by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
If you tell a lie often enough people may believe it seems to be the attitude of various people who insist on calling Dale Farm, in Basildon, Essex (UK), the UK's largest Gypsy township. However, thousands of times over saying it will not make this illegal camp of Irish Travellers into a Gypsy settlement or even township.
Irish Travellers are not Romani and therefore are not Gypsy, as it is or at least was understood in the ruling of the Law Lords. That is the reason why the “Caravan Sites Act” referred to “Gypsies and other Travellers” and was not calling all Gypsies. The Irish Travellers are Travellers but not Gypsy, as they are not Romani, and they cannot be made into Ro mani how ever hard some people may like to try. Even the fact that the Roma(ni) Union basically made them sign themselves into the IRU as “RoMA2 still does not make them Romani or Roma. I do assume, however, that this is rather difficult to understand by some people.
Why the Gypsy Council wants all Gypsies of the UK to unite and then cities to start with this trash about the Dale Farm illegal Irish Traveller camp can only be a mystery.
Gypsy, according to the real and true understanding, are, also according to the old Oxford dictionary, the Romany, of a travelling Race, originally from (Northern) India. It makes no mention of Irish Travellers and especially not of the kind that is illegally encamped in on that location in the Basildon area of Essex.
Those are but pretenders even as far as Irish Travellers are concerned as they are not thos that are of the real Travellers of Ireland but the offspring of those that came to the UK to make use of the welfare state just after WWII. When are the likes of those that are championing their cause are going to understand and admit that. What political mileage are they getting out of this and what financial mileage?
Some of them were jailed in Eire because of their political work for the Irish travellers and they came over into the UK in pursuance of the continuation of this “work” and also, for that reason, never having any real concern for the “real” Gypsy, set up organizations in Britain supposedly for Gypsies but in truth all that was for was for the Irish that cause the Romani, the Gypsy, so much problems. Were it not for the behavior of the Irish Travellers, of the hinditi-meskere, the Romani in the UK would not have been faced with the problems and hostility that we have been faced with ever since around the 1950's.
We want somewhere to live and settle, say the residents at that illegal Irish Traveller camp called “Dale Farm”. So, no problem with that. Get a house or an apartment, rent or buy, you choice. They have been house dwellers before anyway, the great majority of them. Now they, probably, claim “Gypsy Culture” and such like and therefore they could not go and live in a house. The truth is that all they know is scam jobs blacktopping an such and you are not very welcome in a housing estate with tarmac trucks and such.
When it comes to the problems caused by the Irish Travellers to the Gypsy, the Romani, those are now go even beyond the borders of the UK and have reached the European mainland and their behavior is now making it nigh impossible for Sinti and Manouche to go “ap i reisa” in Germany, France, etc. and even the Romani in Norway and Sweden are having problems because of the way Irish Travellers have behaved in those countries.
I shall keep on pointing out the fact that I am pointing out here whether or not some people would like to threaten me and this publication.
We also know why some people kept attacking the background and former affiliations of the late Tom Odley (of blessed memory); it was because he knew of the background of some people that make themselves so big and important in the Gypsy Industry in the UK and elsewhere.
Obviously, some people do not like the truth and Tatchipen is something that they are more afraid of than anything else, it would seem. One can but wonder why. They then to use character assassination in order to make other people look bad, those people that know who and what they really are.
Dosta penauas me djinau.
Remember! Gypsy equals Romani and not simple “people of a travelling lifestyle”. The Gypsy People are a Race, a Race apart. Our People best remember that too.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Roma Exodus from Italy
Italian Kalderash Roma crossing border into Austria fleeing pogroms
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Reports from Austria, such as from Tirol, suggest that large numbers of Kalderah Roma of Italian nationality are fleeing into Austria. They are being driving from the country of their birth by fascist thugs and by government degree nearly.
The Italian government, so reports suggest, has placed the Roma camps around Naples and Rome (and elsewhere?) under a State of Emergency, giving the security services and the governments, municipal and local complete control over the areas and sweeping powers.
Is this the Europe 2008 and of freedom and democracy or are have we, accidentally, entered a time warp and have ended up in the fascist 1938?
While it is indeed the year 2008 one could well believe that one be back in the times of Hitler and Mussolini. The European Union stands idly by while one of its member states expels citizens from another EU member state wholesale for no other reason than their ethnicity. In Bosnia and Kosovo they called that ethnic cleansing when it was, supposedly, done to the Muslims. Not than anyone even mentioned the displaced Romani-Gypsy on the Balkans, ethnically cleansed from their Mahalas in Kosovo by Kosovo-Albanian Muslim thugs, but then again... it was those that claimed to being ethnically cleansed.
When I basically, some years back, predicted this as going to be happening sooner or later, because I was able, then already, to see the writing on the wall, I was laughed at and this notion was considered by many an impossibility in the free and democratic European Union.
Now we are seeing the true face of the EU and that it is either entirely unable to do anything against this happening, whether in Italy or elsewhere, or, and this is what it really appears to me, a Gypsy, that they are entirely unwilling to do something to help the Romani People, despite their rhetoric to how they want to help the Roma(ni) and all that jazz.
What I can see here as well is now why they want every Gypsy, every Rom, to accept the term Roma, or just simply by them to be called Roma: They can lump all of us then together as “Roma” and do what they like then. Same why everyone in Britain is now called Gypsy, but one is only ethnically a Gypsy now, according to the laws in many areas, if one actually still travels; thereby all those Romani that have settled, either on Gypsy Caravan Sites, official or private, or in houses, are no longer, under those laws, considered “ethnic Gypsy”. Wait till they play a similar joke with the title of “Roma”.
Is there something afoot to ethnically cleanse all “Roma” out of Europe? Things seem to point into that direction for we can see that, when it comes to the Gypsy in the European Union to who this is happening, as we can see now in Italy, and now even Roma of Italian nationality are being hunted down and driven out, nothing is being done against it by neither the EU nor the UN.
The question too awful to contemplate and ask, but asking it one must and this is, whether Italy may in fact be the “stalking horse” for more of this to come for Gypsies throughout the European Union. One can but hope and pray that this is not the case.
However, the way things look this is what it is.
So, therefore, aside from praying that this may not be something that will soon sweep across the European Union, maybe it would be a good idea if we would prepare to fight it as well.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Reports from Austria, such as from Tirol, suggest that large numbers of Kalderah Roma of Italian nationality are fleeing into Austria. They are being driving from the country of their birth by fascist thugs and by government degree nearly.
The Italian government, so reports suggest, has placed the Roma camps around Naples and Rome (and elsewhere?) under a State of Emergency, giving the security services and the governments, municipal and local complete control over the areas and sweeping powers.
Is this the Europe 2008 and of freedom and democracy or are have we, accidentally, entered a time warp and have ended up in the fascist 1938?
While it is indeed the year 2008 one could well believe that one be back in the times of Hitler and Mussolini. The European Union stands idly by while one of its member states expels citizens from another EU member state wholesale for no other reason than their ethnicity. In Bosnia and Kosovo they called that ethnic cleansing when it was, supposedly, done to the Muslims. Not than anyone even mentioned the displaced Romani-Gypsy on the Balkans, ethnically cleansed from their Mahalas in Kosovo by Kosovo-Albanian Muslim thugs, but then again... it was those that claimed to being ethnically cleansed.
When I basically, some years back, predicted this as going to be happening sooner or later, because I was able, then already, to see the writing on the wall, I was laughed at and this notion was considered by many an impossibility in the free and democratic European Union.
Now we are seeing the true face of the EU and that it is either entirely unable to do anything against this happening, whether in Italy or elsewhere, or, and this is what it really appears to me, a Gypsy, that they are entirely unwilling to do something to help the Romani People, despite their rhetoric to how they want to help the Roma(ni) and all that jazz.
What I can see here as well is now why they want every Gypsy, every Rom, to accept the term Roma, or just simply by them to be called Roma: They can lump all of us then together as “Roma” and do what they like then. Same why everyone in Britain is now called Gypsy, but one is only ethnically a Gypsy now, according to the laws in many areas, if one actually still travels; thereby all those Romani that have settled, either on Gypsy Caravan Sites, official or private, or in houses, are no longer, under those laws, considered “ethnic Gypsy”. Wait till they play a similar joke with the title of “Roma”.
Is there something afoot to ethnically cleanse all “Roma” out of Europe? Things seem to point into that direction for we can see that, when it comes to the Gypsy in the European Union to who this is happening, as we can see now in Italy, and now even Roma of Italian nationality are being hunted down and driven out, nothing is being done against it by neither the EU nor the UN.
The question too awful to contemplate and ask, but asking it one must and this is, whether Italy may in fact be the “stalking horse” for more of this to come for Gypsies throughout the European Union. One can but hope and pray that this is not the case.
However, the way things look this is what it is.
So, therefore, aside from praying that this may not be something that will soon sweep across the European Union, maybe it would be a good idea if we would prepare to fight it as well.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
English Romanies live in fear
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Romani-Gypsy families living in Southend, Essex, are hiding their identity for fear of abuse, according to a Tory councillor.
Blaine Robin, who represents the Kursaal Ward of the this Essex town, spoke out as June is “Roma Gypsy Traveller History Month”. The month which aims to celebrate the culture and history of the Romany people.
Mr Robin said that she has met a few families of Romany Gypsy heritage living in the Kursaal ward and that those she met afforded her rich, deep and meaningful insights into their heritage.
They do, however, so Councillor Robin, conceal their identity for fear of abuse by wider society.
I must say that, as they are in Essex ,I do not blame them seeing the situation in Crays Hill, the illegal Irish Traveller “village” - called dale Farm - that some have, purposely falsely, called “the biggest Gypsy settlement in Europe”, has caused and, unfortunately, the majority of the population, bar the older ones who know the difference, equate Romani with Traveller and that immediately with the problems caused by the Irish house dwellers masquerading as Travellers.
"Education is the key to raising awareness about what contribution this ethnic group has made to our society," said Councillor Blaine Robin.
Such education also must not be afraid to call a spade a spade and once and for all make the true point that Gypsy are Romany (Romani) and that the Irish Travellers are often, especially those “new” ones in places such as Dale Farm, are not even Travellers proper and definitely not Gypsy.
While we can but applaude that finally a History Month for the Romani has been created, something that this writer, as well as the International Romani Guild, the Romani Institute and the Gypsy Union, have been campaigning for – only no one wanted to know – even members of the Romani People did not – the way it has been created to represent more that one of the groups is entirely false and yet again intended to create the impression, at least in the eyes of the outsiders, that all “Travellers” are one Culture, which is not the case. For Britain the use of Roma, meant, I am sure, to replace Romani/Romanichal is also incorrect as the Romanichal are Sinti and NOT Roma. The month should have been the Romani History Month and should have excluded those not of Romani heritage. While that would have included the Roma who have arrived on these shores in the last decades of the last century only, really, it would have, at least excluded, as it should, other “Travellers” and here especially the Irish who are not of the Romani Race.
Period! Dosta!
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Romani-Gypsy families living in Southend, Essex, are hiding their identity for fear of abuse, according to a Tory councillor.
Blaine Robin, who represents the Kursaal Ward of the this Essex town, spoke out as June is “Roma Gypsy Traveller History Month”. The month which aims to celebrate the culture and history of the Romany people.
Mr Robin said that she has met a few families of Romany Gypsy heritage living in the Kursaal ward and that those she met afforded her rich, deep and meaningful insights into their heritage.
They do, however, so Councillor Robin, conceal their identity for fear of abuse by wider society.
I must say that, as they are in Essex ,I do not blame them seeing the situation in Crays Hill, the illegal Irish Traveller “village” - called dale Farm - that some have, purposely falsely, called “the biggest Gypsy settlement in Europe”, has caused and, unfortunately, the majority of the population, bar the older ones who know the difference, equate Romani with Traveller and that immediately with the problems caused by the Irish house dwellers masquerading as Travellers.
"Education is the key to raising awareness about what contribution this ethnic group has made to our society," said Councillor Blaine Robin.
Such education also must not be afraid to call a spade a spade and once and for all make the true point that Gypsy are Romany (Romani) and that the Irish Travellers are often, especially those “new” ones in places such as Dale Farm, are not even Travellers proper and definitely not Gypsy.
While we can but applaude that finally a History Month for the Romani has been created, something that this writer, as well as the International Romani Guild, the Romani Institute and the Gypsy Union, have been campaigning for – only no one wanted to know – even members of the Romani People did not – the way it has been created to represent more that one of the groups is entirely false and yet again intended to create the impression, at least in the eyes of the outsiders, that all “Travellers” are one Culture, which is not the case. For Britain the use of Roma, meant, I am sure, to replace Romani/Romanichal is also incorrect as the Romanichal are Sinti and NOT Roma. The month should have been the Romani History Month and should have excluded those not of Romani heritage. While that would have included the Roma who have arrived on these shores in the last decades of the last century only, really, it would have, at least excluded, as it should, other “Travellers” and here especially the Irish who are not of the Romani Race.
Period! Dosta!
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Hate Crimes - The Italian way to create security?
The recently redeemed Italian government of Romano Prodi passed earlier this year an emergency decree that
- allows the deportation of migrants from other EU countries
- limiting procedural safeguards of deportations and
- introducing administrative detention for European citizens if they are considered a threat to public safety
The decree was issued after the alleged murder of an Italian woman by a Romanian of Roma origin. Mr. Frattini, ex Commissioner for Justice and Civil Liberties at the European Union declared: "What has to be done is simple. Go into a nomad camp in Rome for example, and ask them: 'Can you tell me where you live?' If they say they do not know, take them and send them home to Romania. This is how the European directive works. It is simple and safe. Romania cannot say they will not take them back, because it is an obligation that is part of being a member state of the EU".
On 13th April 2008 Silvio Berlusconi swept back to power for the third time, after the Italian general election gave him and his centre-right allies an overwhelming lead in the Senate as well as in the Chamber of Deputies. Immediately after his election victory he already warned Italians of tough times ahead and announced more hard-line policies and practices towards immigrants to combat associated crimes.
Yesterday, Thursday 15th May, the Italian police proudly broadcasted that they arrested nearly 400 people in a successful crack down on 'illegal immigration' throughout the whole country. This 'cleaning action' in mostly migrant shantytowns in major urban areas across the country can be seen as consequential result of Italia's backslide into the far right in its government. The main focus of Italian concern about immigrant crime lies with the Roma, general known as "nomads".
Mr. Berlusconi's party, The People of Freedom (Il Popolo della Libertà ) party, promotes on their campaign homepage that they would empty illegal camps, and remove nomads who have no legal residence or means of subsistence.
