Tag Archives: Education

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.

France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

01.11.2014 Lille: informal Rroma settlement evicted

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Duthoit/Dufresne (2014) report on the eviction of an informal Rroma settlement in Lille. The camp accommodated about 30 people, who lived in sixteen caravans. The site was evicted at the request of the owner of the property, the Société Publique Locale. A comprehensive social diagnosis, which would have ensured the future accommodation of the families, was not applied: “A new evacuation of a Roma camp took place this Tuesday. The police operation began at 7:30 on the Rue de la chaude-Rivière, between Fives and the casino, and lasted three hours. The Roma were installed under the bridge of a bypass. As with any eviction of this type, the same scenes with families in extreme poverty were repeated; they find themselves on the street. In total, thirty people were evicted. “I do not know where we will go, moaned a family man. My five children are enrolled in school in Lille, what shall they do?” Regarding the sixteen caravans, which served as accommodation: the majority was in poor condition and were pulled onto the road by tow trucks.” – It must be emphasized that the evictions of the informal settlements massively complicate the long-term integration of the Rroma immigrants. Due to the expulsions, the existing problems and the integration question are simply moved from one location to the next, but not resolved. Particularly affected are children attending school, who are disturbed by the expulsions in their school curiculum and therefore in their future careers. Furthermore, with the media focus on the informal settlements, one creates impression that there are only lower class Rroma who are poorly educated. According to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma live integrated and unobtrusively in the French society. They are completely ignored by the French public. The Rroma living in informal settlements, who recently immigrated from Eastern Europe – about 15,000 to 20’0000 people – only constitute a minority of all Rroma resident in France (compare Libert 2014, Nord Eclair 2014).

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01.11.2014 Future of displaced Rroma from Bobigny remains unclear

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Metro News (2014) reports on the current status of around 60 Rroma, who, since the evacuation of the informal Rroma settlement of Bobigny, are without a permanent housing. The families were accommodated in the first night in a gymnasium of Paris, later they were assigned to urban emergency shelters. However, they can stay there only for up to 15 days. Therefore, little time for a new social diagnosis of the persons affected and their needs is left. Rroma aid-organizations criticise the lack of initiative of the authorities to organise alternative accommodations for the expellee: “Saimir Mil, president of the organization “La voix des Roms”, was questioned by Metronews on Monday: he criticised a lack of dialogue “on part of the authorities.” And nourished the worry about permanently available solutions that should be proposed to the expellee. However, the mayor of Paris assures that “extra care regarding solutions for accommodation” is applied, in order to be able to offer them to the persons in need. The dossier is now in the hands of the prefecture.In addition, the municipality of Paris supported not all residents of the camp of Coquetiers. “At least as many are outdoors today”, Saimir Mile announced.” These are the people that were scattered during the evacuation last Monday. Some of them have taken parts of the camp into possession again in the last days, as one could note.” – It must be emphasised that the forced evictions of informal settlements significantly complicate a long-term integration of Rroma immigrants. Due to the expulsions, the existing problems and the integration question are simply moved from one location to the next, but not resolved. Particularly affected are children attending school. The uncompromising evictions are an expression of a failed social policy of the French state, which does not build on integration and support, but on exclusion and expulsion. In addition, through the media focus on informal settlements it is suggested that there are only lower class Rroma who are poorly educated. However, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma are living integrated and unobtrusively in French society. They belong to all social strata and are completely negated by the French public. The Rroma who recently immigrated to France from Easter Europe and are living in the informal settlements – about 15,000 to 20’0000 people – therefore constitute only a minority of all Rroma resident in France (compare Côté 2014).

