Tag Archives: Discrimination

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

21.11.2014 Persistent segregation of Rroma pupils in the Czech Republic

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Beger (2014) reports on the continued segregation of Rroma pupils in the Czech Republic. The disproportionately high allocation of Rroma into so-called “practical schools”, with which the students have almost no chance to a job in a free market economy, was repeatedly criticised in recent months and years. A few weeks ago, the European Commission has threatened to initiate proceedings against the Czech government for violation of the anti-discrimination legislation. But  in spite several verdicts of the European courts, including the case “D. H. and Others vs. the Czech Republic”, which the condemned the Czech rulers for discrimination, until now, little has changed on segregation: “On a recent visit to Děčín, in the north of the Czech Republic, Amnesty International met Tereza. After her eldest son was transferred to a school for children with ‘mild mental disabilities’, having missed classes following a broken leg and surgery, she was determined not to let history repeat itself with her younger son, Dan. Despite pushing for Dan to remain in mainstream education, the director told Tereza that she didn’t want him in the school, and didn’t have the resources ‘to be bothered’ with him. Currently, both sons of Tereza attend a ‘practical school’. The prospects for Romani children who do make it to mainstream education aren’t much better. Many are segregated into ‘Roma only’ schools or classes with lower educational standards, with Romani parents given little choice as to where to send their children. In January 2014, a primary school in Ostrava rejected 12 children at registration; 10 were Roma. All the children lived in the catchment area.” Whether the Czech government will fulfil the demand of the European Commission to end desegregation, is still uncertain. In the Czech Republic, there live an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Rroma (compare Jurist 2014).

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe Romania

21.11.2014 Tagesspiegel: emphatic, but one-sided depiction of Rroma in Romania and Bulgaria

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Appenzeller (2014) reports on the visit of Neukölln’s education councillor, Franziska Giffey, in Romania and Bulgaria. The Berlin politician, who, among others, is in charge of the integration of immigrant families from Southeast Europe, wanted to get an idea of the Rroma situation in their countries of origin. However, Appenzeller’s Rroma representation remains one-sided, despite an emphatic perspective and the reference to well-educated immigrants: “The often heated debate revolves around Bulgarian and Romanian Roma families who are accused of migrating into the welfare system. Since they do not get regular jobs here, they sign up as contractors. The men then find underpaid work in the construction business, the women work as cleaners, gladly also in luxury hotels. […] And these people have children, many children. They go to German schools without speaking a word of German. […] A focal point of the Roma immigration in Berlin is the district of Neukölln. The official figures estimate 5,500 people, councillor Franziska Geffey, responsible for education and schooling, estimates twice as many.” However, critical studies could not detect any mass immigration of Rroma, as is repeatedly claimed. In addition, the claim that Rroma are needy, poorly educated, and have many children, is a massive generalisation. Rroma build part of all social strata and professions.

Appenzeller then discusses the educational journey of Giffey to Romania and Bulgaria. There, the education councillor was able to see the misery of the Rroma with her own eyes, the journalist emphasises. Unfortunately, Appenzeller reduces the Rroma situation in Romania and Bulgaria to marginalised Rroma in the slums, and the present, but not omnipresent racism, as he represents it: “Politics begins when looking at reality. Franziska Giffey wanted to know from what environment Roma families come from. This reality has opened her eyes. She has seen that Roma children have no way to be admitted to normal schools in their homeland. She saw that their parents have fewer opportunities for jobs, because they are discriminated against because of their origin and darker skin colour. She has experienced how these families are stigmatised by the prejudice that Roma are lazy and not willing to work. […] German politics may well ask the question of how the EU intends to sanction two member states, who brutally discriminate against an ethnic group that lives on their territories for centuries.” Rroma are discriminated against in Romania and Bulgaria, but they are not faced with an all-embracing state racism, as Appenzeller claims. The plight of marginalised Rroma in the two countries is the result of weak economies and the historical discrimination and exclusion of Rroma – in the case of Romania their enslavement that lasted until the mid 19th century. – The marginalized Rroma in the ghettos, who get all the media attention, are juxtaposed by an big part of integrated Rroma, which belong to the middle class, and some even to the upper class (compare Mappes-Niediek 2014).