During the 'anti-immigration' operation of the Italian police in 15 regions, from North-Italy to Naples, 383 persons were arrested, 268 of it were foreigners. 177 persons are accused of thievery, 111 are accused of illegal immigration, 92 are accused of drug trafficking and 3 are accused of prostitution. 53 of the arrested persons were deported immediately and 65 of them were transported to detention camps.
"The anti-immigrant sweep was a positive thing because that's what people want," said Umberto Bossi, the minister of institutional reforms and federalism. "People ask us for safety, and we must give it to them."
In Naples Roma camps had to be evacuated, because mobs of local people started to attack the camps after a 16-year-old Roma girl was accused of trying to kidnap a baby. From 14th to 15th May local vigilantes burned a Roma camp near Naples to the ground. It was the sad result of this week's constant assault of Roma camps around Naples, mostly by youths on scooters and motorbikes using iron bars and throwing Molotov cocktails.
These massive assaults against Roma people don't accrue coincidently, but are the devastating result of hate speeches of politicians, xenophobic media coverage and authorities and discriminative laws that are stigmatising an entire ethnic minority. For example Milan introduced a special commissary for the Roma issue creating the basis for a pogrom against the Roma and migrant communities in Italy - Rome and Naples aim to follow up on this policy. These alarming developments even activated the Council of Europe and Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights, came to the conclusion:
"The decision to institutionalise a body like the national commissary to control the Roma emergency is based on prejudices and it propagate these prejudices."
Source: UNITED
- allows the deportation of migrants from other EU countries
- limiting procedural safeguards of deportations and
- introducing administrative detention for European citizens if they are considered a threat to public safety
The decree was issued after the alleged murder of an Italian woman by a Romanian of Roma origin. Mr. Frattini, ex Commissioner for Justice and Civil Liberties at the European Union declared: "What has to be done is simple. Go into a nomad camp in Rome for example, and ask them: 'Can you tell me where you live?' If they say they do not know, take them and send them home to Romania. This is how the European directive works. It is simple and safe. Romania cannot say they will not take them back, because it is an obligation that is part of being a member state of the EU".
On 13th April 2008 Silvio Berlusconi swept back to power for the third time, after the Italian general election gave him and his centre-right allies an overwhelming lead in the Senate as well as in the Chamber of Deputies. Immediately after his election victory he already warned Italians of tough times ahead and announced more hard-line policies and practices towards immigrants to combat associated crimes.
Yesterday, Thursday 15th May, the Italian police proudly broadcasted that they arrested nearly 400 people in a successful crack down on 'illegal immigration' throughout the whole country. This 'cleaning action' in mostly migrant shantytowns in major urban areas across the country can be seen as consequential result of Italia's backslide into the far right in its government. The main focus of Italian concern about immigrant crime lies with the Roma, general known as "nomads".
Mr. Berlusconi's party, The People of Freedom (Il Popolo della Libertà ) party, promotes on their campaign homepage that they would empty illegal camps, and remove nomads who have no legal residence or means of subsistence.
During the 'anti-immigration' operation of the Italian police in 15 regions, from North-Italy to Naples, 383 persons were arrested, 268 of it were foreigners. 177 persons are accused of thievery, 111 are accused of illegal immigration, 92 are accused of drug trafficking and 3 are accused of prostitution. 53 of the arrested persons were deported immediately and 65 of them were transported to detention camps.
"The anti-immigrant sweep was a positive thing because that's what people want," said Umberto Bossi, the minister of institutional reforms and federalism. "People ask us for safety, and we must give it to them."
In Naples Roma camps had to be evacuated, because mobs of local people started to attack the camps after a 16-year-old Roma girl was accused of trying to kidnap a baby. From 14th to 15th May local vigilantes burned a Roma camp near Naples to the ground. It was the sad result of this week's constant assault of Roma camps around Naples, mostly by youths on scooters and motorbikes using iron bars and throwing Molotov cocktails.
These massive assaults against Roma people don't accrue coincidently, but are the devastating result of hate speeches of politicians, xenophobic media coverage and authorities and discriminative laws that are stigmatising an entire ethnic minority. For example Milan introduced a special commissary for the Roma issue creating the basis for a pogrom against the Roma and migrant communities in Italy - Rome and Naples aim to follow up on this policy. These alarming developments even activated the Council of Europe and Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights, came to the conclusion:
"The decision to institutionalise a body like the national commissary to control the Roma emergency is based on prejudices and it propagate these prejudices."
Source: UNITED
British Secretary of State for Justice sacks only Romani magistrate for criticizing Police
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Jack Straw, the Secretary of State for Justice (now there is a joke), has sacked a magistrate, the only (probably) Romani magistrate (judge) in the entire country, for daring to criticize the police for failing to protect her daughter from being physically assaulted at school.
Mr Straw, the Secretary of State for Justice, has written to the magistrate saying that while he understands a mother's desire to help her daughter, her criticism of the police means she can no longer be trusted to be impartial in court.
This while other magistrates and judges do, often publicly, criticize the police without any repercussions. Nor should there ever be any repercussions for doing this for this is the job of the judiciary if and when this is necessary. Dismissing a magistrates just because he or she criticized the police for failing to do their duty in unacceptable, regardless of which ethnicity this judge should be. To further imply that, having criticized the police the magistrate could no longer serve on the bench because she could no longer be trusted to be impartial in court when the police is concerned.
"We have concluded that, although you acted with the best interests of your daughter, your behaviour has led to your impartiality being brought into question,” Jack Straw writes in the letter. “It is clear that by mentioning you were a magistrate and then criticising the police, the two issues became linked and therefore there is doubt whether you would be able to consider matters involving the police impartially.”
This is not just outrages, it smacks of British Justice becoming a mockery and a lackey to the State – once again.
Shay Clipson, 50, a magistrate from Grimsby, Humberside, who is believed to, probably, be the only Romany magistrate on the bench in England and Wales, had asked police to help protect her 13-year-old daughter from a gang that had been bullying her in and out of school.
She claims her daughter had been subjected to beatings, racially abused, spat on, had cigarettes stubbed out in her hair, and had been thrown into the traffic on a very busy road.
Ms Clipson said that on September 20, 2007, her daughter had been told by a key member of this particular gang that she was going to be subject to a beating, possibly during the lunch break, failing that definitely on her way home. Neither the headteacher nor the head of year would make themselves available to speak to to Ms Clipson, the mother. She then told the school that in that case she would have to involve the police."
But, she said, the local police made it clear that they would not intervene. When Ms Clipson complained about the officers' alleged inaction, the police reported her behaviour to the local bench committee and then to Mr Straw, who upheld her dismissal.
Police were later forced to investigate when her daughter was badly assaulted by a family member of the same gang. In a separate incident, recorded on mobile phones and uploaded to YouTube, Ms Clipson's daughter was kicked unconscious on the school playing field.
But Mr Straw, in a joint ruling with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, found that by raising the fact that she was a member of the local magistracy, Ms Clipson cannot be trusted to do her job any longer with impartiality, especially as far as issues with the police are concerned.
This is absolutely ludicrous, and I am sure that the likes of the police officers in Grimsby, like a certain Detective Chief Superintendent, as well as the Secretary of State of Justice, and the Chief Lord Justice, are well aware of that. Especially in light of the fact that other magistrates and judges freely, as they should be able to, criticize the police as and when necessary and no one had a problem; then, nor should they have a problem with that.
David Howarth, the Liberal Democrat spokesman on justice, said: "Mr Straw's action is shameful and very heavy-handed ... Why can't a magistrate criticise the police? ... The police should not be able to end the career of a magistrate just because they don't like being criticised."
Ms Clipson said she feels let down by the system. "I was acting as a mother who had good reason to be both furious and to question the lack of competence and ethics that were being displayed. Not only was my child terrified for her safety, this campaign of terror was based on racism, mainly her Welsh accent, and possibly her Romany background, yet the police were not doing enough to support her."
The main reason, as can be seen from the case proper, is the ethnic background of the family, the child and the magistrate, Ms Shay Clipson. The police is institutionally racist, as was found with reference to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry (though there may have been reasons as to why the inquiry by the Metropolitan Police was in fact conducted the way it was), and they are most racist as far as Romani-Gypsies and Travellers are concerned.
In my very presence, when dealing with police on various matters, despite the fact that they are aware of my ethnicity as a Romani, they will use words like Pikey, Gyppo, and such, though not directed towards me but when they are talking about members of the Romani-Gypsy community and the Traveller community.
Therefore one can but surmise that the reason the police had chips on their shoulders when told by Shay Clipson that, when the police told her that they could do nothing in this case, and she told her that she knew different and that they could act according to the information from the “Bench Book” and she told them that she knew because she is a magistrate, they, the police, did not like being told thus by a mere Gypsy woman.
Where is this country coming to, and, as far as we Gypsy are concerned not this country alone, but the rest of the European Union?
Is this a taste to come for Gypsies in Britain, yet again that, if they are in good positions and they have a run in with the likes of those police officers and they know better than the officers and mention this that they will end up in trouble. We must remember that we once had a fine police force, though they mostly have had a problem with Gypsies, but after the 60's the police in this country, in the main, has become a joke, and has been riddled with corruption, Lodge involvement – their own Lodges even – and other underhand dealings. This was never cleared up and officers who “blew the whistle” found themselves on spurious charged and set up.
I rest my case...
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Jack Straw, the Secretary of State for Justice (now there is a joke), has sacked a magistrate, the only (probably) Romani magistrate (judge) in the entire country, for daring to criticize the police for failing to protect her daughter from being physically assaulted at school.
Mr Straw, the Secretary of State for Justice, has written to the magistrate saying that while he understands a mother's desire to help her daughter, her criticism of the police means she can no longer be trusted to be impartial in court.
This while other magistrates and judges do, often publicly, criticize the police without any repercussions. Nor should there ever be any repercussions for doing this for this is the job of the judiciary if and when this is necessary. Dismissing a magistrates just because he or she criticized the police for failing to do their duty in unacceptable, regardless of which ethnicity this judge should be. To further imply that, having criticized the police the magistrate could no longer serve on the bench because she could no longer be trusted to be impartial in court when the police is concerned.
"We have concluded that, although you acted with the best interests of your daughter, your behaviour has led to your impartiality being brought into question,” Jack Straw writes in the letter. “It is clear that by mentioning you were a magistrate and then criticising the police, the two issues became linked and therefore there is doubt whether you would be able to consider matters involving the police impartially.”
This is not just outrages, it smacks of British Justice becoming a mockery and a lackey to the State – once again.
Shay Clipson, 50, a magistrate from Grimsby, Humberside, who is believed to, probably, be the only Romany magistrate on the bench in England and Wales, had asked police to help protect her 13-year-old daughter from a gang that had been bullying her in and out of school.
She claims her daughter had been subjected to beatings, racially abused, spat on, had cigarettes stubbed out in her hair, and had been thrown into the traffic on a very busy road.
Ms Clipson said that on September 20, 2007, her daughter had been told by a key member of this particular gang that she was going to be subject to a beating, possibly during the lunch break, failing that definitely on her way home. Neither the headteacher nor the head of year would make themselves available to speak to to Ms Clipson, the mother. She then told the school that in that case she would have to involve the police."
But, she said, the local police made it clear that they would not intervene. When Ms Clipson complained about the officers' alleged inaction, the police reported her behaviour to the local bench committee and then to Mr Straw, who upheld her dismissal.
Police were later forced to investigate when her daughter was badly assaulted by a family member of the same gang. In a separate incident, recorded on mobile phones and uploaded to YouTube, Ms Clipson's daughter was kicked unconscious on the school playing field.
But Mr Straw, in a joint ruling with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, found that by raising the fact that she was a member of the local magistracy, Ms Clipson cannot be trusted to do her job any longer with impartiality, especially as far as issues with the police are concerned.
This is absolutely ludicrous, and I am sure that the likes of the police officers in Grimsby, like a certain Detective Chief Superintendent, as well as the Secretary of State of Justice, and the Chief Lord Justice, are well aware of that. Especially in light of the fact that other magistrates and judges freely, as they should be able to, criticize the police as and when necessary and no one had a problem; then, nor should they have a problem with that.
David Howarth, the Liberal Democrat spokesman on justice, said: "Mr Straw's action is shameful and very heavy-handed ... Why can't a magistrate criticise the police? ... The police should not be able to end the career of a magistrate just because they don't like being criticised."
Ms Clipson said she feels let down by the system. "I was acting as a mother who had good reason to be both furious and to question the lack of competence and ethics that were being displayed. Not only was my child terrified for her safety, this campaign of terror was based on racism, mainly her Welsh accent, and possibly her Romany background, yet the police were not doing enough to support her."
The main reason, as can be seen from the case proper, is the ethnic background of the family, the child and the magistrate, Ms Shay Clipson. The police is institutionally racist, as was found with reference to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry (though there may have been reasons as to why the inquiry by the Metropolitan Police was in fact conducted the way it was), and they are most racist as far as Romani-Gypsies and Travellers are concerned.
In my very presence, when dealing with police on various matters, despite the fact that they are aware of my ethnicity as a Romani, they will use words like Pikey, Gyppo, and such, though not directed towards me but when they are talking about members of the Romani-Gypsy community and the Traveller community.
Therefore one can but surmise that the reason the police had chips on their shoulders when told by Shay Clipson that, when the police told her that they could do nothing in this case, and she told her that she knew different and that they could act according to the information from the “Bench Book” and she told them that she knew because she is a magistrate, they, the police, did not like being told thus by a mere Gypsy woman.
Where is this country coming to, and, as far as we Gypsy are concerned not this country alone, but the rest of the European Union?
Is this a taste to come for Gypsies in Britain, yet again that, if they are in good positions and they have a run in with the likes of those police officers and they know better than the officers and mention this that they will end up in trouble. We must remember that we once had a fine police force, though they mostly have had a problem with Gypsies, but after the 60's the police in this country, in the main, has become a joke, and has been riddled with corruption, Lodge involvement – their own Lodges even – and other underhand dealings. This was never cleared up and officers who “blew the whistle” found themselves on spurious charged and set up.
I rest my case...
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Pogroms and Expulsions of Rom in Italy
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Italian Premier Berlusconi announces “war” on all those that “frighten the Italian people” - do they frighten easily? He promises to be tough on those who make his people afraid. Poor Italians being afraid of things so easily.
However, all joking aside, it would appear as if, with the fires stoked by Berlusconi via his media outlets, Italy may be succumbing to a wave of racism and xenophobia under its new center-right government determined to stamp out encampments of Roma migrants, better known as Gypsies, and to stop the influx of illegal migrants.
