by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
September 2010: On the heels of French deportations of Roma that have hit international headlines in recent weeks, Green Party autumn conference has passed an emergency motion on the issue.
The emergency motion urged "all Green Party elected representatives in local, national and international governments apply maximum pressure toward improving equality and access to services for Roma people and asserting their human rights."
Keith Taylor, the proposer of the emergency conference motion, and the Green Party's MEP for South East England, said: "The Roma are European citizens, yet some of their most fundamental rights – including freedom of movement within the EU and access to services – have been abused. It's clear that the actions against them are driven by xenophobia, and represent a flouting of national obligations under international law."
The motion expresses "profound concerns over the recent treatment of Roma people in France and Italy. In particular, the mass deportations of Roma people which appear to have been made purely on the grounds of ethnicity." It also points out that similar actions by the governments of Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
There are an estimated 10-12 million Roma people in the EU, making them the EU's largest ethnic minority.
Full text of emergency resolution can be found below:-
This conference:
Notes
- that the Roma community is Europe's largest ethnic minority, at 10-12 million people, and trace their roots back to India in the Middle Ages
Expresses
- profound concerns over the recent treatment of Roma people in France and Italy. In particular, the mass deportations of Roma people which appear to have been made purely on the grounds of ethnicity
- concerns also about similar government actions in Germany, Denmark and Sweden
- support for the calls for legal action against the Member State governments for their deportation of Roma people
Believes
- that deportation on ethnicity is wholly wrong and immoral and cannot be tolerated
- that such deportations are illegal, run counter to the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights and infringe the freedom of movement to which all European citizens are entitled
- that travelling Roma people are entitled to suitable health, housing, education and social services in every EU Member State
- that this week's decision by the European Parliament to condemn the French government and demand an immediate halt to deportations is to be welcomed
- that UK national and local government must improve service provision for gypsies and travelling people
& Therefore Requests
- that all Green Party elected representatives in local, national and international governments apply maximum pressure toward improving equality and access to services for Roma people and asserting their human rights
- the European Commission to urgently develop a pan-European Roma integration strategy
- that GPEx communicates' members wishes
It is such a shame that the Green Party and the governments of most countries seem to have no idea as to the fact that not all Romani People, the real and true Gypsy, are Roma. There are in fact two if not three groups and those are the Sinti, the Roma and the Cale (Kale/Kaale), though the later group may, in fact be part of the Sinti People.
In addition there are certain groups that are called Roma, such as the Lovara, but which are honor-bound to the Sinti.
Therefore it is wrong to call all Romani Roma and the term Romani should be used. The Sinti, whatever some misguided people claim, are not part of the the Roma or a sub-tribe of the Roma but are Sinti and while Romani are NOT Roma.
Another thing that must be said is that the Green Party, unfortunately, also has not comprehension of ethnicity and that ethnic people's names, even though they may be terms the people may or may not use, are proper nouns and that Gypsy is written thus and not gypsy.
Some people appear to be educated beyond their capacity. But then again, that is nothing new. Most journalists who have spent years at university studying journalism also do not know that Gypsy is a noun.
© 2010
September 2010: On the heels of French deportations of Roma that have hit international headlines in recent weeks, Green Party autumn conference has passed an emergency motion on the issue.
The emergency motion urged "all Green Party elected representatives in local, national and international governments apply maximum pressure toward improving equality and access to services for Roma people and asserting their human rights."
Keith Taylor, the proposer of the emergency conference motion, and the Green Party's MEP for South East England, said: "The Roma are European citizens, yet some of their most fundamental rights – including freedom of movement within the EU and access to services – have been abused. It's clear that the actions against them are driven by xenophobia, and represent a flouting of national obligations under international law."
The motion expresses "profound concerns over the recent treatment of Roma people in France and Italy. In particular, the mass deportations of Roma people which appear to have been made purely on the grounds of ethnicity." It also points out that similar actions by the governments of Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
There are an estimated 10-12 million Roma people in the EU, making them the EU's largest ethnic minority.
Full text of emergency resolution can be found below:-
This conference:
Notes
- that the Roma community is Europe's largest ethnic minority, at 10-12 million people, and trace their roots back to India in the Middle Ages
Expresses
- profound concerns over the recent treatment of Roma people in France and Italy. In particular, the mass deportations of Roma people which appear to have been made purely on the grounds of ethnicity
- concerns also about similar government actions in Germany, Denmark and Sweden
- support for the calls for legal action against the Member State governments for their deportation of Roma people
Believes
- that deportation on ethnicity is wholly wrong and immoral and cannot be tolerated
- that such deportations are illegal, run counter to the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights and infringe the freedom of movement to which all European citizens are entitled
- that travelling Roma people are entitled to suitable health, housing, education and social services in every EU Member State
- that this week's decision by the European Parliament to condemn the French government and demand an immediate halt to deportations is to be welcomed
- that UK national and local government must improve service provision for gypsies and travelling people
& Therefore Requests
- that all Green Party elected representatives in local, national and international governments apply maximum pressure toward improving equality and access to services for Roma people and asserting their human rights
- the European Commission to urgently develop a pan-European Roma integration strategy
- that GPEx communicates' members wishes
It is such a shame that the Green Party and the governments of most countries seem to have no idea as to the fact that not all Romani People, the real and true Gypsy, are Roma. There are in fact two if not three groups and those are the Sinti, the Roma and the Cale (Kale/Kaale), though the later group may, in fact be part of the Sinti People.
In addition there are certain groups that are called Roma, such as the Lovara, but which are honor-bound to the Sinti.
Therefore it is wrong to call all Romani Roma and the term Romani should be used. The Sinti, whatever some misguided people claim, are not part of the the Roma or a sub-tribe of the Roma but are Sinti and while Romani are NOT Roma.
Another thing that must be said is that the Green Party, unfortunately, also has not comprehension of ethnicity and that ethnic people's names, even though they may be terms the people may or may not use, are proper nouns and that Gypsy is written thus and not gypsy.
Some people appear to be educated beyond their capacity. But then again, that is nothing new. Most journalists who have spent years at university studying journalism also do not know that Gypsy is a noun.
© 2010
