Category: Combatting antigypsyism

ERGO Network presents Reference paper on Antigypsyism at the meeting of CAHROM

The 5th co-ordination meeting between international intergovernmental organisations organized by the AD HOC COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA AND TRAVELER ISSUES (CAHROM) in cooperation with the Governmental Office for Roma Affairs of the Czech Republic took place on 31 May in Prague. It was supported by ERGO member Slovo 21 and was organized during the International Roma Festival Khamoro.

Representatives of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the European Commission, the Fundamental Rights Agency, OSCE/ODIHR, UNDP, UNICEF, World Bank, representatives of national governments and relevant actors involved in the Roma issues participated in the meeting.

ERGO Director Jamen Gabriela Hrabanova presented the reference paper on antigypsyismand the “Roma Civil Monitor”, a project on shadow monitoring and capacity building run by Central European University together with the European Roma Rights Centre, Roma Education Fund, Fundacion Secretariado Gitano and ERGO Network.

The CAHROM took note of the reference paper and shared it with all CAHROM members. Jamen appealed to the government representatives to tackle systemic antigypsyism in their countries and to make a special effort to include combatting antigypsyism into their national strategies. This appeal was even more relevant as the CAHROM set up an international Task Force on Anti-Gypsyism under the Czech Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

ERGO Network condemns murder of three Roma sisters in arson attack

ERGO Network condemns in the strongest possible terms the murder of three Roma sisters aged four, eight and 20, who died in a fire after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at their camper van on the outskirts of Rome, Italy early Wednesday morning.  Such attack is as a heinous crime that is calling for an unbiased police investigation, and we’ll not rest until the perpetrators are brought to justice regardless their origin.

We would like to express deep condolences to the family and surviving children.

We appeal to the media and politicians to keep sensitivity in their coverage and in political responses to make sure they don’t fuel already existing antigypsyism in the society.

We repeat our call to the Italian municipal authorities, the Italian government and the European Commission to ensure that Roma families in Italy have a chance for equal citizenship and being offered decent housing conditions and facilities where their children grow up in a secure environment and can invest in a better future.

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ERGO Networks joins the open letter of Graziano Halilovic that you can find attached.

Joint statement: International Holocaust Remembrance Day: EU must tackle contemporary Antisemitism and Antigypsyism

Brussels, 27 January 2017 – Today on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, anti-racism organisations across Europe urge European governments to make Antisemitism, Antigypsyism and all forms of racism a priority, in a context of increasing hate speech and security threats against minorities.

The International Holocaust Day is a vital opportunity to remember the tragic events of the Holocaust and to reaffirm our commitment to ensure that such injustices are never to reoccur. We must take the opportunity to commemorate those who were subject to mass extermination during the Holocaust – including Jewish people, Roma, homosexuals and people with disabilities – and also those otherwise persecuted under the Nazi regime, such as people of African descent. Only by remembering can we hope to ensure the equality and safety for Jewish communities in Europe alongside all other ethnic and religious communities. We must never forget that around 6 million Jews and at least 500 000 Roma were exterminated during the Holocaust, based on notions of racial inferiority.

There is, however, a very real risk that these lessons are being forgotten. Last week, Bjoern Hoecke of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which promotes a xenophobic and racist agenda, criticised Berlin’s Holocaust memorial and questioned the need to dwell on the Holocaust as an aspect of German history. This is just one of many instances in previous months in which the growing tide of Europe’s political right wing have attempted to rally against minorities.

Since the Holocaust, harmful stereotypes and myths about Jewish people have persisted in Europe and these are increasingly materialising into deadly attacks, physical violence, hate speech (especially online), attacks against property, and the desecration of places of worship and cemeteries. Some European Jews feel forced to hide the fact that they are Jewish or have a Jewish background.

In Germany, official police statistics recorded some 1,300 antisemitic crimes nationwide in 2015. The Community Security Trust recorded 557 antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom in the first six months of 2016, an 11% increase compared to the same period in 2015. 40% of 1,200 Jews surveyed in France said they avoided wearing symbols that identified them as Jews for fear of antisemitic attacks. In Poland, a study conducted by the Center for Research on Prejudice at the University of Warsaw finds a significant increase in negative attitudes toward Jews from 2014 to 2016.

Similarly, widespread Antigypsyism has persisted across Europe, and is deeply rooted in social and cultural attitudes and institutional practice. 80% of European Roma continue to live at risk of poverty.

In the current polarising context, we need to build strong coalitions and solidarity between communities and show a united front against hatred. We must actively work against insidious stereotypes, structural racism and expose groups and politicians that exploit them to pit communities against one another. In fighting for the rights and freedoms of Europe’s minorities, we must not forget the injustices that have taken place and be vigilant against similar acts of racism and hate.

EU institutions and Member States must take steps to prevent acts of hatred without stigmatising any community. This includes ensuring that States monitor, investigate and sanction hate crime and incitement to violence; developing detailed strategies to address specific forms of racism, including Antisemitism and Antigypsyism; and supporting cross-community initiatives by civil society.

For further information, contact:
Georgina Siklossy, ENAR Senior Communication and Press Officer
Tel: +32 (0)2 229 35 70 – Mobile: +32 (0)473 490 531 – E-mail: georgina@enar-eu.org – Web: www.enar-eu.org

Signatories:
European Network Against Racism (ENAR)
Association of African students in Europe (AASE)
Austrian Muslim Initiative
Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC UK)
Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en Belgique (CCIB)
Community Security Trust (CST)
Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe
European Roma Grassroots Organisation (ERGO Network)
European Roma Information Office (ERIO)
European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)
Federation of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO)
Open Republic Association against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia – Otwarta Rzeczpospolita
Pan African Movement for Justice
Phiren Amenca

Joint statement: International Holocaust Remembrance Day: EU must tackle contemporary Antisemitism and Antigypsyism