Work by Gabi Jiminez (Paris/Spain) on the plight of the Roma in Italy:
Italian souvenir(s), 2009. Courtesy of the artist.
For updated information, please join fb groups such as
https://www.facebook.com/groups/romacontacts/
THE BELOW IS A LINK COLLECTION from the FB Group “Against fingerprinting of the Roma community in Italy”
in 2009:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20168217599&ref=mf
Please sign the online petition:http://www.gopetition.com/online/21275.html
Currently, they are working with several MEPs, particularly with Arlene McCarthy. They are awaiting a response to our letter to Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and are awatiing a response from the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament, have sent out many press releases recently and are developing links with other groups helping the Roma in a bid for an even stronger and more prominent campaign.
See also: Roma Rights Network, http://www.romarights.net/
See also: http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/MainPage.html– a non profit organisation – EveryOne, a group for International Cooperation on Human Right Culture – has a lot on the Roma as well.
‘International Roma Day, 10th April 2009’, MP3s on Roma History:
http://lmv.hu/node/3805
‘Europe’s Roma stuck in a vicious circle of despair’, European Parliament website, 10th March 2009:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/016-51268-068-03-11-902-20090309STO51242-2009-09-03-2009/default_en.htm
‘Hard Times, Hate Crimes in Hungary’ – from ‘wideangle’, February 23rd, 2009 – concerning rising anti-Romani violence in Hungary:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/uncategorized/hard-times-hate-crimes-in-hungary/4248/
‘The hunt has begun’ – concerning the treatment of Romani people in camps such as Casilino 900, around Rome, 6th February 2009, Roma Rights Network:
http://www.romarights.net/content/hunt-has-begun
‘Italy torn by racial strains’ – BBC News, 4th February 2009:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7858012.stm
‘Florence, Italy. The muncipal police snatch blankets from the Roma sleeping out’ – EveryOne Group, 10th October 2008:http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=30386308154&h=ezTDE&u=3aFWL
Romanian actress battles racism in Italy, 10th October, from The Independent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/romanian-actress-battles-racism-in-italy-956707.html
‘EU criticized at first European Roma summit’, Roma Rights Network:
http://www.new.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=35477639427
‘Euro MPs Take Up Public Call for Roma Rights’, blog of a University of Warwick English Literature Professor kindly mentioning our campaign, 19th September:
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/morleyd/entry/euro_mps_take
‘History repeating’-Violent attacks on Gypsies in Italy this summer, along with attempts to remove Travellers’ homes across Europe, have struck fear into the heart of the Roma community. Novelist Louise Doughty who has Romany ancestors, reports on the sinister new wave of persecution against Europe’s fastest-growing ethnic minority, The Guardian, 16th September:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/16/roma.race
‘Roma poverty a major issue for E.U.’ – BBC News website, 16th September:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7618399.stm
‘EU Roma summit urged to take action on discrimination’- discusses the campaign on European Parliament website/uses our press release, 16th September:
http://www.theparliament.com/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/eu-roma-summit-urged-to-take-action-on-discrimination/
From ‘PSE’, the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, highlighting the campaign, ‘Euro MPs Take Up Public Call for Roma Rights’:
http://www.socialistgroup.eu/gpes/pressdetail.do?id=97364&lg=en
‘First EU Roma summit’, from European Commission website, 16th September:
http://ec.europa.eu/news/employment/080916_1_en.htm
EU Roma Summit, Brussels, 16th September:Romano_Liloro:
http://groups.google.com/group/Romano_Liloro/browse_thread/thread/9af53dd6e645451f
Main EU Website on the EU and Roma:
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/roma/index_en.htm
Draft Outline of the Brussels Summit on the Roma – 16th September 2008 (Word document): www.fnasat.asso.fr/Draft%2
http://www.romea.cz/english/index.php?id=detail&detail=2007_1005
‘The Roma in Italy. The European Union is at a dangerous crossroads’, September 8th, from EveryOne:
http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/9/8_The_Roma_in_Italy._The_European_Union_is_at_a_dangerous_crossroads.html
‘Legnaro. Arson kills two young Sinti merry-go-round operators’, September 3rd, from EveryOne:
http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/9/3_Legnaro._Arson_kills_two_young_Sinti_merry-go-round_operators.html