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19.11.2014 Stereotypes: criminal Rroma clans

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Guggisberg (2014) reports on criminal Rroma clans that allegedly force children into crime. Parents surrender their children to an omnipotent clan chief – to whom they are indebted – for begging and theft and some even end up in prostitution. Guggisberg uncritically reproduces the perspective of the “Wiener Drehscheibe”, a social service for begging and stealing children who have been arrested by the police. Guggisberg does not question that the social educator Norbert Ceipek – the head of the institution – who identifies each begging or stealing child as a victim of human trafficking, could himself be subject to prejudices and be providing misinformation on Rroma: “Ceipek opens another photo file. It shows a Roma village in Romania, which he recently visited. He tells of houses, cobbled together from planks and plastic sheeting, and dirt roads full of garbage. In the middle is a magnificent villa. “It belongs to the clan chief. He rules the villages as a state within a state”, says Ceipek […]. Many of the children dealt with in Vienna belong to the Roma. […] “The phenomenon of Eastern European gangs of beggars is not new. But since a couple of months, it taken new proportions”, says Ceipek. Very active are the Bosnian gangs, he states. Every few weeks, they would bring the children to different European cities, according to a rotating system. The social worker explains that his aim was to provide a perspective to the children, a little education. They might get on better path.”” Alexander Ott, head of the Foreign Police Bern, who has already been quoted repeatedly in articles about criminal Rroma gangs and trafficking of children, has his say. He reproduces the usual prejudices about hierarchical Rroma clans with a clan chief who leads children into crime: “The network of child traffickers reaches from Eastern Europe to Switzerland. “The victims are recruited in Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Often they come from large Roma families, are purchased or borrowed”, says Ott. One sends the boys to steal, urges them into prostitution, or forces them to beg. The instigators know well that the Swiss justice system cannot prosecute the perpetrators because of their young age. Adolescent burglars are booming in the autumn and winter months. Ott emphasises that they have to deal with highly professional, specialised and hierarchically-run clans, who practice their craft since generations.” Rroma are not more criminal than other ethnic groups. They are not hierarchically organised, as is often claimed, but structured largely egalitarian. So-called “Rroma kings” are self-elected and have purely representative character. Guggisberg and experts’ claim that behind begging children there is inevitably trafficking and organized crime, is wrong.

The characteristics of transnational operating trafficker networks, as presented here, are questioned by social science research. Their existence itself is not denied, something that cannot be in the interest of combating injustice. But their manifestation, their number, their omnipotence and the motivations attributed to them have to be questioned. These are often tainted by ideological fallacies, brought into connection or even equated with ethnic groups such as Rroma. Furthermore, the equation of child migration and trafficking has to be set into context. The stereotype of Rroma as child traffickers dates back to their arrival in Western Europe, and is in part based on the racist notion that Rroma did actively recruit children for criminal gangs. Regarding the topic of child migration, social science studies convey a more complex notion on the subject and point out that crimes such as incitement to beg and steal or alleged child trafficking are often permeated by various morals in the analysis and assessment by authorities, who don’t appropriately consider the perspective and motivations of migrating children and their relatives, and instead force on them their own ideas and definitions on organised begging, criminal networks or child trafficking. Structural differences of the societies involved and resulting reasons for a migration are given too little consideration. In reality, behind begging children there are often simply impoverished families, in which the children contribute to the family income and who therefore do not correspond to bourgeois notions of a normal family and childhood. De facto child trafficking is rare according to the sociological studies. Furthermore, the incomes from begging are very modest, which makes them unattractive for organised crime.  Guggisberg, who states that 200’000 children are recruited annually by the trafficking mafia, contradicts this. 

At the end of the article, Guggisberg quotes another expert opinion by Norbert Ceipek, the director of the “Wiener Drehschreibe”: At 15, many of them would get married and have children themselves, so that the cycle of crime continues. Likewise, Guggisberg reproduces this racist prejudice uncritically. The majority of Rroma, who live integrated, go to work and send their children to school, remain unmentioned (compare Cree/Clapton/Smith 2012, O’Connell Davidson 2011, Oude Breuil 2008, Tabin et al 2012).

  • Cree, Viviene E./Clapton, Gary/Smith, Mark (2012) The Presentation of Child Trafficking in the UK: An Old and New Moral Panic? In: Br J Soc Work 44(2): 418-433.
  • Guggisberg, Rahel (2014) Das Schicksal der Roma-Kinder von Wien. In: Tages-Anzeiger online vom 14.11.2014. http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/leben/gesellschaft/Das-Schicksal-der-RomaKinder-von-Wien/story/14626308
  • O’Connell Davidson, Julia (2011) Moving children? Child trafficking, child migration, and child rights. In: Critical Social Policy 31(3):454-477.
  • Oude Breuil, Brenda Carina (2008) Precious children in a heartless world? The complexities of child trafficking in Marseille. In: Child Soc 22(3):223-234.
  • Tabin, Jean Pierre et al. (2012) Rapport sur la mendicité « rrom » avec ou sans enfant(s). Université de Lausanne.
Germany News Western Europe

