EUROPE

Europe still struggles to get to grips with Roma community

“Scorned” first for their ethnic identity and cultural heritage and then, “cursed” again for daring to leave the countries in which they face prejudice, Rudo Kawczynski, President of the European Roma and Travellers Forum has warned of a new wave of Roma-phobia. He is certainly not wrong in condemning Europe for its failure to address the staunch anti-Roma convictions currently running through the EU.

BY TABITHA ETTIENNE

FROM GENERATION 112

 http://en.generation112.eu/Europe-still-struggles-to-get-to-grips-with-Roma-community_a241.html  

PHOTO   Flikr - ultimcodex, 2009

 

Around 10 – 12 million Roma - Europe’s largest ethnic minority, still face animosity, social exclusion and discrimination. European leaders have had little success in encouraging effective inclusion strategies among EU Member States. As such, the Roma have continued to live in poverty on the margins of society. Many Roma children can be found on the streets instead of a nurturing school environment and Roma women are still victims of archaic attitudes to the point where they suffer from several forms of violence without even recognising it, suggested by Indira Bajramovic, a pioneer for Roma women’s rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Consequently in some cases, Roma poverty rates are more than 10 times that of non-Roma living in close proximity due to the lack of service access.

ON THE BREADLINE

Reasons why Roma have continued to be at the core of poverty and exclusion are intertwined. Low education levels – according to reports published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the United Nations Development Programme, only 15% of young Roma adults (surveyed) have completed upper-secondary general or vocational education, compared with more than 70% of the majority population living nearby. Furthermore, Roma are disproportionately overrepresented among low-skilled jobs, with around 30% of Roma (surveyed) in paid employment. These statistics paint quite a morose picture of the current situation and echo the need for the EU at all levels to take action or risk leaving an entire population in circular impoverishment, particularly as policies and interventions to circumvent exclusion don’t effectively reach marginalised groups.

Despite existing legislation that outlaws discrimination, there is concrete evidence that demonstrates the limited access opportunities experienced by Roma. Case-study evidence throws up multiple of examples of when Roma have been subjected to mistreatment, however, discriminatory behaviour does not always manifest itself in such candid style. This can take shape in employers’ (negative) attitudes to Roma and unwillingness by the general population to affiliate with Roma in their communities. These sorts of practices display a clear disregard of EU values and fundamental rights of the individual. For Roma migrants there is an overflow of negative stereotypical views, the first of which stem from the fact that they are migrants, which carries its own stigma, the second because they are Roma.

According to a report by the EU agency for Fundamental Rights, on average in the seven Member States surveyed, 79% of the Roma did not report their experiences of assault, threat or serious harassment to the police. This suggests a certain sense of apathy by the Roma community and a defeatist feeling towards an improvement of their circumstances by internalising a concept of ‘nothing can or will be done’ so why ‘should I bother’ – this only creates a circle of mistrust between the Roma community and their neighbouring communities. According to the FRA report, the missing link lies somewhere between targeted interventions to address the causes of repeat victimisation and informing the Roma community of mechanisms (organisations) where they can seek support and report criminal activity.

ROMA ON THE AGENDA

Almost all EU countries have a Roma population; according to estimates by the Council of Europe, they form a significant proportion of the population in Bulgaria (around 10%), Slovakia (9%), Romania (8%), Hungary (7%), Greece, the Czech Republic (1.5-2.5%). Roma data is relatively difficult to come across though increasingly their plight became a focal point on the EU agenda. This set the scene for the European Commission in April 2011, to issue a communication on an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies to improve the economic and social integration of Roma citizens in Member States. This proved to be quite a feat for Member States, under the framework the EC proposed, each of the EU’s 27 countries submitted their action plans for improving the deficient situation of their Roma communities – addressing key pillars of social and economic growth; education, employment, healthcare and housing – in effect, demonstrate an acknowledgment of fundamental rights. Accordingly, the initial framework communicated by the Commission urged Member States to allocate sufficient funding from national budgets and identify relevant structural funding to be supplemented by the Commission.

On review in May this year, the Commission declared Member States’ Roma Integration Strategies to be less than impressive. Some submitted essay length documents with meager points of reference to key pillars while even the most suitable still fell largely under par. The EC has set out rather ambitious social inclusion goals in its EU2020 strategy thus ultimately decided that half-hearted attempts at securing sufficient resources for Roma inclusion would just not suffice. It is evident that Member States have failed to adequately adopt an integrated approach to address basics, perhaps due to lack of operational resources on ground level or slippery political will. At the very least, Member States have dipped their toes in the water and taken “first steps” as acknowledged by the Commission. Though going forward, socio-economic inclusion remains at the forefront of efforts that should be undertaken.

TAKING THE INITIATIVE

Among the initiatives and projects being piloted to address the discrepancy between the Roma community and their national equivalents, a notable mention must go to the Roma Education Fund, which targets one of the key pillars of Roma societal inclusion. The ultimate goal is to close the gap between Roma and non-Roma. In order to achieve this, the organisation supports policies and programs, which ensure quality education for Roma, including the desegregation of education systems. As of June this year, the ‘A Good Start’ project, implemented by the REF and supported by the EU ran in 16 localities of 4 countries of Europe, in rural and urban localities of the most deprived settlements of Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Macedonia to address quality early childhood education and care services.

Evidence suggests that early childhood education and care is essential to children’s development and data shows that Roma children by and large do not have equal access opportunities. Projects like these serve to give Roma children an equal start in life, which, according to László Andor (Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion), demonstrate both moral integrity and good economics in the long run.

The Roma have been a part of Europe for centuries and without doubt Europe’s economic crisis has left a great deal of political uncertainty and financial volatility in its wake which has only exacerbated the severe circumstances of those already living in a precarious state. It’s been noted that promoting integration of Roma could have a knock on effect in raising awareness of other disadvantaged minority groups in Europe. Marginalising any group leaves society at a disadvantage at the latter end of the spectrum largely due to the fact that improving the key pillars of integration principally lie with, and are for the benefit of, Member States.

Each country should take the view of implementing strategies that promote growth of the population at large but also address the welfare needs of disadvantaged communities. It goes without saying that the EU has a central role to play in synchronising these efforts by offering recommendations and financial assistance. Co-operation on these levels and awareness on the ground level can challenge increasing structural inequalities between minority groups and the majority population.
   

RACISM IN BULGARIA

Bulgarian food minister slammed for racist remark about Roma beach vendors

BY  The Sofia Globe staff in Bulgaria, News

http://sofiaglobe.com/2012/07/11/bulgarian-food-minister-slammed-for-racist-remark-about-roma-beach-vendors/

Remarks by Bulgaria’s Agriculture and Food Minister Miroslav Naidenov that he wanted “swarthy fellows” selling corn on the country’s beaches to “disappear” so that Bulgaria could have a good reputation as a European tourist destination have led a human rights group to level charges of racism against him.

