Recent Romnews postings
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Recent Romnews postings
APOLOGY FOR ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS
Prague, CZECH REP. (RNN Correspondent) August the 10th 1998
Josef Krejsa, the former representative of the ultra-nationalistic
republican party in the Czech parliament, apologized for his
anti-Semitic remarks. However, in an interview with the Czech
broadcast he refused to do the same for his likely disparaging remarks
about Sinti and Roma. The republican party missed the 5%-mark in the
elections on June 19th and 20th to enter the parliament. Thus Krejsa
lost his mandate and his immunity and can be prosecuted also because
of his former racist statements in the extremistic weekly "Republica",
that had often caused indignation. Observants associated Krejsa's
apology with his fact.
-------------------
COMPLAINT BECAUSE OF SPECIAL RECORDING
Sinti and Roma file complaint against the federal state of Bavaria
Munich/GERMANY (RNN Agency) August the 13th 1998
The Central Committee of German Sinti and Roma filed a complaint
against the federal state of Bavaria because of the special recording
of this minority in police data banks. The chairman of the Central
Committee, Romani Rose, explained, that Bavaria is the only federal
state that offends by this practice against the law of equality and
the international minority convention.
The Central Committee, the Bavarian Union of German Sinti and Roma,
and two private persons accuse the Bavarian government of keeping a
special column "Sinti/Roma" in their interrogating forms. Moreover,
when ascertaining one`s identity or giving a person`s description,
there is also a column in the forms "type: gypsy" or "type:
Sinti/Roma". This practice was stopped in the other federal states
including the police authorities after protests of the state unions of
the Sinti and Roma because of its stigmatizing character.
Different to the terms "Asiatic" or "African", the definition "type:
Sinti/Roma" originates from the National Socialistic propaganda and
not from reality, say the plaintiffs.
-------------------
LESSONS IN ROMANES
Wiesbaden/GERMANY (RNN Correspondent) August the 16th 1998
The language of the Sinti and Roma - Romanes - is going to be
protected in Hessen in the same way like Danish and Frisian in
Schleswig-Holstein or Sorbic in Saxony. This resolution was passed
yesterday. Due to the government spokesman Klaus-Peter
Schmidt-Deguelle (SPD), Hessen would be the first federal state where
the utmost protection for Romanes could be realized. He said, that he
feels confident, that the legislator will soon change the
corresponding law, and that the Hess state government appeals to the
other federal states to follow this model.
The government spokesman explained the initiative by the fact of the
massive encroachment of the Romanes language by the holocaust. The aim
is to avoid any sign of of discrimination in comparison with other
regional or minority languages. With this resolution the Hess
government commits itself to admit lessons at all suitable educational
levels, if there is a sufficient number of Sinti and Roma wanting
this. Speeches in the local parliament can also be held in Romanes, as
was already done in Low German sometimes. It will be also possible to
broadcast TV-programmes in Romanes in the open channels that are
presently available in Offenbach, Gie�en, and Kassel.
-------------------
MAJORITY VOTES AGAINST COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE FOR SINTI AND ROMA
Application failed because of mentioning names of racial scientists
Roma-Union feels indignant (Local advisory board I, Bahnhof, Gallus,
Gutleut, Innenstadt)
Frankfurt a. M./GERMANY (RNN Correspondent) August the 15th 1998
The majority of the advisory board voted against a commemorative
plaque for the Sinti and Roma victims of the National Socialism.
Although the CDU, SPD, and �Die Gr�nen" had pleaded for this plaque
before, the question was now the additional mentioning of the names of
two racial scientists. This was rejected by 4 members each of CDU, SPD
and one of the �Republikaner". Three members of SPD, one of CDU, and
three of �Die Gr�nen" voted in favour of this proposal.
A commemorative plaque only for the victims without mentioning the
scientists was not put to the vote. The names of the scientists in
question are Robert Ritter and Eva Justin, who worked with the "Racial
Hygienic Institute" and prepared with "racial
biological investigations" of Sinti and Roma their separation,
persecution, and murder.
In 1947 both scientists had been employed again by the health centre
of Frankfurt.
Joachim Brenner said that the mentioning of the names would be only
righteous to show their responsibility. Hans-Georg B�ttcher, manager
of the Roma Union, who had also been a victim of persecution, said "I
do not feel hate but I cannot forget how they measured all of us and
how it went on after the war". Hans-Christoph Stoodt, priest of the
Katharinenkirche, supported the request of the Roma Union and
explained, how shocked the
surviving Sinti and Roma must have been when they met Ritter and
Justin again in the health centre after the war.
The former delegate of the City, Christian Raabe, who was a solicitor
of the co-plaintiffs during the Auschwitz lawsuit, supported the
request of the Roma Union �as a modest request considering the
suffering of the Sinti and Roma". Michaela Berberich (Die Gr�nen)
explained her voting with the fact that the Sinti and Roma never got
any compensation. The party leaders of SPD and CDU, Arne Knudt and
Thomas Kirchner, also voted in favour of the plaque. However, they
objected that mentioning the two names could mean that these two
persons would have been the only culprits. But inhumanity does not
begin with the extermination, but with speaking bad of different
races, said
Knudt.