Germany News Western Europe

29.10.2014 MiGAZIN: Alternative for Germany (AfD) voters have strong prejudices against Rroma

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The MiGZIN (2014) reports on the relationship of voters of the right-wing Euro-sceptic party Alternative for Germany (AFD) towards Rroma. Occasion for the analysis of the relationship between party affiliation and socio-political attitudes is the study „Die Parteien und das Wählerherz 2014“ of the University of Leipzig. The researchers surveyed 2400 Germans from 18 to 91 years about their electoral behaviour and political opinions. Regarding the relationship towards Rroma, the study states: “About 96 percent of the NPD voters have a problem with having Sinti and Roma in their living environment and think they tend to crime. 91 percent want to remove Sinti and Roma from the inner cities. The corresponding values ​​for the followers of the AfD are at 75 percent and 73 percent. Also the majority of non-voters and supporters of the CDU/ CSU and SPD are rather Gypsy hostile. The most liberal are the supporters of the Green Party, but also among them, a third rejects Sinti and Roma.” The study also examined correlations between the level of educational attainment, income, and susceptibility to right-wing nationalist ideas: “Among the voters of the NPD and the non-voters we find the largest group poor people. One sixth of the NPD voters and one-fifth of non-voters have a monthly income of less than 1000 Euros. Among the voters of the FDP and the AfD there are few with a low income. Only 26.1 percent of the voters of the NPD have a monthly household income of more than 2500 Euros. In contrast, 55.6 percent of the FDP voters, 48.3 percent of the Pirate Party supporters, and 47.3 percent of the Green Party voters have an income of more than 2500 Euros. Among the voters of the Green Party, one finds the most people with higher education, 43.5 percent of them have high school diploma. In contrast, only 8.8 percent of non-voters and 13 percent of the NPD voters have the high school diploma.” The study shows that lack of education and economic deprivation increase the susceptibility to right-wing nationalist positions. It is therefore the duty of politics to promote the higher education of as many people as possible and to ensure the economic appreciation of the different professional groups. The study’s identified characteristics do of course not mean that poor uneducated people are automatically susceptible to extreme viewpoints. However, they have a higher statistical probability than other groups to sympathise with these positions and to be politically manipulated. In Germany, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma. Before the genocide by the Nazis, there were much more. Many have lived in Germany for generations, speak fluently German, go to work and send their children to school. They are the proof that the stereotypes about the minority are inconsistent with reality (compare Decker/Brähler 2014, Universität Leipzig 2014). 

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

29.10.2014 Giving a voice to Romnija

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Schultheis (2014) reports on a program by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in the Czech Republic that seeks to promote the political participation of Romnija (Rroma women). For this purpose, eight selected students were trained in political participation for one year, to motivate them to an active role in socio-political processes: “The foundation, close to the Green party, would like to motivate Roma women (Romnija) to become politically active and to become decision makers themselves. Thereby, they also shall refute the stereotype of Roma as uneducated, passive welfare recipients, by their own example.” Schultheis spoke with Eva van de Rakt, director of the program in Prague, on the experience of the last course: “The special thing about this year was that we had an exceptional election year. It began in October 2013, with the earlier new elections, then in May the elections to the European Parliament, and now in October the communal and senate elections. That was indeed very, very helpful for this course, because one could discuss very specific questions in the group that were related to these elections. For practical part it is important that we try to establish direct contacts. This year, many conversations with politicians took place, and the experience shows that these are core experiences for the Romnija. They always report that it incredibly motivated them to become active themselves. The theoretical knowledge that the Romnija were taught in, encompasses knowledge about the political system of the Czech Republic, the parties spectrum, the current educational, social and health policy, but also skills in rhetoric and public communication. Through the program, many of the participants were encouraged to become actively involved in politics or in civil society. But the problems of access of Rroma to the education system remains, mostly because of discrimination and institutional obstacles. Moreover, not only Romnija that already have good education should be fostered politically, but also marginalised Rroma, both women and men.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

29.10.2014 European Commission sues Czech Republic because of continuing segregation of Rroma pupils

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Cameron (2014) reports on a complaint of the European Commission against the Czech government. The reason is the continued segregation of Rroma children in public schools. This happens in spite a landmark ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in 2007 that condemned the segregation of Rroma children as being illegal and racist. Czech Rroma children constitute 35% at so-called “practical schools” for pupils with learning difficulties, although Rroma represent only 2.8% of the Czech population. Doubtful psychological assessments and test lead to this high rate. Because little has changed since the court ruling of 2007, the European Commission has now started a procedure for breach of contract. In a first phase, the Czech government is once again given the opportunity to abolish segregation. If this does not happen, the lawsuit is initiated and delegated to European courts: “The Commission has initiated what it calls “infringement proceedings” against the country for failing to improve the situation, seven years after a landmark European Court of Human Rights ruling. […] Julek Mika was one of 18 Roma plaintiffs in a landmark case – DH and Others v Czech Republic – that was brought before the European Court of Human Rights by a group of NGOs. In 2007, the court ruled the Czech Republic was in breach of EU anti-discrimination law and ordered the country to make amends. It was a ground-breaking verdict. But little has changed. […] Children in special classes follow a less demanding curriculum and, like Julek, have virtually no prospect of going on to secondary school or university. The best they can aspire to is an unskilled job or a life on benefits. “This is a serious wake-up call for the Czech government”, says Marek Szilvasi, research and advocacy officer for the Budapest-based European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC). “This is the first time the European Commission has decided to start infringement proceedings against a country for failing to implement the Race Equality Directive”, Mr Szilvasi told the BBC.”

The Ministry of Education announced that the new government, in office since January, has prepared several measures to ensure equality in public schools. This shall be implemented in January 2015. However, whether the Czech government will fully abolish segregation, remains open. According to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an  estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Rroma in the Czech Republic.

