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
