Monument for Sinti and Roma victims of Nazis highlights German government hypocrisy

This article comes to us from the RINA network and was written in the World Socialist Website at WSWS.org

Monument for Sinti and Roma victims of Nazis highlights German government hypocrisy

By Bernd Reinhardt 
29 October 2012

On October 24, a central memorial for the 500,000 Sinti and Roma murdered by the Nazis was unveiled in Berlin. The monument is sited immediately next to the Bundestag (parliament) building. It is also close to the Holocaust memorial for the Jews murdered during Nazi rule.

The ceremony to unveil the monument was attended by representatives of the Sinti and Roma communities, a representative of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and the vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee. Top representatives of the German political establishment were present, including Federal President Joachim Gauck, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Culture Minister Bernd Neumann and Bundestag President Nobert Lammert.

Also in attendance were various party representatives such as Gregor Gysi and Petra Pau (Left Party), Renate Künast (Greens), Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit (Social Democratic Party), and former federal president Richard von Weizsäcker. The ceremony was transmitted live on television.

Israeli artist Dani Karavan created the monument in accordance with guidelines provided by the Sinti and Roma communities designed to point to their common history of persecution. The monument consists of a circular black basin filled with water, twelve metres in diameter, with a triangle-shaped column at its centre representing the piece of fabric that Sinti and Roma were forced to wear in the concentration camps.

Every evening, the column will retract, appearing again the following day bearing a fresh flower. This stands for recurring sorrow, recurring life and a constant reminder to keep alive the memory of the crimes committed against the Sinti and Roma.

The poem “Auschwitz” by the Italian Roma musician and poet Santino Spinelli is worked into the edge of the basin. A glass wall near the basin provides information about the history of the Nazi persecution of the Sinti and Roma in Europe.

The chair of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, and the Dutch Sinto Zoni Weisz delivered moving speeches. Last year, Weisz was the first Sinto to address the German Bundestag, where he called upon deputies to make public the “forgotten Holocaust”. As a child he escaped deportation to the camps but lost his entire family.

Romani Rose, who lost 13 family members in the camps, has long been active in the Sinti and Roma civil rights movement in Germany. He held a hunger strike at the Dachau concentration camp in 1980 to draw attention to the genocide against the Sinti and Roma.

Both speakers visibly struggled with their emotions. Many of the Sinti and Roma present cried when Weisz recounted the history of his family. Practically every family has lost members. The memory of the nightmare of the Third Reich and the fear of its repetition remain tangible today.

In the background but very present at the ceremony was a sense of the hypocrisy of unveiling a memorial over half a century after the crimes were committed, compounded by the escalating persecution of Sinti and Roma today in Germany and throughout Europe.

Following the speech by Chancellor Merkel, one angry audience member demanded to know what was happening to the Sinti currently being deported from Germany to Eastern Europe. A speaker on the platform simply talked over the objection, declaring, “That is not the issue here today.”

This arrogant response underscores the fact that the German government has no interest in documenting and exposing the crimes of the Nazis against the Sinti and Roma, providing restitution for these crimes, or looking honestly and objectively at Germany’s postwar history.

Following the Second World War, old Nazis were able to continue their careers. Practically the entire judicial and civil service apparatus of the Third Reich was taken over by the “democratic” Federal Republic of Germany.

The size of the pensions received after the war by such officials and judges included their service under the Nazis, while their victims were often treated as outcasts. The documentary film Django’s Song by Tom Franke and Kuno Richter depicts a Sinto from Oldenburg, who describes how Sinti visiting the doctor’s surgery after the war were often confronted with the very medics who had sent them to the concentration camp.

In 1956, just seven years after the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Supreme Court rejected a compensation case benefiting Sinti and Roma, declaring that they had not been persecuted in the Third Reich on racist grounds, but because they displayed criminal tendencies. “They often lack the moral instinct to respect the property of others, and like primitives are driven by an unbridled cupidity”, the verdict read.

The Sinti and Roma fought up to the 1980s without success for moral and financial compensation for the crimes committed against them by the Nazis.

There are many hair-raising stories. The above-mentioned hunger strike in 1980 was directed against the Bavarian state Interior Ministry, which refused to allow Sinti to view the files of the “Landfahrerzentrale” (Central Agency for Vagrants), the immediate successor to the fascist “Reichszentrale zur Bekämpfung des Zigeunerunwesens” (Reich Headquarters to Combat the Gypsy Pest). The Landfahrerzentrale had relied on files created by the Nazis. Some of those working in the agency had been so-called “Gypsy specialists” in the Third Reich.

In the 1920s, the crisis-ridden Weimar Republic, with its many unemployed and homeless, had already set up “Zigeunerzentralen” (Police Gypsy Bureaus), which gathered intelligence on Sinti, Roma and “other Gypsy-like itinerant persons”. Bavaria was the pioneer with its 1926 law to “combat Gypsies, vagrants and the work-shy”. In Hesse, following the Bavarian model, the Social Democratic state interior minister and trade union leader Wilhelm Leuschner introduced the “law to combat the Gypsy menace”, which was passed in 1929.

It was only in 1982, more than thirty years after the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany, that Sinti and Roma were recognised to have been persecuted by the Nazi regime on racist grounds, and their mass elimination recognized as genocide. But this was not made public.

The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) also condescended merely to erect an unobtrusive monument at the Marzahn Cemetery on the outskirts of East Berlin. Sinti and Roma were never recognised as national minorities in either of the postwar German states.

It took another ten years, at the behest of the Sinti and Roma communities, before the Bundestag relented and agreed to erect a central memorial. It then took a further twenty years before it was actually unveiled. During this entire time, Sinti and Roma have been confronted with the claim that their persecution could not be compared to the Holocaust of the Jews. In the meantime, many victims have died.

Despite their expressions of gratitude to Chancellor Merkel, the bitter tone of the two Sinti speakers could not be missed. The oft-used word “hope” could only partially hide their disappointment.