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29.10.2014 Rroma mediators against prejudices

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Werkhäuser (2014) reports on a current project of the council of Europe, which, with specifically trained mediators, aims at reducing prejudices between the Rroma minority and majority populations of the European nation states. In addition to the prevention of racial prejudice, the ROMED-2 project aims to improve the access of Rroma to the labour market and to education: “He often gets asked the following, tells the Sinto Romeo Franz at the launch of new mediators program: “Mr. Franz, why are you discriminated against? Then he answers: “You don’t need to ask me, ask those who discriminate against me”, Franz tells with a wink, but the message is clear: Sinti and Roma in Germany have to deal with a variety of prejudices. This applies to the recently immigrated Rroma from South Eastern Europe as well as to those families, who have lived in Germany for centuries, like the one of Romeo Franz. […] With a million Euros per year for all 12 participating countries, including Bulgaria and Romania, the funding for the program is not exactly abundant. Therefore, in Germany, one resorts to mediators whose positions are already funded. But money is not the main problem, says Bunjes [coordinator for Rroma issues in the council of Europe. “The EU provides many resources for Roma projects that are not used.” In many places, the willingness to deal at all with the problems of the Roma is prevailing, he states.” It has been repeatedly pointed out by critics that Rroma themselves do too little for a successful integration. This statement negates persistent discrimination and structures of inequality that make it individual people very difficult to change their situation on their own (compare Lambeck 2014).  

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24.10.2014 URA-2: controversial return assistance project in the Kosovo

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Baeck (2014) reports on the German return assistance project URA-2 in the Kosovo. The controversial aid program is supposed to help deported families or voluntarily returnees from Germany with their reintegration. According to Baeck however, the aid project doesn’t not fulfil this task. The program is more a political representation project, than that real integration assistance is being provided, Baeck criticizes: ““Ura” – means “bridge” in Albanian and is a project for “returnees” in the Kosovo, which Lower Saxony finances since 2009 with six other provinces and the federal government. Just recently, Lower Saxony decided to extend it until 2015. […] During a visit in February, the door to the URA-2-building is closed. […] People should actually queue here: anywhere in Prishtina, one encounters deportees, who wear rags and live in the worst conditions, in shacks or demolished houses. This morning, there is no one to be seen of all these people in the URA-2 building. […] URA 2 seems to be more effective in Germany. By default, during asylum procedures in Lower Saxony, the authorities refer to the assistances that are listed on leaflets. The project serves as a mean to overturn in advance possible reasons that could hinder a deportation – for example health reasons.” Baeck sees the return assistance project as an excuse to have arguments for the deportation of immigrants back to the Kosovo. The Rroma constitute the largest group of those affected. All the promises that are made in the information brochure of URA-2, are not adhered to, Baeck criticizes: “In the brochures of URA 2, one can read of “support with administrative procedures” and “psychological support”, of grants for rent, medicine, school supplies, or the initial furnishing of an apartment. To promote the integration into the labour market, one time training costs can be paid, up to 170 Euros, when starting a business even several thousand Euros. Who is returning from Germany “voluntarily”, receives more than “repatriated persons.”” Rroma are not politically persecuted in Kosovo. However, that does not mean that they are not there affected by severe poverty and a wide variety discriminations. This is given too little consideration when deporting people back. – Before the war, 100’000 to 300’000 well integrated Rroma lived in the Kosovo. Today, according to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, there are around 40’000.

  • Baeck, Jean-Philipp (2014) Niedersachsens Trojaner in Prishtina. In: Die Tageszeitung (TAZ) online vom 17.10.2014. http://www.taz.de/!147939/
Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

24.10.2014 Uncertain situation for immigrant Rroma in Enneptal continues

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Gruber (2014) reports on the ongoing ambiguous situation for the Rroma immigrants in Enneptal. Most of the approximately 100 Rroma, many of them children, moved after the expulsion from Duisburg to the city. Since, they had to handle several chicanes of the new owner: he tried to evade them again shortly after their arrival in the municipality, what turned out to be illegal. The immediate future of the Rroma families is therefore still unclear. After all, all children are enrolled in local schools and the families are actively supported in their integration efforts by the association future-oriented assistance (ZOF). The latest challenge is not functioning heaters, which, in regard to the dawning winter, poses a serious problem: “Now the families with many small children and infants are threatened to live in homes without heating – and the cold months are just around the corner. There are different sources regarding how many people are affected. The city and the social workers from the association future-oriented assistance (ZOF) estimate 70 people, who still live in the tenements at the Hagener Strasse 138 a and 138 b. The Roma themselves speak of 60 people, divided into six families. The city Ennepetal is informed. It wants to talk to the landlord, with the aim that he performs his duties and ensures proper conditions in the apartments. […] The municipal commitment to improve the situation has also to be seen in context of a threat to the children’s welfare. Infants and young children in homes without a working heater can quickly become a case for the youth welfare services.” The association future-oriented assistance (ZOF) also wants to enable the best possible inclusion of the adults into the labour market; among others with language courses. – In Germany, according to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, there live 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma. The majority of them have lived in Germany for generations and are well integrated. They are completely negated in the one-sided media debate about “poverty of immigrants”, that are usually equated with poor Rroma from Southeast Europe.

