24.09.2014 Forced relocation of Rroma in Miskolc

Fee (2014) reports on the forced relocation of Rroma in Miskolc. The government justifies the eviction of the Rroma neighbourhood with the supposedly high crime-rates in the settlement and with the removal of an unwanted slum: “In fact, the deputy mayor was downright fickle. He showed us schematics and crime data, and explained this wasn’t about ethnicity but about demolishing an impoverished slum. It’s about providing a better future, he said, for a city that’s had a turbulent 25-year transition. He seemed offended at the suggestion that demolishing the neighborhood was about getting rid of the city’s Roma.” This contrasts with the experience of the local Rroma, who indeed feel systematically excluded and disadvantaged. Although the government pays them a small financial contribution if they move away freely, the financial grant is attached to the condition that they resettle in the suburbs of Miskolc, and not in the city itself. This is a clearly exclusionary, racist demand. It must also be emphasised at this point that Fee’s report only addresses already visible Rroma, who are excluded. The ones who are integrated, which make up a considerable part of the Rroma in Hungary, are not thematised. Fee also points out the disturbing political situation in Hungary, which is characterised by a slow undermining of the separation of powers by the incumbent government. Especially the right-wing nationalist Jobbik party creates and spreads a negative public image of Rroma, which makes them responsible for high crime rates and social injustices. This pejorative public image contributes to the increased marginalisation of the minority which, in the case of Miskolc results in Rroma being asked to settle down in the suburbs. This at least is the desire the political leaders. Szabolcs Pogonyi, from the Institute of nationalism studies at the Central European University in Budapest, points out that the anti-Rroma slogans of Jobbik lead to a wider circulation of racist ideas among an increasing part of the population.