Customarily, hawkers of foodstuffs such as boiled corn and fried foods on Bulgaria’s Black Sea beaches are from the country’s Roma population.
On July 10, Naidenov said that he personally would inspect the beaches this summer to act against itinerant traders.

“If we want to have a good reputation as a European tourist destination, the swarthy fellows that go around and sell corn, sunflowers and whatnot on the beach should disappear. These are the standards. We are in Europe. If they want to carry out such activities, if they want they can go to another country where you can, but these are the EU rules on food safety,” Naidenov said.

Krassimir Kanev, president of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, said that Naidenov’s statement was racist.

“Unfortunately, such statements are made by many people in Bulgaria, but when they are made by a minister, it means that they are made by the state,” Kanev said.

Kanev called on Prime Minister Boiko Borissov to pay attention to what his minister had said and to comment, including on the question of sanctions.

Bulgarian-language media coverage of Naidenov’s remarks led people commenting in forums to criticise him, with one writing that Naidenov’s statement was “hardly European” in itself.
Bulgaria is a signatory to the Decade of Roma Inclusion project which was launched several years ago. However, the country continues to be the subject of criticism from human rights groups for inaction on resolving issues of racism against the minority.

In 2011, ethnic tensions came to the fore after the Katounitsa incident in the late summer, when a Bulgarian died after being run over in a village by a car driven by a member of the Roma minority.
That incident led to mass anti-Roma protests in several of Bulgaria’s major cities and towns, while politicians from the country’s centre-right governing party GERB, along with other major political figures, issued appeals for calm.

According to the February 2011 national census inBulgaria, of the country’s total population of 7.3 million, about 4.9 per cent (325 343 people) are Roma, making it the third-largest ethnic group in the country.
PHOTO  www. mzh.government.bg

BELGRADE

URGENT ACTION

ROMANI FAMILIES DENIED THE RIGHT TO WATER

PHOTO . (AP Photo/Srdjan Ilic)Five Romani families, including children who were forcibly evicted from Belgrade to the Nis, a city in southern Serbia, are being denied water, sanitation and electricity.

FROM AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/uaa18812.pdf

Five Romani families, 18 people including children and a pregnant woman, who later gave birth, were resettled to an abandoned warehouse in Daniciceva Street in Nis without access to water, sanitation or electricity. They have been without access to water for more 10 weeks since being forcibly evicted from Belgrade on 26 April. It is currently summer in Serbia and day-time temperatures are regularly over 35 degrees Celsius.

There is no running water in the warehouse though the necessary infrastructure for it exists. The city authorities stated on 20 June that the water can be switched on relatively easily, and that it would be switched on by the end of that week. The water has still not been switched on, violating the families’ rights to adequate housing, water and sanitation. The families have to fetch water in plastic containers from the nearest public water point, located in a market, some 115 meters from the warehouse. This source of water is not continuous as the market is only open between 7 am and 3 pm; even when the market is open, the Roma are frequently denied access to the water point by a market official. The only alternative source is a water point in the city centre more than a 30 minute walk away.

The right to water requires that water be in, or in the immediate vicinity of where people live, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), where a water source is between 100 – 1000 meters away from a household, or where it takes between 5-30 minutes (including time spent waiting in a queue) to collect water, people are unlikely to be able to collect more than 20 litres of water per person and therefore face a risk to their health. In addition, the warehouse does not have adequate toilets as the ones that exist are unsanitary due to the lack of water.
Please write immediately in English or your own language:

Urging the Nis city authorities to immediately ensure that the Romani families located in the warehouse in Daniciceva Street are guaranteed free access to sufficient and safe water;

Urging them to take immediate measures to improve the temporary living conditions for the Romani families in Daniciceva Street including by providing food as well as sanitation, electricity and other services;

Urging them to provide adequate alternative housing to all Romani families forcibly relocated to Nis.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 20 AUGUST 2012 TO:
Mayor City of Nis Mayor

Milos Simonovic

Ulica 7 Juli broj 2

18 000 Nis

Serbia Fax: 011 381 18 504545

Email: mayor@ni.rs

Salutation: Dear Mayor
City Councillor Dusica Davidovic

Ulica 7 Juli broj 2

18 000 Nis

Serbia Fax: 011 381 18 504545

Email: Dusica.Davidovic@gu.ni.rs

Salutation: Dear City Councillor

And copies to
The Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of SerbiaMartin Kern

Avenija 19a Building

Vladimira Popovica 40/V

11070 New Belgrade

Serbia

Fax: 011 381 11 3083201

Email: delegation-serbia@eeas.europa.eu

Also send copies to:

Ambassador Vladimir Petrovic, Embassy of the Republic of Serbia

2134 Kalorama Rd., NW, Washington, DC 20008

Phone: 1 202 332 0333 Fax: 1 202 332 3933│Email: info@serbiaembusa.org



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

On 26 April 2012 the Belgrade City authorities forcibly evicted some 240 families, almost 1000 people from an informal Romani settlement in Belvil, Belgrade (See UA: 85/12 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR70/007/2012/en). Amnesty International has monitored the situation in this settlement since February 2010 and a monitoring delegation was present in advance, during and after the eviction itself. A delegation also visited Serbia, including Nis, in June.

The City of Belgrade offered alternative accommodation only to those families who had legal residence in the City while the other families were excluded from resettlement options and returned to southern Serbia. According to Amnesty International research, the municipalities in southern Serbia were informed about the eviction only five days before it happened and had insufficient time to prepare to receive the returning families.

These five families were some of the 240 families who were forcibly evicted on 26 April 2012 by the Belgrade City authorities from an informal settlement at Belvil in Belgrade. They are amongst more than 100 families who were forcibly returned to other towns and cities in Serbia. The Nis authorities placed the families in an abandoned warehouse owned by the city which does not fulfil minimum standards for adequate alternative housing as required by international human rights law.

According to the information provided to Amnesty International by the City authorities, the water in the warehouse was switched off some time ago because the warehouse was not in use, and can be switched on without difficulty. According to the City for the electricity to be switched on, the electricity needs to be completely rewired; they claim they not have the funds to do that at this moment. The families were provided with petroleum lamps instead.

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at its twenty-ninth session in 2002 adopted the General Comment No. 15 on the right to water which, among else, states that "the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses". Under the right to sanitation the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has also said that states must ensure that everyone, without discrimination, has physical and affordable access to sanitation, "in all spheres of life, which is safe, hygienic, secure, socially and culturally acceptable, provides privacy and ensures dignity."

In accordance with International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international standards, the authorities in Serbia have the obligation to secure access to sufficient amounts of water for these families.

The European Union Delegation to Serbia is heading up a working group relating to the needs assessment of the people who were forcibly evicted and therefore they are copied in as a target.