France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

22.10.2014 Rroma settlement of Bobigny being evicted

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Numerous French newspapers report about the announced eviction of the Rroma settlement of Bobigny. The settlement, which houses several hundred Rroma, is one of the oldest of its kind in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis. It is and was also the scene of ongoing debates between the public authorities and organisations working for the rights of the Rroma. Bobigny was firmly in the hands of communist politicians since 1944. Stéphane de Paoli, the first UDI mayor of the city, promised during the election campaign to immediately close down informal settlements if hygiene or safety deficiencies could be determined and to officially recognise the illegal character of the informal settlements: “The regional court of Bobigny, competent in the matter since the occupied premises were not used publicly, communicated its judgment on July the 2nd. Relief in the camp of the Roma: the tribunal rejected the request of the mayor. “But five days later, Stéphane de Paoli sent a new bailiff to the camp … And in mid-August he issued a decree for eviction, with which he set at defiance the court’s verdict. He reckoned, I think, that everyone was on holidays, tells the lawyer Tamara Lowy”” (Mouillard/Piquemal 2014). The prefect responsible for social equality, Didier Leschi, says he applied the compulsory social diagnosis according to the regulations. The state will continue to support about a dozen families, who have stable incomes, among others with social housing. However, Véronique Decker, director of the primary school in Bobigny, criticised the fact that the majority of families, some sixty of them, will be on the street after the eviction. The social diagnosis is therefore far from being applied satisfactorily. It is important to emphasise that the forced evacuations of informal settlements complicate a long-term integration of Rroma immigrants. Due to the forced evictions, the existing problems and the integration question are simply moved from one location to the next, but not solved. Particularly affected by the evacuations are the children, who often visit local schools, and are greatly disturbed in their education. The rigorous expulsion of Rroma immigrants reflects the unwillingness of the French government to engage in an active, long-term integration policy. Furthermore, by the one-sided media focus on the informal settlements it is suggested that there are only Rroma belonging to the lower class, which are poorly educated. However, the Rroma from the slums – an estimated 15,000 people – only represent a minority of the minority in France. According to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma live unobtrusively and integrated in French society. They belong to all social strata and are not perceived by the French media and politics. For fear of discrimination, many of these integrated Rroma keep their identity a secret.

Amnesty International (2014) points out that the evictions also violate human rights, when the displaced persons are without accommodation after the evacuation. Only a part of the residents were offered alternative accommodation. Amnesty International speaks of a third of the current residents. There are primarily those families who have children in school age. However, many of the accommodations offered are not suitable to accommodate families, or are very far away from Bobigny (compare 20 Minutes France 2014, Mediapart 2014).

In the early afternoon of October the 21st, the inhabitants of the settlement were prompted by a large contingent of riot police to leave the camp. The eviction proceeded quietly, as the journalists present state. Towards the evening, a group of around fifty Rroma, among them many children, gathered on the Place de la Republique in Paris, and demonstrated for temporary accommodation. Later that evening, they took refuge in the hospital Saint-Louis, from where they were also evicted by the riot police a little later (Mouillard / Hullot-Guiot 2014, Le Monde 2014). Le Parisien (2014) complements that several dozen families were able to move into a Paris gym, as temporary shelter, after 23 o’clock. The gym was provided the city government of Paris (compare Fikri 2014, Metronews 2014).

Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

22.10.2014 Demonstration for the rights of the Rroma in Budapest

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Several German-language newspapers reported on a human-rights demonstration in Budapest, where representatives of the Rroma and their sympathisers called attention on the discrimination of the Rroma minority and demanded more commitment towards compliance of minority rights. There were also members of other discriminated minorities among the protesters: “Several hundred Hungarians participated on Sunday, in the capital Budapest, in a “Roma Pride”- march in honour of the discriminated Sinti and Roma. During their demonstration downtown, they sang the song “Opre Roma” (Stand up, Roma!), that calls for the struggle for social equality. The main organiser of the march, Jeno Setet of the Roma organisation Ide tartozunk (We belong here), said: “This day is for everyone, whether Roma or non-Roma. With it, we want to show the pride of our community and our positive contribution to Hungary.” Among the demonstrators were also representatives of the Jewish community, of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), as well as the homeless people and refugees. Benjamin Abtan of the co-organizing European anti-racist grassroots movement (Egam) in Paris, said: “Roma Pride is our response to the current rise of nationalism, racism and anti-Semitism in Europe, particularly in Hungary” (Blick 2014). The extreme right-wing Jobbik-party (English: the better ones) emerged as the second strongest power from the municipal elections of October the 12th. Supporters of the party have repeatedly gained attention with demagogic statements against Rroma

