{"id":1182,"date":"2014-09-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-16T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/17-09-2014-survey-of-antiziganism-prejudices-against-rroma-in-germany-remain\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T11:42:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:42:06","slug":"17-09-2014-survey-of-antiziganism-prejudices-against-rroma-in-germany-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/17-09-2014-survey-of-antiziganism-prejudices-against-rroma-in-germany-remain\/","title":{"rendered":"17.09.2014 Survey of antiziganism: prejudices against Rroma in Germany remain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Several German \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnewspapers report on the latest study by the centre for anti-Semitism research \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin Berlin and the institute for prejudice and conflict research. For the study \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cBetween apathy and rejection \u2013 Population attitudes towards Sinti and Roma\u201d \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taround 2,000 German citizens were interviewed. The study concludes that about a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthird of Germans feel Rroma as neighbours as being very or quite unpleasant. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThere is less sympathy towards Rroma than towards any other population group. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeventeen percent of the respondents consider them as very unappealing. This \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tresult is clearly linked to the opinion of the respondents that Rroma are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tresponsible for the reservations towards their minority due to their own \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbehaviour. This point is based on the false assumption that a visible minority \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof the minority can be equated with all Rroma. However, most Rroma are not \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdelinquent and are integrated. This is ignored by the media and by the public. The \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfollowing three results show how ingrained prejudices and resentments against \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe minority are: fifteen percent of the respondents consider Roma as \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcriminals, fourteen percent as not assimilable, ten percent as lazy. Again, the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprejudices are based on the public perception of a visible minority of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminority. The majority of the Rroma are integrated and are honest. The final \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tresult of the study is of particular concern: every second respondent thinks that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta restriction of the entry requirements is an appropriate way to solve the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tproblems with the minority. Again, there are misconceptions about a mass influx \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof poorly educated and delinquent Rroma. Rroma constitute only a part of all immigrants \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom South and Eastern Europe. Many of them are ethnic Romanians, Bulgarians, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMacedonians, etc. There are also many well-educated Rroma, who are also hidden \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin the media. Romani Rose, president of the central council of German Sinti and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoma, raised severe concerns about the results of the study: \u201canti-Semitism is outlawed in Germany, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tantiziganism enjoys largely a free rein\u201d, criticised Romani Rose […]. He \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twarned against connecting poverty with ethic origin. \u201cThe Jews were too rich, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe Roma are too poor.\u201d This is an unacceptable generalisation\u201d<\/em> (Peters \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2014). After all, Rose sees it as positive that around 80% of the respondents \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tknew about the persecution of the Rroma during National Socialism. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNevertheless, knowledge about the minority needs to be deepened more through \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thistory lessons. This contrasts with the opinion of almost a third of the respondents \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twho feel no historical responsibility of Germany towards the minority. One in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfive is for the removal of the Rroma from Germany: a very thought-provoking \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinsight. In response to the poor results, an expert commission shall be set up \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto report to the Bundestag regularly on discrimination against the minority in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe fields of education, employment or housing. The anti-discrimination commissioner \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof the state, Christine L\u00fcders, also sees a special need for action in the fight \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tagainst prejudice among police forces. Rroma in Germany are still more frequently \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsuspected of criminal activities as members of other ethnic groups. She argues \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthat \u201cindifference, ignorance and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trejection together form a fatal mix that [enable and foster] discrimination \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tagainst Sinti and Roma\u201d <\/em>(compare Antidiskriminierungsstelle \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdes Bundes 2014, Die Zeit 2014, F\u00fcrstenau 2014, Gajevic 2014, Gensing 2014, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLambeck 2014, MiGAZIN 2014, S\u00fcddeutsche Zeitung 2014). \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n