Racism in Germany / Sinti and Roma everywhere in danger

2023-09-19 07:41:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

For the first time, the Anti-Gypsy Reporting and Information Center documented where and how anti-Gypsyism occurs in Germany. Conclusion: it often appears prominently in state authorities.

Are 621 incidents with an antigypsy background recorded in one year too many or too few? The Antigypsy Reporting and Information Center (MIA) will not be able to answer this question until 2024. Because so far only the first report has been compiled. In contrast to the inventory of the Independent Commission on Anti-Gypsyism published in 2021, the new form of reports is planned annually.

"In this way, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sheds light on what is still a very large dark area of ??anti-Gypsy crimes and incidents," writes the chairman of the Central Council of Sinti and German Roma, Romani Rose, in the foreword. And the reporting center supported by the Ministry of Family does not avoid the use of discriminatory words in favor of a better understanding.

Why does the word "gypsy" appear in the MIA report

"In our report we use the term "Gypsy" in several places. This anti-Gypsy term has caused a lot of suffering, violence and exclusion to this day. Therefore we use the term as little as possible and only in quotation marks", explains the team of MIA's. The quotes are intended to express that this term and the anti-Gypsy ideas and prejudices behind it are a construct of the majority society, it is further stated.

"The teacher sits and watches"

"The term is still used in many of the incidents we documented and unfortunately the description of these physical and verbal anti-Gypsy attacks is incomplete if we avoid using the term." A concrete example is described in the report of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: "A student calls her classmate "dirty gypsy", drags her by her hair in the school yard, her pants are torn, her knee bleeds, and the teacher watches her And at the end he says to the affected 12-year-old girl: Don't make it so big!

Some cases end up in police statistics

All cases of discrimination or violence are anonymous. Many reports come directly from affected persons, some are also documented in official sources such as the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) statistics on politically motivated crimes (PKM). This includes the only case of extreme violence noted in the MIA's annual report for 2022, which occurred in the Land of Zara (Saarland).

"A group of people were first insulted in an anti-Gypsy manner by persons in two cars passing by and then shot with air pistols. There were several injuries."

Romani Rose complains about the rise of right-wing extremism

The MIA report clearly shows the dangers of growing nationalism and right-wing extremism, which is again showing aggression and violence against Sinti and Roma, Jews and other minorities, writes Romani Rose in the introduction. The President of the Central Council of Sinti and Roma says that there is still "a lack of knowledge about the mechanisms of antigypsyism" in society. This form of racism is "a sad daily occurrence not only on the streets, but also in official institutions", the report states. Every the fifth registered case is related to contacts with state authorities: "An employment center requests the same documents and invoices several times and requests documents that the affected family does not understand why they are being requested. As a result, the benefit to the Roma family has been suspended until the relevant documents are provided.

Ku fillon diskriminimi institucional?

Është e vështirë të gjykosh nëse ka dashje në raste të tilla apo jo. Këtë e pranon edhe ekipi i MIA-s: "Në bazë të raporteve të rasteve individuale, nuk është gjithmonë e mundshme të dallohet diskriminimi nga praktikat institucionale dhe se deri në çfarë mase sjellja e një individi ka efekt në rritjen e diskriminimit”.

Në një rast nga viti 2021 nuk ka dyshim që kemi të bëjmë me diskriminim të qëllimshëm apo shkelje të ligjit kundër diskriminimit: Një sinto njëmbëdhjetë vjeçar kontrollohet nga policia në një kontroll rutinë. I gjendet një thikë e vogël e palosshme dhe për këtë shkak atij i vihen prangat dhe futet me forcë në makinën e policisë dhe dërgohet në komisariat.

Dy policë u dënuan

They ignored the boy's age and he was not allowed to notify his parents. After questioning him for half an hour, he was released. The family denounced the responsible officials and won the trial in 2022. The policemen were fined 3,600 euros for deprivation of liberty./ DW