LETY CONCENTRATION CAMP

PM honors Romani Holocaust victims; no action on Lety site

FROM CZECH POSITION.COM

http://www.ceskapozice.cz/en/news/politics-policy/pm-honors-romani-holocaust-victims-no-action-lety-site

State has no money to purchase pig farm built over Lety u Pisku concentration camp, Czech premier tells memorial gathering

BY

Brian Kenety

PHOTO    ČTK Lety: Nearly every Romani man, woman and child who survived internment in Czech-run camps later perished at Auschwitz-Birkenau

Prime Minister Petr Nečas (Civic Democrats, ODS) has said the Czech state has no money to buy a pig farm built over the site of a Czech-run camp where hundreds of Roma — mainly children — died from disease, hunger or abuse during the German occupation.

“I will not lie and paint a rosy picture of the situation,” Nečas said at a memorial service on Monday. “Currently, we have no room in the budget for such things.”

Not even ten percent of the 6,000 to 8,000 Roma living in the Czech lands in 1942 are thought to have survived the war. In November 1939, Nazi officials in Prague issued an order for all Czech “Gypsies” (Roma) to settle permanently within two months’ time. Adult men and women who didn’t comply with the order, or who couldn’t prove they earned a “respectable” living, were rounded up by local authorities—Czech and German—and sent to the purpose-built camps.

Most of them were held in Lety (where 85 Romani men and women, and 241 children died) or at a similar camp in the south Moravian town of Hodonin u Kunstatu, where 207 prisoners died. When those camps were shut down, the remaining internees from both were transported to the so-called Gypsy Family Camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and to other Nazi extermination camps like Treblinka. Few survived.

“We are in a place where innocent people died of typhus, dysentery and hunger and exhaustion,” Nečas said in a speech marking the 70^th anniversary of the founding of the camp (which some, including Czech President Vaclav Klaus, insist was a “transit camp” rather than a “concentration camp”) in which he denounced racial discrimination against minorities.

Back in 2005, the Czech Republic was singled out in a European Parliament resolution for failing to remove the pig farm at the site and create “a graceful memorial” to honor victims of the Romani Holocaust. But each government has either called for the issue to be studied further or said there was a lack of funds to do so.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLE--THE DEVOURING OF THE CZECH ROMA

http://www.ceskapozice.cz/en/news/society/holocaust-%E2%80%98devouring%E2%80%99-czech-roma-0

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Dear Sirs:

National Geographic has been an international and socially welcoming institution for so

many years, presenting the often wrongly maligned Roma, a sprawling people who’s identity

has and still remains shrouded in mystery, in nothing if not a positive light. It is a delicate and

difficult task to educate the public on a society so hard to penetrate as the Roma, who, much

like a lost civilization, supply little evidence of their true inner-workings as a society. However

the program American Gypsies,

slated to air later this month on the National Geographic

Channel and which purportedly takes a peak inside the New York-based Johns family, is at

risk of being a conflict of interest not only for the Roma but also for National Geographic

because this family, as detailed further in this letter, is far from representative of the Roma

community. It is without a doubt that any viewer of this show will see this family as a model

for all so called “American gypsies”, and this would indeed be a tragedy, damaging both the

image of the Roma and that of National Geographic. The show’s description already starts

out on the wrong foot with a stereotype of gypsy-as-fortune-teller with the line “how to make

a fortune in the fortune-telling business”.

Perhaps it is not the Roma who are looking to make a fortune here, but the minds behind

this program at the “Golden-rectangle”. It is probable that National Geographic is aware

that “Gypsy culture” has been a popular subject in the media recently, and it seems possible

the Channel may want to feed off of this trend at the expense of the people involved despite

its not-for-profit status. The only possible outcomes of airing the program are that it would

provide a poor understanding of who and what the Roma are, and the knowledge that the

Romani American population is not sufficiently equipped to combat racial stereotyping legally.

Furthermore, if one were to consider the making of a series presenting a family of American

Jewish crooks as Jews

generally, or a black street gang were presented as representing Africa Americans

generally, there would be a massive outcry, and such projects would die aborning.

The proposed

American Gypsies is no different from these hypothetical, backwards, examples.

Already a proposed series on an American Muslim family has been cancelled, presumably

for fear of legal backlash.

It is claimed that this is not a documentary about Romani Americans, but just about one

family. Does this mean that the words “Gypsy” and “Roma” or “Romani” don’t occur anywhere

in the series? They will be, of course. But will there be a disclaimer? Will there be

a statement to the effect that this family is criminal, this family is not representative of the

hundreds of thousands of Romani who live in our country, and in fact has been ostracized

by that population? Will our history be presented factually? Reference to the 550 years of

slavery in Eastern Europe, from whom the Johns family descends? Will there be reference

to Himmler’s genocidal Final Solution of the Gypsy Question in the Holocaust? Or will all

of the real history be put aside in favor of fishing trips to Florida and visits to the

to the mall?

Hundreds of thousands of Roma live in our country. Most stay in the background for fear of

racial discrimination. State and county laws specifically aimed at Roma have existed until as

recently as 1989, some of which are listed in my book

Danger! Educated Gypsy. Although we are protected from this as a class under the terms of Title VII

of the 1968 Civil Rights Act, few Roma are aware of it or use it as a means of legal redress. One

organization, however, called Romani Zor, with a Romani American attorney, Joseph Nicola, has

recently been incorporated to monitor the present situation, and anticipates a class action suit

following this series. I am a Romani. I am a senior faculty member at a leading university. I am a

former White House appointee. I am a state commissioner. And I am deeply insulted by

this. If there is doubt about the extent of racial bigotry targeting Romanies in our country,

visit www.topix.com/forum/city/texarkana-tx/T97FHETB5P7O16PBA.

Use of the word “Gypsy” is problematic. It is a word we dislike, and which was officially

dropped from all of its internal documentation at the Second World Romani Congress in

in 1984. The use by journalists of its equivalent in other languages (e.g. Zigeuner in German,

Cigan in Serbia) has been banned. The “Gypsies” in the British and TLS series “

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

” are not in fact Romani at all, but a white population of Irish descent. The

definition of “Gypsy” (or “gypsy”) is already vague in people’s minds, most of whom think it

is a behavior rather than an ethnicity, and National Geographic’s imprimatur will only serve

to reinforce that misconception. If the general public’s exposure to “American Gypsies” is

presented under National Geographic’s trusted name, then disrespectful and inaccurate

perceptions of our people will have been confirmed.

The Johns family has a very bad reputation, and is shunned by the community. It is the

focus of the series only because of the entertainment value their ignorance and bad behavior

provides. If we as a people are not taken seriously, then the problems we face cannot possibly

be taken seriously.

It astounds me that National Geographic’s standards have fallen so low, have succumbed to

the overall downward drift of our country’s academic standards. Our real story is a fascinating

one; indeed, NG produced an entire beautifully illustrated book about it edited by Bart

McDowell in 1970 entitled Gypsies, Wanderers of the World. What has happened since?

