Another article on the 4’000 Rroma that were expulsed by the French government in the first six months of 2015. Note the small mistake in the title : “Trimestre” – [quarter] instead of the half year. Never mind!
US Holocaust educators from Florida visited Lithuania to share and develop strategies on some of the controversial aspects (i.e. local participation) of the Holocaust; to better understand what happened in Lithuania; to learn international law; to understand prejudices and to fight against them. On prejudice, they will also discuss the one against Rroma. Let’s see!
Auschwitz’s accountant, Oskar Grönning, was condemned to 4 years of prison as an accessory to murder to 300’000 people. These are the documented victims of Auschwitz, with roughly 21’000 Rroma and Sinti. One should never forget though that people who were sent directly to the gas chambers were not registered and the overall number of victims was much higher in Auschwitz.
– Auschwitz-Prozess: Vier Jahre Haft für SS-Mann Gröning. In: Osnabrücker Zeitung. 15.07.2015. http://www.noz.de/deutschland-welt/niedersachsen/artikel/596012/auschwitz-prozess-vier-jahre-haft-fur-ss-mann-groning-1
L’Humanité – the French communist newspaper – reports on the evictions of the large camp in Ivry and states that the state is devoid of means to help Rroma. One should also remind readers that expulsions have been requested by mayors of all political parties, including the communist one.
And one should also remind France that the migrant Rroma to which so much newspaper space is devoted are a small fraction of Rroma living in France.
The OSCE has been urging Bulgaria to halt the evictions of Rroma in the village of Garmen. Gerge Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR) also added: “Politicians should lead by example and refrain from anti-Roma rhetoric to gain support from the electorate.”
We agree wholeheartedly!
Another theatre representation in Worms (Germany) on the persecutions of the Rroma during the Nazi times.
Following the accusations by the Rroma MP in Turkey (we reported), an investigation was launched in Turkey on the police “march” into a Rroma neighbourhood of Edirne. During that police intervention, the police made racist statements besides arresting several people of these neighbourhoods on more than flimsy charges.
An Italian court in Turin found 6 people guilty of arson aggravated by racial hatred for a raid on a Rroma camp in December 20122. The defendants set the camp on fire after an Italian girl falsely claimed to have been raped by Rroma.
As we already reported, the debate in the Berlin Senate on the vote of an interdiction of begging for or with children based on “Missbrauch” [abuse] of the children is continuing. The abuse refers to violations of the child’s welfare as well as a violation of the law on compulsory education. Associations, however counter that begging is often the only revenues for families and that an interdictions will not help.
Every morning, as early as 5 AM, the city of Strasbourg expels ca. 20 Rroma who camp illegally, as they have no other possibility of sleep. This game continues and seems not to have any end. A shame.
A further article about a “horror house” in Berlin Schöneberg. Many Rroma families live in this house and the owners have let it decay (while profiting from inflated rents). The Zentralrat of the Roma and Sinti criticised the local government for not having stepped in earlier and having let the situation escalate to the current levels.
We have to agree with them!
As usual in the summer, the expulsions continue in France. In Marseille, where the expulsed came back and were again expulsed; in Lilles; in Chelles; in Croix; in Ivry, Aubervillers, and Ris Orangis near Paris; in Nantes; while in Hautbourdin (North) and Bordeaux, Rroma can still stay for a while; and in Grenoble, the fate of the camp is now in the hands of the justice; and finally in Roubaix, a fire destroyed a camp.
The new Rrom parliament member Özcan Purçu has been denouncing the police violence in Rroma settlements (Mahala), which, according to Purçu, the Police is using as training grounds for their riot and crowd control division.
This has to stop. JOIN US to protest
In a mock open trial, the French state was condemned for violations of the rights of children in the context of the evictions of Rroma camps.
Well done!
A delegation of British police officers has been visiting the Rroma settlement of Jarovnice in Eastern Slovakia to understand the issues faced by Rroma in Slovakia and the ones that they face when migrating to other countries.
An interesting interview of Nezdet Mustafas, the Rroma minister without portfolio of the Macedonian government on the motivations of refugees and the situation of Rroma in Macedonia in general. To take with a grain of salt, as Mustafas is working for the ultra nationalistic current government of Macedonia.
The mayor of a French village in the Dordogne region of France turned off the water supply to a Rroma camp in an attempt to chase them away. What else would he try?
The Gardai (Irish police) is investigating a vigilante attack against Rroma in which a house and two cars were damaged. No arrest so far, but we hope the perpetrators will be soon brought to court!
An interesting report on an integration project in the district of Neukölln in Berlin. Many migrants, among which quite a few Rroma have settled in recent years in that part of town.
Shopkeepers want to set up a vigilante group to combat the Rroma who “harass” tourists and shopkeepers alike in the centre of town.
We are definitively against any such measure. There is a police and there is a law. There is no place to have vigilantes, especially when their targets are clearly defined along minorities lines.
JOIN US to protest.
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