19.11.2014 Rome e.V awarded with integration medal

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The Cologne “Rome e.V.” association, under the direction of Simone Treis, which is committed to the integration and acceptance of Rroma in Germany, was awarded the integration medal of the Bundestag. The school “Amaro Kher”, founded by the association, especially supervises Rroma children from refugee camps. Despite the very positive work of the association, stereotypes about Rroma are also reproduced here, when speaking about alphabetisation coursers and migrants. 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma have been living in Germany for generations, can read and write and are integrated. This integrated, invisible Rroma are not mentioned here: “Simone Treis is chairman of “Rome e.V.”, which since 1986 is committed to fight antiziganism and discrimination against Sinti and Roma. Her projects include literacy classes, social counselling and intercultural festivals. The goal is a lived practice of integration, which includes the Sinti and Roma into the society and at the same time indorses them in preserving their traditions. Because, according to Treis, many of them have the option of either hiding their culture or to face hostility. […] At the ceremony, Volker Beck pointed to the continuing problem of antiziganism in Germany. Education is the foundation for a free and independent life, this is particularly true for marginalized minorities such as Sinti and Roma, he stated” (Iding 2014).

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14.11.2014 Rroma against racism: conference on anti-Rroma racism in Vienna

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APA-OTS (2014) reports on a current Rroma conference in Vienna. From November the 10th to the 16th, under the slogan “Putren le jakha! – Open your eyes”, around 70 young Rroma activists from eleven countries came together to discuss the topic of “antiziganism”. The event was hosted by the Austrian Rroma association Rromano Centro: “Antiziganism is a form of racism that is directed against people that are stigmatised as gypsies.” The manifestations range from daily discrimination and structural racism to violent assault and murder. Under National Socialism, half a million people defined as “Gypsies” were murdered. This genocide is still little recognised. […] Mustafa Jakupov from Macedonia reports that Roma are being prevented from leaving their country: “At the insistence of Western European countries, strict border controls are carried out. Racial profiling means that many Roma are no longer allowed to leave their country. 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, there is again a country in Europe that does not allowed its citizens to leave.” […] ““Beggars” dominate the representation of Roma in the Austrian media and many journalists spread stereotypes that they do not question. These images lead to an increasing rejection,” Samuel Mago from Vienna stresses the responsibility of the media.” The term “antiziganism” has become an established concept, but is actually an unfortunate term, because by using the word “gypsy” it reproduces the derogatory term for a variety of groups as the Rroma, the Yeniche, the Irish Travellers, which have different historical backgrounds and characteristics (compare Die Presse 2014, Kurier 2014).

Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Spain

14.11.2014 ORF: “The struggle of the Rroma”

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Rudich (2014) tries to convey a differentiated picture of Rroma in Europe. On the occasion of the resurgence of right-wing nationalist parties, the journalist visited Rroma representatives in European politics, young Rroma students, but also marginalised Rroma in Hungary and Spain. By selecting a variety of Rroma from all strata of society, she succeeds in portraying the minority beyond highly popular stereotypes: “In Hungary, Roma are dispossessed and displaced and forced to hear that Hitler should have killed them all”, warns the Roma activist Agnes Daroczi, “it is hardly surprising that more and more are considering to emigrate to Western Europe.” But also in the countries of Western Europe, affected by the economic crisis, the poorest minority in Europe are made to scapegoats. “The ultra-right parties stir up similar prejudices against Roma as in the 1930s against the Jews”, says the Swedish Romni Soraya Post, who fights as MEP against discrimination, exclusion and persecution. […] Julieta Rudich also shows in her reportage the new, self-confident generation of Roma, who no longer wants to hide their origin though assimilation. She speaks with, among others, with Juan de Dios Ramirez, the first Gitano in the European Parliament, about how is it that the coexistence with the majority population in Spain works reasonably frictionless […]” (APA-OTS 2014). Julieta shows how the enrolment of Rroma children is actively encouraged in Spain, and how a Rroma mayor in Hungary boosts the work moral of his community. Nevertheless, the focus of the documentation remains on the marginalized part of the minority.