Both the United Nations and the Council of Europe list the situation of Roma as the most

serious transnationally in terms of human rights abuse. I have included a number of references

to this below.

Roma remain to date the most persecuted people of Europe. Almost everywhere, their fundamental

human rights are threatened. Racist violence targeting Roma is widespread in the

last years. Discrimination against Roma in employment, education, healthcare, administrative

and other services is observed in most societies, and hate speech deepens the anti-Romani

stereotypes typical of European public opinion. (European Roma Rights Centre, 2001: 5).

Romanies in Europe were ‘at the bottom of every socio-economic indicator: the poorest, the

most unemployed, the least educated, the shortest-lived, the most welfare dependent, the

most imprisoned and the most segregated.

(The Economist, 2005).

Roma are the most prominent poverty risk group in many of the countries of central and

Eastern Europe. They are poorer than other groups, more likely to fall into poverty, and more

likely to remain poor. In some cases poverty rates for Roma are more than ten times that of

non-Roma. A recent survey found that nearly 80 per cent of Roma in Romania and Bulgaria

were living on less than $4.30 per day … even in Hungary, one of the most prosperous accession

countries, 40 per cent of Roma live below the poverty line. (World Bank Report, 2006).

In September 2001, the council of Europe ‘issued a blistering condemnation of Europe’s

treatment of the Roma Gypsy community, saying they are subject to racism, discrimination

and violence … the United Nations says they pose Europe’s most serious human rights

problem. (BBC, 2001)

On 1 February 2008, the Associated Press issued a statement released by the European union

beginning, ‘the Roma, also known as Gypsies, remain frequent targets of racist attacks, abuse

and police harassment.’

If American Gypsies is aired, even though it concerns the life of just one family, it will undoubtedly

give a false impression of the Roma as a society. Considering the racial issues faced by

the Roma, especially in recent years, this show, already in violation of civil rights laws, would

only foster further problems for the Romani people. Furthermore, it can not be ignored that

National Geographic Magazine

has previously published illuminating and educational editorial

content on the Roma and that the intent of

American Gypsies is counter to the positive spirit of curiosity already firmly established by the

magazine, thus causing this program to be in conflict with the interests of both the National

Geographic Society and the Romani people. Allowing the world to see this footage can be nothing if

not detrimental for both parties involved, and we hope with the utmost respect that the board might

be able to see this and seriously consider the multiple negative outcomes airing of this program

would create.

 BY Ian Hancock and Kore Yoors

Photo: Professor Ian Hancock

GOODBYE SARKOZY

France’s Roma breathe easier after Sarkozy

Few groups were happier to see the arrival of Socialist Francois Hollande than France’s Roma community.

FROM PRESS TV.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/05/249503/france-roma-breathe-sarkozy/

PHOTO FROM  www.turkeymacedonia.wordpress.com

During Sarkozy’s final two years in office, hundreds of Roma camps were destroyed and thousands were deported solely for their ethnic identity. France’s international image was degraded as parallels with Nazi policies were fairly made.

Despite composing between 2 to 3 percent of the European Union, no group faces more barriers than the Roma. But a new resolution aims to tear down French laws which prevent their integration.

As the senator of an often-poor Parisian suburb, Madame Archimbaud knows first-hand the desperate conditions Romas face.

In recent years, no West European country has abused their Roma more than France, but Sarkozy’s departure should mean a break from serving as political scapegoats.

While France is a first-world country their Roma live in positively third-world conditions, often lacking electricity, running water, even a primary education. After a disastrous five years under Sarkozy it’s about time France start treating their Roma like citizens instead of criminals.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There's a good video at the website:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/05/249503/france-roma-breathe-sarkozy/

SHOOTINGS IN SLOVAKIA

Region: Shootings bare racist sentiments

Policeman's fatal attack on Roma home glorified by the public

FROM THE PRAGUE POST

http://www.praguepost.com/news/13663-region-shootings-bare-racist-sentiments.html#.T_WzbrFPVX4.email

BY BEATA BALOGOVA

FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR

PHOTO : On June 16, an off-duty policeman opened fire on this house in Hurbanovo, Slovakia, killing three members of a Roma family.
FROM ISIFA Photo

Milan Juhász, a 51-year-old policeman, did not go to work Saturday, June 16. Instead, he took an illegally held gun and headed to Komárňanská street in Hurbanovo, a small town in southern Slovakia.

He stopped in front of the house of a Roma family and proceeded to shoot dead a 44-year-old man, his 19-year-old son and 24-year-old son-in-law, as well as shooting in the chest the 44-year-old victim's second son and wounding the son's wife. The police detained Juhász, who by then was threatening to commit suicide, shortly after the killings.

Human rights activists say the event could exacerbate tensions between the Roma minority and the non-Roma majority in Slovakia.

"Not just the shooting itself, but all the factors that accompany this case could impact [relations]," Irena Bihariová, the head of human rights watchdog People Against Racism, told The Slovak Spectator.

"I am referring to the responses of the public, when [online] public discussions turned into mass glorifications of the murderer and hateful responses toward the victims, and the overall tone of the public discourse, which styles the offender as a hero and the victims as the guilty [parties]."

Laco Oravec, a program director from the Milan Šimečka Foundation, agreed the case had unleashed negative emotions and tended to reinforce some popular myths.

"Every such tense situation or conflict elevates sentiments and emotions, as though bringing out all the context from the mental memory of the society," Oravec said. "It is not about particular cases but rather society being guided by such images that then define relations between Roma and non-Roma."

The Office of the Special Prosecutor has charged Juhász with premeditated murder, home intrusion and carrying a concealed weapon, police spokesman Michal Slivka told the TASR newswire June 18. If found guilty, Juhász could face 25 years' to life imprisonment, Slivka added.

A momentary lapse of reason fueled by professional frustration may have prompted Juhász to kill, the Sme daily speculated, citing sources close to the investigation. The police are reportedly working on the theory Juhász was unable to handle problems related to a group of citizens in the small town where he worked as a municipal policeman, and thus took matters into his own hands.

This version is, according to Sme, supported by the sole explanation the murderer offered when brought before a judge: "I woke up in the morning with the thought that I have to restore order."

Police investigators initially claimed the shooting probably lacked a racial motive. In such a case, the man would have killed even more people, they argued.

Juhász reportedly knew the residents of Komárňanská street, where two Roma families live in neighboring houses. Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák said the man had visited the houses as part of his police duties. Four of the five victims of the shooting had criminal records, according to Kaliňák.

Several media outlets decided to disable and delete online public comments under their stories about the Hurbanovo shooting after readers posted a large number of offensive comments about the victims.

Bihariová suggested one reason behind such attitudes among the public is the unresolved situation of socially excluded communities and said the tragedy should push the government to make the issue a top priority.

"People are frustrated, so they go to vent to places where they can hide behind their anonymity," Bihariová said. "They are not aware that if this is how they formulate the 'public demand,' the politicians will cheer them on in a populist manner and real solutions will be set aside."

