{"id":1473,"date":"2014-04-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/11-04-2014-rroma-as-an-enemy-stereotype\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T11:42:52","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:42:52","slug":"11-04-2014-rroma-as-an-enemy-stereotype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/11-04-2014-rroma-as-an-enemy-stereotype\/","title":{"rendered":"11.04.2014 Rroma as an enemy stereotype"},"content":{"rendered":"

=On the occasion of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinternational Rroma day, numerous international newspapers report about the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontinuing marginalization of the Rroma minority in their countries. For \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGermany, Jakob (2014) notes that according to the latest research of historian \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWolfgang Benz, the Rroma are ranked behind social groups such as the Jews or \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tasylum seekers, concerning popularity. The purpose of such a popularity-scale can \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand should be questioned. Apart from the mirroring existing prejudices towards certain \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsocial or ethnic groups, no real benefit for combating prejudices can be drawn \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom this. However, this viewpoint is contradicted by Jacob, who states in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treference to the study by Wolfgang Benz: \u201cThe \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstudy by Benz created on behalf of the anti-discrimination agency shows how \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdeep prejudices about Roma and Sinti are rooted in Germany. Benz said it \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treassures him that the vast majority of the respondents (91 percent) consider \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tintegration services a good suggestion for a better coexistence with Sinti and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoma. 63 percent called for stronger minority rights, the study states\u201d. <\/em>That \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthese sociological statistics will be followed by true actions, is much to be \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thoped. The aid programs are not devoid of \u00a0prejudices, as another part of Benz study shows: 80% of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trespondents are in favour of a fight against welfare abuse, 78 % speak out to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttake against crime among the Rroma (Protestant Press 2014). The enemy image of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe Rroma is therefore anything but irrelevant, and is still deeply rooted in many \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpeoples\u2019 minds. As a result, many Rroma keep their identity secret. Wolfgang \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBenz confirms this in a radio interview, in which he addresses the invisible \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma of Germany: \u201cIn fact, Sinti and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoma are living in Germany since a long time, completely integrated. No one \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trecognizes them. Some of them are part of the boardrooms of large industrial \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcompanies. They pursue ordinary bourgeois professions and they do not make \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthemselves visible. They fear discrimination. One doesn\u2019t allow them to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tintegrate and then one is claiming that they do not want to integrate\u201d<\/em> (Polland \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2014).<\/p>\n

The creation of an EU-fund \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdedicated to the Rroma, that would not have to be refinanced by the member \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstates, as with the existing funding, is not only met with approval. Rudko \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKawczynski, of the European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF), speaks out \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tagainst the creation of such separate fund. This would only foster the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tresentments against the minority that already are considerable. Rather, an \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tawareness of injustice among the governments in question has to be created, he \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstates, so that they finally take decisive actions against the discrimination of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe Rroma (Jacob 2014).<\/p>\n

On the occasion of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma Day, a cultural week in Berlin is held under the slogan \u201cMay we, that we \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tare!\u201d The program includes concerts, theatre, films and panel discussions. The \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tculture week is organized by the Hildegard-Lagrenne-Foundation, which aims to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpromote education, integration and social participation of the Rroma in Germany \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Dernbach 2014, rbb 2014).<\/p>\n