Lately I've become quite disturbed by the similarities of recent events and by pre-WWII Germany. There seems to be a backlash against immigrant peoples worldwide and most notably a backlash against the Romani people. As the world economies worsen and governments look for distractions, I fear that these xenophobic policies will only escalate. The only way to combat this is to make a stand, speak out and let these bigoted people know that the whole world is watching. So here is my stand and I hope you will join me and watch as this blog evolves. My wish is that it will educate and inspire people to action.
Why did I choose this title for the blog? Porrajmos is the Romani term used for the WWII Nazi genocide of the Romani & Sinti people, known to most as Gypsies. Current events in the news have led me to believe that we may be headed for a repeat of that horrible time. Despite UN criticism, the French authorities have "repatriated" to Romania and Bulgaria 8,313 Romani people this year up from the 7,875 sent home in all of 2009 and have plans to abolish another 300 Roma camps. France is not the only country pandering to the far-right. French officials claim that this policy copied the policies that Italy's far-right government enacted in 2008. With elections starting on October 3, the leading Yugoslavian far right party has plans to put Roma people into what they term as "public order protection camps" that amount to little more than ghettos. We need to stand up and let the world know that these things will not be tolerated.
In the coming weeks, this blog will contain links to news, actions, templates for letters to write your representatives, and groups working for Romani rights, plus posts by this blog's co-authors and guest-authors. Hopefully it will be the spark to light a fire for Roma rights and the rights of all immigrant people.
Want to know more?
Here are some of my sources:
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1579765.php/EU-s-Big-Five-to-hold-meeting-over-Roma-expulsions-Roundup
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/28/2996197.htm
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/67333,news-comment,news-politics,round-up-of-roma-people-puts-sarkozy-in-the-dock
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/855668--hungary-s-far-right-wants-to-round-up-roma-in-camps
http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/italian-minister-praises-france-s-crackdown-on-roma-2010-08-21-1.281818
What you can do:
Write your representatives and let them know that you do not approve.
Post on your blog about this. Email your friends and family. Write an editorial for your local paper. Be creative.
Want to co-author this blog? Please email me @ robinandreae@gmail.com
Remember that the only way evil will prevail is for us to do nothing!
~ Robin Andreae
Thank you for being a voice for the Romani people. I hope that we may join our voices and make an impact wherever possible.
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