Pester Lloyd (2014) explains in details the concerns of the organisers: they criticise, among others, the one-sided press coverage of the minority, leading to the strengthening of negative stereotypes about Rroma. In addition, the access to the education system, to the labour market, and to health care is still insufficient: “The organisers complain that in general and especially in Hungary, “one almost never hears or reads anything positive about the Rroma”, these media exclusion or bias reinforces the separation of majority and minority. However, through pride, one also gets self-confidence to take ones destiny into ones own hands – even if the government does not want this. In a petition, among others, it was demanded that the existence of a Holocaust against Roma and their persecution in Nazi Hungary be made a subject in classrooms. The background: Minister Balog, responsible for the Roma integration, called the Hungarian Roma recently  a “people without a history”, who were caught in an imaginary victimhood. Furthermore, he stated that there were  “no deportations of Roma into concentration camps”, which is historically just wrong.” In addition, Pester Lloyd deplores the very low participation in the demonstration (compare Thurgauer Zeitung 2014, Tiroler Tageszeitung 2014, Die Welt 2014, Wiener Zeitung 2014, Zeit 2014).

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17.10.2014 Visible Rroma in Berlin

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Flatau (2014/I) reports on illegal camping Rroma immigrants in the Görlitzer Park of Berlin. The homeless Rroma families are supposed to receive integration support at the initiative of the leaders from the district Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg: “The district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg wants to develop a new plan of action to deal with the homeless Eastern Europeans. For this purpose, the “workgroup immigration” was founded. This interdepartmental workgroup was “absolutely necessary”, said mayor Monika Herrmann (Green). The panel will ensure that the Roma families get a minimum health care in the future, and children and young people are enrolled in day care centres and schools. With the senate authorities, a first Berlin contact point for Roma shall be initiated. In addition, the district office has applied for 1.2 million Euro subsidies from the EU, to fund language courses and further support. However, the office cannot provide accommodations, said city counciler Beckers. But he knew of intensive efforts of the commissioners for integration of the Senate in providing housing for Roma families. This was preceded by protests against the illegal camping Roma families. This season, more people than in past years had stayed in the Görlitzer Park and in vehicles at the Görlitzer Strasse […].” However, the media focus on homeless Rroma immigrants casts a bad light on the situation of Rroma in Germany. While the media and politicians are concerned almost exclusively with the recently immigrated Rroma, they neglect the majority of the 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma, which have been living integrated in Germany for generations and speak perfectly German. They are the proof that integration is possible without problems (compare Flatau 2014/II).

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17.10.2014 Information event: correct and incorrect knowledge much about Rroma in France

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Ouest-France (2014) reports on an information event for residents of the Nantes agglomeration. The towns of Saint-Sébastien et Saint-Jacques Saint organized the event to inform the residents of the municipalities on local Rroma. However, the focus was only on recently immigrated Rroma families, who enjoy strong public visibility. Already integrated Rroma were not discussed. In the municipalities, around 60 families live in rented housing units and are supported by measures aimed at integrating them into the professional and social life. A further 38 persons live in illegal settlements. While the conveyed information is correct, it nevertheless distorts the view on Rroma. For example, it was incorrectly said that Rroma, Manouche and Gitans are three different Rroma groups: “The Roma are one of three European gypsy groups arriving from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia… They differ from the Manouches and the Gypsies, who are called “travellers” by the administration. Originally from India, the Roma arrived in Europe in the 14th century. Protected by the kings of Bohemia in the 17th century, they are sometimes called Bohemians. […] After 1989, they were attracted by the mirage of the West. 1,500 of the 20,000 in France live in the agglomeration of Nantes, all coming from the south-east of Romania.” However, the differentiation between Rroma and Sinti, called Manouche in France, is a political one. The Rroma all have the same migration history and linguistic background. The term “Gitans” in turn is among some familiar as the name of the Rroma from the Iberian Peninsula. However, they also build part of the Rroma, and are historically and linguistically no separate category. Also the finding that only 20,000 Rroma live in France, and that they come exclusively from Romania, is wrong. Moreover, Rroma arrived in Eastern Europe in the 9th century, not only in the 14th century, which is true for Western Europe. According to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, i 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma live in France. The majority of them are integrated, work, are fluent in French and send their children to school. Many have lived in France for generations, and not just since 1989, and come from all over Europe, not only from Romania. The recently immigrated Rroma, who enjoy strong public visibility, therefore constitute only a minority of the minority.

