The Czech state will start gathering exact and precise statistical data on Romanies in the Czech Republic, such as the number of unemployed Rom and their level of education, Minister Dzamila Stechlikova said.
She said that the state needs such statistics on the Romani People to efficiently solve the problems related to the Romani community.
Also collected will be the data of which schools which Romani children attend, and other data.
This data, so the government of the Czech Republic states, will be done in order to prevent the people's exclusion and discrimination. According to the minster the European Commission shares her government's opinion.
Considering that the EU also says nothing about other actions against Romani-Gypsies in other EU member states it is hardly surprising that it agrees with the Czech government on the need to collect such “statistical data” on the Romani People in the Czech Republic.
People, you can bet your life that this this kind of exercise is not just going to be conducted in the former Czechoslovakia but other EU member states will follow suit with this.
And, once again, the reason given for the need to get all such data is humanitarian, in the same way as the planned concentration camps for Rom outside the city of Rome, Italy, are also humanitarian and are, therefore, called “Solidarity Villages”. What, with armed troops of the interior security police guarding the gates?
Apparently, another EU member state is working on a compulsory program of “Romani integration” - read for that “forced assimilation” - and, it would appear from what has come to my attention, that similar camps may be envisaged to those in Italy.
Furthermore it seems that, even though they vehemently deny this, the Czech and the Slovak governments are both working on the implementation of Gypsy Ghettos outside some of the towns and cities; and yes, they will have walls around them. Oh, and yes, it is for their protection against racist elements.
We saw all those acts before, and all of those were then for our own good, so our People were told, such as to get them into work, into school, to give them health care (some health care that was and some kind of employment). Will our People once again sit there and allow this to happen? Where are the supposed representatives – not that I voted for any of them (I was not asked not were the other millions of grassroots Rom) – such as the ERTF and the IRU? They are very silent as to this matter. Well, not surprising really; they can hardly attack their paymasters.
Romale, Sintiale, don't just sit there and let it happen again. If the “big boys” won't do it join people who are willing to speak out. It must not be allowed to happen again but I certainly can hear the jackboots marching again. Can you?
© M V Smith, July 2007