In his speech, Rose warned of the growth of racism in Europe and Germany, which was not restricted to far-right groups, but was increasingly found in the midst of society. According to Rose, the political and judicial response to the right-wing ideology of violence is a touchstone as to whether lessons are drawn from the war and the Holocaust.

Rose mentioned the victims of the neo-Nazi terrorist group from Zwickau, which for all those present brought to mind recent press reports on the involvement of the secret service in the far-right scene. He greeted from the podium the representatives of Berlin’s Muslim community, who are also increasingly confronted with racist attacks.

In her long-winded speech, Chancellor Merkel did not have much to say other than to repeat a few platitudes about human dignity and civil courage. She spoke of the “incomprehensible” that had knocked Germany off its course and from which one had to learn. How one can learn from something that is incomprehensible, she did not say. Merkel then promised that Germany would continue to pursue the rights of the Sinti and Roma in the European Union.

The opposite is the case. Immediately following the unveiling, Merkel’s interior minister, Hans-Peter Friedrich (Christian Social Union—CSU), gave out with a tirade in the media against refugees from Serbia and Macedonia, whence come the majority of Roma, who are fleeing from unbearable living conditions and racist persecution. One day following the unveiling, he proposed that benefits paid to these refugees be cut. The human rights organisation Pro Asyl accused him of launching a “populist campaign against Roma from the Balkan states.”

Sinti and Roma are also systematically persecuted in Italy and France. The French government has dispersed them from their camps and deported them en masse to Romania and Bulgaria.

In Eastern Europe, the terror faced by Roma and Sinti recalls the Nazi era. In the Czech Republic and Hungary, uniformed fascist gangs organise regular marches in Roma neighbourhoods, encouraged and tolerated by the authorities. Attending school and getting access to medical care have become increasingly difficult.

The Merkel government, which is mercilessly driving forward austerity measures throughout Europe, bears the main responsibility. German calls for financially drained governments to protect the “human rights” of the Roma are hypocritical to the core.

Friedrich’s predecessor as interior minister had also proceeded against Sinti and Roma. In 2002, Otto Schily (Social Democratic Party—SPD) negotiated a so-called readmission treaty with Albania and Yugoslavia, which included “combating illegal migration from the Balkan region.”

Many of those affected had fled to Germany in the 1990s as a result of the civil war in Yugoslavia. In April 2010, Thomas de Maiziere (Christian Democratic Union—CDU) signed an agreement that obliged Kosovo to take back 14,000 refugees. Some 10,000 were Roma who had fled the terror being carried out by the German-supported Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

Recently, if one listened carefully, the long plaintiff sounds of a violin could be heard coming from a small park near the Brandenburg Gate. Refugees had set up a camp and begun a hunger strike protesting their persecution and demanding the right to stay and work in Germany. On the eve of the unveiling of the monument, police forcibly dismantled and closed down the camp.

Czech Republic and “gypsies” - 1938 vs. 2012

Romea

October 16^th 2012

Czech Republic and “gypsies” - 1938 vs. 2012

By František Kostlán

1 December 1938 - District Governor in Poděbrady, speaking to the governing body of the provincial authority in Prague: “Every day I am continually challenged, at work, in society and by various individuals, with getting the Government to correct this evil, and the most reliable way to do this is unequivocally the establishment of concentration camps for gypsies and vagrants. The incoming new Government would immediately gain the general sympathy and thanks of all classes of society were it to introduce such measures.”

24 August 2011 - Czech Senator Jaroslav Doubrava (Severočeši.cz - “North Bohemians.cz”): “In my opinion, the Army should be prepared in any event, because what is starting to happen here exceeds all tolerable limits... The Government and the responsible bodies of the state administration are overlooking the racism coming from the side of the Gypsies… Recent events are proof of what I am saying. There is an unequivocal need for tougher punishments, to not be afraid to give these thugs the maximum possible sentences. We should make the law more strict and increase the maximum sentences possible. The fun has to stop here now. The situation is very serious. Do we want the Gypsies to burn down our towns like they do in England? … I am getting ready to ask the appropriate bodies to thoroughly address this situation and I will try to submit bills in the Senate to make our legislation more strict. In any event, I will speak with my colleagues and do my best to get us to stop closing our eyes to this aggression and terror. It’s time to take action.”

19 April 2012 Czech Senator Vladimír Dryml (a member of the Czech Social Democratic Party when he made this statement, today a member of the Zeman Supporters’ Citizens’ Rights Party - SPOZ): “The high criminality of Romani people and the feeling that they enjoy impunity because of the implementation of positive racism by the Czech justice system and the empty, false opinions of the weird human rights defenders in the EU and in our country are now bearing fruit... Laws should apply the same to everyone and the law must be enforced rapidly and, in the case of racism, also harshly, and that applies to everyone, in particular Romani people.”

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5 February 1939 - The village council in Svatobořice, writing to the Prime Minister of the Czech-Slovak Government, Rudolf Beran: “If until now a bad policy of humanism has been in place, it is time to take another path. We should not be criticized for wanting to cleanse the tribe of our small nation of parasites like the gypsies.”

17 January 2012 - Czech MP Poslanec Otto Chaloupka (Public Affairs -Věci veřejné): “Romani leaders should first and foremost start making their livings decently. They are just as much parasites on the Romani community as the Romani community is a parasite on the majority society... Today they don’t have to work, they just constantly complain. A wave of physical violence is rising against the majority society and we just keep backing down... I understand this effort to do something about it and to do our best to include them, to re-educate a generation of these inadaptables and give them all the conditions in which to become decent people who won’t bother anyone and who won’t be despised, but how many years have we been doing our best to somehow include them - without any effect?”

19 April 2012 - Czech Senator Miroslav Krejča (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD): “The public’s view of Romani people is completely justified and we are too tolerant toward this inadaptable, parasitical minority.”