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17.10.2014 Sulukule: forced relocation of Rroma in Istanbul

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Keet (2014) reports on the forced resettlement of about 3,500 Rroma in Istanbul. The members of the minority, who have lived in the neighbourhood Sulukule for centuries, were relocated between 2005 and 2010 into apartment buildings on the outskirts of the city because of a building project. Sulukule was one of the oldest documented Rroma settlements in the world. Their presence was documented since the time of the Byzantine Empire. The forced resettlement of Rroma led to massive protests by various groups. The inhabitants protested for four years, all the while when excavators destroyed their buildings. Despite several legal objections to the destruction of the settlement, which was ordered by the government, the demolition continued. With the settlement’s destruction, a way of life was laid to rest. It consisted of a close cooperation between the local families, who arranged their daily works with one another, which allowed a good existence  in spite of small incomes. In the new apartment buildings the Rroma pay a lot more rent and are cut off from their former sources of revenue, such as metal work, flower trade, or raw material recycling, because of the location on the urban periphery. Critics complain that the Rroma were not consulted in the resettlement project, and that a responsible policy would have involved them in the decision-making. According to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, 300,000 to 500,000 Rroma live in Turkey. Many of them are affected by severe poverty. However, numerous are also well integrated, have educations, own apartments and belong to the middle or even the upper class.

Keet, Verenia (2014) Roma people victims of modernization in Turkey. In: Press TV online vom 10.10.2014. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/10/10/381719/roma-victims-of-modernization-in-turkey/

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17.10.2014 France: Thirty civil rights organizations calling for a respectful treatment of the residents of informal settlements

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Amnesty International France (2014) reports on a new collective charter of thirty French civil rights organisations, which is currently being elaborated. In it, the initiators demand a more respectful treatment of the residents of informal settlements by the French authorities, especially Rroma: “It [the charter] has the goal to change the mentalities and opinions with which one meets the residents of the sites, by communicating the recognition and respect of their fundamental rights and dignity. The illicit nature of an occupation does not allow use illegal means to end the situation; numerous rules shall limit the scope of the public authorities and the owners [of the occupied land]. Once made ​​public, one will be able to distribute it on the sites and slums in different languages, depending on the people present (French, English, Romanian or Bulgarian). To know ones’ rights is essential in order to assert them and to be protected, or to protect ones family.” It is in fact essential that a fair balance between the right to property, which in France has constitutional status, and the fundamental rights of the residents is ensured, not least their right to accommodation.” The charter on the fundamental rights of the residents of informal settlements will, in addition to the residents themselves, also be distributed to political deputies, bailiffs, police authorities, and other public authorities, in order to enforce its compliance, if somehow possible. One should add to Amnesty International’s remarks that the forced evacuations of informal settlements complicate a long-term integration of Rroma immigrants. The evictions don’t solve the existing problems and the question of integration, but simply push them from one location to the next. Particularly affected are the children, who often visit local schools and are hindered by the evictions at a successful education. The rigorous expulsion of the minority reflects the unwillingness of the French government to engage in an active integration policy. Furthermore, by the one-sided media focus on the informal settlements it is suggested that there are only Rroma belonging to the lower class, which are poorly educated. However, the Rroma from the slums only constitute a minority of the minority in France. According to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma are integrated and live unobtrusively in French society. They belong to the middle class or even the upper class and are constantly ignored by the French media, the public and politicians. For fear of discrimination, many of these integrated Rroma keep their identity a secret.

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15.10.2014 Ozd: new Jobbik mayor demands of Rroma assimilation or emigration

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In the northern Hungarian city of Ozd, a representative of the right-wing extremist Jobbik party has become the new mayor after the local elections of October the 12th. Although the party is known for its strong anti-Rroma rhetoric, the new, only 27-year-old city mayor presented himself diplomatically in his first public statement. His oral statements are in contradiction to his campaign manifesto, in which he promised an uncompromising policy towards the Rroma: “He said he would crack down on crime and poverty on behalf of all residents, whatever their ethnic background. Yet the programme on which Janiczak ran in the election is explicit in singling out the Roma community. The manifesto, posted on the Jobbik Internet site next to a photograph of Janiczak, states: “We think there are two ways to solve the Gypsy question… The first one is based on peaceful consent, the second on radical exclusion.” “Our party wishes to offer one last chance to the destructive minority that lives here, so first it will consider peaceful consent. If that agreement fails, then and only then the radical solution can follow.” The programme threatens to “chase off people who are unable to conform”” (Irish Independent 2014). What the new Jobbik mayor is completely silent about in his call for assimilation is that most Rroma have been trying to integrate for a long time, but were hindered to so by economic and social exclusion. The continued segregation of Hungarian Rroma is therefore above all the result of the unwillingness of many Magyars to overcome their prejudices against the Rroma, and to facilitate their access to the labour market, to housing and public schools (compare Dunai 2014).