Deep-rooted bias

Although public discourse following the event was rife with extremist sentiments and racist commentary, including calls for mass Roma deportation and extermination, it has also been a rallying call for Roma rights supporters.

A group of intellectuals - Klára Orgovánová from the Roma Institute, Jarmila Lajčáková from the Center for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture and František Kutlík from the Slovak Institute for Mediation - sent an open letter addressed to President Ivan Gašparovič, Prime Minister Robert Fico, Parliament and other state authorities in which they ask that the shooting be fully and properly investigated. They also called for a stop to repressive, anti-Roma measures and proactive legislative measures to eliminate growing intolerance toward Roma residents in Slovakia.

"Surveys have been warning against deep-rooted prejudices and hate toward members of the Roma minority for a long time," the letter states,

The intellectuals also cite a 2010 survey that indicates up to two-thirds of respondents openly supported discriminatory actions against Roma citizens.

Oravec noted this was not the first appeal to be addressed to the government, but expressed doubt regarding the effectiveness of such calls.

"The minority voice, which calls for a different quality of relations, reflection and change to these inter-ethnic relations, is really almost … unheard," he said, adding the government, too, often ignored this voice.

According to Bihariová, it is symptomatic no politician or public authority rejected this tone of discourse or expressed at least elementary solidarity with the victims.

"These are issues the Roma are aware of, and neither the shooting nor these attitudes of the public help mutual relations," she said.

Several media outlets have compared the Hurbanovo shooting with the shooting spree in Devínska Nová Ves in August 2010, in which a Slovak man killed several members of one Roma family, injured several other people in the street and later committed suicide.

Bihariová sees one similarity in the cases. "In both, the media, but also the wider public, sought evidence to ease the gravity of the offenders' act and elevate him to the position of a martyr," she said. "At the same time, evidence was sought regarding the victims' 'problematic nature.' "

- Radka Minarechová contributed to this report.

Beata Balogová can be reached at news@praguepost.com

WORLD ROMA ORGANIZATION

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF WORLD ROMA ORGANIZATION REGARDING THE BOMB ATTACK ON THE OFFICES OF ROMA PARTY EUROROMA IN BULGARIA

Belgrade, 04^th July 2012 –

PHOTO: Romani Girl in Bulgaria
www.5election.com 

Regarding the bomb attack on the offices of Roma political party EUROROMA in Bulgarian town Sandanski, during which was seriously injured Malin Iliev (59), World Roma Organization Rromanipen expresses deepest concernment for the position of Roma community in Bulgaria.

In a period when European Union encourages political participation of Roma representatives on all levels of authority, it is absolutely unacceptable to frighten with criminal methods political representatives of Roma community in Bulgaria. Freedom of political expression and activity is guaranteed with International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 19) and European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Council of Europe (Article 10), and we are reminding that Bulgaria is a signatory of those mentioned international covenants.

We are inviting all relevant authorities of the state of Bulgaria to find as soon as possible perpetrators of this crime, and to brighten a motive for it. In addition, we are inviting state of Bulgaria to act preventive on suppression of all forms of racial discrimination, and to realize more efficiently mechanisms of political and every other integration of Roma community into the mainstream society.

Secretariat of

World Roma Organization Rromanipen

PETITION

PETITION

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-racist-sensationalism-on-tlc

This petition is to address The Learning Channel (TLC), as well as to the advertisers and sponsors of the show, "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding" (and its UK counterpart "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding"), which are blatant smear/ridicule campaigns against all Romani ("Gypsy") people.

Romani have long suffered persecution, prejudice, discrimination, ridicule, even murder and ethnic cleansing for their cultural heritage and misunderstood traditions throughout history. Shows like "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding" and "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" (UK version), not only shed Romani (and Irish Travelers) in a negative light, it openly ridicules a race of people so proud in their tradition and heritage.

Firecracker Productions and The Learning Channel (TLC) have found Romani people who are so outrageous in their living, in attempt to create sensationalism, high ratings, and high dollar figures; and in doing so, have disregarded that what is being portrayed as fact is actually inaccurate information.

The US version of the show has focused their entire season around one family; that alone cannot present an accurate portrayal of Romani (or Irish Travelers) as a whole.

TLC and Firecracker Productions, are obviously attempting to create "fact" in sensationalism and outrageousness, while disregarding the effect(s) that such deception are having on the Romani populace as a whole. TLC and Firecracker Productions have also created, in their misrepresentation(s), opinions based on deception among the general population to form false-opinions of the Romani people as a whole.

The family that is featured in the US version of the show are NOT living according to the Romani laws, and portraying them as the "stereotypical" Romani... or "Gypsy" is an outrage.

It is understood that TLC/Firecracker Productions paid these individuals to dress in certain ways, and act in certain manners - even going so far as to buy trailers and set them up as if this is where these individuals are living to give more "authentication" to the storyline.

Even more outrageous, one of the girls portrayed in the show "Mellie" is/was a stripper and is shown in the show performing lewd dance moves in the middle of department stores (among other places), then explains such moves as if this is "typical" Romani dance. It is not.

Romani people have, for years, attempted to keep their lives, their identities secret for the very reason that they have been persecuted and discriminated against. They have fought against stereotypical identification assignment, and in many countries of the world, they are still treated in such deplorable ways that are human rights violations, but yet no international government agency steps in to offer protection or aid to them, simply because of the stereotype "Gypsy".

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding (and British version), further harms Romani by the portrayal of ridiculous and outrageous behavior, dress, and deception.

While we understand that you create your shows, and gain sponsorship ad placement spots, based on show ratings, the premise of the network "The Learning Channel" has become tainted to such a degree with this outrageous propaganda of lies. In this instance, the "learning" channel is promoting lies and sensationalism, as well as racism, racial profiling, and further promoting the negative effects which Romani have tried hard to rise above for generations.

We, the undersigned, petition The Learning Channel to cancel all future programming of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, and any and all shows depicting Romani people in a negative light which are in consideration spin-off from the original show(s).

We, the undersigned, also petition all sponsors/advertisers to withdraw their relationship(s) with The Learning Channel until they remove all biased, deceptive, and racist programming which propagates the persecution, discrimination, ridicule, and stereotyping of a race of people based solely on the actions of one family group.

Thank you.

To sign the petition please go to

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-racist-sensationalism-on-tlc

BOMBING IN BULGARIA

FROM AJ RROMALE

http://aj-rromale.tumblr.com/

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON ROMA BUZZ MONITOR

London protest on Monday

A party activist lies critically injured ina Sofia hospital after a bomb blast onFriday (29 June) at the headquarters ofthe Euroroma Party in Sandanski, theonly Bulgarian town ever to elect an all-Roma municipal council.

When Malin Iliev (59) went to remove a suspicious package left in front of the building at about 6 a.m, the bomb exploded tearing off his arm. He was taken first to a local hospital but then removed to Sofia to be placed inintensive care.