19 April 2012 - Czech Senator Pavel Lebeda (ČSSD): “Because most Romani people are criminals and loiterers living parasitically on the majority population and refusing to work, the public’s position on them is understandable and is amplified by the unacceptable positive discrimination of Romani people, not only in the social welfare area, but even in the justice system. The feeling that they are being defended, that they can commit crime with impunity, means Romani people are committing brutal crimes more and more frequently in addition to their traditional crimes against property. When we add to that the problems with civil coexistence and the widespread drug addiction among Romani people, no one should by surprised by the majority population’s aversion toward them.”

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6 July 1939 - District commander of the gendarmerie in Litomyšl, speaking to the District Authority there: “It must first be clear that the opinions of the ‘humanists’ who only know the gypsies from poetry or melancholy little songs,... are irrelevant..., and their opinions must not be taken notice of in the least in our future work to subdue the gypsies if we are to achieve our purpose and rid humanity of an evil worse than cancer.”

19 April 2012 - Czech Senator Zdeněk Schwarz (Civic Democratic Party - ODS): “The concept of racism in the context of the problems of Romani people is being intentionally abused by those same troubled Romani people and by some politicians who are themselves parasites on this problem and don’t know how to solve it. Unfortunately, the media is complicating the situation even further by reporting to the public in a way that is insufficient, not objective, or is unequivocally pro-Romani. A typical example of this is the recent case of the severely injured 15-year-old boy from Břeclav who has become an invalid for life. Why aren’t the media following this case with the same intensity and to the same extent as they followed the case of the Romani burn victim Natálka?”

(Editor’s note: The case in Břeclav was covered just as profusely by the Czech media as was the case of young Natálka. Moreover, it was later proven that the 15-year-old boy in the Břeclav case had completely fabricated the allegations that his injuries were caused by “Romani” assailants and that no attack ever took place. The number of such fabricated cases alleging that Romani people have perpetrated violence is rising sharply here.)

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30 November 1939 - Circular released by the Interior Ministry of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia to the provincial authorities in Brno and Prague: “The bodies and offices under your direction shall be tasked with calling on all gypsies to settle permanently by the end of January 1940 and to cease their itinerant ways. Their nomad documents will also be confiscated. Whoever does not obey will be assigned to the disciplinary labor camps.”

19 April 2012 - Czech Senator Petr Pakosta (BEZPP): “The Gypsies themselves are to blame for the Czech public’s negative attitudes towards them. Their avoidance of work, their growing aggression, their lifestyle at the expense of the majority population is entirely the result of their own decisions.”

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17 January 1940 - Police directorate in Brno, speaking to the Provincial Authority there: “Because of the nature of the gypsies’ race and their Semitic origins, their strong clannish instinct and inborn tendency to wander the world must be subjected to the strictest legal measures ever to be issued for the control of gypsy malfeasance.”

24 August 2011 - Czech Senator Jaroslav Doubrava (Severočeši.cz - “North Bohemians.cz”): “I heard a gypsy teenager say to his friend: ‘I don’t want to fuck my mother anymore, man, I would rather fuck my sister, but only Dad gets to fuck her and he would beat me up.’ I felt like fainting... Unfortunately, it is still the case that most gypsies consider work to be the worst possible way to make a living... We don’t want to watch them destroy our region, and we’re going to do something about it irrespective of all this disingenuous bullshit about human rights and tolerance - before it’s too late. That community is illiterate. Who is preventing their access to education? Only they themselves, because they explicitly do not want to learn.”

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9 March 1942 - Government Edict No. 89 on the preventive control of crime: “For the purpose of protecting society from wrongdoers, police preventive custody is enacted. This police preventive custody is being performed in special internment camps. The length of such police preventive custody is not subject to restriction.”

22 September 2011 - Ivana Řápková, Czech MP for ODS, when she was still Mayor of Chomutov, speaking after a demonstration by human rights defenders and Romani people in her town was attacked by ultra-rightists while municipal officials and police stood by: “We want calm in Chomutov. That is why we will not permit any more such demonstrations, whether they are convened by Romani people or by left or right-wing extremists.”

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5 February 1943 - General Commander of the undercover Protectorate Police in Bohemia, speaking to government counsel Dr Schneider (in German): “It has been established that the quarantine of the gypsies in Hodonín could be cancelled before the end of this month because we have not yet discovered any cases of spotted typhus, so the gypsies can be transported to Auschwitz after thorough delousing and disinfecting of their clothing... The transport of the gypsies will be accomplished on the basis of the SS Reichskommandant’s order of 16 December 1942.”

15 August 2006 - Liana Janáčková, (then and now) Mayor of the Municipal Department of Mariánské Hory and Hulváky of the town of Ostrava, speaking at a public meeting of the housing department: “I understand it’s unfair to you all, but I really don’t have anywhere else to put these gypsies unless I take some dynamite and blow them to bits... Unfortunately, I am a racist, I disagree with integrating the gypsies so that they will live all over the municipality. We chose the Bedřiška area, so that’s where they will be, with a high fence, an electrified one, it’s all the same to me... and I’ll shout that to the whole world.

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24 August 1943 - Criminal Police Directorate of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in Brno, to the General Commander of the undercover Criminal Police in Prague (in German): “... on 21 August and 22 August 1943 a transport of 767 gypsies to Auschwitz was performed. ...on 22 August 1943 at 5:30 the transport was handed over to the German gendarmerie in Moravská Ostrava for further transport to Auschwitz. The transport and handover of the gypsies took place without a single flaw. After the gypsies were transported away, there remain 32 persons at this time in gypsy camp II in Hodonín by Kunštát... .”

15 August 2006 - Jiří Jezerský (running for TOP 09), (then and now) Vice-Mayor of the Municipal Department of Mariánské Hory and Hulváky of the town of Ostrava, speaking at a public meeting of the housing department, during the debate over the Romani residents of the Bedřiška settlement: “Give me a gun license and permission to shoot my weapon and I’ll go do it.”