Aladar Horvath, a Hungarian Rroma activist, comments on the largely unchanged situation of the Rroma in Europe that development funds were often not accessed or landed in the wrong places. He adds that the economic crisis of 2008 has exacerbated social inequality: “Social injustice has risen markedly in the majority of EU countries since the economic crisis began in 2008, according to a recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation. Discrimination and social divisions have increased especially quickly in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, where the Roma face “systemic discrimination.” In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, enrolling Roma children into classes or separate schools for students with “special needs” remains a significant problem despite recent landmark court rulings against segregation in both countries. Hungary in particular appears to be moving in the wrong direction. Observers say that’s because the popularity of anti-Roma rhetoric and policies outweigh influence from Brussels. The number of segregated, Roma-only schools has increased from 128 in 1997 to more than 300 today, Horvath says. Geographical segregation has also increased as the deteriorating job market and cuts to social spending have combined to drive Roma into isolated “islands of poverty,” says Budapest-based researcher Attila Agh, who worked on the Bertelsmann study” (Overdorf 2014). Of the 600,000 to one million Rroma living in Hungary, there are indeed many affected by poverty and exclusion. However, there are also numerous integrated Rroma, who do not live in segregated settlements and belong to the middle or even upper-class.

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15.10.2014 Racist hatred after “Rroma attacks” in a school of Sheffield

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Several British newspapers report on violence at the Hinde House School in Sheffield. Various students were victims of severe physical attacks in the last few weeks and months, for which Rroma youth from Slovakia are made responsible. While the school management states to get the situation under control, a group of parents calls for harder sanctions against the school violence. The school administration is deemed to show too much tolerance towards the “gang-like culture” of the Rroma community. In the case described here, problems that also exist at other schools are made in​​to ethnic issues. There is no “gang-like culture” of violence among Rroma. What the newspapers report are the actions of individuals, who could also belong to any other ethnic group. The cited parents, who accuse the school principal of Hinde House to do nothing against the Rroma adolescents for fear of racism accusations, see this differently: “Parents have accused an inner-city head teacher of turning a blind eye towards violent gangs of Roma pupils for fear of being labelled a racist. More than 1,600 people have signed an online petition claiming ‘children have been stabbed, mugged and nearly kicked to death’ at the school. It urges the head not to ‘be afraid’ to tackle the issue – and suggests he is failing to do so for fear of appearing racist because the majority of the perpetrators are of Slovakian Roma origin. […] The petition was launched after an attack last Thursday that left pupil Rhys Larkings, 14, battered and bruised with a broken nose after being allegedly punched to the ground by three Roma Slovak teenagers.” The adolescents responsible for the violence were excluded of the school as a consequence, and the police have launched an investigation against them. The complaint of the parents saying that the school administration does nothing for fear of racism accusations is therefore unfounded. Rather, the outrage of the parents cited seem to be influenced by the nationalism fuelled by UKIP, as one can read in the article’s comments section. Excessive ethnic divisions only occur when people are willing to be manipulated by nationalist rhetoric. Rroma are not more violent than other ethnic groups (compare BBC News 2014, Daily Express 2014, Lawton 2014, The Star 2014).

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10.10.2014 Rroma, role models and education in Greece

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Sutton (2014) reports on the Rroma community of a suburb of Thessaloniki. According to the author’s opinion, the access to education for the local Rroma is still very limited. Women and girls are particularly affected as they often get married early due to traditional role models, she states. Sutton tries to show the discrimination against Rroma, but also reproduces one-sided stereotypes about the minority, especially by focusing on marginalised Rroma that are, contrary to her assertion, not representative of all Rroma, but rather a visible minority of the minority: “Statistics on Roma women make for depressing reading. They have on average 10 years lower life expectancy than the rest of the EU’s populations, higher infant mortality, less access to healthcare, limited access to information, extremely high levels of illiteracy, far higher rates of addiction, far, far lower rates of employment, voting and education, poorer housing and sanitation. In addition, girls are married off at 13 and generally start having children immediately, most without any knowledge of material health, infant nutrition or how to read. Despite giving birth in hospitals, the medical system doesn’t work on their behalf. Greek doctors don’t inform social services for a 13-year-old Roma girl in labour, even though this is one place where the vicious cycles of bad health, poverty and disempowerment could be broken.”