E.U. Clears Berlusconi over Roma Gypsies:, The Times, 4th September 2008:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4674724.ece
E.U. clears Belusconi over Roma Gypsies, Romea website, 5th September 2008:
http://www.romea.cz/english/index.php?id=detail&detail=2007_1042
Radio Four programme on a landmark court case in the Czech Republic, concerning the education of Roma children, 28th August:http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00d50ws/
‘Save the Children and Roma children. A dossier full of prejudice’, 26th August, from Everyone. 2008:http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/8/26_Save_the_Children_and_Roma_children._A_dossier_full_of_prejudice.html
Letter in The Guardian about our campaign and petition: August 22nd.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/22/roma.italy
‘Pope warns Italy in danger of returning to fascism’, August 18th, Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2008/aug/18/italy
Police Prefect of Rome suggests Roma boys should be ‘shoeshines’, EveryOne. 18th August 2008:http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/8/18_Racist_Italy_goes_over_the_limit.html
Red Cross says Italian Rom a are forced to live in worse conditions than people in the poor villages of Uganda: EveryOne, 18th August:http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/8/18_The_Red_Cross_describes_the_conditions_the_Roma_people_in_Italy.html
‘Inside Italian Gypsy Camps’ – pictures from The Guardian, August 17th 2008:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/aug/17/roma.italy?picture=336590469
‘ ‘Why do the Italians hate us?’ It is an image that shocked the world: two young Gypsy children lie dead for three hours on an Italian beach while, feet away, a carefree couple enjoy a leisurely picnic. Dan McDougall travels to the Roma camps of Naples to meet the dead girls’ mother and finds fear and bitterness – and a country in danger of forgetting its far-Right past’ – exzcellent article from The Observer, 17th Augsut 2008:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/aug/17/familyandrelationships.roma
Czech far-right party activist to address BNP:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/16/thefarright.roma
A powerful video on what’s happening to the Roma people. Visit:http://www.icare.to/main.php?en
Keep an eye on this link for answers from the European Commission to questions asked by MEPs on the subject:http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/plenary/ta/search.do?language=EN
The European Parliament’s resolution condemning the fingerpnting of Roma people and teh use of fingerprints already collected: them:http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P6-TA-2008-0361+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN.
Italian government angered by ‘fascist’ label applied to it by influential Italian Catholic magasine ‘Famiglia Cristiana’, BBC News, 14th August: :http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7561762.stm
‘Berlusconi Targets Gypsies Amid Bias Against EUs Top Minority’, Bloomberg, 5th August: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=atPWXZTr0O58
‘Italy deploys troops to fight street crime’, CNN, 4th August:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/04/italy.troops.ap/index.html
‘Italian army sent on to the streets’, Al Jazeera, 4th August:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/08/20088494749567647.html
Berlusconi’s put troops on the streets: Guardian, 4th August:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/04/italy
31st July – Gypsies are now being persecuted in France: from an Italian news website:http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/news_collection/awnplus_mondo/2008-07-31_131143975.html
Italy starts fingerprinting Gypsies. Authorities in Rome have raided camps to check for proper papers and tear down illegal housing – from Luciole Press Blog, 30th July:
http://blog.luciolepress.com/2008/07/03/italy-starts-fingerprinting-gypsies-authorities-in-rome-have-raided-camps-to-check-for-proper-papers-and-tear-down-illegal-housing.aspx
Racism in Italy? Roma crackdown draws critics – article from Reuters. 29th July:
http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSL2591405320080730?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
Article on Berlusconi’s plans/mentions Italian army shutting down Gypsy camps – Independent, 27th July:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/silvio-berlusconi-the-padrone-is-back-and-he-means-business-878282.html
Targeting of Gypsy children, Daily Mail, 26th July:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1038747/The-world-shocked-Italian-sunbathers-ignoring-dead-gipsy-girls–But-Italy-showing-chilling-Roma-children.html
Roma face fear and loathing in Italy- Guardian article:24th July:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/24/italy.roma