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1 February 1944 - Criminal Police Directorate of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in Brno to the Criminal Police there: “With respect to the final solution of the gypsy question, i.e., the expatriation of gypsies from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, this was fulfilled and thereby the following decrees are no longer necessary: Interior Ministry Decrees from 13 February and 30 May 1941… .”

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Sources:

The quotes from the dignitaries of the Second Republic era and from the time of the Nazi occupation (1938 - 1944) were taken from a speech made by historian Michal Schuster at the commemorative ceremony at Hodonín by Kunštát on 19 August 2012. In that speech, Schuster also said:

“The Nazi genocide of Romani people concurred with the prevailing prejudices against this minority in Europe prior to the Nazis’ rise to power. Measures taken by the authorities in those days grew out of the xenophobic position of society back then. For people living in Europe during the 1930s, it was not necessarily curious or disturbing - and in most cases it was not curious or disturbing - for there to be a gradually radicalizing tendency heading toward suppressing the rights of various groups and eventually leading to the so-called ‘Final Solution’.”

The quotes from present-day politicians dated 19 April 2012 are from an article published on news server euportál.cz, part of the group of websites run by Parlamentní listy, an online periodical known for its anti-Romani tendencies. The headline for that article also influenced this one.

Czech MP Ivana Řápková (ODS) is fighting a remorseless battle in this regard and we will soon be reviewing it. Racist Czech Senator Doubrava is green with envy over her ongoing legislative anti-Romani crusade.

Translated by Gwendolyn Albert

The Right of Education

I've been watching the chatter on various Internet based Romani networks about the US's recent decision to participate in the Decade of Roma Inclusion as an observer state, signed on February 6.

There are those who feel this is a crucial step for the US, a step that recognizes the state of the Romanies in Europe and the need for their protection, education, and inclusion. There are also those who feel this is just another piece of paper, more ink on a page, that will go no where.

We have had our share of paper, that is certain. We've had more conferences, symposiums, meetings, summits, round tables, discussion groups, and think tanks than can possibly do any good. And now we have the Decade of Roma Inclusion. Several meetings that scribbled a lot of words on paper and countries started to sign it.

And, alas, I feel that is where the good part ended.

Those countries signed on have been some of the worst violators of our human rights in recent years. If the Decade has done any good, it has brought to light the obscenities in Europe. It has not stopped them.

I feel it is time for us, the Romani people, to take a stand for ourselves. It is time for us to mobilize, to act in our own best interests, and to deal with these issues. But what are the issues and what are their priorities? I feel there is but one key issue that will help a man with his other problems.

 Education. Education is power. It is that simple. Without it, you are at the mercy of the educated and they can dictate your life to you. They can stamp you with an identity, create their own version of your history, and force you and your children into a cycle of poverty. But what subjects do you really need to know? This is a question faced by educators around the world. A basic education should be the ability to read, to perform basic mathematics, and to know your rights. If you can read and do the math, you can work. If you know your human rights, you can protect yourself. You can defend yourself.

Why should we bother to learn about our human rights? Because these rights are recognized by the same countries who violate them and the UN and other signing nations have a duty to make sure these are enforced. These rights are valid because everyone is born to them. They are not earned, as some politicians would have us think. They are not given to one 'race' and denied to another as the Nazis would have us think. They belong to everyone.

The history of human rights can be traced back a few hundred years to the abolitionists. They began a true movement against the disgusting practice of the slave trade. The first step for them was to recognize the suffering of their fellow human beings and then they had to take the step to ensure change. It wasn't easy.

Think on this a moment. Who were the owners of the slaves? In some countries, where Romanies were slaves, it was the crown and the church who owned slaves. The people in the highest realms of power in both the temporal and spiritual world. In the United States, it was the wealthy plantation owners, the leaders of industry, that owned the slaves. They were the economic captains who needed cheap labor to make their money. The same in Britain. Abolitionists were fighting an uphill battle against the powers that be.

They began a campaign that started small. They wrote essays and pamphlets and gave speeches and sermons to sway public opinion. When the people, the average citizen, started to understand the principle that freedom is a right to be given to everyone, then the ball started rolling and there was no way to stop it. Laws forbidding the trade of slaves were passed, though this did not end slavery altogether. We know that in the States, it took a war to end slavery, though slavery was NOT the only reason why we went to war with our fellow citizens.

When slavery was abolished, several things happened all at once. The freed slave discovered that, while he was no longer a slave, he had few, if any rights. He also became a second-class citizen, subjected to hatred and violence. Racism and segregation replaced slavery and blacks in the United States still fight to this day to be called equals.

Something else came out of the Abolitionist movement: women's rights. Many women had fought the good fight to free the slaves and realized they were little better off than the newly freed slave. Women began to fight for the right to vote, to have status in the courts against abusive husbands, and to have the right to own property, among other demands. Women's rights have come along way, but, just like the black man, women have a long road ahead.

World War I began, the War to End all Wars. If only. In this war, mankind found new ways to kill the enemy, ways that were far more grotesque than ever before. We managed to create a whole new world of nightmares, of ways to suffer and die, forcing medicine to make up the balance. Advances in medicine grew from the violence of a new way of warfare. But from this, there came a desire to protect the rights of the soldier. Activists discovered that for every 1,000 horses, there were 4 veterinarians, yet only 1 doctor for the same number of soldiers. From this, came the rights of the soldier and the Red Cross.

We know that the peace between WWI and WWII was more of a ceasefire. The Nazis had to put the blame somewhere, so they pointed to the Jew and the Gypsy for bringing foreign blood to Europe, blamed the Jews for the economic conditions, and taught their children to hate. We know the results. The Holocaust. Over 6 million Jews and about 1-2 million Romanies died side by side in the gas chambers for the crime of being born.

The atrocities committed by the Nazis set the stage for the creation of the UN in hopes that differences between countries could be solved by more peaceful debate. And the UN created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to protect the citizens of the world in our vow of "Never Again." These rights became subject to law through ratification by the signing countries.

So what are they? This has been taken directly from the UN. Please note the emphasis are mine.

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1.

• All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

• Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

• Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

• No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

• No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

• Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.