Most of the windows in the Euroroma Party offices,which are located near the town’s market place,were blown out by the massive blast. Otherbuildings also suffered damage, according to the Novinite news agency.

Police are examining the remains to determinethe type and quantity of explosive used. At the time of writing no arrests had been made.

“Iliev was one of our candidates in local elections,”said Toni Angelov, head of the local EuroromaParty branch. “We believe this attack was raciallyand politically motivated.”

But Bulgariam Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanovwas already claiming on the day of the blast that politics was not involved. He said it was a “purely criminal act” and was confident regional police commissar Georgi Kostov would capture those responsible within a week.

Chairman of Euroroma Tsvetelin Kanchev, a former MP whose release from prison earlier this year on a pardon has been criticised by the current administration, has said he fears suppression of Romani political activity will continue indefinitely.

In London, Defacto news agency director Toma Nikolaev said the US State Department regards the marginalisation of Bulgaria’s 700,000 Roma as the most pressing human rights issue in his country. Corruption in government and the judiciary, and ill-treatment of prisoners, was widespread,he said.

“I can speak from personal experience,” Nikolaev said.”My offices were broken up, I was beaten in the street and abomb was placed on my balcony. That’s why I fled here to seek asylum.”

Nikolaev is facing extradition proceedings in London brought by Bulgarian prosecutors. They claim he should serve another five weeks of an original one year prison sentence imposed for a minor public order offence. The next hearing is taking place on Monday (2 July) at Westminster Magistrates Court.

A protest will be held outside the court agains this extradition and the latest bomb outrage.
Nikolaev, chair of Roma London BG, is campaigning against what he calls the apartheid regime of Prime Minister Boykov Borisov. Segregation in schools is still commonplac ewith many children live in shanty-town and get no educationat all.

On top of that, he claims the police under Tsvetanov are conducting a veritable reign of terror against Roma activists. Numbers are in jail, including colleagues of his in Kupate(Together) a political grouping of four Romani organizations which has put up candidates at general elections.

Initially, after the fall of communism, Roma came underpressure to vote for mainstream parties. You could lose your job, pension or apartment if you didn’t vote as you were told, says Nikolaev. There was also a lot of votebuying, which handicapped Romani political activity.

Euroroma was registered in 1998 and the following year Roma in Sliven founded Future, headed by Rusi Golemanov. Free Bulgaria and score of other groups followed, leading to the first successes in local elections.

Free Bulgaria won three mayoral elections and gained 60 seats on municipal councils. In 2001, two Roma wereele cted to Parliament but on mainstream party lists. However, after the 2005 elections only one Roma MP entered the Sobranie.

Two years later due partly to a voter registration drive by Amalipe and others, a coalition between Euroroma, Drom and PLAM, won close on a hundred council seats.Many other Roma were elected as mainstream partyc andidates. In Sandanski, though the town’s Roma community is not large,

Euroroma gained a clear majority on the towncouncil, setting a precedent in Bulgaria’s political history.

But this success, in a town named after Bulgarian revolutionary Yane Sandanski – who is alleged to have murdered numbers of his opponents – appears for now to be the hightide mark of Romani political progress. Dozens of Roma have been killed by police and neo-fascist thugs, and many more injured in paramilitary raids and pogroms. In today’s an atmosphere of repression few dare speak out while the majority are held down by a 70% unemployment rate and spiraling poverty.

EVICTIONS IN ROME. THE BEAT GOES ON AND ON AND...

ACTION: ROMA RISK IMMINENT FORCED EVICTION IN ROME

FROM AMNESTY INTERNATION URGENT ACTION NETWORK BLOG

 http://www2.amnesty.org.uk/blogs/urgent-action-network-blog/action-roma-risk-imminent-forced-eviction-rome-ua-18212

PHOTO 

roma_gypsies_rome057.JPG. Tor de' Cenci Gypsy Container Camp outside Rome.

www.nigeldickinson.photoshelter.com

__._,_.___

Dear Activists,

The Italian authorities must immediately stop plans to evict Roma families from a camp on the outskirts of Rome, and should instead improve housing conditions there, Amnesty International said yesterday.

Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia, Jezerca Tigani, said:
“The serious deterioration of living conditions in the camp, coupled with the repeated message that Tor de’ Cenci would be closed anyway, has rendered the consultation flawed. The only option offered by authorities was the transfer to yet another camp.

“The authorities should refrain from evicting residents who are not willing to relocate, and take steps in consultation with residents to restore adequate housing conditions and infrastructure in the camp.”

A spokesperson from the community told Amnesty International:

“It’s not possible to put us first in a camp, then after three years in another camp, then ten years later in yet another camp. They are playing with us as if we were a football.”

More than 350 people of Roma ethnicity, mostly Bosnian and Macedonian nationals, have been living in Tor de’ Cenci for up to 16 years.

ITALY

Around 350 Roma people

Over 350 Roma people are facing eviction from the Tor de’ Cenci camp in Italy. Local authorities in Rome are planning to resettle them in a new camp, which would constitute racially segregated housing. Authorities plan to complete the eviction by 10 July.

More than 350 people of Roma ethnicity, mostly Bosnian and Macedonian nationals, have been living in Tor de’ Cenci camp in Rome for up to 16 years. The camp was opened by local authorities in 1995, in an area where residents have access to a range of services, including schools for children. In the past two years, however, local authorities started referring to Tor de’ Cenci as a “tolerated” camp (i.e. a camp which has existed for a long period, but was built irregularly on public or private land), and threatened to close it and transfer its residents to another camp further away from residential areas in the city. Living conditions in Tor de’ Cenci have progressively worsened, as the camp has been effectively abandoned by local authorities in view of its planned closure.

The local authorities plan to resettle the families in a new camp called La Barbuta. This was built in 2011 using special powers granted under the Nomad Emergency – a state of emergency in place since 2008 and ruled unlawful in November 2011 by the Council of State. Compared to the location of Tor de’ Cenci, which is near a residential area, the camp of La Barbuta is located in an isolated area next to Ciampino airport. It is surrounded by fences and security video cameras to monitor movements inside the camp. Local authorities plan to use the camp exclusively to house Roma families currently living in different camps in Rome. If these plans are implemented, the camp will constitute racially segregated housing, prohibited under international and regional laws to which Italy is subject and inconsistent with the National Strategy for Roma Inclusion adopted by Italy in February 2012.

No appropriate procedural and legal safeguards have been followed to ensure that the eviction of Tor de’ Cenci’s residents is carried out in compliance with international and regional human rights obligations. Consultation with Roma families has not been genuine, as it has been carried out under the constant threat of an eviction and there were repeated messages to both the media and the residents that the camp would be closed. This was combined with the serious deterioration of living conditions, and the lack of any other alternatives on offer. Although some families appear willing to move, many others are strongly opposing their resettlement to La Barbuta.