Silvio Berlusconi, who won a sweeping election victory in May 2008, put together a coalition with the anti-immigrant Northern League and the so-called post-Fascist Alleanza Nazionale.
They agree with Berlusconi's slogan: "Italians have the right not to live in fear", which can only be interpreted to mean "targeting those who make Italians afraid."
The Roma, and Gypsies in general, appear to make Italians afraid but afraid of what? Yes, many of the Roma from the former Yugoslavia and now the new Roma arrivals from Romania and Bulgaria, may be illegal immigrants, though in the case of those from Romania and Bulgaria this is, theoretically not true as they are from and EU member state, but the great majority, so it would appear, of them in fact work in rather menial jobs; jobs which, more than likely, most Italians are “afraid” to do.
Berlusconi has announced a crackdown on illegal immigration and street crime.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, deputy leader of the anti-immigrant Northern League, said that the government was responding to the concern of Italians over immigration and personal security. He said that the government condemned vigilante attacks on immigrants, including arson attacks on Gypsy camps. Ands while they condemn the attacks verbally their own security forces were standing idle by while the attacks on the Gypsy camps took place, if they not, in fast, as sources report, were actually actively assisting in the attacks.
EU and UN powerless? Or are they not willing to act, as it is only Gypsies?
I have heard many Romani the world over ask why the European Union and the United Nations are not doing anything to help the Gypsies who have been attacked and to prevent this from happening again. Indeed a very good question. The answer it probably that, as it is only Gypsies they could not be bothered except making a few statements.
When we, the Rom, finally learn that all those bodies only talk, talk, and talk, but will NEVER do anything as far as the Gypsy are concerned then, maybe then, we will actually be able to get somewhere.
How long, however, and especially what, will it take before Sinti, Roma, Cale, will wake up to this fact? Until the first roundups? Oh, wait a minute, they are happening as we speak. Until the first concentration camps for Gypsies on the soil of EU member states? Oops, they also are under construction. Or until the first actual transports to such new concentration camps?
Bar lots of verbal, if that, both the EU and the UN will do absolutely nothing for we are neither Jews nor Kosovo Albanians, nor Muslims per se.
The EU and UN will, as I said, just talk to the likes of Berlusconi, the latter who recently gave the Italian fascist salute on a balcony when addressing a crowd. Duce II seems to have arrived, only this one is of much tougher stuff, as far as Gypsies are concerned, as was Duce I, old Mussolini, like they talk to Mugabe, and they will be ignored. All that talk, in the first place, is not meant to achieve anything; it is but window dressing; it is but make-believe, and illusion, so that the world gets lulled into believing that the EU and the UN actually do something for the poor Gypsies in Italy and elsewhere. The truth is that they have not intention even to do something against an EU member state on this matter. Also, and you can bet your bottom dollar on that one, Italy would claim interference in internal political issues.
On June 6, 2008 in Rome a Roma Gypsy camp that houses 120 people, including 40 children, was being dismantled by Italian authorities.
A resident, a Gypsy woman who migrated from the former Yugoslavia 20 years ago. "Where are we supposed to go?" she asked. "They say we are all thieves, but I work as a cleaner." Her home was described in a news report with reference to the camp and its imminent destruction as equipped with cupboards, a sink and a stove, "neat and well kept, in contrast to the dusty squalor outside."
Her husband said: "This government is stoking up fear. Most people in this camp are refugees from the Balkans. We are used as scapegoats when what we need are jobs, housing, and status."
Gypsies are always used as scapegoats. This is the same in Italy as elsewhere, and especially in times where the Jews cannot – as yet – be added to the scapegoat pile. The Gypsy will, therefore, have to do, and that is why they will hit the Gypsy double hard for the moment.
About 40 caravans and tents were being dismantled near the capital's Tiber river in the neighbourhood of Testaccio despite protests from the residents.
Many of the inhabitants of the camp had reportedly been transferred from a camp in the area of Saxa Rubra, also previously dismantled.
"This eviction is particularly scandalous because the people concerned are Italian citizens. They are Kalderash Roma who used to live in the Campo Boario with the city government's approval," said Isabella Clough-Marinaro, a sociologist and Roma expert from the American University of Rome.
As we, can, therefore, see, this is not just an action against illegal immigrants and some criminal elements amongst the Roma, but the actions have now been widened to include Roma with Italian citizenship.
Tell me again that it is not just anti-Gypsy actions by a fascist government, the government of a European Union member state, targeting all those of Romani origin, a nation-wide ethnic cleansing. Maybe Italy should be suspended from the EU for its scandalous behaviour in the same way as Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth. Or is this the overture to something that is going to happen in other EU member states against Gypsies soon as well?
So, what are we, the Romani People, are going to do about this? Oh, I know what some will suggest... pretend to be Italians or Greece or Spanish, like so many Sinti in Germany pretend to and try to hide under such guises. We are Gypsy and we should be proud of it and fight this. Yes, I do say “fight it”. What is needed is action, maybe, direct action, even.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Italian Premier Berlusconi announces “war” on all those that “frighten the Italian people” - do they frighten easily? He promises to be tough on those who make his people afraid. Poor Italians being afraid of things so easily.
However, all joking aside, it would appear as if, with the fires stoked by Berlusconi via his media outlets, Italy may be succumbing to a wave of racism and xenophobia under its new center-right government determined to stamp out encampments of Roma migrants, better known as Gypsies, and to stop the influx of illegal migrants.
Silvio Berlusconi, who won a sweeping election victory in May 2008, put together a coalition with the anti-immigrant Northern League and the so-called post-Fascist Alleanza Nazionale.
They agree with Berlusconi's slogan: "Italians have the right not to live in fear", which can only be interpreted to mean "targeting those who make Italians afraid."
The Roma, and Gypsies in general, appear to make Italians afraid but afraid of what? Yes, many of the Roma from the former Yugoslavia and now the new Roma arrivals from Romania and Bulgaria, may be illegal immigrants, though in the case of those from Romania and Bulgaria this is, theoretically not true as they are from and EU member state, but the great majority, so it would appear, of them in fact work in rather menial jobs; jobs which, more than likely, most Italians are “afraid” to do.
Berlusconi has announced a crackdown on illegal immigration and street crime.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, deputy leader of the anti-immigrant Northern League, said that the government was responding to the concern of Italians over immigration and personal security. He said that the government condemned vigilante attacks on immigrants, including arson attacks on Gypsy camps. Ands while they condemn the attacks verbally their own security forces were standing idle by while the attacks on the Gypsy camps took place, if they not, in fast, as sources report, were actually actively assisting in the attacks.
EU and UN powerless? Or are they not willing to act, as it is only Gypsies?
I have heard many Romani the world over ask why the European Union and the United Nations are not doing anything to help the Gypsies who have been attacked and to prevent this from happening again. Indeed a very good question. The answer it probably that, as it is only Gypsies they could not be bothered except making a few statements.
When we, the Rom, finally learn that all those bodies only talk, talk, and talk, but will NEVER do anything as far as the Gypsy are concerned then, maybe then, we will actually be able to get somewhere.
How long, however, and especially what, will it take before Sinti, Roma, Cale, will wake up to this fact? Until the first roundups? Oh, wait a minute, they are happening as we speak. Until the first concentration camps for Gypsies on the soil of EU member states? Oops, they also are under construction. Or until the first actual transports to such new concentration camps?
Bar lots of verbal, if that, both the EU and the UN will do absolutely nothing for we are neither Jews nor Kosovo Albanians, nor Muslims per se.
The EU and UN will, as I said, just talk to the likes of Berlusconi, the latter who recently gave the Italian fascist salute on a balcony when addressing a crowd. Duce II seems to have arrived, only this one is of much tougher stuff, as far as Gypsies are concerned, as was Duce I, old Mussolini, like they talk to Mugabe, and they will be ignored. All that talk, in the first place, is not meant to achieve anything; it is but window dressing; it is but make-believe, and illusion, so that the world gets lulled into believing that the EU and the UN actually do something for the poor Gypsies in Italy and elsewhere. The truth is that they have not intention even to do something against an EU member state on this matter. Also, and you can bet your bottom dollar on that one, Italy would claim interference in internal political issues.
On June 6, 2008 in Rome a Roma Gypsy camp that houses 120 people, including 40 children, was being dismantled by Italian authorities.
A resident, a Gypsy woman who migrated from the former Yugoslavia 20 years ago. "Where are we supposed to go?" she asked. "They say we are all thieves, but I work as a cleaner." Her home was described in a news report with reference to the camp and its imminent destruction as equipped with cupboards, a sink and a stove, "neat and well kept, in contrast to the dusty squalor outside."
Her husband said: "This government is stoking up fear. Most people in this camp are refugees from the Balkans. We are used as scapegoats when what we need are jobs, housing, and status."
Gypsies are always used as scapegoats. This is the same in Italy as elsewhere, and especially in times where the Jews cannot – as yet – be added to the scapegoat pile. The Gypsy will, therefore, have to do, and that is why they will hit the Gypsy double hard for the moment.
About 40 caravans and tents were being dismantled near the capital's Tiber river in the neighbourhood of Testaccio despite protests from the residents.
Many of the inhabitants of the camp had reportedly been transferred from a camp in the area of Saxa Rubra, also previously dismantled.
"This eviction is particularly scandalous because the people concerned are Italian citizens. They are Kalderash Roma who used to live in the Campo Boario with the city government's approval," said Isabella Clough-Marinaro, a sociologist and Roma expert from the American University of Rome.
As we, can, therefore, see, this is not just an action against illegal immigrants and some criminal elements amongst the Roma, but the actions have now been widened to include Roma with Italian citizenship.
Tell me again that it is not just anti-Gypsy actions by a fascist government, the government of a European Union member state, targeting all those of Romani origin, a nation-wide ethnic cleansing. Maybe Italy should be suspended from the EU for its scandalous behaviour in the same way as Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth. Or is this the overture to something that is going to happen in other EU member states against Gypsies soon as well?
So, what are we, the Romani People, are going to do about this? Oh, I know what some will suggest... pretend to be Italians or Greece or Spanish, like so many Sinti in Germany pretend to and try to hide under such guises. We are Gypsy and we should be proud of it and fight this. Yes, I do say “fight it”. What is needed is action, maybe, direct action, even.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
ROMANO WITNESS - NEVER AGAIN!!
APPEAL TO EU TO END 'ETHNIC CLEANSING' OF ROMA
We - individuals and members of various citizen groups all across Europe - condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the recent failure of Italian authorities to protect our fellow citizens and residents of the European Union, and to continue to perpetrate an atmosphere of xenophobia through inflammatory political comments and aggressive police actions targeting migrants. We refer to the shocking violent incidents of the past week in Naples (Ponticelli), in which hundreds of Romanian (European Union) citizens of Romani origin - women and young children amongst them - have been forced to flee for fear of their life as their homes were destroyed, and others deported forcibly by Italian police (see links below for further details). This appears to be part of cyclical pattern whereby one Romani individual is accused of a crime and then the entire community is targeted for violent retribution. For example, in November 2007, a Romanian man allegedly of Romani origin was accused of murder. At around the same time in Italy, a young woman (a British national, Meredith Kercher) was also murdered, and an American woman was implicated in the case. However, Italians did not rise up in violence against all Americans in Italy. They did not burn down the homes of American inhabitants. They viewed the murder suspect as an individual American, and did not view her as representing the whole nation.
The recent actions targeting Romani Europeans remind us of pre-Holocaust policies visible in Europe in the 1930s, activities and actions in which the far-right government of Italy under Mussolini was responsible for systematically singling out Italian citizens of Jewish and Romani/Sinti origin. The same genocidal policies were witnessed in Germany, Austria, Croatia, and other states in which fascistic politics became acceptable to the mass of the populations of these states, many of whom stood by and watched their fellow humans being rounded up and taken to camps. Influenced by the xenophobic comments of the Berlusconi government, close to 70% of Italians surveyed in an informal poll last week wished to expel Roma from the country: once again, the seeds of another Holocaust are being sown in Europe.
We, the citizens and residents of Europe, are outraged at the silence with which our 'humanist' European politicians and intellectuals have responded once again to pogroms in Europe directed at the Romani communities, this time in the 'democratic' state of Italy, ironically one of the original founding members of the European Community.
In this regard, we would like to emphasize the commendable statements of the Spanish deputy premier, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega as a counter example to that of the relative silence on the part of other European governments: "The government [of Spain] rejects violence, racism and xenophobia and does not support what is happening in Italy... [we] do not support the policy of expulsions without respect for the law and rights, or actions which exalt violence, racism and xenophobia."
Europe has come a long way from the Middle Ages to overcome the scourge of its anti-Semitism; similarly, European leadership is needed in this critical hour to overcome centuries of deeply corrosive anti-Gypsyism on this continent.
We therefore call upon the responsible EUROPEAN UNION bodies and the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT to take immediate and concrete action in the following manner:
A) Political Censure of the current Italian government - an Open and Strong Declaration by the European Parliament and European Union that the violence directed at the Romani communities is unacceptable and that the current administration has failed to provide adequate protection to fellow European Union citizens and residents. The level of protection provided to the Romani communities should be equal to that as currently provided to the Jewish minorities of Italy: both suffered under the fascist regime in the past and both are once again vulnerable today. Romani communities must be ensured that they will not face scapegoating and ethnic cleansing as the Italian authorities have allowed in recent times. Survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants must - like all human beings - never again be subjected to genocidal practices in Europe.
B) Creation of a CRISIS AND MONITORING COMMITTEE for the on-going violence directed at vulnerable immigrant and migrant communities in Italy - in particular, the Romani communities. This committee could be set up under the auspices of the European Parliament, and should consist of representatives entrusted by the Romani community amongst its members. This European Crisis Committee should be tasked not only with the monitoring of developing events on the ground, but also to report back on how the Italian government is conducting its investigations - into the recent crimes by vigilante mobs of burning down the homes of Romani residents - with impartiality and objectivity. Furthermore, the committee should make its recommendations on how to improve the situation in the medium and long-term so that social inclusion of excluded migrant and immigrant groups becomes a top priority of the Italian state at the local (commune) as well as regional and national levels. An objective assessment of the results of these social inclusion policies should be made transparent.
Ultimately, this petition is a global appeal to the European powers to take responsibility for xenophobic actions in member-states such as Italy, and to build bridges of understanding across the continent, so that the twelve million strong Romani Europeans - rather than continuously feeling under siege on this continent as 'pariahs' - would finally be recognized as Europeans who have made long-standing (though unrecognized) contributions to this continent. This is a test for Europe's great 'humanist project'. We trust that European leaders will respond to this challenge swiftly and concretely.