• All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.

• Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.

• Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.

• (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
• (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.

• (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
• (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.

• (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
• (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
• (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.

• (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
• (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
• (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.

• (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
• (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.

• Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.

• Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.

• (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.

• (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
• (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
• (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.

• Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.

• (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
• (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
• (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
• (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.

• Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
• (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.

• (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
• (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
• (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.

• (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
• (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.

• Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.

• (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
• (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
• (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.

• Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Consider these carefully. Have you noticed that these are not being taken into consideration by all countries? The Czech Republic is a perfect example. Not only are they breaking multiple articles when it comes to the Romani people, but it is the Czech Republic who is on the committee for writing human rights policy for the UN!

All Romanies need to know their rights and how to exercise them. We, as world citizens, must help those who cannot help themselves. We must find a way to create educational programs that can assist Romanies in all countries to defend their rights.

It can be done. Like the first activists, we have to take that step from just thinking that something is unjust and act upon it. Find a way to help. Be a part of our own solution.

Service for the Victims of O Baro Porrajmos

Service for the Victims of O Baro Porrajmos

by Ciuin Ferrin on Sunday, January 29, 2012

Last night The People's Church in Cedar Rapids held a wonderful candle lighting ceremony for Rromani victims of the Holocaust. I wanted to share with you some of the beauty we shared.

Reverend Tom Capo opened with a call to join us. Here is his text.

"Good evening and welcome to People's Church Unitarian Universalist. I an the Reverend Tom Capo, minister here at People's. Last week I heard about the Romani people. I held certain misconceptions and prejudices that I was not even completely aware of. Much of what I knew of the Romani people was based on movies or television shows- broad strokes about a people I really knew little about. Generalizations that painted a picture of a people who stole and cheated anyone they could and put curses on others. But as we all know, prejudices and oppressions are based on these generalizations. I did not know that the United Nations had excluded the Romani people from the annual Holocaust Memorial services. I did not know how many Romani were killed during the Holocaust. I did not know that the Romani people were being oppressed throughout Europe. I did not know that some Romani in the United States were afraid to embrace and express their Romani heritage because they would be oppressed here or their business would lose customers if they expressed their heritage. I did not know, but now I do. I am awakened to this injustice, and I feel a need to support this community and to open this church to a remembrance for this people. I have learned that there are some Romani people believe that when they die, their soul will remain alive so long as they are remembered. As we worship tonight, let us keep the souls of the Romani people who suffered during the Holocaust and who are suffering throughout the world in our thoughts and prayers. Let us remember them."

This statement from Els de Groen, President of the World Artist Initiative Khetanes, was read aloud.

"Imagine a world with plenty of jobs, proper housing, health care, clean water, and proper nutrition for every human being. It would be a world without discrimination; a world where human diversity would be a source of inspiration for arts and education; a world where mankind would appreciate one another for their beauty and uniqueness as we do flora and fauna of the world. Now, take a look around our world: unemployment, homelessness, disease, and hunger. It's a world of booms and slumps, and of wealth and suffering. In this world, human variety is not perceived as richness but as a threat or potential for corruption.

Seventy years ago, Hitler's racial doctrines convinced people that once Jews and Roma were removed from existence, the Third Reich would be a paradise for the Aryan race. Approximately 6 million Jews and 1-3 million Roma perished in the darkest period in Europe's history. Though over seven decades have passed, survivors of the Holocaust must be shocked at how many of today's social attitudes parallel with those of the 1930s. Once again, in the face of many ills plaguing the world, the human race is resorting to populism, calling for scapegoats. Once more, Europe leads the way in this modern day witch hunt, and once more, the Romani people are being victimized. Fingerprinted and registered like common criminals, murdered in arson attacks, collectively deported, and defamed by the social media, the Romani people once again face the crimes they endured in the Holocaust and the situation worsens with each passing day.

Using our imagination and intellect is not a luxury only to be engaged in during times of prosperity, but more so as an absolute necessity in times of recession. We must use our ability to reason to keep racism from spreading. After all, history does not repeat itself. It is us that repeats history. We are once more allowing the senseless deaths of the Nazi victims, and only the sense to be had is in the words "Never Again". "Never Again" should these crimes be endured by the human race. Use your imagination! Imagine that we are capable of creating a world that exposes the fairy tale lies of racial superiority. This one act of mental power won't alone create the ideal, prosperous world, but it will be a far better one and the best memorial for millions murdered in the Porrajmos and the Shoah."

This was the call to meditation and prayer.

"Let us join together in prayer or meditation.
Spirit of love, God of many names, be with us and honor the Romani people.
A human life is sacred.
It is sacred in its living and it is sacred in its dying. We grieve at the loss of so many Romani people; people who lost their lives for no other reason than the culture they were born in and that they cherished in their hearts. We also grieve for those Romani people who are oppressed; oppressed for no other reason than the culture they were born in and that they cherish in their hearts. We will remember those who have passed on, but we know in our hearts there is more that needs to be done for those alive today. We must reach out with our hands to help those in need, we must let them know that they are not alone, and there are those of us who will walk with them, who see them as people who deserve the universal human rights that all people deserve, who see them not as caricatures or as objects, or as the "Other", but as real people, with feelings of love, and hope, and sorrow, just like we have, with the same human frailties and pain that we all carry. They are no different than us, but they need us because there are some people in this world who treat them as the "Other" - to be shunned and banished and oppressed. Let is remember that nothing can take the place of outstretched hands of human sympathy and understanding, the spoken and silent assurance given by friends - let us remember we have all walked the way of sorrow, of pain, of hopelessness in times past and felt loss. Let us assure them that when they find themselves feeling sorrow or loss, pain or oppression, that they do not walk alone."

And Dr. Ian Hancock sent these words to be read as the votive candles, placed on the circle of our flag, were being lit.

