Ban Ki Moon, the UN General Secretary sent a message on the Holocaust Remembrance day. In there, he cites the Rroma as victims of the Holocaust and pleads against discrimination and racism.
An Italian Footballer, Danielle De Rossi, told another one a “shut up, sh*tty Gypsy”. This has at least started a real discussion on racism and prompted requests of a crack down on such comments and behaviour.
Disgraceful!
The Canadian Theatre Director Serge Denoncourt on many topics, including Rroma, discrimination, and education.
An overview of what was said about Bulgaria in European Media. At the bottom: News about Rroma – with all bad stereotypes. And this from a Russian newspaper.
Bad!
An article on Rroma women in the Balkans. Starts quite badly, as the picture in the headlines depicts a woman prostitute and drug addict in Serbia – we reported on this article a while ago. Then it gets worse … “The Roma identity generally refers to a traditionally nomadic ethnic group, with various linguistic dialects and many sub-groups, living mostly in Europe” Full stereotypes. 99.9% of Rroma, especially in the Balkan were always sedentary (except for their migration from India, but then what to say about Germans J). While the article is right about the discrimination, it is also wrong on the generalisation (and on the numbers). It also presents sex trafficking and exploitation as Rroma issues which it is not, it is a poverty issue. On the other hand (and not in the Balkans, it presents the sterilisation issue in the Czech Republic, and other facts that are quite correct.
The Result: LOTS OF STEREOTYPES, a few facts, and lots of generalisations.
Polish Rroma in Scotland are facing stereotypes and usually cannot say who they are. Here, in Glasgow, a group of Polish Rroma uses music to show their traditions and effectively come out.
The French government is defending its policies on fighting children poverty at the UN in Geneva. Besides the high number of children living in poverty in that country, France was also criticised about access to schools and discrimination of migrants, especially of Rroma.
A French Documentary movie entitled “Toto and his sisters” received the “grand prix” in the Anger Festival. It is unfortunate to say the least that it shows all stereotypes associated with Rroma without any analytical discourse: Rroma live in Ghettoes, deal with drugs, have lots of children (implied in this case), but without stating that this is not a Rroma thing, this is a poverty and social problem.
We are generally against those kind of documentaries, as they reinforce already strongly held stereotypes about us …
NOT GOOD!!!
A Study conducted on Slovak Media by the Media Academy in Bratislava and a Rroma organisation – Romano Kher – shows that the Slovak Media have a strong bias in their presentation of Rroma and Refugees. Negative stereotypes prevail in both cases.
Unfortunately not surprising.
Abwab – the Doors in Arabic – is a new magazine in Germany aimed at its Arabic migrant population. In one article, they mention racism, especially also against Rroma, and explain the German sensitivities on this topic due to their Nazi past.
Unfortunately, it does not address the fact that many of those new migrants share biased views against Rroma too, even when these are Moslems.
A Rroma baby died in a fire in a camp in central Greece. While we regret this death, the reporting and the lack of background on the subject further the standard stereotypes – all Rroma are poor, live in camps, etc…
Some interesting numbers in Serbia and on education. The census counted 147’000 Rroma in Serbia, or rather, 147’000 people declared themselves or were rated as such in the survey. This represents 2.1% of the population in Serbia. Generally, one counts that there are about 10% of Rroma in that country. A bit more.
The ones who were registered have a bleak future with very low education (only one in a thousand will make it to university).
Bleak but not the full picture.
A workshop in Greven, Germany focused on the integration of young Rroma in society. While the aim is definitively to be praised, the suggestions, an orchestra, fall again in the stereotypes. Pity …
Özcan Purçu, the first Rroma Member of Parliament in Turkey, stated that entire segments of the population are being marginalised in Turkey nowadays due to the polarisation seen under Erdogan. This is bad for Rroma, as racism is already common against them in Turkey.
A new prime time movie showcases Sinti on prime time in Germany. We haven’t seen it, but the plot has a few of the standard stereotypes … Unfortunately.
A sordid story of a mal prostitute from Romania and his client and violence. The prostitute slit the throat of the client in whose flat he was living, killed the dogs and torched the flat.
OK, it is crime. What is the relevance here of the fact that the two criminals were Rroma? Does it add anything or does it just strengthen stereotypes?
Not acceptable. Gilles Bourdouleix’ condemnation for racism for having said that “Hitler probably did not kill enough of them” has been slashed. The reasoning from the judges is quite special: He did not intend these words to be made public… But he told them, so he is certainly racist.
SHAME AND PROTEST!!!!
An interview of Kenan Emini, president of the Roma anti-discrimination Network Göttigen on the forced repatriation of Rroma to so-called sagfe countries such as Kosovo.
In eine gefährliche Zukunft: Leiter des Roma Anti-Diskriminierungsnetzwerkes über Abschiebung. In: Ostthüringer Zeitung. 09.12.2015. http://gera.otz.de/web/lokal/politik/detail/-/specific/In-eine-gefaehrliche-Zukunft-Leiter-des-Roma-Anti-Diskriminierungsnetzwerkes-ue-1936862078
An article on a Study of the Italian Association “July 21” on what it means living in camps for Rroma in Italy. In that country, these camps are institutionalised and the police, the authorities and NGOs all maintain this status quo.
A MUST READ!
The French magazine Valeurs Actuelles and its redactor in chief, Yves de Kerdrel, have been condemned in appeal to a fine of 2’000 Euro for “incitation to racial hatred” and racism following their editiorial “ “Roma – the overdose”.
Well done!
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