Please write immediately in Italian, English or your own language, calling on the authorities to:

* Halt any plan to close Tor de’ Cenci camp and refrain from evicting residents who are not willing to relocate, and take steps in consultation with residents to restore adequate housing conditions and infrastructure in the camp;

* Guarantee that any current or future re-settlement of individuals living in camps is planned in genuine consultation with all camp residents and with the offer of a range of alternative adequate housing options, including equal access to social housing where appropriate;

* Ensure that La Barbuta camp is not used as a permanent housing facility and is not used exclusively for Roma communities.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 9 AUGUST 2012 TO:

Mayor of Rome
Gianni Alemanno
Via del Campidoglio, 1
00186 Roma, Italia
Fax: 0039 06 6710 3590
Email: sindaco@comune.roma.it
Salutation: Egregio Sindaco/Dear Mayor

BURIAL FOR VICTIMS OF POLICE SHOOTING

SLOVAKIA: ROMANI COMMUNITY BURIES VICTIMS OF OFF-DUTY COP SHOOTING

FROM ROMA BUZZ MONITOR

http://www.romabuzzmonitor.net/2012/07/slovakia-romani-community-buries-victims-of-off-duty-cop-shooting/

PHOTO GYPSIES IN SLOVAKIA
www.travelartist.info

Hurbanovo, Slovakia,

On Friday, 30 June, the funeral service was held at the municipal cemetery in Hurbanovo, Slovakia for the victims of a massacre that occurred more than two weeks ago when municipal police officer Milan Juhász (age 51) shot dead three Romani people and injured another two members of the same family. It is not entirely clear what Juhász’s exact motive was; police are working on several versions of what it might have been. One version is that the self-appointed renegade decided to take justice into his own hands and get rid of the alleged disturbers of public order in Hurbanovo with the aid of an illegal weapon.

During the funeral, several police patrols were on duty in the town. The service was dignified; no incidents took place. At 9 AM roughly 100 Romani people met at the cemetery to pay their last respects to the murdered members of the Lakatoš family. The Romani members spontaneously formed a half-circle around the coffins and shared their memories of the deceased.

The funeral ceremony took place in Hungarian and Slovak, with Mayor Margita Zemková giving the eulogy. Ladislav Fizík, chair of the Romani Parliament, also addressed the mourners. “No one has expressed a single word of apology,” he pointed out, emphasizing that the Romani community is not preparing to take revenge for the attack.

“We will not lower ourselves to that level, we are not planning retaliation,” said Fizík, adding that he fears the tragedy will deteriorate relations with the majority population. In his opinion the Slovak Government Commissioner for the Romani Community should also have been at the funeral.

The police officer responsible has been charged with the particularly serious crime of premeditated murder, as well as with possession of an unlicensed weapon and with trespassing. If convicted, he faces 25 to life. Juhász is still a member of the Municipal Police and has taken unpaid leave.

BY ADELA GALOVA
translated by Gwendolyn Albert

BOARD OF RABBIS SLAMS HARPER GOVERNMENT

BOARD OF RABBIS SLAMS HARPER GOVERNMENT OVER BILL C-31

BY KARL NERENBERG

FROM

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/karl-nerenberg/2012/06/board-rabbis-slams-harper-government-over-bill-c-31

June 28, 2012

PHOTO FROM THE DOCUMENTARY OPRE ROMA

Opre Roma: Gypsies in Canada.

www.der.org

It is rather late in the day, but some prominent members of Canada's Jewish community are now vigorously protesting the government's refugee reform bill, C-31 - just as it has passed both the House and the Senate!

On Wednesday, the Toronto Board of Rabbis released a letter it sent to the Prime Minister, in which the Rabbis say they are "deeply concerned about proposed changes to the law that will affect refugees."

The letter enumerates many dangers the Rabbis see in the Bill, but places great emphasis on the safe designated country of origin provision.

Minister Kenny has stated quite openly, on many occasions, that the chief targets of that safe country provision are Roma ("Gypsies") from Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and other former Communist European countries.

The Board of Rabbis' letter states: "[W]e are alarmed at the idea of designating specific countries as safe for all people. As Jews, we know that countries where the majority lives in safety can be dangerous for minority groups. Roma people living in Hungary, for example, face persecution that has been documented by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and other human rights groups."

The rabbis also object to the changes to refugee health care, not part of C-31 but announced as a regulatory change to come into effect on July 1.

"We have heard clearly from physicians across the country that people will face illness and even death if their access to lifesaving medication through the Interim Federal Health Program is cut off," the Rabbis' letter argues, "We also understand that people from 'designated' countries will no longer have access to even basic health care - including emergency care. Surely, it is not the government's intention to deliberately, and with certainty, cause harm to human lives."

The letter is signed by Rabbis Howard Morrison and Michal Shekel. They close by asking for a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the serious issues they raise as soon as possible. They then wish the Prime Minister and his "loved ones" a "peaceful summer."

Other voices in Jewish community as well

This letter follows a number of other recent efforts by Canadian Jews to draw attention to serious flaws in the refugee reform bill.

Three prominent members of Toronto's Jewish community, including Bernie Farber, former head of the Canadian Jewish Congress, signed an op-ed piece for the Globe and Mail objecting to C-31 on a number of grounds, including the fact that the bill would, in effect, bar Roma asylum seekers from Europe.

Judy Young Drache, a former senior federal public servant and an active member of the Canadian Hungarian and Jewish communities, sent a long and detailed letter to a number of Senators and MPs, in which she focuses for the most part on what she see as the pernicious aspects of the safe county provisions.

"Now is not the time to confer on Hungary the status of safe country," Young Drache pleads.

"By designating Hungary safe," she continues, "Canada... would be putting a stamp of approval on... systemic discrimination against Roma and widespread racism and anti-Semitism. .. The government of PM Viktor Orban has been unable or unwilling to curtail such activity, even while it has curtailed a lot of democratic freedoms. Recently [Orban's government] has been rehabilitating former Hungarian Nazi sympathizers and activists."

Young Drache goes on to point out that the "safe" designation will inevitably receive widespread coverage and attention in Hungary. She explains that such a designation will almost certainly be taken as a form of Canadian approval by Hungarian extremist groups.

"This is already happening," Young Drache says, "Just one example from the extremist, xenophobic media, of which there are many in Hungary. The 'Holy Crown Radio' website recently wrote: 'They don't like parasitic gypsy criminals in Canada either!'"

"Holy Crown" is an extreme right media outlet, sympathetic to the neo-Nazi Jobbik party.

Young Drache cites a letter made public a few days ago from Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel in which Wiesel angrily returns an award Hungary bestowed on him in 2004. Wiesel was protesting Hungary's current practice of honoring collaborators with the Nazis and of including anti-Semitic authors in the school curriculum.