For further information about this appeal, please contact the PROGRESSIVE ROMA ACTION GROUP (PRAG) at: prag_2008[at]hotmail[dot]com
The reader will find a petition online which he or she can sign, nd I would urge everyone to do so, regardless as to whether we may think that this may, or may not have any effect. The petition can be found here...
We - individuals and members of various citizen groups all across Europe - condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the recent failure of Italian authorities to protect our fellow citizens and residents of the European Union, and to continue to perpetrate an atmosphere of xenophobia through inflammatory political comments and aggressive police actions targeting migrants. We refer to the shocking violent incidents of the past week in Naples (Ponticelli), in which hundreds of Romanian (European Union) citizens of Romani origin - women and young children amongst them - have been forced to flee for fear of their life as their homes were destroyed, and others deported forcibly by Italian police (see links below for further details). This appears to be part of cyclical pattern whereby one Romani individual is accused of a crime and then the entire community is targeted for violent retribution. For example, in November 2007, a Romanian man allegedly of Romani origin was accused of murder. At around the same time in Italy, a young woman (a British national, Meredith Kercher) was also murdered, and an American woman was implicated in the case. However, Italians did not rise up in violence against all Americans in Italy. They did not burn down the homes of American inhabitants. They viewed the murder suspect as an individual American, and did not view her as representing the whole nation.
The recent actions targeting Romani Europeans remind us of pre-Holocaust policies visible in Europe in the 1930s, activities and actions in which the far-right government of Italy under Mussolini was responsible for systematically singling out Italian citizens of Jewish and Romani/Sinti origin. The same genocidal policies were witnessed in Germany, Austria, Croatia, and other states in which fascistic politics became acceptable to the mass of the populations of these states, many of whom stood by and watched their fellow humans being rounded up and taken to camps. Influenced by the xenophobic comments of the Berlusconi government, close to 70% of Italians surveyed in an informal poll last week wished to expel Roma from the country: once again, the seeds of another Holocaust are being sown in Europe.
We, the citizens and residents of Europe, are outraged at the silence with which our 'humanist' European politicians and intellectuals have responded once again to pogroms in Europe directed at the Romani communities, this time in the 'democratic' state of Italy, ironically one of the original founding members of the European Community.
In this regard, we would like to emphasize the commendable statements of the Spanish deputy premier, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega as a counter example to that of the relative silence on the part of other European governments: "The government [of Spain] rejects violence, racism and xenophobia and does not support what is happening in Italy... [we] do not support the policy of expulsions without respect for the law and rights, or actions which exalt violence, racism and xenophobia."
Europe has come a long way from the Middle Ages to overcome the scourge of its anti-Semitism; similarly, European leadership is needed in this critical hour to overcome centuries of deeply corrosive anti-Gypsyism on this continent.
We therefore call upon the responsible EUROPEAN UNION bodies and the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT to take immediate and concrete action in the following manner:
A) Political Censure of the current Italian government - an Open and Strong Declaration by the European Parliament and European Union that the violence directed at the Romani communities is unacceptable and that the current administration has failed to provide adequate protection to fellow European Union citizens and residents. The level of protection provided to the Romani communities should be equal to that as currently provided to the Jewish minorities of Italy: both suffered under the fascist regime in the past and both are once again vulnerable today. Romani communities must be ensured that they will not face scapegoating and ethnic cleansing as the Italian authorities have allowed in recent times. Survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants must - like all human beings - never again be subjected to genocidal practices in Europe.
B) Creation of a CRISIS AND MONITORING COMMITTEE for the on-going violence directed at vulnerable immigrant and migrant communities in Italy - in particular, the Romani communities. This committee could be set up under the auspices of the European Parliament, and should consist of representatives entrusted by the Romani community amongst its members. This European Crisis Committee should be tasked not only with the monitoring of developing events on the ground, but also to report back on how the Italian government is conducting its investigations - into the recent crimes by vigilante mobs of burning down the homes of Romani residents - with impartiality and objectivity. Furthermore, the committee should make its recommendations on how to improve the situation in the medium and long-term so that social inclusion of excluded migrant and immigrant groups becomes a top priority of the Italian state at the local (commune) as well as regional and national levels. An objective assessment of the results of these social inclusion policies should be made transparent.
Ultimately, this petition is a global appeal to the European powers to take responsibility for xenophobic actions in member-states such as Italy, and to build bridges of understanding across the continent, so that the twelve million strong Romani Europeans - rather than continuously feeling under siege on this continent as 'pariahs' - would finally be recognized as Europeans who have made long-standing (though unrecognized) contributions to this continent. This is a test for Europe's great 'humanist project'. We trust that European leaders will respond to this challenge swiftly and concretely.
For further information about this appeal, please contact the PROGRESSIVE ROMA ACTION GROUP (PRAG) at: prag_2008[at]hotmail[dot]com
The reader will find a petition online which he or she can sign, nd I would urge everyone to do so, regardless as to whether we may think that this may, or may not have any effect. The petition can be found here...
Italy's Night of the Broken Glass
First they come for the Gypsies... What and who is going to be next? Does Europe 2008 equal Europe 1938? All the signs are beginning to speak for it.
In the last weeks of May 2008 we could see on TV once again the burning garbage in Naples, but we were not actually shown were the images of the burning Gypsy camps.
But this was not the only burning fire, there was much more going on in Italy but unfortunately we haven’t heard or seen much about it in Europe, nor have we seem or heard much of an outcry by the so-called democratic countries.
Several big Gypsy encampments have been destroyed deliberately and set alight so that Gypsies for sure could not and would not return return.
Nightly raids with Molotov cocktails and baseball bats have done the job. Fearing for their lives and rightly so, the Gypsies have gone.
The media, much of it owned by Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's new Prime Criminal – opps, sorry, Prime Minister – has been very helpful creating an anti-Romani atmosphere already for months. Last summer the rape of an Italian women by a Romanian was front-page news for two months and months and the fact that the criminal, supposedly, was an ethnic Roma, a Gypsy, really increased the anti-Gypsy fervor and fever in Italy. In many other European Union countries things as regards anti-Gypsy-ism are not much better either.
Who controls the European media? Who determines what is news and what is not? Nobody wants to touch the topic of media manipulation, not written press or TV.
At the same moment, there were much more sensational images of burning camps, crying children and desperate people but those images we have not been shown in Europe .
We saw exactly the same as to the European media when there was the suggestion, and it was not a suggestion only for the constructions were and probably still are under way, of what could only be described as Concentration Camps for Gypsies, the so-called “Solidarity Villages”. Only three media outlets worldwide ran the story even though it was officially on the wire by either AP or Reuters and those were a small paper in South Africa, O NEVO DROM by Tatchipen, and Romano Vodi from the Czech Republic. The rest of the media world stayed silent. Why? Because, especially in the European Union countries all editors, so this writer has been told by some sources, of media outlets spike the story and it was not allowed to be run.
So, who runs the media and what is going on? What is going on is simple: government controlled and government sponsored anti-Gypsy-ism, that is what is going on. What we are seeing is the concerted effort by the European Union, despite their great words, to ethnically cleanse Europe of its “Gypsy problem”.
This is the democratic Europe of the New Millennium, of 2008. Then give me the old Europe of before the Millennium rather. At least no one tried to pretend and we Gypsy knew where we stood. Now everyone is pc and calls us Sinti and Roma – in one breath, like that person is a Sinti and Roma... what a load of bull – but in reality nothing has changed, definitely not in the heart of Italians, Germans, Austrians, Swiss (I know they are – not as yet – in the EU) and French. Not to forget the Czech, the Slovaks, the Romanians and Bulgarians and if I have forgotten any I apologize. I'd hate to have anyone feel excluded.
The homeless Roma gypsies haven been deported the next day under police “protection” and a great majority of them have now been thrown out of the country and declared “persona non-grata”.
Not that there is much to expect from the “police protection”. The opposite rather. No protection but more problems.
On the 20th of May paramilitary police raids have been carried out on every gypsy camp in Sardinia. Intimidations and raids of this kind are daily occurrences now and it is obvious who is Italy's national (and may be even the European Union's) enemy., namely the Gypsy.
For the moment at least…
Where is His Holiness Pope Benedict? In other cases he is very vociferous and I am sure his predecessor, the late Pope John-Paul II, the beloved Cardinal Karel Woitila, would have spoken out and had the Church act in spite of possible accusation of interference in Italian internal politics. I must say that the current Pope just does not cut it but then, maybe there is more to his inferred past in Nazi Germany than meets the eye and something is being covered up rather. It looks that this Pope, while having said, to pretend to follow in the footsteps of the venerated John-Paul II, that Gypsies should be looked after by the Church, does not really mean this. Personally I must say that I never expected much from a German Pope with a history in the Nazi movement. We must also remember that we saw exactly the same reaction and later collaboration by the Church with the authorities of Hitler's Germany when they sent Gypsies and Jews to the labor camps and extermination camps. Only a few real men in the Church, like Mathias Kolbe and such, were prepared to stand up. The rest just kept quiet and collaborated.
I also must say that I do not expect anything in this case from the United Nations, even though many people have asked why the UN is not saying and doping anything, and I definitely do not expect anything from that hypocritical body called the European Union. As this is happening in one of their member states nothing is being done and nothing will be done, bar a little rhetoric here and there.
Unfortunately some Piedmontese Sinti too have been heard saying that they believe that Sinti are safe and that this is only going to affect the Romanian Roma. After all, they say, the Sinti have been in Italy for ages. Therefore those self-same Sinti also see no need to protest against the treatment of the Roma, fellow Romanies, (in fear, I presume, that they might draw attention thus upon themselves) and also no need to prepare to protect themselves.
Romani People awake! Neither the European Union, nor the United Nations will ever help us, the Gypsy. Only one can do that, we ourselves alone. Dosta! While the Roma, I am afraid to say, often have absolutely no regard for the Sinti and while, as many Sinti, I am sure, will be able to attest to, refer to us as “Gadje”, we, of the Sinti groups should nevertheless take heed and also show solidarity to those persecuted Roma, as they are, so at least I see it, fellow Romanies. While I, like many Sinti, do not wish to be called Roma, I still regards the Roma as part of the Romani People, of which I also regard the Sinti to be.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
In the last weeks of May 2008 we could see on TV once again the burning garbage in Naples, but we were not actually shown were the images of the burning Gypsy camps.
But this was not the only burning fire, there was much more going on in Italy but unfortunately we haven’t heard or seen much about it in Europe, nor have we seem or heard much of an outcry by the so-called democratic countries.
Several big Gypsy encampments have been destroyed deliberately and set alight so that Gypsies for sure could not and would not return return.
Nightly raids with Molotov cocktails and baseball bats have done the job. Fearing for their lives and rightly so, the Gypsies have gone.
The media, much of it owned by Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's new Prime Criminal – opps, sorry, Prime Minister – has been very helpful creating an anti-Romani atmosphere already for months. Last summer the rape of an Italian women by a Romanian was front-page news for two months and months and the fact that the criminal, supposedly, was an ethnic Roma, a Gypsy, really increased the anti-Gypsy fervor and fever in Italy. In many other European Union countries things as regards anti-Gypsy-ism are not much better either.
Who controls the European media? Who determines what is news and what is not? Nobody wants to touch the topic of media manipulation, not written press or TV.
At the same moment, there were much more sensational images of burning camps, crying children and desperate people but those images we have not been shown in Europe .
We saw exactly the same as to the European media when there was the suggestion, and it was not a suggestion only for the constructions were and probably still are under way, of what could only be described as Concentration Camps for Gypsies, the so-called “Solidarity Villages”. Only three media outlets worldwide ran the story even though it was officially on the wire by either AP or Reuters and those were a small paper in South Africa, O NEVO DROM by Tatchipen, and Romano Vodi from the Czech Republic. The rest of the media world stayed silent. Why? Because, especially in the European Union countries all editors, so this writer has been told by some sources, of media outlets spike the story and it was not allowed to be run.
So, who runs the media and what is going on? What is going on is simple: government controlled and government sponsored anti-Gypsy-ism, that is what is going on. What we are seeing is the concerted effort by the European Union, despite their great words, to ethnically cleanse Europe of its “Gypsy problem”.
This is the democratic Europe of the New Millennium, of 2008. Then give me the old Europe of before the Millennium rather. At least no one tried to pretend and we Gypsy knew where we stood. Now everyone is pc and calls us Sinti and Roma – in one breath, like that person is a Sinti and Roma... what a load of bull – but in reality nothing has changed, definitely not in the heart of Italians, Germans, Austrians, Swiss (I know they are – not as yet – in the EU) and French. Not to forget the Czech, the Slovaks, the Romanians and Bulgarians and if I have forgotten any I apologize. I'd hate to have anyone feel excluded.
The homeless Roma gypsies haven been deported the next day under police “protection” and a great majority of them have now been thrown out of the country and declared “persona non-grata”.
Not that there is much to expect from the “police protection”. The opposite rather. No protection but more problems.
On the 20th of May paramilitary police raids have been carried out on every gypsy camp in Sardinia. Intimidations and raids of this kind are daily occurrences now and it is obvious who is Italy's national (and may be even the European Union's) enemy., namely the Gypsy.
For the moment at least…
Where is His Holiness Pope Benedict? In other cases he is very vociferous and I am sure his predecessor, the late Pope John-Paul II, the beloved Cardinal Karel Woitila, would have spoken out and had the Church act in spite of possible accusation of interference in Italian internal politics. I must say that the current Pope just does not cut it but then, maybe there is more to his inferred past in Nazi Germany than meets the eye and something is being covered up rather. It looks that this Pope, while having said, to pretend to follow in the footsteps of the venerated John-Paul II, that Gypsies should be looked after by the Church, does not really mean this. Personally I must say that I never expected much from a German Pope with a history in the Nazi movement. We must also remember that we saw exactly the same reaction and later collaboration by the Church with the authorities of Hitler's Germany when they sent Gypsies and Jews to the labor camps and extermination camps. Only a few real men in the Church, like Mathias Kolbe and such, were prepared to stand up. The rest just kept quiet and collaborated.
I also must say that I do not expect anything in this case from the United Nations, even though many people have asked why the UN is not saying and doping anything, and I definitely do not expect anything from that hypocritical body called the European Union. As this is happening in one of their member states nothing is being done and nothing will be done, bar a little rhetoric here and there.
Unfortunately some Piedmontese Sinti too have been heard saying that they believe that Sinti are safe and that this is only going to affect the Romanian Roma. After all, they say, the Sinti have been in Italy for ages. Therefore those self-same Sinti also see no need to protest against the treatment of the Roma, fellow Romanies, (in fear, I presume, that they might draw attention thus upon themselves) and also no need to prepare to protect themselves.