"For us in the United States, the horror of the Holocaust resonates so harshly in our memory because of the enormity of the loss of life it caused, because it occurred in the West and because it happened in living memory. Hitler's attempt to create his Master Race and to dominate all the lands around him, involved both military action and genocide. The two populations targeted for annihilation following the directive of the Final Solution were the Jews and the Roma, both people's losing between a half and three-quarters of their respective populations in Nazi-occupied Europe. We commemorate those tragic losses each year in ceremonies such as the one we are attending today. But we must also be fiercely aware that unless we continue to remember and examine such genocides, history can repeat itself. There have been other genocides since 1945. The Romani people have been subjected to the very same treatment in post Holocaust Europe that Hitler imposed upon them in his Third Reich: there have been forced arrests and incarcerations; there have been sterilizations, there have been neo-Nazi murders, all recorded in this the twenty-first century. We must be ever vigilant, ever alert to the early warning signs of another impending genocide. God bless the memories of those lost in the past, and God protect those who are being targeted in the present time."

O Porrajmos Education Society would like to thank the People's Church for their kindness and generosity in this beautiful ceremony, a ceremony the UN was unwilling to give us.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

In 1935, Hitler issued the Nuremburg Laws, declaring both Jew and Gypsy were ineligible citizens in the Reich because of impure bloodlines. Himmler organized the death camps and killing squads and Jews and Gypsies died side by side in the gas chambers.  6 million Jews and 3 to 5 million Gypsies were murdered due to race. The atrocities the Russians discovered at Auschwitz laid the foundation for the definition of genocide adopted by the UN in 1948.

Since then, Holocaust scholars have forgotten about the Rromanies, known as “Gypsies,” allowing history to repeat itself. European politicians blame them for a poor economy and crime. In the Czech Republic, Rromani children aren’t allowed to attend public schools and over 90,000 Rromani women have been sterilized since 1980. Italy fingerprinted and photographed the Rromani in 2008. Neo-Nazis in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy murder Rromani with near impunity. Germany, France, and Italy deport the Rromani, and England practices illegal evictions.

In October of 2011, Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Right for the Council of Europe declared “The importance of teaching about Roma history cannot be overemphasized. [r]aising awareness of the Roma genocide and building … memorial sites are the least states could do to honor Roma victims.”

The UN declared January 27 ‘International Holocaust Remembrance Day’ to “[c]ondemn ‘without reserve’ all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur." Yet Rromanies will not be allowed to participate in the UN’s ceremony.

Rromanies aren’t usually allowed inside the gates of Auschwitz for their ceremonies either. The Rromani have been told their participation would “dishonor the memory of the true victims.”

The Holocaust didn’t happen in a bubble. Please remember all victims on January 27 and reject intolerance.

In response to a call to action

We at O Porrajmos Education Society do agree with the principle called upon by activists to create a universal platform assembled by a united leadership of Rromani. We would support such a venture, though the logistics would be a nightmare.

It would require an international conference with delegates from every nation and organization. These delegates would need to determine the issues we face and create an action plan to tackle each one.

Sounds simple. It isn't.

Every country in Europe is dealing with a variety of issues. These issues, ranging from poverty to murder, must be considered with respect to their relevance in each country they exist in, not just as a universal problem. Each country has different laws, different avenues of redress. Yes, there are the courts of the EU, but not every case can/will/should be determined there. Some issues need a more immediate course of action than a law suit and we've seen just how European governments respect their own high court system. Consider the current status of D.H. and Others v the Czech Republic.

Each issue must be recognized and tactically mapped to determine a course of action. What issues are the most important?

The issues
First issue:
Most human rights organizations see any issue of life and death as a top priority. I know, it's obvious, but you may be surprised who would argue the point. Based on this, the main issue in my mind would be the attacks and lack of attention by law enforcement of these attacks as seen across Eastern Europe.

We know the causes for these crimes. We know that skin heads and neo-Nazis are running amok in their unbridled hatred and frustration, blaming Rromani for their lot in life. These people are usually poor themselves, uneducated as well, with little hope of getting and keeping a job. Rather than face the truth of their situation, they must find a scapegoat. Blame the guy who got the job, who applied for the job, who wants the job, who needs the job.

These people feel that opposition to an issue such as poverty or other social ills is to eliminate the obstacle. Reasonable, rational people understand that this is stupidity unleashed, but we must face the fact that the racists, the skin heads, and the neo-Nazis aren't going anywhere. They will continue to use their rage to encourage others to unite with them. We've seen this in history, very recent history, and we can't ignore it. When the neo-Nazis are involved, we have no choice but to learn from history and stop them now.

How?

A task force. Created through dedication and education, to take every case of violence and death and push the issues through the courts. Other duties of this task force would be to educate Rromani citizens of their rights, both human and civil, and teach them how to act upon them, how to exercise them, and how to use them to defend themselves.

In order to be effective, this task force would need to establish itself with strong NGOs such as Amnesty International as well as local, national, and international governments. Learn their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses so they can work together to create a safer world for our people.

A part of this task force would also need to work with local educators to create a curriculum dedicated to instructing outsiders on the real people called Rromani. They need to understand our ways so they can see that the problems they blame us for will not go away if we do.

Second issue:
Education.

Many would disagree with me here. Yes, poverty is a large problem and is critical, but I state that without education there will be little if any opportunities for advancement for any Rromani. Our children are born into poverty and will continue the cycle if not given the opportunity to advance and the doorway to such advancement is education. We must get our children into schools and given them the tools they need to succeed. A short term solution is jobs for Rromani now, but a long term solution starts with our children.

I believe our young people have lost hope. I believe they are turning to violence because they see no way out and they are frustrated. Drug addiction, alcoholism, and crime will only add to the problem. We have to show these kids that there is a way out and it is education. When our children succeed, so then shall we.

How?
Another task force, this one of educators. We need to create the curriculum that will help our children. A nation cannot move forward if it has no idea where it has been. We need to teach our children our history and allow them to claim their heritage. From there, it is all academic. Mathematics, reading, social studies, civics, and a practicum for finding a job.