CNN’s coverage:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/21/gypsy.reaction/
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/21/italy.drowning/index.html
UN attacks discrimination:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/15/italy.gypsies.ap/index.html
‘Italian media appalled by Neapolitan tragedy’ – CNN, 23rd July:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/21/gypsy.reaction/index.html
Echoes of Mussolini – Independent (23 July 2008)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/plight-of-the-roma-echoes-of-mussolini-855436.html
Cardinal Crescenzio’s condemnation – Archbishop of Naples (22 July 2008):
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/cardinal-crescenzio-sepe-prejudice-in-life-indifference-in-death-873742.html
The pictures that shamed Italy, Independent, 22nd July:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-picture-that-shames-italy-873743.html
‘Two children of the Roma ethnic group dorwn in Naples’-contains pictures which may be disturbing for some people, EveryOne, 22nd July,http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/7/22_Two_children_of_the_Roma_ethnic_group_drown_in_Naples.html
21st July, The Guardian – sad that things have got this bad:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/21/italy.race
Old prejudices revived – Independent, 18th July
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/world-focus-italians-and-the-gypsies-ndash-an-old-prejudice-revived-870863.html
UN condemns Italy over treatment of Gypsies, 15th July:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/15/italy.gypsies.ap/index.html
15th July – The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/15/italy.race
From the Open Society Institute: ‘Report Documents Italy’s Abuse of Roma, Raises Specter of Past Persecution’: 15.07.08:http://www.soros.org/initiatives/brussels/news/italy_20080715
11th July – from an internet site:http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/11/int17.htm
Guardian: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/10/race.humanrights
‘The persecution of gypsies is now the shame of Europe’ (10.07.08)
10th July – European Parliament condemns actions of Italian government:http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/10/europe/EU-EU-Italy-Roma.php
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7476413.stm
‘Italy fingerprint plan criticised’ (10.07.08)
Times: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4272550.ece
‘Italy gypsies find echoes of Nazism in fingerprinting move’ (05.07.08)
Ongoing problems for the Gypsies in Rome – Al Jazeera Television – 5th July 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAfzmHd7MPE&feature=related
5th July – Fingerprinting of gypsies alike to Nazi persecution of the Jews – from The Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4272550.ece
27th June: Plight of the Roma: echoes of Mussollini- Independent:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/plight-of-the-roma-echoes-of-mussolini-855436.html
Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/2200020/Italy-to-fingerprint-all-Roma-gipsy-children.html
‘Italy to fingerprint all Roma gypsy children’ (26.06.08)
Daily Mail’s coverage (26 June 2008):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1029757/Italian-plan-fingerprint-Roma-gypsy-children-bid-end-begging-sparks-uproar.html
Treatment of the Gyspies Video – Al Jazeera Television 13th June 2008:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlMFRamBVsk&feature=related
8th June – Marching for Roma rights in Rome – VIDEO from Reuters:http://www.reuters.com/news/video?
29th May – Italian children on the gypsies:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/2043851/Italy-Italian-children-back-burning-of-gypsy-camps.html
‘Attacks against Roma Communities in Italy’ – Amnesty International, 23 rd May 2008:http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR30/002/2008/en/64b47228-28e2-11dd-88e3-17bcbb296f4e/eur300022008eng.html
Independent:
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italian-tolerance-goes-up-in-smoke-as-gypsy-camp-is-burnt-to-ground-829318.html
‘Italian tolerance goes up in smoke as Gypsy camp is burnt to ground’ (16.05.08)
UNESCO:
http://www.unesco.org/courier/2000_06/uk/ethique.htm
‘Gypsies are Europe’s most hated minority’ – BBC (2005):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4486245.stm
Roma Holocaust survivors return to Auschwitz, 2004:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article464914.ece
On persecution of Gypsies/Roma people through history:
http://www.geocities.com/~patrin/terror.htm
Equal Rights for Europe’s largest minority – from the U.N. Chronicle:
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2006/webArticles/120106_rose.htm
Very good site on persecution of the Roma throughout history:http://www.romani.org/local/rom_persecution.html