Rudich, Julieta (2014) WELTjournal: Europa – Der Kampf der Roma. In: ORF online vom 12.11.2014. http://tvthek.orf.at/program/Weltjournal/1328/WELTjournal-Europa-Der-Kampf-der-Roma/8772882

Albania News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

14.11.2014 Stereotypes: marginalised Rroma in Albania

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Glass (2014) reports on Rroma living at a large garbage dump on the outskirts of Tirana. Both the children and parents, who live in extremely modest circumstances, participate in the search for re-sellable materials that ends up on the garbage dump. The children go to school and hope for a better future. A woman speaks of discrimination by a local hospital that did not want to treat her because she is Rroma. The short documentary gives an insight into a life of extreme poverty. In his statement, the mayor denies that people are living at the garbage dump. He claims that there was a wall built around it. Despite its emphatic perspective, the report reproduces one-sided stereotypes about Rroma: that they are poor, uneducated, have many children and live in slums. Economic misery is the fate of many people of former Soviet states, and is not restricted to Rroma. In Albania, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 Rroma. Many of them are well integrated and have their own homes, but are not perceived as Rroma by the public, because they do not conform to stereotypes about the minority. Especially in the Balkans, the integration of Rroma into the majority society is historically documented: there are Rroma teachers, doctors, lawyers, police officers and much more. Unfortunately, all too often, the media neglects this aspect.

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14.11.2014 Institute Economic and Social Studies (INESS): Rroma in Slovakia are not financially advantaged

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The Slovak Spectator (2014) reports on the publication of a new study by the Slovak Institute for Economic and Social Studies (INESS). The study comes to the conclusion that Rroma, contrary to widespread stereotypes and myths arguing that the minority receives excessive social funds, are not treated differently by the state. The study also refutes established ideas about the high number of children among Rroma. The analysis came to the conclusion that 90% of the families who receive child benefits, have one or two children: “NOT even 2.2 percent of total public spending goes to Roma citizens even though they are often depicted as those who abuse the social welfare system in Slovakia. This is the finding from an analysis conducted by the Institute for Economic and Social Studies (INESS) released on October 22. The think-tank looked into numbers provided by the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR), social insurer Sociálna Poisťovňa and the Atlas of Roma Communities and concluded that the costs of welfare paid in districts with a two-thirds Roma population makes up 2.2 percent of public spending, which is €578 million. “Even though Roma are proportionally higher recipients of public transfers these don’t amount to such a proportion of public finances as is discussed in inns or at the family table,” INESS analyst Ján Dinga, one of the study’s authors, told The Slovak Spectator.” Jarmila Lajčáková from the Research Centre for Ethnicity and Culture also pointed out that the misinformation and prejudice about the alleged preferential treatment of the Rroma in the social system complicates the integration of the minority, because they are confronted with these prejudices when trying to access the education system and the labour market. In Slovakia, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 450,000 to 550,000 Rroma. Many of them belong to the middle class, have educations and their own apartments. They are almost constantly hidden in the public debate over the minority.

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12.11.2014 Rroma attend anti-racism rally in Waterford

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McCormack (2014) reports on an anti-racism rally in Waterford, Ireland. A racist pogrom against Rroma took place at the end of October, culminating in the attack of a house inhabited by Rroma. The protesters accused the Rroma of burglaries and thefts. The residents could be brought to safety thanks to the police’s intervention. In response to the pogrom, a rally against xenophobia took place in early November. A Rroma family from Dublin, who had kept their identity a secret until now also took part: „Roma woman Jennifer Ciuciu (20) concealed her true identity for three years for fear of persecution when she moved from Romania to Ireland with her family. […] So Jennifer and her four siblings said they were “Romanian instead of Roma gypsies.” And in the aftermath of the recent “anti-Roma protests” in Waterford, they have no regrets about denying their roots. “Some people are so racist. If had to go back I would hide it again because I wouldn’t like what happened here to happen to me”, she said standing in the middle of John Robert’s Square at last week’s Waterford Against Racism protest.” Chief superintendent Pat Murphy condemned the anti-Rroma pogrom as racist scapegoat politics by people who are not interested in public safety. In the UK, there are an estimated 90,000 to 120,000 Rroma according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation. The majority of them are integrated and have a job. Rroma are not more criminal than other ethnic groups, but are particularly affected by discrimination and exclusion. In recent months and years, right-wing populist parties and the media have fuelled fears of a mass immigration of Eastern European Rroma, which allegedly would abuse the British welfare system and do not want to integrate. Such prejudices and misinformation also spread because of uncritical media coverage.