Romani People awake! Neither the European Union, nor the United Nations will ever help us, the Gypsy. Only one can do that, we ourselves alone. Dosta! While the Roma, I am afraid to say, often have absolutely no regard for the Sinti and while, as many Sinti, I am sure, will be able to attest to, refer to us as “Gadje”, we, of the Sinti groups should nevertheless take heed and also show solidarity to those persecuted Roma, as they are, so at least I see it, fellow Romanies. While I, like many Sinti, do not wish to be called Roma, I still regards the Roma as part of the Romani People, of which I also regard the Sinti to be.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Another case of Anti-Gypsy-ism in Action
Roma Ghetto in Sofia's Studentski Grad Quarter Demolished
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
The Roma shantytown located close to block of flats No. 55 in Sofia's Studentski Grad Quarter has been demolished Wednesday under strict security measures.
About a dozen of shacks were destroyed and the remains of them were transported by three trucks, authorities said.
At the time of demolition, there was only one eight-member family as all other Roma citizens left the spot voluntarily following the official order issued by the district Mayor Dimitar Dilchev.
The some ninety Roma residing in the ghetto were scheduled to be transported to their places of origin the same way the Roma living illegally in the Mladost Quarter were sent to their home towns two weeks ago, the Demographic Policy Committee of the Sofia City Council decided.
However, as the shacks and other belongings are the private property of the people concerned some will be filing claims to the Prosecutor's office.
The makeshift ghettos around Sofia appear because the Roma squatters are unable to make living at their provincial hometowns and came to Sofia in search for work.
Now, once again, the Roma have been deported to the very place where they are unable to find any work, whether in employment or as self-employed and once again they are back in the cycle of poverty and dependence.
What, actually, is happening to all the monies that are going into the countries such as Romania and, in this instance, Bulgaria, via the EU and the Open Society Institute and Papa Soros? Where are the projects that those millions of Euro are supposedly funding, those projects that are, supposedly, hauling Gypsies out of poverty and into work?
As it would appear they do not exist, but then again, I for one did not expect them to. This was just a rhetorical question and one that was meant to give the reader, yet again, a little food for thought as regards the “Decade of Roma Inclusion”.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
The Roma shantytown located close to block of flats No. 55 in Sofia's Studentski Grad Quarter has been demolished Wednesday under strict security measures.
About a dozen of shacks were destroyed and the remains of them were transported by three trucks, authorities said.
At the time of demolition, there was only one eight-member family as all other Roma citizens left the spot voluntarily following the official order issued by the district Mayor Dimitar Dilchev.
The some ninety Roma residing in the ghetto were scheduled to be transported to their places of origin the same way the Roma living illegally in the Mladost Quarter were sent to their home towns two weeks ago, the Demographic Policy Committee of the Sofia City Council decided.
However, as the shacks and other belongings are the private property of the people concerned some will be filing claims to the Prosecutor's office.
The makeshift ghettos around Sofia appear because the Roma squatters are unable to make living at their provincial hometowns and came to Sofia in search for work.
Now, once again, the Roma have been deported to the very place where they are unable to find any work, whether in employment or as self-employed and once again they are back in the cycle of poverty and dependence.
What, actually, is happening to all the monies that are going into the countries such as Romania and, in this instance, Bulgaria, via the EU and the Open Society Institute and Papa Soros? Where are the projects that those millions of Euro are supposedly funding, those projects that are, supposedly, hauling Gypsies out of poverty and into work?
As it would appear they do not exist, but then again, I for one did not expect them to. This was just a rhetorical question and one that was meant to give the reader, yet again, a little food for thought as regards the “Decade of Roma Inclusion”.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Three Cheers for the Inspector General
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Inspector General wants social security for all Colombian minorities
According to information received the Inspector General of Colombia, Edgardo Maya Villazón, has asked the Colombia's Constitutional Court to grant social security for all people of African and Gypsy descent and to give them the same rights as all of Colombia's indigenous groups.
The exclusion of Afro-Colombians and Gypsies from the country's minority rights laws "endangers the health and the existence of members of these minorities," Maya wrote in a petition.
He states that these particular minorities "also have the right to practice the medical procedures in line with their backgrounds and cultures".
Their inclusion in the General System of Social Security also is necessary "to maintain and protect their knowledge and traditional medical practices", he added.
The Inspector General noted that under the rights of equality, pluralism and participation under the Constitution, the legal benefits should reach all ethnic minorities.
The Constitutional Court will review the legality of the law, favoring the country's minority groups.
I do know that some of the text sounds rather weird and can only put that down to a translation problem. As I do not speak Spanish nor have the original text of the Inspector General's message we will, I am afraid to say, have to live with this.
What it would appear that Maya might have been saying is that he wants minority rights for also the Gypsies in Columbia in the same way as the indigenous people of the country. This is something that can but be applauded and maybe, just maybe, other countries in the Americas, and elsewhere, take a leaf out of Columbia's book and go the same route.
Once again: three cheers for Columbia's Inspector General.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Inspector General wants social security for all Colombian minorities
According to information received the Inspector General of Colombia, Edgardo Maya Villazón, has asked the Colombia's Constitutional Court to grant social security for all people of African and Gypsy descent and to give them the same rights as all of Colombia's indigenous groups.
The exclusion of Afro-Colombians and Gypsies from the country's minority rights laws "endangers the health and the existence of members of these minorities," Maya wrote in a petition.
He states that these particular minorities "also have the right to practice the medical procedures in line with their backgrounds and cultures".
Their inclusion in the General System of Social Security also is necessary "to maintain and protect their knowledge and traditional medical practices", he added.
The Inspector General noted that under the rights of equality, pluralism and participation under the Constitution, the legal benefits should reach all ethnic minorities.
The Constitutional Court will review the legality of the law, favoring the country's minority groups.
I do know that some of the text sounds rather weird and can only put that down to a translation problem. As I do not speak Spanish nor have the original text of the Inspector General's message we will, I am afraid to say, have to live with this.
What it would appear that Maya might have been saying is that he wants minority rights for also the Gypsies in Columbia in the same way as the indigenous people of the country. This is something that can but be applauded and maybe, just maybe, other countries in the Americas, and elsewhere, take a leaf out of Columbia's book and go the same route.
Once again: three cheers for Columbia's Inspector General.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Anti-Gypsy-ism in Action
The town council of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer bans the playing of Gypsy music during the Kali Sara pilgrimage
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
France: In May 2008, just in time for the annual Romani pilgrimage to Saintes Maries de la Mer to honor Kali Sara, often perceived as a Saint, and thus venerated but never, as far as we can ascertain, ever canonized, the local authorities banned the playing of Romani music in the streets during this festival.
Gypsies from throughout Europe travel each and every May to the town of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer in the Camargue region of France on a religious pilgrimage to honour their Saint Sarah in prayer and music. The festival takes place every 24-25 May.
Over the years this gathering at the end of the road in France has developed into a crossroads of Romany music, inspiring and pollinating other types of Gypsy music from flamenco to Django Reinhardt's Gypsy Jazz, traditional Hungarian and Balkan brass to the Gipsy Kings' Rhumba.
Now, however, the city council has banned the Romani people from performing music in the streets during the festival. According to Canut Reyes from Gipsy Kings, and many others, this new music ban is going to ruin the festival, and they fear for its future.
While the music, obviously, is and was always part of the celebrations to honor Kali Sara and while this ban may affect the Gypsy music festival that has sprung up, basically, around the Kali Sara celebration, it may not affect the religious part of the pilgrimage.
On the other hand the city may have also cut its nose off in spite of its face for they must understand that the festival, both the pilgrimage and the Gypsy music festival, bring tourists to their town.
Along with an appeal to allow the Romani People to continue to play music in the streets in May 2009, an online petition has been started which is to be sent to the Mayor of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, Mr Roland Chassain.
“Music plays a huge part in the tradition and culture of the Gypsy people. Please, Mr Chassain, help to resolve any problems, but let the music play on!,” the appealers say.
The petition can be signed online here:
While I support this petition and have, myself, as the General Secretary of the Gypsy Union, signed it, I would like to make any who go to the website aware of the fact that after signing you may be asked for a donation to make via Pay-Pal so, do not, unless you wish to donate, click the “next” button when presented with the screen after you have added your voice to the petition.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
France: In May 2008, just in time for the annual Romani pilgrimage to Saintes Maries de la Mer to honor Kali Sara, often perceived as a Saint, and thus venerated but never, as far as we can ascertain, ever canonized, the local authorities banned the playing of Romani music in the streets during this festival.
Gypsies from throughout Europe travel each and every May to the town of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer in the Camargue region of France on a religious pilgrimage to honour their Saint Sarah in prayer and music. The festival takes place every 24-25 May.
Over the years this gathering at the end of the road in France has developed into a crossroads of Romany music, inspiring and pollinating other types of Gypsy music from flamenco to Django Reinhardt's Gypsy Jazz, traditional Hungarian and Balkan brass to the Gipsy Kings' Rhumba.
Now, however, the city council has banned the Romani people from performing music in the streets during the festival. According to Canut Reyes from Gipsy Kings, and many others, this new music ban is going to ruin the festival, and they fear for its future.
While the music, obviously, is and was always part of the celebrations to honor Kali Sara and while this ban may affect the Gypsy music festival that has sprung up, basically, around the Kali Sara celebration, it may not affect the religious part of the pilgrimage.
On the other hand the city may have also cut its nose off in spite of its face for they must understand that the festival, both the pilgrimage and the Gypsy music festival, bring tourists to their town.
Along with an appeal to allow the Romani People to continue to play music in the streets in May 2009, an online petition has been started which is to be sent to the Mayor of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, Mr Roland Chassain.
“Music plays a huge part in the tradition and culture of the Gypsy people. Please, Mr Chassain, help to resolve any problems, but let the music play on!,” the appealers say.
The petition can be signed online here:
While I support this petition and have, myself, as the General Secretary of the Gypsy Union, signed it, I would like to make any who go to the website aware of the fact that after signing you may be asked for a donation to make via Pay-Pal so, do not, unless you wish to donate, click the “next” button when presented with the screen after you have added your voice to the petition.
© M Smith (Veshengro), June 2008
Romany is ‘hissed and booed’ at meeting and told to 'go back to where you belong'
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Over 250 people packed a public meeting regarding plans for a caravan site for Gypsies.
The open meeting at Wybunbury Village Hall followed concern over a scheme for a five-acre caravan site in Wybunbury Lane at Stapeley, Nantwich.
The meeting was set up by residents who have formed the “Wybunbury and Stapeley Caravan Park Action Group” in a bid to fight the plans.
The group are objecting, saying the site has only ever been used for agriculture. They add there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the lane and nearby ponds have been noted as being the habitat of protected great crested newts.
I do not know why the worry as to the great crested newt. Gypsies never have been known for eating them; now hedgehogs, that is a different story.
During the public meeting, questions and views were offered from the Gypsy community as well as residents.
Romany-Gypsy told to “go back to where you belong”
Action group chairman Jimmy Rowlinson was challenged over the use of the word ‘Gypsy’ on flyers advertising the meeting by Romany Joe Smith, of Hunsterson.
Mr Smith said: “The meeting opened a lot of people’s eyes. I was asked to leave the floor after just one question and I was hissed and booed at.
“The fact they use the word ‘Gypsy’ just infuriates people. There were definitely undertones surfacing at this meeting as I was told to go back to where I belong. Well, I’ve lived in Hunsterson for 32 years and people like me and the residents there know who I am and where I came from and there isn’t a problem.”
Mr Rowlinson said: “The word ‘Gypsy’ was used on the flyers because the planning application referred to a ‘Gypsy Caravan Park’.
“The action group would be opposed to any application for development which affects the rural character of Wybunbury Lane.”
There are definite undertones in Britain now as well, in some areas at least, that see Romany-Gypsies as people who should go back to where they belong. Now someone please tell us where that be. We do NOT have a homeland but if someone would b e good enough to give up a piece – or should we cease some land like the Jews did? - we'd probably be happy enough to settle there. Then again, why should we and why should we even have to consider that?
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Over 250 people packed a public meeting regarding plans for a caravan site for Gypsies.
The open meeting at Wybunbury Village Hall followed concern over a scheme for a five-acre caravan site in Wybunbury Lane at Stapeley, Nantwich.
The meeting was set up by residents who have formed the “Wybunbury and Stapeley Caravan Park Action Group” in a bid to fight the plans.
The group are objecting, saying the site has only ever been used for agriculture. They add there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the lane and nearby ponds have been noted as being the habitat of protected great crested newts.
I do not know why the worry as to the great crested newt. Gypsies never have been known for eating them; now hedgehogs, that is a different story.
During the public meeting, questions and views were offered from the Gypsy community as well as residents.
Romany-Gypsy told to “go back to where you belong”
Action group chairman Jimmy Rowlinson was challenged over the use of the word ‘Gypsy’ on flyers advertising the meeting by Romany Joe Smith, of Hunsterson.
Mr Smith said: “The meeting opened a lot of people’s eyes. I was asked to leave the floor after just one question and I was hissed and booed at.
“The fact they use the word ‘Gypsy’ just infuriates people. There were definitely undertones surfacing at this meeting as I was told to go back to where I belong. Well, I’ve lived in Hunsterson for 32 years and people like me and the residents there know who I am and where I came from and there isn’t a problem.”
Mr Rowlinson said: “The word ‘Gypsy’ was used on the flyers because the planning application referred to a ‘Gypsy Caravan Park’.
“The action group would be opposed to any application for development which affects the rural character of Wybunbury Lane.”
There are definite undertones in Britain now as well, in some areas at least, that see Romany-Gypsies as people who should go back to where they belong. Now someone please tell us where that be. We do NOT have a homeland but if someone would b e good enough to give up a piece – or should we cease some land like the Jews did? - we'd probably be happy enough to settle there. Then again, why should we and why should we even have to consider that?
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Gypsy Hunts in Italy
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Once again Europe sees more or less organized Gypsy Hunts where members of the Romani People are being hunted like wild animals. This time in Italy and by fascist thugs with the authorities turning a blind eye. Or even, it might appear to, aiding and abetting the situation.
Once again, during an economic downturn, the Gypsy is seen as, and made to be, the scapegoat for the nation's ills and Berlusconi is exploiting it for all it is worth.
Italians still believe the myths of Gypsies stealing children and, it should not surprise me, as being the carriers of the plague, in the same way as they still believe, so I understand, the myths of Jews drinking blood, ideally the blood of Christian children. And this is Europe in the 21st century. One could be forgiven to think that we'd be in the Dark Ages still.
