidedly criticises the new asylum law that defines Serbia, Macedonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina as being safe countries of origin in the interview. For him it is beyond question that the Rroma are affected by marginalisation and discrimination in the three countries. The opinion that Rroma are not actively persecuted in these three countries, he deems inappropriate and trivialising. Therefore, the European Centre for Antiziganism Research will file a suit against the new law. The centre justifies its charge with the following three points: “Where is Germany’s historical responsibility, which is justified through the Nazi era? Unfortunately, it is nonexistent. For me as a Roma, this decision is absolutely reprehensible. As a German, I am ashamed. For this reason, we, as the European Centre for Antiziganism Research, see ourselves forced to take legal action against this law, because: first, it violates the principle of equal treatment. Second, it violates European anti-discrimination law. Third, there is political persecution of the Roma in Europe because of antiziganism that is passed as an unquestioned European cultural code from generation to generation, whereby it is implemented in the majority of society” (Knudsen 2014). Knudsen sees the strengthened nationalism in many European countries and the exclusion of minorities resulting from it, as well as extreme economic hardships, as equally important reasons for asylum for being open political persecution. Exactly this issue was the core of the political debate: are the Rroma in Southeastern Europe actively persecuted or are they “only” affected by extreme poverty and discrimination. There was no consensus concerning this issue. Knudsen also criticizes the pressure exercised on the part of the European Union on the new member states, that did not improve the situation of minorities in the countries concerned. However, this assessment has to be questioned. It is absolutely the responsibility of the European Union to pressure its new Member States to a better compliance with minority rights. If they are not able to actively implement the requirements, this is not the fault of Brussels (compare Martens 2014).  

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26.09.2014 European Commission investigates segregation of Rroma in the Czech Republic

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Robinson (2014) reports on an announced infringement procedure of the European Commission against the Czech Republic, due to the violation of the legislation on discrimination. The Commission has stated it will investigate the discrimination against Rroma in the Czech Republic, in particular the segregation of Rroma children in public schools: “The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into the Czech Republic’s treatment of its Roma minority, in the latest attempt to improve the circumstances of the often persecuted group in Europe. […] A disproportionate number of Roma pupils are educated in schools for students with “mild mental disabilities”, which campaign groups say amounts to segregation. Roma pupils account for more than a quarter of students in these schools, despite being just three per cent of the Czech population […].” The high proportion of Rroma children at schools for the disabled, which is documented by various studies, is actually in itself proof that the minority is in fact discriminated against at public schools. The Czech government for its part has announced that one has made progress in the fight against segregation, but that one could not abolish it from one day to the other, but only undo it step by step. Amnesty International in turn emphasizes in a public statement that one has suggested to the Czech government for years that the segregation of Rroma  children constitutes an intolerable situation. But nearly nothing was done: “For years, Amnesty International has documented systemic discrimination against Roma children in Czech schools,” said Nicolas J. Beger, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office. “Yet the Czech government has so far failed to take effective measures to prevent, address and remedy this. In agreeing to launch infringement proceedings, the commission has sent a clear message to the Czech Republic and other member states – systemic discrimination towards Roma cannot and will not be tolerated”,  he added.”

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26.09.2014 Public festival enables rapprochement between Rroma and Lausanne’s inhabitants

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Genier (2014) reports on a public festival that was held on the weekend of the 20th and 21st of September in Lausanne. On the initiative of the sociology professor Jean-Pierre Tabin and the organisation “Opre Rrom”, about half of the several hundred Rroma resident in Lausanne participated in the festivities, Genier states. There, they cooked and grilled for Gadje (non-Rroma), with the aim to enable a mutual approach: “Let’s get to know each other!” was the title of the event: “The objective of this event was to bring together Swiss and Roma, two population groups that have remained very separated in general. “This action was conceived to promote dialogue between the people of Lausanne and Roma”, explains Véra Tchérémissinoff, director of the organization Opre Rrom. “We wanted above all that this took place in a different context than the street.” Even if the action was mainly responded to by sympathizers of the various Roma organizations and their acquaintances, some curious people were attracted by the cheerful assembly, and stopped a moment to watch or to drink a glass.” Although through focusing on coloured costumes, music and dance, some stereotypes about the minority seem to have been confirmed, the attempt to bring the largely invisible Rroma together with the rest of the population remains very commendable. However, the distinction between Swiss and Rroma has to be made with caution, since many Rroma resident in Switzerland are Swiss or Lausanne citizens themselves.

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26.09.2014 Illegal Rroma police register in Sweden results in penalty payments of over one million Euros

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The Wiener Zeitung (2014) reports on the judicial reappraisal of the illegal Rroma police register in Sweden. The database which registered the names, addresses, and identity card numbers of about 4,000 Rroma living in Sweden was in blatant violation of laws against racism and discrimination. Now, the Swedish police must make comprehensive redress payments to the victims: “the initiation of a general suspicion register towards Roma [costs] the police in Skane dear. The compensation payments already approved in May by the judicial oversight encompasses already now up to 1,800 approved cases and a total of over one million Euros. According to the regional radio station P4, the sum is likely to be even higher, because another 400 complaints about the payout of around 545 Euro are pending. In addition, there are constantly new complaints coming in, the news station reported on Tuesday. The payment of the claims must for now be made by the central police station in Stockholm, the radio report stated. The police in Skane suffers from chronic under-funding.” However, the really problematic thing about the case is, that it has shown that massive prejudice against the minority remains till today. The revelation of the illegally-run register led to great indignation but also consternation. It resulted in an extensive reappraisal of the situation of the minority in Sweden.

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