The continuing discrimination against Rroma as well as role models and traditions that impede or prevent an individual conduct of life are massive problems, which must be decidedly fought. However, the image of Rroma that is conveyed here which portrays them as a mass of uneducated and illiterate persons, who bear children while themselves in childhood, represents only a part of reality. They are visible Rroma, who live mostly in segregated settlements and are therefore easy to reach for statistical surveys or aid organisations. The integrated Rroma, who have good education, belong to all strata of society and also form part of the minority, are hidden by this account. This is problematic, especially when starting from the liberal premise that the life situation of poor people results from a lack of individual initiative, or even connects the characteristics described here in a fallacy with the culture of the Rroma. Poverty and exclusion have nothing to do with the Rroma culture. The general assertion that Rroma girls are married of at the age of 13, applies only to traditional families and certain groups. Many Rroma want a good education for their children and question traditional role models and early marriages. Sutton also implies this, when she asks the portrayed girls about their own wishes for the future. Nevertheless, a more critical and differentiated presentation of the background and the heterogeneity of the minority would have been very appropriate.

Sutton, Ruth (2014) The young Roma women who are changing their communities. In: Open Democracy online vom 8.10.2014. https://www.opendemocracy.net/transformation/ruth-sutton/young-roma-women-who-are-changing-their-communities

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10.10.2014 Swedish Member of European Parliament wants special taskforce for Rroma issues

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EurActiv (2014) spoke with Soraya Post, Swedish Member of European Parliament for the social democrats and a Rromni. Post wants to establish a special taskforce for Rroma issues, in order to put emphasis on these topics and to be able to better sanction nations which don’t adhere to antidiscrimination laws. In EurActiv, she presents her objectives in more detail: “Needless to say that as a Roma MEP, I will work on having strong language on Roma issues in every piece of legislation the Parliament will be adopting. Secondly, I will make a suggestion to include Roma history and culture in the EU countries’ national curriculum. Apart from that, it is important to ensure that every event about Roma in Europe should offer translation into Romani. At conferences and meetings, it is often the case that Roma cannot contribute to discussions because of a lack of translation services. Lastly, my two main goals during this parliamentary term are to work towards appointing a EU Special Representative for Roma, and creating a Roma Platform. The EU Special Representative for Roma should coordinate the work that is done in the EU institutions on this issue. The person in charge should serve as a bridge between the Romani, civil society and politicians.” Using the example of Sweden, Post explained further who important a close collaboration between Rroma-representatives and government authorities is: for the White Paper that documents the history of the minority in Sweden for the period of 1900 till 2000, they hold intense talks for several months. The White Paper is now builds the basis for school materials and for the deconstruction of stereotypes.

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10.10.2014 Centuries-old prejudices exacerbate integration

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Petersen (2014) reports on the integration of recently immigrated Rroma families in Berlin. According to the journalist and the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), the findings are sobering. As reasons for the supposedly difficult integration, the journalist refers to common prejudices about Rroma, which are thoughtlessly reproduced: „According to the CDU, the integration of Roma in Berlin is threatened to fail! Meanwhile, approximately 10,000 Roma live in the capital, tendency increasing. However, often they cannot be integrated: centuries-old traditions and clan structures can rarely be influenced by western strategies of integration.“ Petersen conveys the notion of a culture as corset, to which all Rroma subject to. Tellingly he doesn’t mention the prejudices, which exist since centuries and essentially contribute to their marginalisation. A worldview that builds on prototypical conceptions of men, and reduces the possibilities of a person to his or her will to act, is very reductionist. Apart from the prejudices and discriminations that impede an integration, the following measures are supposed to be applied to better include the immigrant Rroma: „Representatives from the youth welfare and the public health office, the school board and the police from Berlin and Rumania shall together visit the Roma-families. In the process, proposals shall be made to the families and on the other hand, there shall be sanctions, if for instance the children don’t go to school. Only with decisive actions can the integration succeed, the youth and health town councillor of Neukölln, Falko Liecke (41), stated. “So far, the plan of action of the senate is a paper tiger.” Liecke developed the seven-point plan together with Christina Schwarzer (38, CDU), MP of Neukölln, after a trip to Rumania.“ The plan of action also includes registering the Rroma, not an unproblematic plan, as this would be an ethnic register, and the creation of more day schools and support in health insurance. According to the Rroma Foundation, an estimated 110,000 to 130,000 Rroma live in Germany. The majority of them are well integrated, work, send their children to school, and have their own apartments.

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