While so-called ethnic cleansing was supposedly going on in Kosovo against Albanians – and no such thing ever really happened, as the shoe was rather on the other foot – the European Union immediately had a rather big mouth and in the end intervened militarily.
When, however, there is real ethnic cleansing going on in an EU member state against the Gypsy minority, regardless of whether or not they are citizens of that particular country – they are citizens of one of the EU states – just some hot air is being waffled from one or the other special rapporteur and such kind of figure.
Then again, we must not forget that, aside from the fact that Italy is the father, basically, of fascism, it is one of the founders of the EU when it was still called the EEC, this same country also is advocating – with, it must be assumed, approval from Brussels, the erection of “solidarity villages” for Gypsy People well outside Rome, to enable the children to go to school and all that nice stuff, while at the same time the camps will be guarded by special anti-terrorist carabinieri and the “villages” are a minimum of, so I understand, 30km away from the nearest school.
What Italy is proposing there is concentration camps and nothing else, in the same way as the Czech Republic is, with Brussels not batting an eyelid, erecting Gypsy Ghettos. Welcome to the European Union, where all citizens are supposed to be free, as long as they are not Romani-Gypsy.
When will the time come that the Romani will understand that the European Union and its bodies is not the best thing since sliced bread for the Gypsy but is nothing but serious trouble.
The Gypsy Hunts that we are seeing presently in Italy could, unless the European bodies really are serious and do something about it, spread like wildfire through the countries of the EU, as anti-Gypsyism is rather rife in the great majority of countries, with the likes of Italy and Germany, not counting the new arrivals from the East, in the lead.
Then again, surprise? Not really, seeing that Italy and Germany both are the same countries where fascism had a very fertile ground, with Austria and Hungary, as well as Romania in addition to it.
Time for the Rom to wake up and to be prepared to defend themselves against such attacks, whether they be perpetrated against them by “just” thugs or with the express silent consent of the authorities, as it seems to be the case in Italy.
However, I assume that for simply suggesting a Romani Defense body of sorts I could be called up for incitement of violence while the real perpetrators would never be called. Therefore, I leave it to everyone's own decision.
Romani Nation Arise! You have nothing to lose but your chains!
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Once again Europe sees more or less organized Gypsy Hunts where members of the Romani People are being hunted like wild animals. This time in Italy and by fascist thugs with the authorities turning a blind eye. Or even, it might appear to, aiding and abetting the situation.
Once again, during an economic downturn, the Gypsy is seen as, and made to be, the scapegoat for the nation's ills and Berlusconi is exploiting it for all it is worth.
Italians still believe the myths of Gypsies stealing children and, it should not surprise me, as being the carriers of the plague, in the same way as they still believe, so I understand, the myths of Jews drinking blood, ideally the blood of Christian children. And this is Europe in the 21st century. One could be forgiven to think that we'd be in the Dark Ages still.
While so-called ethnic cleansing was supposedly going on in Kosovo against Albanians – and no such thing ever really happened, as the shoe was rather on the other foot – the European Union immediately had a rather big mouth and in the end intervened militarily.
When, however, there is real ethnic cleansing going on in an EU member state against the Gypsy minority, regardless of whether or not they are citizens of that particular country – they are citizens of one of the EU states – just some hot air is being waffled from one or the other special rapporteur and such kind of figure.
Then again, we must not forget that, aside from the fact that Italy is the father, basically, of fascism, it is one of the founders of the EU when it was still called the EEC, this same country also is advocating – with, it must be assumed, approval from Brussels, the erection of “solidarity villages” for Gypsy People well outside Rome, to enable the children to go to school and all that nice stuff, while at the same time the camps will be guarded by special anti-terrorist carabinieri and the “villages” are a minimum of, so I understand, 30km away from the nearest school.
What Italy is proposing there is concentration camps and nothing else, in the same way as the Czech Republic is, with Brussels not batting an eyelid, erecting Gypsy Ghettos. Welcome to the European Union, where all citizens are supposed to be free, as long as they are not Romani-Gypsy.
When will the time come that the Romani will understand that the European Union and its bodies is not the best thing since sliced bread for the Gypsy but is nothing but serious trouble.
The Gypsy Hunts that we are seeing presently in Italy could, unless the European bodies really are serious and do something about it, spread like wildfire through the countries of the EU, as anti-Gypsyism is rather rife in the great majority of countries, with the likes of Italy and Germany, not counting the new arrivals from the East, in the lead.
Then again, surprise? Not really, seeing that Italy and Germany both are the same countries where fascism had a very fertile ground, with Austria and Hungary, as well as Romania in addition to it.
Time for the Rom to wake up and to be prepared to defend themselves against such attacks, whether they be perpetrated against them by “just” thugs or with the express silent consent of the authorities, as it seems to be the case in Italy.
However, I assume that for simply suggesting a Romani Defense body of sorts I could be called up for incitement of violence while the real perpetrators would never be called. Therefore, I leave it to everyone's own decision.
Romani Nation Arise! You have nothing to lose but your chains!
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Fascism in Italy and Pogroms again Gypsies
New Pogroms against Gypsies in Italy (and soon elsewhere in the European Union?)
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
When I suggested that I was seeing the writing on the wall and could see new pogroms again Gypsies coming in the new Europe everyone told me I was being silly and that everything was so nice for us now and the EU was going to look after us having made us “ethnic” and protected.
Can you all see how well they protect our People?
I have heard Sinti in Italy saying, such as some of the Piedmontese, that the Sinti have nothing to worry about as this is only against the “bad” Roma, and all I can say to that is that they'd better have a close read of the poem by Pastor Niemoeller as to “first they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist”, etc. for if we do not act now and I do mean ACT now against the attacks by whoever then Sinti will be next.
As to the protection of our People by the EU – all I am seeing is that rather anyone doing anything they all remain rather silent and that silence shouts to heaven.
We all know that while the Molotov cocktails were thrown at the camp in Naples the very Carabinieri stood by and watched. Surprise – NOT!
If Europe does not control the fascism in Italy NOW it will continue to spread across the entire region. When it comes to the Gypsy, Europe has not yet learned the lesson of fascism and anti-Gypsyism is rife all over the place without anyone in authority doing anything about it. The next destination is Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, and then, and believe me it will happen, the rest of the European Union.
Let us not forget that in Hungary, one of the newer EU member states, the Arrow Cross has, basically, been resurrected and what does the rest of the European Union have to say about that? Very little to nothing.
One or the other more or less left-wing anti-fascist paper or broadcast channel speaks out against such happening but that is about it.
We must learn from others to fight for our rights and to stand up for them, rather than to go into hiding pretending to be Turks, or whatever; anything else but Gypsy. Anything else but Romani.
However, until the Romani People can stop fighting amongst themselves and the Roma stop thinking that they are better, which they are not, then we may get somewhere. Otherwise, maybe, the different groups have to go their own way and the Sinti groups, including the Romanichal and the Cale, all of which are NOT Roma, might have to do things for themselves alone. Not that that would be a bad idea, I am sure. None of the Sinti groups that I know, and none of their People, with the exception of some misguided souls, would ever wish to be addressed as “Roma”. They'd rather be called Gypsyp, Gitan, Cygan, or what-have-you; anything else but Roma.
While we are all Romani we are not all Roma and once we have actually gotten to that point then, maybe, we can actually get somewhere as to working together.
Mind you, we then would still have to overcome the latent laziness of the great majority of Roma in places such as Romania and Bulgaria, and the fact that they think that everything has to be done for them.
Until such a time that we can stand together in a proper way as Romani People, as the Romani Nation – and not the Roma Nation – then, and only then, will we be able to combat those attacks against us.
One thing we should not and cannot rely on and that is support from the Gadje. They never – with the exception of a small minority – have ever gotten over the anti-Gypsyism that is so ingrained in the psyche of the European person, and also those that went from Europe to other countries, such as the USA, Canada and even South America and other countries.
While Europe is more a problem as far as pogroms against Gypsy are concerned and, as I had predicted, they have started again and the USA and Canada may not be affected that way (who knows though if it may not spread to even there), the situation in the USA and Canada for the Romani People is not without problems either, and every time some scams are going around somewhere the warning by police that are issued will warn of “Gypsies”, at times even going so far as to say that, at other times such people are known as Romani or Traveller or Roma. And such things in this great country of freedom, as it likes to see itself.
Therefore, we the Romani People, must be aware and wary as to what is going on and we must be ready to act, but not to hide our ethnicity. If we keep hiding then we will never ever reach emancipation. We will remain marginalized and stigmatized, and also we will continue to be discriminated against.
We can do it but... first of all we need leaders that are prepared to lead without looking for financial, political or any other sort of gain and then... where are the soldiers...
I rest my case...
Until we, the People are prepared to stand up for ourselves and to do things for ourselves we are nothing and will never be nothing.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
When I suggested that I was seeing the writing on the wall and could see new pogroms again Gypsies coming in the new Europe everyone told me I was being silly and that everything was so nice for us now and the EU was going to look after us having made us “ethnic” and protected.
Can you all see how well they protect our People?
I have heard Sinti in Italy saying, such as some of the Piedmontese, that the Sinti have nothing to worry about as this is only against the “bad” Roma, and all I can say to that is that they'd better have a close read of the poem by Pastor Niemoeller as to “first they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist”, etc. for if we do not act now and I do mean ACT now against the attacks by whoever then Sinti will be next.
As to the protection of our People by the EU – all I am seeing is that rather anyone doing anything they all remain rather silent and that silence shouts to heaven.
We all know that while the Molotov cocktails were thrown at the camp in Naples the very Carabinieri stood by and watched. Surprise – NOT!
If Europe does not control the fascism in Italy NOW it will continue to spread across the entire region. When it comes to the Gypsy, Europe has not yet learned the lesson of fascism and anti-Gypsyism is rife all over the place without anyone in authority doing anything about it. The next destination is Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, and then, and believe me it will happen, the rest of the European Union.
Let us not forget that in Hungary, one of the newer EU member states, the Arrow Cross has, basically, been resurrected and what does the rest of the European Union have to say about that? Very little to nothing.
One or the other more or less left-wing anti-fascist paper or broadcast channel speaks out against such happening but that is about it.
We must learn from others to fight for our rights and to stand up for them, rather than to go into hiding pretending to be Turks, or whatever; anything else but Gypsy. Anything else but Romani.
However, until the Romani People can stop fighting amongst themselves and the Roma stop thinking that they are better, which they are not, then we may get somewhere. Otherwise, maybe, the different groups have to go their own way and the Sinti groups, including the Romanichal and the Cale, all of which are NOT Roma, might have to do things for themselves alone. Not that that would be a bad idea, I am sure. None of the Sinti groups that I know, and none of their People, with the exception of some misguided souls, would ever wish to be addressed as “Roma”. They'd rather be called Gypsyp, Gitan, Cygan, or what-have-you; anything else but Roma.
While we are all Romani we are not all Roma and once we have actually gotten to that point then, maybe, we can actually get somewhere as to working together.
Mind you, we then would still have to overcome the latent laziness of the great majority of Roma in places such as Romania and Bulgaria, and the fact that they think that everything has to be done for them.
Until such a time that we can stand together in a proper way as Romani People, as the Romani Nation – and not the Roma Nation – then, and only then, will we be able to combat those attacks against us.
One thing we should not and cannot rely on and that is support from the Gadje. They never – with the exception of a small minority – have ever gotten over the anti-Gypsyism that is so ingrained in the psyche of the European person, and also those that went from Europe to other countries, such as the USA, Canada and even South America and other countries.
While Europe is more a problem as far as pogroms against Gypsy are concerned and, as I had predicted, they have started again and the USA and Canada may not be affected that way (who knows though if it may not spread to even there), the situation in the USA and Canada for the Romani People is not without problems either, and every time some scams are going around somewhere the warning by police that are issued will warn of “Gypsies”, at times even going so far as to say that, at other times such people are known as Romani or Traveller or Roma. And such things in this great country of freedom, as it likes to see itself.
Therefore, we the Romani People, must be aware and wary as to what is going on and we must be ready to act, but not to hide our ethnicity. If we keep hiding then we will never ever reach emancipation. We will remain marginalized and stigmatized, and also we will continue to be discriminated against.
We can do it but... first of all we need leaders that are prepared to lead without looking for financial, political or any other sort of gain and then... where are the soldiers...
I rest my case...
Until we, the People are prepared to stand up for ourselves and to do things for ourselves we are nothing and will never be nothing.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
The Soros Mission & the lazy Roma
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Would the Roma movement disappear after George Soros? Is there someone else who will continue his mission? Have Roma organizations across the region understood the point?
The above are questions that have been raised recently by a Rom on some other place on the Web. And he continued to say that in his opinion, if we need to announce the messiah in the Roma movement that should be the initiator George Soros.
And the mission, he says, is passed on to Roma generations who continue their studies thanks to the scholarships, conferences, and seminars and the small fees they receive from projects.
The latter is more or less poppycock, in my view, as the seminars and conferences certainly have not and will not help the Romani cause one little bit.
However to the rest of what he said one can only say that, far from thinking Mr Soros to be the messiah of the Romani Movement and the saviour of the Romani People, would it not be a good idea if we, first of all, had a very close look as to who and what George Soros is. He is not, regardless what he and the OSI may claim, doing this out of the goodness of his heart. That is absolute bull dust, as the Australians would say. George Soros is a very shrewd operator and knows exactly what he is doing and he is using the Roman(ni) and the Decade of Roma Inclusion as a cover for other activities. When we uncover those we know what he is up to.
It is hard to believe, said the author of the open letter, the Rom mentioned, that the Roma movement is going to continue in the same manner after Soros, because an initiative needs self-sustaining internal initiatives. We neglect that because we are satisfied with what we have and what they give to us a good trait but not for a longer time.
This is where he has great insight and is saying what I have been saying for a long time, namely that the Eastern European Roma, especially the Vlax and the Balkan ones, (still) have a slave mentality, the “Uncle Tom” mentality that Ian Hancock once mentioned and that we have discussed previously. The attitude of being satisfied with the crumbs from the rich man's table and with the slave existence rather than to work themselves out of the quagmire.
But they are not prepared to do that and until they do so they are not worth even given any money or any other help to get on in the world. The problem is the People and their very attitude. They are not willing to get off their hands and get the finger out that is so deep inside themselves that their hands are nearly buried too, but they expect funds from European sources, from the UN, and from the likes of Soros for their self-advancement projects. More like money to be put into the pockets of the already filthy rich Buli Bahas, those self-made kings and emperors and tsars and exploiters of the People. Oh yes, and the Sinti in the West, such as in Germany and Austria have such exploiters too only they call them “judges”.