The delegate of the City Ulrich Bauer (Die Gr�nen) suggested to add
one sentence to the plaque: "These names stand in for all those
people, who worked racial-biologically or supported racism by looking
the other way". Due to this proposal, Knudt and Kirchner changed their
minds and voted for the plaque. Knudt said, that he felt put himself
under public pressure by this suggestion and, therefore, voted for the
plaque "only with a queasy feeling".
After the rejection by the local advisory board, "Die Gr�nen" left the
room. Partyleader Andreas Laeuen called it "a shame" that those
present changed to the next topic without a further comment. B�ttcher
said, that the vote showed that there are still people woh have not
learnt anything from the past. He and Brenner announced, that they
would go on speaking up for the commemorative plaque with the names
Ritter and Justin.
-------------------
Kiel/GERMANY (RNN Agency) August the 14th 1998
Glinde/GERMANY (RNN Agency) August the 11th 1998
EICHELBERG ONCE MORE CRITICIZES CHURCH ASYLUM
The church asylum of Glinde is a violation against our legal system,
says Eichelberg, member of the CDU state parliament. Now, the state
government answered a "little inquiry" of Eichelberg in this matter.
"CHURCH ASYLUM IS A BREACH OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM"
Glinde (Kai Dordowski): The church asylum of a Roma family of six is
illegal, says CDU - state parliament member Uwe Eichelberg. The adult
sons of the Roma family, who spent their time in town last summer,
should have been picked up and deported by the police. This is the
result of a reply from the state government to the inquiry of
Eichelberg. As we reported before, a Macedonian family lives since
December 1994 in the rooms of the parish of St. Johannes in Glinde.
EICHELBERG: THE RIGHT OF ASYLUM IS BEING MISUSED
A few days before the local elections in March 1998, the CDU state
parliament with Uwe Eichelberg pilloried the church asylum in public.
The reason: In summer 1997 it became known, that members of the Roma
family moved freely in the city of Glinde. Because of this, the CDU
accused the state government, the police and the church of abusing
the right of asylum. In his comment the minister of the interior
stated, that the deportation of turned down refugees is a matter of
opinion of the police. However, after the termination of a church
asylum, the police must also make allowances to the tasks of the
church like charity and compassion. The police is neither allowed to
arrest people within the church nor to arrest minors outside of the
church. Opposite to this the police must arrest grown-up church
refugees when meeting them outside of their asylum. Eichelberg had
asked why this had not been applied in Glinde. The answer: "The police
department in Glinde was told only afterwards, that the refugees had
been moving outside of the asylum. Until to-day the police has not
made any statements and, therefore, no persons have been arrested".
KIEL: ROMA ARE NOT GENERALLY IN DANGER
The minister of the interior states in his reply to Eichelberg's
inquiry, that he repeatedly recommended to finish the asylum and to
look for the departure of the family. Moreover, he told the parish
several times, "that to his knowledge there is no general danger for
the Roma in Macedonia". For Uwe Eichelberg it is, therefore, quite
clear, that the so-called church asylum is a rude violation against
our legal system. The priest and the parish would have given wrong
information about Macedonia to the citizens. Moreover, the church
asylum would be an injustice against all the other
non-tolerated or deported refugees.
-------------------
The "trench of shame" shall keep away the migrants
Tonnoy/FRANCE (RNN Correspondent) August the 26th 1998
In the East French place Tonnoy 40 caravans with 240 gypsies had taken
residence. Immediately the mayor Claude Belland (62) let a 3-feet deep
trench dig around the place to keep away other migrants. The trench
separates the "tsiganes" (Gypsies) from the societey. The mayor
justified this by the fact, that the migrants do not pay for
electricity or water supply or for the expensive removal of waste. The
newspaper "Lib�ration" called his measure a "shocking method", but
Belland says: "I am not a racist and 10 colleagues support me".
The trench caused quite a stir in France. This had been intended by
Belland. "This gesture is aggressive", he said, "but I did not want to
exclude the migrants, but to initiate a national debate".
Every year the migrants take residence in Tonnoy on their way to a
great "gypsy meeting" in Lure in East France. Tonnoy established a
site for the migrants 15 years ago. But the mayor and part of the
population describe the present situation as unbearable.
Other citizens were so shocked that they immediately filled up again
part of the trench. Michel Galtie, member of the local council, called
it "a trench of shame".
Ten thousands of migrants are on their way to Lure, where about 40.000
are expected to come, and Tonnoy is not the only place where they take
residence.
Another mayor took steps against the migrants. In Longyon migrants
with 15 caravans took residence near the swimming pool and sports
facilities. The mayor closed these facilities and sent the migrants to
the outskirts of the town where 6 parking spaces are available to
them.
In France exists a law that every place with more than 6.500
inhabitants must offer a place for migrants. Only one third of the
places in question have fullfilled this law. No measures are planned
for places that are neglecting this law.
-------------------
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