An article about the “chaos” created by Rroma travellers camping in Western Switzerland for a church meeting. Many of the Rroma travellers here belong to the pentacostal church or to other evangelical churches.
Cameron’s government policies classifying Rroma as travellers and thus stating they are no longer a minority if they cease to travel are totally misplaced and racist. As this article puts it “The government announces that black people must prove they are black by living in majority-black areas. If they move into a white neighbourhood, they will no longer be legally classed as black, and receive no support or protection”.
Totally inacceptable!
Travellers and Rroma manifested in front of the UK parliament to protest against the new planning policy that threatens their way of life and identity. Key point here is that the Gypsy and Traveller Status is no longer applicable for those who have ceased to travel. In brief and as in Switzerland, the way of life defines the minority.
Bad.
A new camping space for travelers in Switzerland raises the age old same questions: Locals vs. Foreign, especially Rroma (in the local Swiss Mythology, they are all foreign).
CRAP. There is NO REASON FOR SEGGREGATION!
Switzerland loves it complicated… They want segregated camping places for local travelers – Yenische – and for Rroma – usually denotes as “Foreign” even though there are Rroma travelers in Switzerland.
In Western Switzerland, the state is expulsing “foreign Gypsies”.
BAD!
Swiss Jenische, interviewed on Swiss TV. Bad. Rroma – called here “transit travelers” – are dirty, leaving camping spots dirty, etc.
The Jenische are right to demand spots to camp in each of the Swiss cantons. It is bad that this hasn’t happened yet.
And the spring comes, and camps are dismantled or at least threatened … The French constant. In Ris Orangis, near Paris, a camp was dismantled; in Annet sur Marne, the tribunal will decide on May 6th about the camp, a camp which has neighbours up in arms; in Lyon, a new camp in the city; in the North, Rroma are being displaced to a new location in Vauban amidst opposition; and near Paris, a commune searches for a solution for sedentarised travellers.
Meanwhile, former residents of a camp in Paris are looking for a new address; and mayors in several cities in France are really increasing their racist rhetoric. Finally, a Bulgarian death in a camp lands in front of the justice – with the usual background of “human trafficking”.
A week ago, Rroma in Basel opened the first camping place in the city for travellers.
The newly established camp for travelers in Basle is again being discussed, as there may be some rare plants there that could be threatened by the caravans… Knowing that this is a strip of grass in the middle of the city next to railroad tracks, no comments required …
The lack of news on Rroma in France is more than compensated by the number of articles on the Gens du Voyage – Travellerr, who are represented as criminals, undesirable, and generally as not integrated.
First, news about several camps of Travellers, in Saint Laurent de Mure, in Argentan, near Verdun, near Reims, close to Paris and in the West; and several discussions on or about camping spot for travellers in Niort, in Perros, in Indres et Loire, in the North, in Samois, in the park of a castle; and finally two more positive things – an interpellation of a minister in the parliament, and a discussion about the sedentarisation in Limoges.
After the camps, crime … And there the list is long. Police hunted away from a camp in Vernouillet near Paris; arrests in Toulouse and investigation nearby; some stolen goods found in the South West; 22 cars damaged near Toulouse; shots in a camp near Paris; three Romanians condemned in the South East; a Rrom sentenced for having shown a fingers to Valls; Police searching for witnesses in a series of burglaries in the North; and finally, a not so clever thief…
Another article on the new camping place for Rroma in Basle…
Travelers will finally have a place to stay in Basle Switzerland. A new place when they can stay overnight or for longer periods will open soon and will be run by the Association of Swiss Sinti and Roma.
Good!
The metropolitan police has been asked to re-open the enquiry about racist abuse on a facebook page run by police members.
Bad that this needs to be re-visited …
Travelling Rroma who were forced to leave their camp a few days earlier, were attacked at their new camping site. A person first started beating up a 70 years old Rroma and shortly thereafter, a firebomb was thrown at the caravans.
The police who were called let the attacker go without arresting him, even though he had severely beaten up someone without reason.
SHAME!
In Basle, until April, there is no place were travellers can stay. They had to leave a place in the city, which will be established as a permanent camping site for Travellers, and they ended up squatting a field from which they were now expelled. There are to few of these sites in Switzerland to accommodate Travellers in Switzerland.
One of the really least researched, most populist articles in the Swiss press in a long time. Low concentration of facts and logic, high populist overtones.
Not acceptable. And by the way, the results of the study (see second article) are not acceptable either.
PROTEST!
An article on foreign (i.e. Rroma) travellers in Swotzerland. These are often described as dirty by the local travellers (Jenische) and by the press and accused of leaving a mess behind when they leave their camps. This study is somewhat more differentiated!
Some pictures about Rroma during World War Two, pictures taken by German soldiers.
This week’s news is dominated by the camp of the petite ceinture in Paris. In this camp right on the outskirt of Paris, 300 Rroma are expected to be expelled. There were 8 reportages on this subject. Other news are: The Foundation Abbé Pierre protests on beha;f of the 140’000 in France who have no permanent housing; avolunteer from the association Barakacity, engaged in helping Rroma is detained in Bangladesh; a manifestation in the north on behalf of migrants; in Loos, Rroma are settling; a proposal for the creation of temporary camps for travellers; travellers squatting in a parking near Montpellier; the long pqath to integration for Rroma; and finally, 3 Rroma who were condemned for squatting will be re-judged.
Lots of news for so few people in France …
How daft can that be … Raising money for a caravan park for Rroma in Albania. When one knows that almost no Rroma are travellers in the Balkans (only a very tiny minority of 0.1% maximum), this is a totally idiotic idea. From a good intention, maybe, but really not what is needed.
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