Green Party / Roma motion

The Roma / France debarcle continues to be in the news. Ethnic groups and indiginous peoples are under attack across the world and the Roma are one example that is close to home.

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/News/11-09-2010-em-roma-keith-taylor.html

Green conference passes Emergency Motion on Roma

11 SEPTEMBER 2010

On the heels of French deportations of Roma that have hit international headlines in recent weeks, Green Party autumn conference has passed an emergency motion on the issue.

The emergency motion urged "all Green Party elected representatives in local, national and international governments apply maximum pressure toward improving equality and access to services for Roma people and asserting their human rights."

Keith Taylor, the proposer of the emergency conference motion, and the Green Party's MEP for South East England, said: "The Roma are European citizens, yet some of their most fundamental rights - including freedom of movement within the EU and access to services - have been abused. It's clear that the actions against them are driven by xenophobia, and represent a flouting of national obligations under international law."

The motion expresses "profound concerns over the recent treatment of Roma people in France and Italy. In particular, the mass deportations of Roma people which appear to have been made purely on the grounds of ethnicity." It also points out that similar actions by the governments of Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

There are an estimated 10-12 million Roma people in the EU, making them the EU's largest ethnic minority.

==

Full text of emergency resolution

This conference:

Notes

- that the Roma community is Europe's largest ethnic minority, at 10-12 million people, and trace their roots back to India in the Middle Ages

Expresses

- profound concerns over the recent treatment of Roma people in France and Italy. In particular, the mass deportations of Roma people which appear to have been made purely on the grounds of ethnicity
- concerns also about similar government actions in Germany, Denmark and Sweden
- support for the calls for legal action against the Member State governments for their deportation of Roma people

Believes

- that deportation on ethnicity is wholly wrong and immoral and cannot be tolerated
- that such deportations are illegal, run counter to the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights and infringe the freedom of movement to which all European citizens are entitled
- that travelling Roma people are entitled to suitable health, housing, education and social services in every EU Member State 
- that this week's decision by the European Parliament to condemn the French government and demand an immediate halt to deportations is to be welcomed
- that UK national and local government must improve service provision for gypsies and travelling people

& Therefore Requests

- that all Green Party elected representatives in local, national and international governments apply maximum pressure toward improving equality and access to services for Roma people and asserting their human rights
- the European Commission to urgently develop a pan-European Roma integration strategy
- that GPEx communicates' members wishes

Greens fight for Roma rights

Received this from Keith Taylor our new Green MEP for the South East following Sarkozy's disgraceful and racist expulsion of Roma from France. Roma are persecuted across Europe and I used to get emails from one of their campaigners. We must stand and fight for the rights of the oppressed. Well done Keith!

Keith's press release:

EU HAS DUTY TO UPHOLD RIGHTS OF ROMA PEOPLE, SAYS GREEN EURO-MP 

- Comments follow President Sarkozy’s widely criticized deportations of Roma from France to Romania

MEPs will congregate on Tuesday (7 September, 3pm) to debate a proposed resolution on the European Parliament’s formal response to the expulsions of Roma people in France.

The plight of the Roma people is back on the political agenda in Parliament following controversial moves by the French government to deport planeloads of Roma to Romania as part of a general crackdown by President Nicolas Sarkozy. 

MEPs and the Council have repeatedly asked the European Commission to draw up a cohesive strategy and programme for the EU wide integration of the Roma – but so far it has failed to do so. 

As a member of the Greens/EFA group, one of four EP political groups which condemn Sarkozy's government for the expulsions, the Green MEP for the South East said he was horrified by the mass deportations – and urged the EU to uphold the principles of its own laws by taking a hard line on France’s draconian policy.

Keith Taylor, the Green Party’s MEP for South East England, said: “Roma people are European citizens, yet some of their most fundamental rights – including freedom of movement within the EU – have been abused. It seems clear that the actions of the French government are driven by xenophobia, and represent a blatant flouting of France’s obligations under international law. 

“In case there was any doubt, the Romanian Interior Minister Vasile Blaga scotched the French justification for the deportations – that the individuals were criminals – when he revealed that not a single Romanian deported from France last week appeared on any French or Romanian police databases. 

“The Parliament and Commission must not ignore this injustice. It must act swiftly to draw up a common European strategy for the Roma people which addresses the many challenges they face in a fair and humane way. The Greens believe that the EP resolution should go further and will therefore seek to amend it in Strasbourg on Tuesday. We are also calling for a legal challenge against this strategy of persecution.”

There are an estimated 10-12 million Roma people in the EU, representing the largest ethnic minority. Other member states, such as Italy, have also been criticized for their historically poor treatment of the ethnic community. Romania is calling for recognition of Roma human rights and a wider policy of integration.

While Greens have made clear their plans to speak out against the expulsion of Roma, the conservative EPP group has said it will attempt to block criticism of Sarkozy’s actions.

Belarus Roma

Economic downturns, increasing surveillance and increasing fearful governments all mean that people living in the margins get persecuted. Roma everywhere are a clear example of this. The appalling actions of the Italian government have not gone completely unnoticed by the press as they attempt to database and criminalise the Roma there. Racism must be stopped wherever it occurs.

The email below is from Belarus. I can't verify any of it, but I have no reason to doubt it either.

Dear Greens!
Last news from Belarus

http://www.dzeno.cz/?c_id=18196

Let them to survive…

Today is 40 days when one 14 years Roma girl was suicide. According to Russian Orthodox Church tradition, 40 days its symbolic. It was in Tolochin, small town in Vitebsk region. According to Tolochin branch office of Party of Communists of Belarus, today, local library membership card is the only one document which certificated her existence in that life. There was no birthday certificate, no medical card, no school attendance certificate; nothing left…Nothing left, except just simple short piece of paper, librarian membership card. According to local leader of Tolochin branch office of Party of Communists of Belarus, officially there is no evidence about Natalia Tumarevich’s existence in Tolochin!!!

Natalia Tumarevich was typical Roma girl. Nice, bold, funny girl with whole life in front of her. How did she live? What dreams she had? What she liked? We don’t know…

What have happened in Belarus with Roma? What is going on in Belarus? Suicide’s a not characteristic of Roma community. Roma people has very high survival rate everywhere. But everything has an edge even Roma survival rate.

Roma living conditions are very far from ideal everywhere, it’s true. Different numbers of Roma population in Belarus. I would say something about 25000. Approximately 97 percent of total Roma population is totally unemployment. More then 90 percent didn’t finish secondary school. There are no Roma school, no Roma newspapers, no Roma classes, no cultural programs, nothing. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that but it is. People are existing in Belarus without any kind of positive attention from Belarusian government. In the same time TV channels disseminating different stereotypes about Roma people, doing that with the great pleasure, doing everyday… Attention for Roma people in Belarus directed to discriminate them, to prevent, to separate them from education, from job, from the progress. It’s not a single case, it’s Belarusian state policy to discriminate Roma people!!!

Stop to left “librarian membership cards”, stop it now. We are people like everyone else. And we will live our life like a people!!!

For everyone I want to appeal with this. Imagine, please, how many Natalia Tumarevich’s are in your country? Some of them are very close too you, somewhere next too you. Probably, everyday you meet people like Natalia. Remember, Natalia Tumarevich still leaving in your city, in your town, in your country and you are in position to help her. We can’t resurrect poor Roma girl from Belarus but what we can do is to stop our indifference to people like Natalia. Let them to survive…

Kalinin Nicolas

Delegate in European Roma Travelers Forum

Member in Federation of European Roma Young People