It is not just the Roma that sit on their behinds and nurse their fat bodies. No, the Sinti do the same, especially the so-called leaders, the “judges”, who hold sway in the same way as they be kings or emperors.
Those leaders talk big talk to the leaders of Europe as to this project for the advancement of the People and that, but very little if anything ever happens, whether among the Sinti in the West or the Roma in the East, not even with the Decade of Roma Integration. We are now many years into that decade and what has been achieved. I mean what has been achieved in real terms. I do not mean how much money has been wasted on stupid language projects and the establishment of the Romani Esperanto and such like. I mean what has been done to get the Roma, and Sinti, but then again the latter were never in the equation as the decade was ONLY for the Roma and then only for the Roma in Eastern Europe.
Still no one cottoning on as to what Papa Soros is doing. He is working, purportedly, for the Roma in the countries of the former Soviet Bloc – with the exception, as I can see it in Russia itself – and is getting very strong political influence in those countries, such as in Romania, Bulgaria, the former Czechoslovakia, and other former USSR satellites, as all his money for projects – which is, basically, given to the state where the project is, comes with strings attached. Strings that give Soros influence, political influence and power, in those countries. So, ask yourselves, “what is Papa Soros up to?” While he may be pretending to help the Roma he is, in fact, working on something entirely different, all the while using the Romani People as a front.
Can we ever get the Romani to do things for themselves and the answer here is that while this may be possible for those in the West, but even there it seems to be a very limited affair as they seem to be hellbent on calling Gadje do-gooders in again and again who usurp everything and then try to channel things the way they, the Gadje, think things should be, it seems to be very impossible with regards to the Rom in the East.
Self-help groups and livelihood projects are not rocket science and do not need people with degrees in writing and degrees in business studies. It needs members of the People who know what's what and what's needed and some of the People with vision. The only visions the majority, however, seem to have, are those induced by substance abuse, whether alcohol, drugs or the sniffing of glue. Even when someone from the People comes along and makes suggestions for self-help, even if this be only that they look after their homes better and fix leaking roofs themselves rather than getting everything wet and waiting for this or that charity to come along, no one wants to listen and has every excuse under the sun. And I am not just referring to Roma in the eastern European nations.
Then we have the great majority who, while being well aware of the fact that they are Romani will hide under different ethnicities, as I have said already so many times, and then those that, while they could get involved in assisting in self-help and livelihood projects as they have some spare cash or such, they also deny their ancestry in such instances.
The most important part of the Romani self-emancipation is learning from those who have done it, be those the American Blacks or the Native Americans or the Aborigines of Australia or the Maori of Aotore, and as they have done, remembering that they are Gadje, and do it without the White Man, without the Gadjo.
Human rights in Europe, thousands of strategies, documents and hundreds of Roma Decades are only slogans if you do not understand that you will need to learn to articulate yourself and especially no just use your voice but your own hands and heads to do the work instead of sitting their demanding this and that to be done for you.
Not only the Roma are at fault in this. No, the Sinti too, and the Romanichals in the UK too.
Therefore, instead of celebrating April 8, Roma Day, and to have all those lovely congresses and other gabfests, and to play this “Roma, Gypsy and Traveller History Month” in the UK – how can you in the first place do that as at least one of the groups mentioned there has not the same history and culture and do the Rom, the Gypsy? – the so-called leaders should work with the people and teach them how to raise their voices high enough when presenting their opinion for integration and against discrimination against Rom in Europe and elsewhere.
Then again, as I have said before, I someone of the People comes along with a vision or more than one vision as to way of emancipating ourselves and getting our own representation working he or she gets shot down in flames by the leaders and also by many of the People because that would be work to do things for themselves. They demand that the Gadje give them this, that or the other, but never seem to be able and prepared to do things for themselves. Even if you, as a Rom, do things for them; things that you have laid out money for and offer it to them, basically, for free they still are not prepared to take it up for, as I have been told myself on more that one occasion, they cannot believe that someone would be prepared to do this or that without expecting to be paid for it somehow. Therefore they always believe that somewhere, while one says that one does it for free, one gets money for it. I assume they do thus believe for they would never be prepared to do anything for the People for nothing.
No document, strategy, or policy is not a purpose of its own if its background does not represent the politics of power and might, supported by the voice of the PEOPLE.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Would the Roma movement disappear after George Soros? Is there someone else who will continue his mission? Have Roma organizations across the region understood the point?
The above are questions that have been raised recently by a Rom on some other place on the Web. And he continued to say that in his opinion, if we need to announce the messiah in the Roma movement that should be the initiator George Soros.
And the mission, he says, is passed on to Roma generations who continue their studies thanks to the scholarships, conferences, and seminars and the small fees they receive from projects.
The latter is more or less poppycock, in my view, as the seminars and conferences certainly have not and will not help the Romani cause one little bit.
However to the rest of what he said one can only say that, far from thinking Mr Soros to be the messiah of the Romani Movement and the saviour of the Romani People, would it not be a good idea if we, first of all, had a very close look as to who and what George Soros is. He is not, regardless what he and the OSI may claim, doing this out of the goodness of his heart. That is absolute bull dust, as the Australians would say. George Soros is a very shrewd operator and knows exactly what he is doing and he is using the Roman(ni) and the Decade of Roma Inclusion as a cover for other activities. When we uncover those we know what he is up to.
It is hard to believe, said the author of the open letter, the Rom mentioned, that the Roma movement is going to continue in the same manner after Soros, because an initiative needs self-sustaining internal initiatives. We neglect that because we are satisfied with what we have and what they give to us a good trait but not for a longer time.
This is where he has great insight and is saying what I have been saying for a long time, namely that the Eastern European Roma, especially the Vlax and the Balkan ones, (still) have a slave mentality, the “Uncle Tom” mentality that Ian Hancock once mentioned and that we have discussed previously. The attitude of being satisfied with the crumbs from the rich man's table and with the slave existence rather than to work themselves out of the quagmire.
But they are not prepared to do that and until they do so they are not worth even given any money or any other help to get on in the world. The problem is the People and their very attitude. They are not willing to get off their hands and get the finger out that is so deep inside themselves that their hands are nearly buried too, but they expect funds from European sources, from the UN, and from the likes of Soros for their self-advancement projects. More like money to be put into the pockets of the already filthy rich Buli Bahas, those self-made kings and emperors and tsars and exploiters of the People. Oh yes, and the Sinti in the West, such as in Germany and Austria have such exploiters too only they call them “judges”.
It is not just the Roma that sit on their behinds and nurse their fat bodies. No, the Sinti do the same, especially the so-called leaders, the “judges”, who hold sway in the same way as they be kings or emperors.
Those leaders talk big talk to the leaders of Europe as to this project for the advancement of the People and that, but very little if anything ever happens, whether among the Sinti in the West or the Roma in the East, not even with the Decade of Roma Integration. We are now many years into that decade and what has been achieved. I mean what has been achieved in real terms. I do not mean how much money has been wasted on stupid language projects and the establishment of the Romani Esperanto and such like. I mean what has been done to get the Roma, and Sinti, but then again the latter were never in the equation as the decade was ONLY for the Roma and then only for the Roma in Eastern Europe.
Still no one cottoning on as to what Papa Soros is doing. He is working, purportedly, for the Roma in the countries of the former Soviet Bloc – with the exception, as I can see it in Russia itself – and is getting very strong political influence in those countries, such as in Romania, Bulgaria, the former Czechoslovakia, and other former USSR satellites, as all his money for projects – which is, basically, given to the state where the project is, comes with strings attached. Strings that give Soros influence, political influence and power, in those countries. So, ask yourselves, “what is Papa Soros up to?” While he may be pretending to help the Roma he is, in fact, working on something entirely different, all the while using the Romani People as a front.
Can we ever get the Romani to do things for themselves and the answer here is that while this may be possible for those in the West, but even there it seems to be a very limited affair as they seem to be hellbent on calling Gadje do-gooders in again and again who usurp everything and then try to channel things the way they, the Gadje, think things should be, it seems to be very impossible with regards to the Rom in the East.
Self-help groups and livelihood projects are not rocket science and do not need people with degrees in writing and degrees in business studies. It needs members of the People who know what's what and what's needed and some of the People with vision. The only visions the majority, however, seem to have, are those induced by substance abuse, whether alcohol, drugs or the sniffing of glue. Even when someone from the People comes along and makes suggestions for self-help, even if this be only that they look after their homes better and fix leaking roofs themselves rather than getting everything wet and waiting for this or that charity to come along, no one wants to listen and has every excuse under the sun. And I am not just referring to Roma in the eastern European nations.
Then we have the great majority who, while being well aware of the fact that they are Romani will hide under different ethnicities, as I have said already so many times, and then those that, while they could get involved in assisting in self-help and livelihood projects as they have some spare cash or such, they also deny their ancestry in such instances.
The most important part of the Romani self-emancipation is learning from those who have done it, be those the American Blacks or the Native Americans or the Aborigines of Australia or the Maori of Aotore, and as they have done, remembering that they are Gadje, and do it without the White Man, without the Gadjo.
Human rights in Europe, thousands of strategies, documents and hundreds of Roma Decades are only slogans if you do not understand that you will need to learn to articulate yourself and especially no just use your voice but your own hands and heads to do the work instead of sitting their demanding this and that to be done for you.
Not only the Roma are at fault in this. No, the Sinti too, and the Romanichals in the UK too.
Therefore, instead of celebrating April 8, Roma Day, and to have all those lovely congresses and other gabfests, and to play this “Roma, Gypsy and Traveller History Month” in the UK – how can you in the first place do that as at least one of the groups mentioned there has not the same history and culture and do the Rom, the Gypsy? – the so-called leaders should work with the people and teach them how to raise their voices high enough when presenting their opinion for integration and against discrimination against Rom in Europe and elsewhere.
Then again, as I have said before, I someone of the People comes along with a vision or more than one vision as to way of emancipating ourselves and getting our own representation working he or she gets shot down in flames by the leaders and also by many of the People because that would be work to do things for themselves. They demand that the Gadje give them this, that or the other, but never seem to be able and prepared to do things for themselves. Even if you, as a Rom, do things for them; things that you have laid out money for and offer it to them, basically, for free they still are not prepared to take it up for, as I have been told myself on more that one occasion, they cannot believe that someone would be prepared to do this or that without expecting to be paid for it somehow. Therefore they always believe that somewhere, while one says that one does it for free, one gets money for it. I assume they do thus believe for they would never be prepared to do anything for the People for nothing.
No document, strategy, or policy is not a purpose of its own if its background does not represent the politics of power and might, supported by the voice of the PEOPLE.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
MEDIA ASSOCIATION FOR ROMANI JOURNALISTS
News Release
Recently founded, IRMA, the International Romani Media Association is open to all Romani People working in the Media, whether in print, digital print or other.
IRMA is intended as an accredited body for those Romani journalists who do not get their primary income from their writing/media activities; those that other organizations refuse to accept into membership, and here especially the Bloggers of Romani origin.
Membership is open to all journalists. Editors, and other working in the Media who are of Romani origin/ancestry, be they full-blood, poshrat or didikai.
There is no joining fee and there are also no membership dues to pay though any donations are most welcome to help with the administration costs and the issuance of the photo ID cards.
IRMA aims, over time if not before, to be/become the NUJ equivalent for Romani journalists and other media personnel though the publications the individuals are writing for/working on do not – necessarily – have to Romani related or Romani owned.
Applications for membership in International Romani Media Association can be made via the web presence of the organization on MEDIA ASSOCIATION FOR ROMANI JOURNALISTS
News Release
Recently founded, IRMA, the International Romani Media Association is open to all Romani People working in the Media, whether in print, digital print or other.
IRMA is intended as an accredited body for those Romani journalists who do not get their primary income from their writing/media activities; those that other organizations refuse to accept into membership, and here especially the Bloggers of Romani origin.
Membership is open to all journalists. Editors, and other working in the Media who are of Romani origin/ancestry, be they full-blood, poshrat or didikai.
There is no joining fee and there are also no membership dues to pay though any donations are most welcome to help with the administration costs and the issuance of the photo ID cards.
IRMA aims, over time if not before, to be/become the NUJ equivalent for Romani journalists and other media personnel though the publications the individuals are writing for/working on do not – necessarily – have to Romani related or Romani owned.
Applications for membership in International Romani Media Association can be made via the web presence of the organization on http://rom-media.blogspot.com via the comments facilities, which are not public.
© International Romani Media Assoc – May 2008
Recently founded, IRMA, the International Romani Media Association is open to all Romani People working in the Media, whether in print, digital print or other.
IRMA is intended as an accredited body for those Romani journalists who do not get their primary income from their writing/media activities; those that other organizations refuse to accept into membership, and here especially the Bloggers of Romani origin.
Membership is open to all journalists. Editors, and other working in the Media who are of Romani origin/ancestry, be they full-blood, poshrat or didikai.
There is no joining fee and there are also no membership dues to pay though any donations are most welcome to help with the administration costs and the issuance of the photo ID cards.
IRMA aims, over time if not before, to be/become the NUJ equivalent for Romani journalists and other media personnel though the publications the individuals are writing for/working on do not – necessarily – have to Romani related or Romani owned.
Applications for membership in International Romani Media Association can be made via the web presence of the organization on MEDIA ASSOCIATION FOR ROMANI JOURNALISTS
News Release
Recently founded, IRMA, the International Romani Media Association is open to all Romani People working in the Media, whether in print, digital print or other.
IRMA is intended as an accredited body for those Romani journalists who do not get their primary income from their writing/media activities; those that other organizations refuse to accept into membership, and here especially the Bloggers of Romani origin.
Membership is open to all journalists. Editors, and other working in the Media who are of Romani origin/ancestry, be they full-blood, poshrat or didikai.
There is no joining fee and there are also no membership dues to pay though any donations are most welcome to help with the administration costs and the issuance of the photo ID cards.
IRMA aims, over time if not before, to be/become the NUJ equivalent for Romani journalists and other media personnel though the publications the individuals are writing for/working on do not – necessarily – have to Romani related or Romani owned.
Applications for membership in International Romani Media Association can be made via the web presence of the organization on http://rom-media.blogspot.com via the comments facilities, which are not public.
© International Romani Media Assoc – May 2008
Bluetooth: A Danger to Privacy
Bluetooth leaves you open to intercept by anyone
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
If you are concerned about your civil liberties and privacy then it may come as a shock to you to discover that you may have, unwittingly, been allowing your phone to signal your every move to the great wide world, including your communications.
