by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Romania now seems to be itself going down the road of fingerprinting and recording the Romani People within its own borders – those that, primarily – are its own citizens.
Apparently the reasons given are the same as in Italy, that is to say, that they claim that this is being done in the name of crime prevention. So, in the eyes of the Romanian authorities, as in those of the Italians, being Gypsy equates, automatically, with being a criminal. In Romania itself, so it would appear from reports, the very word Roma to the general population equates with thieves and worse.
To all intents and purposes we are seeing a re-run of the 1930s Nazi anti-Gypsy policies taking hold all over the European Union and surrounding countries.
Discussions on whether Yul Brunner or Elvis Presley was Gypsy or the creation of a standardized Romani Language are not going to help the besieged Gypsy People in mainland Europe one iota. Other measures must be employed there. What good is a standardized Romani Language to the Rom that are being persecuted? About as useful as you-know-what on a boar.
All I can see is a complete re-run of the 1930s as regards to Anti-Gypsy-ism, How long until countries such as Germany and Austria, as well as France, start registering and fingerprinting the Romani-Gypsy on their territories, within their borders, foreign ones and citizens alike? I hate to say this but... I am sure this is not far off.
And while all this is happening our “esteemed leaders”, like Nero while Rome burned, fiddle.
On top of that the general Gypsy world population too seems to be in a total state of apathy and even denial – it could never happen here they all seem to say and think – as far as the suffering of their Romani brethren in the various European Union member states and some outside the EU, such as the Ukraine.
Solidarity amongst the Rom seems to have gone entirely out of the window. Or was it just a figment of the imagination and it never ever really existed?
If we, the Gypsy, the Sinti and Roma, in countries not – AS YET – affected by such measures do not stand by our Romani brethren that are affected then when it comes to us there will be no one left to speak out. The Gadje will not stand up on our behalf – the majority certainly not – not even the Jews who like us ones suffered pogroms.
How long will we stand by and let it all happen with the apathy of “I am alright, my family are alright... that's all that counts”? We all can do something and we all must do something somehow somewhere.
We have only ourselves and we Gypsy everywhere must stand – even if only at a distance, for those that cannot be there – with those of our People that are being persecuted and that suffer.
Ourselves Alone!
AVA! Ame Shai!
© M Smith (Veshengro), August 2008
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