Third issue:
Poverty

We need to help our people find a way out, not a hand out. Yeah, cliche, but it is very true. And I wish I had a solution here. I really don't. Funding that has been designated for the Rromani has been pocketed by gadji. Money for schools has gone to giving teachers raises.

It may be possible to create yet another watchdog group to demand an accounting of the money and where it goes and then make those figures public. Perhaps if the public sees where their money is really going, it may force a change in the system and get rid of a few corrupt officials.

Fourth issue:
And this is where I know I am going to be criticized. Persecution, discrimination, and other acts fall below this line. I hate the very idea of clustering the rest together, but I feel it is necessary. The reason being that everything else must be reviewed and categorized.  Often we may discover that a problem may be solved from one of the above mentioned groups.

Finally, we must declare war on the media. The irresponsible 'news' reports that blame 'those dirty Gypsies' for everything. I find it hard to believe that only the 'Gypsies' commit crimes. I read a news story while doing research for this blog that stated a Gypsy robed and raped a woman.

 I am not condoning the criminal act in any way, and if anyone believes I am, then you don't know me. When you know me, you can judge me. But let us take a careful look at the words used just in the title of the article.

The man's race was used to identify him. This often doesn't happen in States with a white man. If a white man commits a crime, he is often just referred to as 'A man'. The press will more likely state his name and age and then describe the crime. But when a black man, a Rom, or any other man of another race commits a crime, his race is usually brought up, if not in the title then in the text.

Also, when it comes to the description of the crimes, most reporters will use active voice rather than passive. Again, when you report a crime in a paper, you must, as a responsible journalist, report all crime as equal. If you are going to use active voice, do so for all crime, and not just the ones that will cause a sensation. Sensational journalism is often little more than racist reporting.

The media needs to be called out for their approaches. We need to establish a rapport with the press with liaisons who can help reporters keep to the facts and steer away from racist language. We need to support those Romani news agencies that exist and help them advance. We also need, though education, to create and support the future Rromani journalists.

In summary, I support a global network of leaders who would step forward and determine the issues and solutions to our problems and who could find a way to implement those solutions. Such leaders must be dedicated and also be supported by our people 100%. If we want the world to take us seriously, we must declare the world to be our country and stand up for our rights.

The Decade of Roma Inclusion

One of my tasks here at OPES is to keep watch on the Decade of Inclusion. I have written in the past that I have not been impressed with the countries that signed on and their lack of progress. The twelve countries currently taking part in the Decade are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Spain. Slovenia has observer status. Each developed a national Decade Action Plan that specifies the goals and indicators in the priority areas.

As we approach January 27, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I will be reviewing the participating countries and you can decide for yourself if real progress, if any, has been achieved.

The following article is from Romedia Foundation and I found it to be very interesting. Please check out their site at http://romediafoundation.wordpress.com/. They are an excellent source for information.

C

Under Surveillance: The Roma in Hungary 2012

Posted on January 12, 2012

 

Police in Hungary have now been formally instructed by the Chief of National Police to pay specific attention to minorities in their work, referring to what some have called ‘ethnic criminality’. The National Police were issued the instructions on December 30.

The special rules for “working in a multicultural environment” refer to officers handling immigration issues with the advice being issued by National Police Chief, Joseph Hatala.
The developments have received a mixed response from police officers and criminologists. Some believe that the new law will actually help the police to identify criminals while others have criticized the measure, claiming that it will only deepen the already existing prejudice within the force.

The main role of the police’s minority liaison division in dealing with minorities is to forge relationships with different cultural communities, youth organizations, refugee organizations as well as realigning minority leaders of social organizations.

Ultimately, the information gathered in the process is shared with the National Bureau of Investigation, the Alert Police Department, the Airport Police Directorate and regular police officers.
Furthermore, the instructions allow the chief of police to use the minority liaison to investigate any crime in which he thinks a minority group may have been involved. The assumption of innocence is put to one side.

Prejudiced police

Law enforcement and investigative bodies have been under pressure to reduce feelings of prejudice within the National Police. A decade ago, there was great controversy at the national Police Academy where an investigation found that its students were widely anti-Roma.
Research carried out by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee in 2007-2008 found that “Roma people are three times more likely to be stopped by police than non-Roma persons”.

Police activity against Roma communities in Hungary has come under international scrutiny

The police and Hungarian state in general, were under serious pressure when in April 2010 Amnesty International issued a report “highlighting the shortcomings of the Hungarian criminal justice system in identifying and addressing hate crimes, in particular racist violence that mostly affects Roma people in Hungary.”

In October 2011, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg expressed concern about police behavior against Roma communities.
The Commissioner stated: “Patterns of discrimination and ill-treatment by police towards Roma are widely reported. Roma have been subjected to police violence in detention facilities and public spaces, such as Roma settlements during police raids. When investigations have been carried out, they frequently appear to have been biased or discriminatory.”
Suspicions of racism among the police intensified further when an internal police internet forum was found to contain officers exchanging derogatory opinions on the Roma. However, similar discoveries have been made across Hungarian society, not only within the police, leading to a growing sense of unease and alienation among Hungarian Roma.

Police protecting a Roma community in Hejoszalonta, Hungary 2010

The head of the police had aimed to address these issues and tried several ways to tackle this widespread prejudice. He announced a record number of Romani officers, and encouraged police officer candidates among Roma children entering secondary schools. In addition to this, cooperation agreements with Roma minority self-governments, and a special rapporteur on the Roma were ready to be launched.

However, such measures were not warmly welcomed within the police force as leaders continually stressed that social issues could not be solved by police alone.

One police officer, wishing to remain anonymous, claimed that as a district agent with a good relationship with local residents, he could not understand the purpose minorities being given special attention and found the new regulations to be vaguely worded.

Results will take time

The new instructions were paved with good intentions according to National Institute of Criminology Fellow, Finszter Geza. The scholar insisted that it was a necessary means to encourage cooperation from minorities and bring them closer to the police.