Hungary News Eastern Europe News Switzerland News Western Europe

12.11.2014 Stereotypes: Rroma and prostitution

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Szenogrady (2014) reports on the verdict against a Hungarian pimp who was sentenced for forcing a debtor and a long-time girlfriend into prostitution at the Zurich Sihlquai. The pimp is referred to as being Rrom. The victim’s ethnicity is not explicitly stated, but it is suggested that there are also Rroma. The pimp was sentenced to prison for four years: “With a now 34-year-old labourer from Hungary, a brutal Roma pimp had to stand trial for human trafficking, promotion of prostitution, extortion and other crimes at the Zurich high court. […] The pimp had threatened an indebted compatriot with death by shackling him in Hungary and menacing him to push him into a water channel. […] In Zurich, the offender forced his trafficked victim into prostitution on the Sihlquai. Although the victim is heterosexual, he had to disguise himself as a woman and to sexually satisfy diverse punters as a transvestite over several weeks. […] The brutal perpetrator also brought a long time girlfriend in his power. […] In Zurich, the young woman had to prostitute herself for several months and pass her winnings to her patron. If she protested, he hit her or threatened to throw her out the window.” Rroma are not more criminal than other ethnic groups. However, by the one-sided media focus on delinquent Rroma, this impression is wrongly suggested and maintained. Few Rromni and Rrom are effectively involved in prostitution.

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12.11.2014 Rroma and asylum in Canada

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Cain (2014) reports on a new and controversial practice in the Canadian immigration policy. Financial subsidies are paid to immigrants when they voluntarily agree to renounce an asylum procedure and return to their homeland. From the perspective of immigration lawyers, this practice is not without problems, as asylum applicants are  encouraged to give up their rights in return for financial incentives: “Under the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Program, unsuccessful refugee claimants who agree to abandon the appeal process are given airfare home, which on average costs $1,500, and “in-kind reintegration assistance” to a maximum of $2,000. […] Immigration lawyers question how voluntary the program – targeted at people who are often extremely poor, worried about incarceration or deportation and may be unfamiliar with Canada’s refugee appeal system – really is. “The more appeal rights you give up, the more money you get,” says immigration lawyer Max Berger. […] “Essentially, it’s a bribe. The Government of Canada is offering refugee claimants money, which is tied to them forgoing their appeal rights.” In addition, Cain’s article discusses the fate of a Rroma family from Slovakia. The father portrayed points out on his ill-treatment and discrimination in his home country. He wanted to spare his two young sons such experiences through emigration to Canada. For five years, the young family man has been living there with his children and his wife. However, the personal experiences of discrimination have little impact compared to the official estimates of the authorities. Rroma are not politically persecuted in Europe. However, that does not mean that they do not experience discrimination in everyday life, in the education system and the labour market.

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07.11.2014 Stereotypes about Rroma in Ireland

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On the occasion of a racist mob in Waterford that agitated against Rroma at the end of October, McCarthy (2014) conducted a social experiment: She disguised herself as a Romni beggar in order to understand the experiences of marginalised people. The social experiment that was designed with good intentions, unfortunately prompts McCarthy to spread numerous stereotypes and misinformation about Rroma: she considers that all, or many Rroma, are poor and are beggars. In addition, she uncritically makes allusions to organised begging gangs, human trafficking and arranged child marriages. That a considerable proportion of the Rroma are not poor and criminal, but lead normal existences, remains unmentioned: “As a Romani in Dublin, you are either completely ignored or asked to move along. It’s no news to them to be treated poorly. It has defined their existence throughout history. They were expelled or enslaved, sentenced to torture and death, segregated and discriminated against pretty much ever since they were brought to Europe from northwestern India and Pakistan. They never identified themselves with a territory. They don’t have a distant homeland or any rights to national sovereignty anywhere. The world’s true travellers, on the fringes of society, they are a cultural enigma to the rest of the conforming, technologically-savvy world. In many cases they don’t own anything like social security numbers or credit cards.” In the UK, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 90,000 to 120,000 Rroma. The majority of them is integrated, goes to work, and is sedentary. However, in the in recent months and years, right-wing populist parties and the media have spread fears of a mass immigration of Eastern European Rroma, which would allegedly abuse the British social welfare system and do not want to integrate.

Thompson (2014) conveys a more nuanced notion of the Rroma in Ireland. But also her portrait of a Rromni who has been living in the country for fourteen years, is permeated by stereotypes: Gaby Muntean works as a social worker in her community and speaks of the economic hardships that she and her husband faced at the beginning of their immigration. For a long time, they could not find any work and had to rely on the solidarity of their acquaintances. Aside from this stereotype, who mistakenly equates Rroma with educational alienation and poverty, Muntean also points to the Rroma living integrated, of whom many have the Irish nationality.