Bluetooth, which is, as most will know, a wireless link built into many mobile telephones, makes our movements trackable by anyone equipped with a PC and an appropriate receiver. And this means ANYONE, not just the security services and the police, if that would not already be bad enough. Anyone, as the word says, can listen in and track where you are if they have the right equipment.
Vassilis Kostakos at the University of Bath in the UK placed four Bluetooth receivers in the city's centre. Over four months, his team tracked 10,000 Bluetooth phones and was able to "capture and analyse people's encounters" in pubs, streets and shops.
Bluetooth is now more of a privacy threat than the more frequently publicised RFID chips, Kostakos says. "If people are worried, they should turn off the Bluetooth function on their mobile phones."
Not everything, as we can, yet again see, that is supposedly good for us, is so.
“Oh, but without my 'Bluetooth' I cannot make phone calls on the move”, I hear some complain. “Can we not just make those things safer?”
Well, we probably could and could add encryption, if you, the consumer, is willing to pay the high costs then.
What is wrong with safely stopping your car, motorbike or your bicycle, to take or make that call? Also, no call is that important that it cannot wait until you get to a safe location where to return the call or make a call.
If you are concerned about your privacy, as said, turn the Bluetooth function off. While it may be something that can and does make life easier it also, yet again, is something that can be used to invade our privacy and to spy on us.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
If you are concerned about your civil liberties and privacy then it may come as a shock to you to discover that you may have, unwittingly, been allowing your phone to signal your every move to the great wide world, including your communications.
Bluetooth, which is, as most will know, a wireless link built into many mobile telephones, makes our movements trackable by anyone equipped with a PC and an appropriate receiver. And this means ANYONE, not just the security services and the police, if that would not already be bad enough. Anyone, as the word says, can listen in and track where you are if they have the right equipment.
Vassilis Kostakos at the University of Bath in the UK placed four Bluetooth receivers in the city's centre. Over four months, his team tracked 10,000 Bluetooth phones and was able to "capture and analyse people's encounters" in pubs, streets and shops.
Bluetooth is now more of a privacy threat than the more frequently publicised RFID chips, Kostakos says. "If people are worried, they should turn off the Bluetooth function on their mobile phones."
Not everything, as we can, yet again see, that is supposedly good for us, is so.
“Oh, but without my 'Bluetooth' I cannot make phone calls on the move”, I hear some complain. “Can we not just make those things safer?”
Well, we probably could and could add encryption, if you, the consumer, is willing to pay the high costs then.
What is wrong with safely stopping your car, motorbike or your bicycle, to take or make that call? Also, no call is that important that it cannot wait until you get to a safe location where to return the call or make a call.
If you are concerned about your privacy, as said, turn the Bluetooth function off. While it may be something that can and does make life easier it also, yet again, is something that can be used to invade our privacy and to spy on us.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Champagne Cork Peg Board (Practical Recycling)
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
In my opinion, but then most of your regular readers will know that already, practical recycling, that is to say, turning items of “trash”, whether discarded by yourself or by others, into usable goods, must come well before the commercial recycling.
Then again this kind of recycling also can make for the creation of, hopefully, saleable items, thereby becoming commercial, but not in the way of the commercial grand scale recycling of the reclaiming secondary raw materials is.
Champagne Cork Peg Board (Coat Rack).
This is a project that happened to result out of the fact that I once worked in a catering establishment where such corks were in abundance and they ended up thrown away after events and functions and, thinking that there might be a use for them though which I did not know at the particular time, I took a number of them with me to see what might come to mind some day.
One day then, without much thinking about it, a peg board come coat rack came to mind as I wanted to make one for some reason and I remembered the champagne corks. Having a board to hand it took but a few minutes, literally, to have a working peg board/coat rack to go onto the wall.
Ingredients:
Apart from the screws (unless they be salvaged too – and this is possible) there should be no financial layout for this project. However, properly promoted, this could be something that a livelihood project could make.
Idea & Design © Michael Smith (Veshengro), 2001-2008
In my opinion, but then most of your regular readers will know that already, practical recycling, that is to say, turning items of “trash”, whether discarded by yourself or by others, into usable goods, must come well before the commercial recycling.
Then again this kind of recycling also can make for the creation of, hopefully, saleable items, thereby becoming commercial, but not in the way of the commercial grand scale recycling of the reclaiming secondary raw materials is.
Champagne Cork Peg Board (Coat Rack).
This is a project that happened to result out of the fact that I once worked in a catering establishment where such corks were in abundance and they ended up thrown away after events and functions and, thinking that there might be a use for them though which I did not know at the particular time, I took a number of them with me to see what might come to mind some day.
One day then, without much thinking about it, a peg board come coat rack came to mind as I wanted to make one for some reason and I remembered the champagne corks. Having a board to hand it took but a few minutes, literally, to have a working peg board/coat rack to go onto the wall.
Ingredients:
- A number of champagne corks (real cork or pressed cork)
- Equal number of long wood screws (normal slot is better than Phillips)
- A nice wooden plank as a back board (this could be salvaged skirting, floorboard or from a pallet)
Apart from the screws (unless they be salvaged too – and this is possible) there should be no financial layout for this project. However, properly promoted, this could be something that a livelihood project could make.
Idea & Design © Michael Smith (Veshengro), 2001-2008
Gypsy Sites must be properly built and properly controlled
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Warwickshire County Councillor recently stated on the radio that, while the county was in need of more Gypsy site that those need to be properly built and properly controlled by the Council.
In other words, what the councillor is saying is “no Gypsy-owned and Gypsy-run private caravan sites”, as the one recently attempted near the former home of government minister Tessa Jowell.
While I would not condone the actions taken by the, apparently, Romany who have set up camp there and are building a caravan site it would appear that time and again this seems to be the message that is being sent out. If Gypsies (and Travellers) want to make their own provisions for sites of their own, even to such an extent of purchasing a proper caravan site as was, as I understand, the case with the Cordona family some years back in Bedfordshire, the authorities then go to all lengths to stop such private sites, even by claiming that a once 24/7 all year round residential trailer park becomes a “change of use” if it is turned into a Gypsy Caravan Site. Duh? So, in other words, when is a residential caravan site not a residential caravan site? When it is turned into a Gypsy Site, apparently. A brilliant excuse and move of goalpost.
The reasons behind this here appears to be to fulfill a quota now, once again, set by central government, namely to put up that and that many pitches for Gypsies and Travellers in an area, as now housing provisions for Gypsies and Travellers seem to have been made a requirement for councils again.
This means that council must provide a set number of plots and obviously do not want interference by the Gyppo here and do not want the people to set up their own sites. Where would we come to if we would allow that now? We would have no control of who lives there and we would get no rent income.
On a private site the council has very little, if anything, to say about who lives there, unlike on an official council site and, as I said, they have also no income from such as site by way of rent; only council tax. It is, however, in the main, I am convinced, a case of wanting to have control over the wayward Gyppo. Gyppo can't be allowed to do his own thing now. What would the world be coming to if that would be allowed.
A privately owned Gypsy site could, for instance, exclude Irish Travellers and therefore prevent the enforced mixing of the groups in an attempt to promote the false idea of a common traveller culture. There is no such things as anything in common as far as Culture goes between the Romani and the Irish Traveller. But this “common traveller culture” is all part of the bigger plan to remove the ethnic Gypsy from the statute book.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Warwickshire County Councillor recently stated on the radio that, while the county was in need of more Gypsy site that those need to be properly built and properly controlled by the Council.
In other words, what the councillor is saying is “no Gypsy-owned and Gypsy-run private caravan sites”, as the one recently attempted near the former home of government minister Tessa Jowell.
While I would not condone the actions taken by the, apparently, Romany who have set up camp there and are building a caravan site it would appear that time and again this seems to be the message that is being sent out. If Gypsies (and Travellers) want to make their own provisions for sites of their own, even to such an extent of purchasing a proper caravan site as was, as I understand, the case with the Cordona family some years back in Bedfordshire, the authorities then go to all lengths to stop such private sites, even by claiming that a once 24/7 all year round residential trailer park becomes a “change of use” if it is turned into a Gypsy Caravan Site. Duh? So, in other words, when is a residential caravan site not a residential caravan site? When it is turned into a Gypsy Site, apparently. A brilliant excuse and move of goalpost.
The reasons behind this here appears to be to fulfill a quota now, once again, set by central government, namely to put up that and that many pitches for Gypsies and Travellers in an area, as now housing provisions for Gypsies and Travellers seem to have been made a requirement for councils again.
This means that council must provide a set number of plots and obviously do not want interference by the Gyppo here and do not want the people to set up their own sites. Where would we come to if we would allow that now? We would have no control of who lives there and we would get no rent income.
On a private site the council has very little, if anything, to say about who lives there, unlike on an official council site and, as I said, they have also no income from such as site by way of rent; only council tax. It is, however, in the main, I am convinced, a case of wanting to have control over the wayward Gyppo. Gyppo can't be allowed to do his own thing now. What would the world be coming to if that would be allowed.
A privately owned Gypsy site could, for instance, exclude Irish Travellers and therefore prevent the enforced mixing of the groups in an attempt to promote the false idea of a common traveller culture. There is no such things as anything in common as far as Culture goes between the Romani and the Irish Traveller. But this “common traveller culture” is all part of the bigger plan to remove the ethnic Gypsy from the statute book.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Practical Recycling – something important that we all can do
Livelihood Projects for the Romani People
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Before, and I know I have said that many times already, we even think of recycling, even practical recycling, that is to say making something “new” out of an item of “trash” we must think “reduce” and before that even “reduce”.
However, practical recycling should be something that should be thought about before we even go and put something into the recycling bin to be then going through a process of reprocessing and such.
Such practical recycling can be a possible source of income for the unwaged – the jobless – and kids even.
This kind of works has, in time past, always been a source – and the stress here is firmly on the letter “a” – source of income for Gypsy families.
Entire (Community) Livelihood Projects and Programs have been and are being set up around direct practical recycling, making goods for sale from discarded materials and items.
When we speak here of “practical recycling” we are not talking about gathering recyclables for resale to reprocessors and such nor of reprocessing recyclables into secondary raw materials but we are talking about using the refuse from which to make useful goods, for personal use, as gifts, or even, and especially so, for sale, like done by livelihood projects in a variety of countries.
While the majority of such livelihood projects are found in the developing world, that part of the world that, until not so long ago, was called the “Third World”, I can see no reason why something like that could not also work say in the UK, the USA, or such.
When, for instance, it comes to recycling advertising tarpaulin banners and such those too can be found in our countries and I am almost certain that here they go landfill site route and are not recycled.
Therefore, while there may not be such an ample supply of such tarps as there may be in the Philippines where Trashe Bolsas operates and maybe not of the same or similar large sizes, it would still be possible to work projects around reworking such tarps as are found in countries such as the UK into new goods, like it is done by Trashe Bolsas, but possibly smaller items, such as belt pouches, cellphone pouches, business card wallets, etc. The list, I am sure, is limited only by our imagination.
This is, I am sure, also one of many otherwise discarded materials that can be reworked in such and similar ways and manners and again it is only our imagination or lack of same that may restrict as to what can be reworked and how.
I am certain that, if we all look at trash in a different way and with different eyes as the majority of the population does then we could get a number of little industries started making goods that people will want to buy. Firstly, they want to buy those goods because of the fact that they are recycled and that they come from a self-help group but they should also want to do so because, especially, those goods are of high quality and are made locally.
For the Romani practical recycling such as this give the opportunity for many small industries where they can work for themselves and it is something where the entire family can get involved.
The making of bags and such from tarps, as done by Trashe Bolsas, for instance, is but an example. There are many other things that too can be recycled into saleable goods, from wire, over leather, to what-have-you.
As previously said, the only limit, I am sure, that will be there will be set by our imagination or the lack of it, whichever the case may be.
Now, let's open our eyes and our minds and get some self-help work started and let us, by such means, get away from the dependency culture and trap that seems to be surrounding the Romani.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Before, and I know I have said that many times already, we even think of recycling, even practical recycling, that is to say making something “new” out of an item of “trash” we must think “reduce” and before that even “reduce”.
However, practical recycling should be something that should be thought about before we even go and put something into the recycling bin to be then going through a process of reprocessing and such.
Such practical recycling can be a possible source of income for the unwaged – the jobless – and kids even.
This kind of works has, in time past, always been a source – and the stress here is firmly on the letter “a” – source of income for Gypsy families.
Entire (Community) Livelihood Projects and Programs have been and are being set up around direct practical recycling, making goods for sale from discarded materials and items.
When we speak here of “practical recycling” we are not talking about gathering recyclables for resale to reprocessors and such nor of reprocessing recyclables into secondary raw materials but we are talking about using the refuse from which to make useful goods, for personal use, as gifts, or even, and especially so, for sale, like done by livelihood projects in a variety of countries.
While the majority of such livelihood projects are found in the developing world, that part of the world that, until not so long ago, was called the “Third World”, I can see no reason why something like that could not also work say in the UK, the USA, or such.
When, for instance, it comes to recycling advertising tarpaulin banners and such those too can be found in our countries and I am almost certain that here they go landfill site route and are not recycled.
Therefore, while there may not be such an ample supply of such tarps as there may be in the Philippines where Trashe Bolsas operates and maybe not of the same or similar large sizes, it would still be possible to work projects around reworking such tarps as are found in countries such as the UK into new goods, like it is done by Trashe Bolsas, but possibly smaller items, such as belt pouches, cellphone pouches, business card wallets, etc. The list, I am sure, is limited only by our imagination.
This is, I am sure, also one of many otherwise discarded materials that can be reworked in such and similar ways and manners and again it is only our imagination or lack of same that may restrict as to what can be reworked and how.
I am certain that, if we all look at trash in a different way and with different eyes as the majority of the population does then we could get a number of little industries started making goods that people will want to buy. Firstly, they want to buy those goods because of the fact that they are recycled and that they come from a self-help group but they should also want to do so because, especially, those goods are of high quality and are made locally.
For the Romani practical recycling such as this give the opportunity for many small industries where they can work for themselves and it is something where the entire family can get involved.
The making of bags and such from tarps, as done by Trashe Bolsas, for instance, is but an example. There are many other things that too can be recycled into saleable goods, from wire, over leather, to what-have-you.
As previously said, the only limit, I am sure, that will be there will be set by our imagination or the lack of it, whichever the case may be.
Now, let's open our eyes and our minds and get some self-help work started and let us, by such means, get away from the dependency culture and trap that seems to be surrounding the Romani.
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
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