Several newspapers report on a wall in Slovakia, in the city of Košice, which deliberately built to segregate the local Rroma settlement. The wall was declared illegal by the European Union, since its purpose is clearly the spatial delimitation of the Rroma minority in the city. In the night of the 9th to 10th September, unknown activists tore down parts of the wall. Shortly thereafter, the authorities of Košice rebuilt it. The European Rroma organization ERGO announced in response to the events that the establishment of numerous segregating walls was symptomatic of the continuing discriminatory treatment of the Rroma in Europe. Irvin Mujcic, campaign coordinator of ERGO, points out that 14 new walls to segregate Rroma were established in Slovakia in recent years: “The current situation is more like apartheid in South Africa than like in a modern democracy. However, the physical are by no means biggest problem. They are only a symbol to mark the line of social division among EU-citizens” (Mujcic 2014). As regards the re-construction of the wall in Košice, Mujcic states: “This behaviour sadly renders visible the walls in the minds of those responsible, which – though invisible – are huge obstacles to the integration of the Roma. Worse still, the trend to defend the walls or at least to tolerate them, intensified. 15 years ago, there were strong reactions towards the experiment to build a wall against the Roma in Usti nad Labem in the Czech Republic. Today it is regarded as self-evident” (Mujcic 2014). ERGO also announced that it was disappointed that the dismantling of the wall was not perceived as a chance by the government of Košice to initiate a dialogue between the Rroma and non-Rroma in the town (The Slovak Spectator 2014).

Mujcic, Irvin (2014) Europa braucht keine neuen Mauern. In: Neues Deutschland online vom 2.10.2014. https://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/947897.europa-braucht-keine-neuen-mauern.html?sstr=Irvin%7CMujcic

The Slovak Spectator (2014) ERGO denies connection to activists who damaged Roma wall. In: The Slovak Spectator online vom 22.9.2014. http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/55339/10/ergo_denies_connection_to_activists_who_damaged_roma_wall.html

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