  1. McCarthy, Barbara (2014) My day on the streets as a Roma. In: Irish Independent online vom 2.11.2014. http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/my-day-on-the-streets-as-a-roma-30710575.html
  2. Thompson, Sylvia (2014) Behind The News: Anti-Roma protests in Waterford. In: The Irish Times online vom 1.11.2014. http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/behind-the-news-anti-roma-protests-in-waterford-1.1983698
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07.11.2014 European Commission threatens legal actions against the Italian government for discrimination against Rroma

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The Local (2014) reports on an admonition of the European Commission to the Italian government. The commission threatens judicial proceedings for the infringement of the anti-discrimination law, because Rroma in Italy are still strongly disadvantaged: in Italy, special, supervised camps for Rroma were built that allow their precise control: “The EU’s executive arm has reportedly requested information on Roma accommodation in Italy, the only country in Europe to build camps specifically for the Roma community. Drawing on La Barbuta camp in Rome, the Commission said it was concerned about Italy housing people “on a very remote and inaccessible site, fenced in with a surveillance system”. Such a scheme “seriously limits fundamental rights of those concerned, completely isolating them from the surrounding world and depriving them of the possibility of adequate work or education,” the Commission letter said, according to 21 luglio [a Rroma rights organization].”  In Italy, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 90,000 to 110,000 Rroma. Many of them have good educations, go to work and have their own homes. Rroma belong to all social classes, but are indeed particularly affected by poverty and discrimination. Since the euro and economic crisis, various parties exploit them as scapegoats for social ills. As in France, the public image of the minority is characterised by extreme prejudices and misinformation: in the minds of many Italians, Rroma are synonymous with the residents of camps in the suburbs. The aspect of social exclusion is largely hidden.

Hungary News Eastern Europe News Switzerland News Western Europe

07.11.2014 Asylum application: Rroma from Miskolc travel back to Hungary

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Wacker (2014) reports on the whereabouts of the 65 Rroma who had applied for asylum in Switzerland two weeks ago. The Rroma were displaced from their homes by the city government of Miskolc because of the construction of a parking lot for a football stadium. While the city government pointed out that the persons affected were financially compensated upon presentation of a valid rental contract, journalists and Rroma organisations refer to the racist motives of the responsible Fidesz-politicians. One wanted to get deliberately rid of the Rroma by an act of “ethnic cleansing”. Wacker comments: “In preliminary consultative talks, one explained these 65 persons their chances to asylum, states Léa Wertheimer by the Federal Office for Migration FOM. Following this, everyone decided to withdraw their asylum applications. 41 people have already left Switzerland. The other 24 will leave in the next few days. A few of them are paid some hundred francs for the journey home. The Roma had stated that the Hungarian authorities evicted them from their homes in their hometown Miskolc, to build a new stadium. Beat Meiner of the Swiss Refugee Aid believes that Switzerland has handled the procedures correctly, but warns: “The Roma have it very difficult in Hungary. Repeatedly, violence occurs against them, there have also already been dead persons.” The Swiss authorities insist that they have examined the cases individually. As an EU country, Hungary applies as a safe state in Switzerland anyway, Léa Wertheimer of the FOM explains. “This means that the state protection from persecution is basically guaranteed.” Rroma are not politically persecuted in Hungary. However, this does not mean that they are not affected by severe discrimination in everyday life, especially since the rise of the right-wing nationalist parties, which consciously elevate ethnic differences. This fact is not recognized by the Swiss asylum agency. The returning Rroma, among them many children, face an uncertain future (compare NZZ 2014, Odehnal 2014).

Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

07.11.2014 Cserdi: Mayor creates jobs for Rroma

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Ozsváth (2014) reports on the local politics of the Hungarian mayor László Bogdán. The head of the community of Cserdi strives for a social policy, in which the unemployment rate is as low as possible and the work ethic as high as possible. László Bogdán, who is himself a Rrom, has significantly reduced the unemployment rate through his active economic policy: “I am mayor since 2006”, says the feisty 41-year-old, “before we had approximately 200 burglaries a year, today there is only a third of it. […]. We now have a recreation home at the Lake Balaton, 20 acres of woods, we build vegetables on 15 acres, and have 3,000 square meters of greenhouses. “As the first action, Bogdán closed the local pub; he built a bridge between the non-Roma and Roma neighbourhoods, induced the construction of houses, and most importantly: he brought his citizens to work through public funding. “I do not believe in democracy, in which one queues for welfare, but not for work”, he says. […] Also, in the minds of the other Hungarians – the non-Roma – the mayor of Cserdi wants to change something: together with villagers he drives to Budapest and distributes food from its own surplus to the needy. […] For the mayor of Cserdi, it is about helping, but also about the headline: Roma help the poor.” With young Rromni from humble origins, Bogdán goes to the University, to show them alternatives to the professional life of their parents. In Hungary, there are 600,000 to one million Rroma. They belong to all social strata. Not all are marginalised and poorly educated, as it is usually suggested in the media. By continuing prejudices against the minority, they are in fact particularly affected by discrimination and exclusion, in the working environment and in education.

