EUROPE-----EAST AND WEST

RESPONSE to Bajram Haliti:
Stop To Deportation Of Roma From The West!
Saturday, September 4, 2010 6:41 AM

From: "Bernard Sullivan"

Dear Bajram

Congratulations on your excellent speech which I read with great interest.

I hope that the moves to bring Sarkozy to the Hague are successful. Such an achievement would be a great deterrent to other leaders who may be considering introducing their own brand of "Sarkozy Cleansing".

Of course, as you know, Sarkozy is not by any means the only leader or even minister who should be called to account. The present French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, when the UN's Special Representative in Kosovo, was responsible for placing many Romani families on toxic waste, where it was inevitable that they would become poisoned. He then broke his own promise to move them to safety within 45 days, saying that as a doctor himself, he understood the meaning of lead poisoning. I hope that you and those like you, will be able to draw attention to his particular involvement in the crisis for Romani people today.

The EU must now set about tackling something that it, as well as the many non-EU countries, have so far almost totally failed to do. It must now set up procedures to pro-actively manage in a balanced, informed, educated and humane way, the integration of all its citizens, to provide equal opportunites in education, housing, healthcare and employment under the protection of the same rule of law for all. This is a process that can no longer be ignored. Like most problems, it will not improve through neglect. The EU, through the implentation of legislation and education must lead every citizen of the EU to change their behaviour and attitudes. This must include changes among the Romani people themselves. Because attitudes of mutual suspicion and intolerance have become so ingrained, such fundamental changes will take time and require much investment and effort to achieve the goal of a universal society where each respects the other for their positive contributions and indeed their differences.

Unfortunately, divisive negative attitudes in society both against minorities and indeed by minorities against the majority population, have become part of our history and culture. Dangerously, they are being re-enforced by biased and bigotted media sources, striving to increase circulation by appealing to the lowest common denominator. Sadly, such attitudes are often unwittingly strengthened by the elitism and attitudes of superiority reflected in the teaching of many religions.

The most difficult challenge of all to overcome is because such attitudes are contained very much within our genes. Through evolution, the human being has become the most agressive predator on the planet, where a sign of weakness seen in one can so easily become a cue for agression in another. With due knowledge of our inherited nature, we must manage the future with huge determination and ongoing effort.

Bernard Sullivan

Could I please use this opportunity to mention the following two petitions . . .

Romani people throughout Europe are once more under serious threat.

In Kosovo, even their children are being poisoned.

Please sign and circulate both these petitions.

"STOP THE EXPULSIONS OF ROMS" - "SAVE LEAD-POISONED CHILDREN OF KOSOVO"
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/Save-Children-Dying-From-Lead-Poisoning

http://secure.avaaz.org/fr/roms_stop_aux_expulsions/?fp

-----------------------------------------------
The petition to stop expulsions of Roma/Sinti is in French.  You can translate it using Google tool.
Thanks