“This type of instruction in Hungary has not yet been undertaken, even though in almost all European countries with multi-cultural societies, there are such solutions” – said Finszter.

He cited Holland as an example where, he explained, there are lots of immigrants from a variety of cultures, so each police officer is obliged to partake in an educational program in which the officer becomes acquainted with an ethnic group’s traditions and habits.

Finszter continued, and outlined that the solution to the problem was clearly handed down to every police service by the Declaration of Human Rights.

“Every police organization will answer to a centralized bureaucratic element, so the problem is more complicated. A professional attitude and cultural change is required, these things do not happen immediately, but over many years.” stressed Finszter, who hopes that the chief provision will have a positive impact on the police.

However the criminologist also found it important to note that the instructions had an introductory section, attempting to explain the need for the new measures. “Thus the statement is a bit of a self-criticism as well. For example, the prejudice reported among the police must exist for this to be made clear. “

Nothing new

Further anonymous officers claimed that the instructions do not say anything new. ”It would be nice to know why the command was issued. Last spring we were already provided instructions on how to be a police officer and to keep in touch with the minorities’ – he said. They said the objective is not new, because the police’s role was still to prevent crime above anything else.

The impact of the latest police guidelines will be seen in the coming months. However, from the outset, in a country which is no stranger to ethnic or racial tension, paying specific attention to minorities may be sending the wrong message to the Hungarian people.

Many will take this as an assumption of criminality within Roma communities, and particularly volatile sections of society may take this as justification for persecution. It certainly won’t discourage the extremist right wing groups and their paramilitary wings in their anti-Roma activities.
Having said that, in an article of January 10, the extreme right media portal kuruc.info has actually criticized the instructions for which the title read “Pintér (Minister of Interior) protects Gypsy criminals again: “special attention” has to be paid to them from now on”.

January 27, Holocaust Remembrance Day. A time to act.

We are fast approaching January 27, which is the day the General Assembly of the United Nations declared to be International Day of Commemoration to honour the victims of the Holocaust. They also urged their member states to develop educational programs to "instill the memory of the tragedy in future generations to prevent genocide from occurring again." January 27 was selected as the date since it is the date the Russians liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the death camps, where they found only one survivor of Romani descent. The Assembly stated

"Rejecting any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, the 191-member Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution condemning “without reserve” all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur."

So the question must be asked, why has the United Nations refused the Romani nation to participate in the ceremonies this year? Last year we were included, but, as of this writing, this year we are not. If the UN found it a worthy effort to spend two days in 2005 debating the issue of establishing a memorial date and went so far as to ask every member state to commemorate the day, then why include a minority who has the most to lose from being excluded from the services? Is it because there is a question as to the murder of the Romani people in the Holocaust?

Even the expert scholars, survivors themselves, state that the Romani people were indeed victims of the Holocaust. In a letter written to Elie Wiesel and dated December 14th, 1984, Simon Wiesenthal stated

“The Gypsies had been murdered in a proportion similar to the Jews: about 80% of them in the area of the countries which were occupied by the Nazis.”

Even Germany finally admitted to the world that the Romani nation was selected as a race for extermination, as evidenced by former German president Roman Herzog stated in 1997,

"The genocide of the Sinti and Roma was carried out from the same motive of racial mania, with the same premeditation, with the same wish for the systematic and total extermination as the genocide of the Jews."

One would think that such statements, made years in advance of the creation of the day of remembrance would be admission enough, but it seems it isn't.

So we look to the statement made by the Assembly itself, piece by piece. The first section reads:

"Rejecting any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part..."

Is not silence just as deafening as the cries of millions? By their silence and by their unwillingness to to include the Romani nation in their ceremony and allowing a Romani to speak, they add to the misguided belief that the Romani people were not victims of the Holocaust. Rejection by omission is just as bad as flat denial, which the UN rejects.

"...the 191-member Assembly adopted by consensus ..."

191 members of the Assembly agreed to this, and yet, who among them is asking for full inclusion of the Romani people, people who were affected in many of these countries? These members must look to the histories of their own countries and see what side they were on, what actions their government took, and, in the glaring light of the present, act accordingly.

"...a resolution condemning “without reserve” all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief..."

Read it again. "Without reserve" all manifestations of  religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief (emphasis mine). This section here means we are included. Or should be included, by their own admission!

And finally,

"...whenever they occur."

They already have occurred and they are currently occurring while the UN does what? Remains silent.


So in our fight for human rights and our dealings with the UN, who do go to? There is a United Nations Human Rights Council. What nation has been designated with such an honor? The Czech Republic.

"[T]he Czech Republic was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2011 -2014. The Czech Republic thus has the honor to become one of the 47 member states of the main UN body responsible for creating and implementing UN policies in the field of protection and promotion of human rights in various part of the world." (emphasis mine)

Seriously? According to the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights for the Council of Europe, over 90,000 Romani women were sterilized in the Czech Republic since 1980. Romani children are still be segregated from the public school system even after the Court of Human Rights ordered the Czech Republic to de-segregate in 2007.

I bring this up because there is a direct link to the Holocaust and our fight for justice in Europe. When the Third Reich fell to the Allies and the atrocities committed by the German State were revealed to the world, the anti-Semitic laws were immediately abolished. Not so in the case of the anti-Gypsy laws. It was still illegal to be a Gypsy until 1953. No one was educated about the murders of the Romani people because few survivors wanted to talk about what they experienced and the deaths of loved ones and family members. Now, the world is blissfully ignorant of the Romani inclusion in the Holocaust and the hate and persecution that resulted in O Baro Porrajmos continues to this day and we face a genocide once again.

We must demand the UN include us and, if they refuse, we must make it clear in cities around the world that we, as a nation, were set for extermination and that we can see it happening again and that we will not allow it.

Organize something within your community. A meal with a candle lighting ceremony, a wreath presentation to a river, or volunteer to speak at a school. The point is, do something. Record that event through pictures or video. Let  people see what we stand for because if we don't speak for ourselves, who will?