Bulgaria Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

07.11.2014 German Bundestag adopts measures against “poverty immigration”

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Scholz (2014) reports on the adoption of measures by the German parliament, which shall limit the so-called “poverty immigration”. The ambivalent term was mistakenly repeatedly equated with a Rroma mass immigration in the political and media debate. However, the critical analyses did not detect any mass exodus from Romania and Bulgaria to Germany. In addition, there also immigrated ethnic Bulgarians and Romanians, as well as well-qualified workers. Despite this context, the Bundestag has decided on a set of measures that shall make immigration unattractive to low-skilled migrants. The movement of persons is not affected by the decision: “The right of residence for job search is limited to six months. In case of abuse, one has to face three years imprisonment or a fine. Municipalities receive onetime 25 million Euros by the federal government as a relief. Re-entry bans are now generally limited ex officio, and not only following request. Child benefit is paid only upon presentation of a tax number, to avoid double payments. Vaccinations for children and young people are paid by the statutory health insurgence. Undeclared work shall be combated by better data exchange between authorities. However, there will be no immigration quotas for citizens of EU states in Germany.” Along with the debate on the so-called “poverty immigrants”, there also was an in depth discussion on the situation of the Rroma in South-eastern Europe. There was no agreement among the various parties about the situation of the Rroma minority. While some pointed to the strong ghettoisation of the Rroma, disregarding integrated Rroma, others emphasised the discrimination against the minority. Also in this point, there was no agreement on whether Rroma are politically persecuted – therefore are systematically discriminated against – or are “only” exposed to everyday discrimination. In conjunction with the discussion on the status of safe countries of origin, the viewpoint prevailed that Rroma are affected by severe poverty, but are not affected by political persecution in South-eastern Europe. However, very one-sided and distorted ideas about the culture of the Rroma, based more on prejudice than on critically questioned knowledge continue to circulate. The debate barley every addressed the 110’000 to 130’000 Rroma that have been living integrated in Germany for generations.

Greece News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

07.11.2014 Greece: perpetrators of racist attacks on Rroma convicted

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Amnesty International (2014) reports about the conviction of three men who, for racist reasons,  brutally attacked a Rromni and her nephew in Greece. The men were sentenced to prison terms of eighth months each. Amnesty International offered free legal assistance to the victims. Since the economic crisis and euro crisis right-wing extremist groups like the “Chrysi Avgi” party (Golden Dawn) have enjoyed increasing popularity: ““These convictions are only the first step to justice. Equally important is that the court now recognises the racist motive behind this crime,” said Giorgos Kosmopoulos, Amnesty International’s expert on Greece, who observed the trial. Paraskevi Kokoni and her nephew were punched, kicked and beaten with logs by a group of local men while they were out shopping in the town of Etoliko, western Greece. Paraskevi told Amnesty International that she was singled out as a relative of a local Roma leader. The attack took place amid a series of vicious racist raids on Roma families by groups chanting anti-Roma slogans and threats in the same town between August 2012 and January 2013. In a separate case last month, those attacks were attributed to members and supporters of Golden Dawn in Etoliko.” Rroma are largely organised egalitarian. So-called “Rroma leaders”, as they are mentioned in this article, have mainly representative character. In Greece, there are an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Rroma, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation. Many of them have education, work, and have their own homes. Rroma belong to all social classes, but are indeed particularly affected by poverty and discrimination.

