{"id":1751,"date":"2014-06-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/25-06-2014-lynching-and-rroma-as-social-scapegoats\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T11:48:17","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:48:17","slug":"25-06-2014-lynching-and-rroma-as-social-scapegoats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/25-06-2014-lynching-and-rroma-as-social-scapegoats\/","title":{"rendered":"25.06.2014 Lynching and Rroma as social scapegoats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Willsher (2014) \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdiscusses the role of the Rroma in France in the context of the lynching of a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tyoung Rrom in the Paris suburbs. In addition to a political instrumentalisation \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof the minority for political campaign purposes and as scapegoats for social \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tills, Willsher also notes that Rroma are equated with petty crime, leading to a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprejudiced association of thieves and Rroma: \u201cIt is illegal to compile data on the basis of ethnicity in France, so \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthere is no evidence that the gangs of children who swarm around tourists to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfilch money, valuables and wallets, or pick pockets in the M\u00e9tro, are in fact \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoma. Because the word \u201cRoma\u201d has become synonymous with petty criminal and delinquent, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe public perception is that they are.\u201d <\/em>Willsher as well as the people she \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinterviewed have, besides the awareness of social inequalities, no \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tunderstanding of the majority of Rroma who are living integrated lives in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrance. In the French media, they are continually ignored. The fact that these \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tintegrated Rroma do not call themselves Rroma is a consequence of their fear of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdiscrimination and disadvantages if they do so, something journalists and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpoliticians do not seem to be aware of. Thereby, the wrong conception that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tequates Rroma with an underclass that is uneducated and lives on the edge of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcrime, is becoming prevalent. That these ideas persist in the minds of people can \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbe seen in the statements of Nassima Kleit, an assistant of the general council \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof Seine-Saint-Denis. She admits racism against the minority, but \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsimultaneously reproduces xenophobic prejudices and culturally motivated crime: \u201cOf course, we can’t put a gloss on this \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand say there’s no criminals among the Roma, and of course we need to change \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcultural attitudes that see Roma parents sending their children out to beg or \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsteal; but we can only do that by educating them and getting them out of these \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tshanty towns into places where they can live with dignity [\u2026].\u201d <\/em>Kleit \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconfirms with her statements the misconceptions of criminal, culturally \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdetermined Rroma gangs, as the Weltwoche repeatedly conveys them. However, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthere is no ethnic-based culture of crime. If anything, there are massive \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsocial inequalities that make criminal activities appear more attractive to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcertain social layers than to others. As already said, it is wrong to equate \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe Rroma with a social underclass. There are educated and well-off people \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tamong Rroma. Rroma are part of all social classes. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Bouvet (2014) identifies \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe latest incident not only as the outcome of a failed policy towards Rroma, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbut primarily as a failed social policy in France. The lynching incident shows \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthat the social policies of the last decades have not been able to create a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsocial balance: \u201cWhat the lynching of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPierrefitte tells us is the failure of social policy, which was conducted in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrance for decades in neighbourhoods such as that of the Cit\u00e9 des po\u00e8tes […]. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe failure of employment policy and integration, not least those concerning \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe young people, who did not prevent an unemployment rate of more than 35%.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Piquemal (2014) points \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tout that the incident with the young Rrom is symptomatic of the ongoing \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\texpulsion and oppression of immigrant Rroma in France. The violence against the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminority has increased. Since one hinders the immigrated Rroma to install \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthemselves in the long term, one also makes it impossible to them to build a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlonger-term existence, which includes regular schooling of the children, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tadequate housing and a job. This rigorous expulsion policy must finally come to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tan end. Nathalie Godard, from Doctors of the World, states: \u201cOne clearly notices it on the site: with \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthis policy, groups get fragmented, they are scattered throughout the territory \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof the department. But still they do not leave Seine-Saint-Denis. It\u2019s always \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe same persons living here, some for a very long time. We follow the family for \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tyears, even if it is increasingly difficult for us to work. This is really \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcomplicated. Today, we use our time to find them again. With each eviction, all \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trelationships that you try to create, to treat them, for example, must be \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trestarted again. Everything is falling into the trap doors. I do not want to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttalk about the school to you! How do you want to enrol children, when they \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsometimes only sleep one or two nights at the same place.\u201d <\/em>What is also \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontinuously hidden in the French press is that there are 100,000 to 500,000 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tintegrated Rroma living in France. Therefore, the people living in the slums \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma make up only a small percentage of Rroma in the country. Nevertheless, only \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthey are present in the media.<\/p>\n