Bleak picture for Europe’s ignored Roma

“This kind of anti-gypsy climate is similar to the one we were seeing in Europe before the beginning of the second world war.  History is there to remind us of what the concrete dangers are.”

Strong words from David Mark, 26, who is the Open Society Institute Roma Initiatives fellow, and coordinator for the European Roma Policy Coalition (ERPC).  He talks about the Roma situation in Europe, the responsibility of the EU as well as national governments, and the risks for the future.

 

How did you come to be involved in the Roma cause?

I am Roma myself and was raised in Romania.  When I was growing up, my mother started an NGO addressing Roma issues in my home town.  Then, when I studied in Hungary, I kept up my activism engaging in education programmes, summer camps, etc.  I still go back to Romania in the summers and work on such programmes.  It is part of who I am.  It is not only to do with what I believe is right or wrong, but it is also my culture and my identity.  I am a real Roma activist.

 

Have you ever faced discrimination yourself?

In a way yes.  When I tell people I am Roma, it is very common for me to note a change in their attitude towards me.  But I have surrounded myself with people who are not like that anyway.  People’s common reaction also means that I may avoid telling people about my cultural identity to avoid problems.  I have witnessed discrimination on other Roma though.  For example, being in a bar having a drink and seeing a more “traditional” group of Roma come in, and be told they cannot consume as there is a private party going on.  I know that there is no private party going on, I have certainly not been invited to one.  This kind of thing makes me very angry.

 

How did the coalition get started?

It is a very new initiative, really, as we only set up two years ago.  We are a coalition of ten NGOs, combining specific organisations with much bigger international ones: Amnesty International, Minority Rights Group International, European Roma Grassroots Organisation, etc.  We came together as we realised that there was a serious lack of attention being given by the European Union towards the Roma issue.  We felt that after the widening of the European Union towards the East, it was crucial for governments all over Europe to get involved in facing the consequences of this.  The EU’s responsibility in this is huge.

 

In terms of individual countries, are there any European models which could be followed?

Yes.  I think the best way to draw interesting conclusions is to compare two countries with similar situations when it comes to the Roma influx: Spain and Italy. 

These countries are dealing with it in completely opposite manners.  In Spain, we have seen an effort to integrate with tools such as education, employment strategies, and help for housing, which has been very successful.  In Italy, there is a complete lack of political will to accept the issue and to actually deal with it pragmatically.  Instead of thinking of integration and concrete solutions, we are seeing measures of extreme exclusion and discourses surrounding hate developed by politicians themselves in order to gain popularity.  This is no way of facing the issue. 

 

Would you say that this pragmatic help coming from above in Spain, as well as from independent groups, has helped actual social inclusion and acceptance?

Yes.  I do actually think that this helps immensely.  When groups are not resisted but accepted it helps social dialogue and intercultural exchange.  You know the Roma are a very young group, there is so much potential there to be exploited socio-economically.  People just have to realise.

 

What would you say the risks are if Europe does not confront this issue?

I think if European countries continue in this way, we are going towards a very grim picture.

Social exclusion travels.  Roma people will not disappear.  If they are expulsed or rejected from one country, they will go to the next, and then they will probably go on to the next, ever more alienated and becoming a pariah in every country they settle in.  But in the end where will they go?  What can they do?  There are an estimated 8-10 million Roma in Europe today.  That is too much to be ignored, especially in such a climate, we just have to look at history to remember – anti-gypsyism has been going on a long time.  This kind of climate is similar to the one we were seeing in Europe before the beginning of the second world war.  History is there to remind us what the concrete dangers are.

 

So would you say that Europe is xenophobic, or racist then?

Yes.  And I think these feelings are increasing at a rate that is really worrying.  There have already been fatalities in Hungary.  Where next?

 

What can be done?

We at the Open Society Institute are campaigning for a renewed commitment and respect from major European parties to the Charter of European Parties for a Non Racist Society, which was originally signed in 1998 by most of the parties in Eastern Europe.  Right now we are receiving limited response though.

We also need pragmatic approaches coming from national governments which decrease attention rather than increase it.  Unfortunately, politicians often use hate against Roma for political means, notably in campaigns.  This only makes things worse.

 

Looking to the future, what can we strive for? A Roma-Obama figure as President of the EU?

Maybe not a Roma President, but at least a Roma Commissioner.  That would be nice.

 

www.romapolicy.eu