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07.11.2014 Marseille: Didier Réault sentenced for demagogic statement

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Didier Réault, assistant to the mayor of Marseille, was sentenced to a fine of 1000 Euros on probation. The local politician had called on Twitter to throw Molotov cocktails at a local Rroma settlement. The offender was also sentenced to pay an indemnity of 600 Euros to the organisation Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peuples (Mrap), which had charged Réault as a private plaintiff: “The sentence has been pronounced. More than a year after he had published a tweet in which referred to the Roma camp in the north, Didier Réault was sentenced on Thursday. The judiciary has found him guilty of “having inciting hatred, discrimination and violence.” It also sentenced the UMP assistant of the mayor to a fine of 1000 Euros on probation, and prompted him to pay 600 Euros in damages to the organisation “Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié of peuples (Mrap)”. The latter represents the private plaintiff. On June the 8th, 2013, Didier Réault republished a first call of throwing Molotov cocktails in the context of a Roma camp in the north of Hellemmes. The deputy wrote: “See you soon in Marseille for the same action”, making an allusion to a Roma camp in the 10th arrondissement of Marseille” (Planet 2014). Didier Réault is not an isolated case. Repeatedly, various politicians in France have been sentenced for racist remarks on Rroma. Their unreflective statements reverberate the one-sided image of the minority in the French public, dominated by prejudices (compare 20 Minutes France 2014 Rasteau 2014).

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07.11.2014 Rroma as losers of the 1989 turnaround

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Mappes-Niediek (2014) reports on marginalised Rroma in Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia. He emphasises that it is not primarily the repeatedly criticised discrimination, but primarily the economic exclusion, the sometimes poor qualifications or the lack of relationships in the world of employment that keep Rroma marginalised. However, he disregards that there are Rroma who are well educated, but are not perceived as members of the minority. Also, not all Rroma have many children, as the Rromni he portrays: “As the world suddenly began to spin faster, Elena Costache was 34 years old. She lived with her husband and nine children in a house with four rooms in the Bucharest district Ferentari. She had a steady job in a bindery, where she packed the shipping goods. Then everything went quickly. The bindery was forced to close. Her husband also lost his job […]. That they are Roma or, as they say here, Țigani – Gypsies – for Elena, Cristina and Gheorghe is not worth a thought, besides their many problems. Nevertheless, their fate has to do with their ethnicity – though not as the simplifiers try to make believe. […] After the turnaround, the number of jobs fell to less than a half. Million industrial workers were attracted from the cities to the countryside, where the state refunded them the house with a hectare of arable land, which had once belonged to their grandparents. Many remained there and still live almost without money, only living from their plots. About ten percent of the population got nothing from the land distribution. Not because they wanted to discriminate against them, but because even their grandparents didn’t have any. The Roma were slaves in Romania since the Middle Ages, and were not allowed to own land.” Mappes-Niediek show that it is no general racism, which keeps the excluded Rroma at the margins of society, but that it is a combination of sometimes historically low professional qualifications with an economic marginalisation, which makes it difficult to break out of the spiral of poverty. However, it must be emphasized that Mappes-Niediek only portrays the marginalised Rroma, and therefore mistakenly equates the minority with an underclass. However, Rroma in South-eastern Europe – with the exception of Romania –have been integrated for centuries and are found in all professions.

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01.11.2014 Romani Rose condemns migration policy towards Rroma

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In a recent statement, Romani Rose, chairman of the central council of German Sinti and Rroma, criticised the repressive migration and asylum policy towards Rroma from Eastern Europe. 25 years after the end of the Soviet bloc, a new wall between East and West Europe menaces to emerge, fuelled by xenophobic policies and corresponding migration measures, particularly aimed against Rroma: “25 years after the fall of the wall, Romani Rose, chairman of the central council of German Sinti and Roma, cautions against a new division of Europe – at least for the members of his minority. The debate about the so-called poverty migration, which took place on the back of the Roma, has led to the situation in Eastern Europe “that someone with dark eyes and dark hair is arrested on the border”, Rose said during a visit to the of Bundestag Vice-President Claudia Roth (Green) at Central Council in Heidelberg. […] For the Roma of the Balkans, Roth called for a rapid improvement in the situation. “We must begin by acknowledging that there is a group-specific persecution: these people are persecuted and discriminated against because they are Roma”, Roth said. About the last point, however, there is no consensus. While most experts agree that Rroma are affected by severe economic hardship and discrimination in everyday life, there is no consensus on an ethnic-related persecution. This is disputed by various parties, which refer to the long, historically documented integration of Rroma in Eastern Europe. Comprehensive, objective studies on the situation of Rroma since the end of the Soviet bloc, about the rise of nationalism and the Yugoslav wars, which massively altered the socio-political situation – and renewed and ethnic divisions – are rare. Rose also expressed the wish that a museum about the Rroma history should be opened in Berlin. The monument alone conveys too little background knowledge about the history of exclusion and persecution of the minority, he stated (Rhein-Neckar Zeitung 2014).

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