Finally, Young Drache worries that "the 'safe' designation would further encourage extremists and racists, and may shut out refugees who have a real and desperate need to escape abuse."

Two 'observations' to guide choice of safe countries

Although the Senate Committee considering C-31 did not propose amendments, at the behest of Senators Mobina Jaffer and Jane Marie Cordy it did add "observations" designed to mitigate the potential impact of the reforms on Roma and gender-based and LGBT asylum seekers. The two observations enjoin the Minister to take into account the situation of minority groups (such as the Roma), and of gays, lesbians and women, in making safe country determinations.

Those "observations" are not much one's hat on, admittedly.

However, they do at least show that Senators in all parties agree that some people, such as the Roma, face significant and systemic discrimination and threats of persecution in countries that are formally democratic.

C-31 supporter and retired diplomat Martin Collacott also recognized, in his remarks to the Committee, that Roma are subject to significant discrimination in Europe. Despite that, Collacott argued, the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees was only designed to protect people from persecution not discrimination.

That may well be so - and it is job of the Immigration and Refugee Board (the IRB) to make the very difficult decision as to who is a genuine refugee and who is merely the victim of prejudice and discrimination.

What Collacott and other C-31 supporters have never addressed is the question of how reasonable it would be for Canada to claim that a country such as Hungary - in which there is such a high degree of discrimination and openly expressed hate toward minority groups - is safe.

The definition of a 'safe country'

The question that has been before Parliament for the past few months is not who is or is not a refugee. That is the IRB's job, and the IRB must be guided by international law.

The question before Parliament has been how to determine which countries might be legitimately designated as safe.

Many who have watched this process unfold point out that no objective process would result in a safe designation for Hungary in 2012, to cite just one example. And yet the Minister has announced that he wishes to make that designation as soon as he can.

As long as the only objections to these aspects of C-31 came from the Roma community and human rights oriented groups, the government seemed to believe there would be no price to pay for its tough stance.

The intervention of the Toronto Board of Rabbis marks the first time that a major and official Jewish institution has taken on the Harper government.

This government has worked very hard to cultivate Jewish support, mostly by taking an almost over-the-top Israel-can-never- do-any-wrong stance.

Arguably, Conservative MPs Peter Kent, Mark Adler and Joe Oliver owe their Toronto area seats to Jewish votes.

In fact, some pollsters' analyses show that about 50 per cent of Canadian Jews voted for the Conservatives last time, the Conservatives' best ever showing with that community. The Jewish vote was a factor that helped Harper's Conservatives win urban seats, last time, after they had been largely shut out from urban Canada for the previous three elections.

The Senate was scheduled to have its final vote on C-31 on Wednesday afternoon. It passed and receives Royal Assent on Thursday.

The ball is now in the government's court. The Minister of Immigration now has the responsibility to officially designate safe countries.

If Harper and his colleagues can afford to ignore the politically powerless Roma and academics and human rights advocates who are not on their best friends list, can they afford to ignore the Toronto Board of Rabbis?

Karl Nerenberg covers news for the rest of us from Parliament Hill. Karl has been a journalist for over 25 years including eight years as the producer of the CBC show The House.

JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER. THE BEAT GOES ON

FROM CHANGE.ORG

www.change.org

BY GREGORY MILLER

PHOTO: www.cchrint.org

This is hard for me to say, but on Wednesday, the leadership of the Massachusetts House of Representatives chose not to support a bill that would ban the use of electric shocks on disabled people in the state. Massachusetts is the only state in the country where this still takes place.

I started my petition after I saw this abuse firsthand as a teacher's aide at the Judge Rotenberg Center. I had no idea that you and more than 250,000 others would join me, and together demand Massachusetts lawmakers stop the abuse of my former students -- thank you.

Even though this bill didn't pass, I'm incredibly proud of the attention we've brought to the abuse taking place at the JRC. Here are some of the things that we've accomplished:

• The United Nations has announced that they are now investigating the JRC's use of electric shocks to see if they meet the international guidelines for torture.
• Anderson Cooper exposed that the JRC has been misleading the public about having FDA approval for its electric shock machines, and the campaign has been covered by media from CNN to Fox News.
• More than 30 human rights and disability organizations came out in support of our efforts.

It was always going to be a hard fight -- the JRC spent millions of dollars on lawyers, lobbyists and public relations professionals to influence these lawmakers. But thanks to your support, the world knows what goes on in Canton, Massachusetts, and the JRC won’t be able to escape scrutiny like before.

For the moment, we haven't won this campaign -- but the petition will still be updated with information about the effort to protect the disabled in Massachusetts. And I hope you will keep talking about this issue with your friends, families and legislators.

Again, thank you for supporting my campaign,

Gregory Miller

Former JRC Employee

P.S. New York is now considering a bill that would ban state tax dollars from being used at the JRC if they continue shocking students, and disability advocates are asking for help to make sure it passes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BACKGROUND:

FROM CHANGE.ORG

http://www.change.org/petitions/judge-rotenberg-educational-center-please-stop-painful-electric-shocks-on-your-students

At a “special needs school” in Canton, Massachusetts, children and teenagers with autism and other disabilities are being administered electric shocks as a means of controlling their behaviors. As a former Teacher’s Assistant, I regret having participated firsthand at this school - The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC).

The human rights abuses taking place at the JRC are well documented. The United Nations is aware of the JRC and has called these shocks “torture”, and says that “The prohibition of torture is absolute.” Yet the school continues to use a powerfully painful electric shock device on students to control their behaviors. These devices are reportedly much stronger than police stun guns and were created by the founder of the Judge Rotenberg Center.

The Judge Rotenberg Center must immediately stop its practice of shocking special needs students.

Rather than shocking students for only severe behaviors, student behavior plans at JRC dictated that we shock certain students for even the most minor of behavioral issues like closing their eyes for 15 seconds while sitting at the desk, pulling apart a loose piece of thread, tearing an empty used paper cup, or for standing up and raising a hand to ask to go to the bathroom. In some classrooms, very often students who observe their peers being shocked react in fear by standing up out of their seat, yelling or crying, or throwing down their task -- and are then shocked for these reactions.

A non-verbal nearly blind girl with cerebral palsy was shocked as part of her behavioral plan for making a moaning sound and for attempts to hold a staff’s hand (her attempts to communicate and to be loved).

In 2002, 18 year-old Andre McCollins was strapped down and shocked for hours at the JRC. He begged for the shocks to stop and when they did, he was left in a catatonic state for days which resulted in permanent damage. Video of Andre’s shock treatment was sealed until recently and you can view it here.

The JRC’s founder, Dr. Matthew Israel, resigned after being charged with misleading a grand jury by destroying video footage of other students being shocked.

Not only does the JRC need to immediately stop this practice but Massachusetts legislators need to make these shock procedures illegal. These students are among Massachusetts’ most vulnerable citizens and have no voice of their own to describe their pain. They need your help.

Demand that the JRC stop shocking students now!