Center for Romani Studies: Most Czechs do not consider Roma a natural part of society

The Center for Romani Studies (Středisko romských studií – SRS) has produced a report summarizing its current findings in the field of Romani issues. The aim of the report is to raise the topic of antigypsyism and its impacts on the security of Romani people in the Czech Republic.

The report was authored by Ondřej Giňa and the center as a collective. It is available in Czech only at http://www.romea.cz/cz/zpravodajstvi/zprava-strediska-romskych-studii-vetsina-cechu-nepovazuje-romy-za-prirozenou-soucast-spolecnosti-a-chteji-se-jich-zbavit

As the SRS writes in the report, "Czechs are not hiding their prejudice and open racial hatred of Romani people. On the other hand, Romani people do not have a problem with Czechs when it comes to the principle of their ethnic or national affiliation. Romani people are not bothered by Czechs as a nation, but do perceive them as a threat and a danger to themselves and their relatives."

The SRS reports that since 1990, Romani people have been systematically pushed to the edge of Czech society. Their unequal position restricts their access to education, employment, health care, housing, and other social rights. 

Romani people do not participate in decision-making about public matters or concerns that affect them. As a result of the state’s policy of segregation, and as a result of poverty and squalor, during the past 20 years a dramatic cultural, ethical, moral and social decline is said to have occurred among members of the Romani national minority.

In the conditions of these segregated ghettos, Romani people are reportedly losing their cultural and ethnic identity. Romani people are also said to be losing their mother tongue, Romanes, as well as their traditional systems of morals and values.

The enormous unemployment rate (90 %), particularly among some Romani youth, is said to be one cause of their "anti-social" behavior. The low level of educational achievement in the Romani population is another reason Romani people are unable to improve their social status and standard of living, as well as the reason they are not managing to effectively stand up to antigypsyism from the majority society.

A feeling of hopelessness, that these problems are unsolvable, is said to predominate in the Romani community. The SRS says Czechs believe the Roma to be "parasites" who abuse the state welfare system, as well as "criminals and murderers".  

Czech society is demanding harsher, stricter punishments for Romani people. Lawmakers are doing their best to intentionally promote laws against so-called "inadaptables", a synonym for Romani people.

Local municipalities are proposing and adopting anti-Romani measures in the form of ordinances. The effort predominates to push Romani residents out of towns and villages solely for the commission of a mere misdemeanor. 

The aim of the frequent anti-Romani demonstrations in the country is to reach the ghettos and residential hotels occupied by Romani people in order to physically assault and publicly lynch their inhabitants. It must be emphasized that these attempted pogroms are participated in not just by neo-Nazis, but by ordinary people from the majority part of society. 

The security of Romani people is at risk in the Czech Republic. Their existence is becoming a central, easily exploited topic for some politicians, including senators from all political parties.

Their previous use of anti-Romani rhetoric brought such politicians their seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Most of their cheap speeches include a significant tinge of racial bias and hatred. 

In its prognosis for future developments, the SRS writes, among other things, that the following can be anticipated based on the current situation:

• neo-Nazi groups and radical movements will gain in strength; their bases will grow to include new members from among the ranks of ordinary people; their attacks on Romani people will become more aggressive, more brutal, and more premeditated; they will focus more on strategy and tactics; the possible rise of armed paramilitary brigades cannot be ruled out;
• anti-Romani demonstrations and marches will continue to be organized by the neo-Nazi movement and by ordinary residents of towns and villages; street violence will mainly be aimed against Romani people; the more the economic and social level of ordinary Czechs declines, the worse the situation for Roma will be;
• local administrations will continue to adopt controversial edicts and ordinances against so-called "inadaptable citizens", which will secretly be aimed primarily against Romani people; efforts by town and village councils to move Romani people beyond their limits will predominate; 
• bigger and newer ghettoes and slums will be created;
• central government policy will not significantly engage with Romani affairs; rather, there will be restrictions to the welfare system, on which Romani people in particular are dependent; the central government will neither intervene in nor reflect on what happens in towns and villages;
• MPs will fulfill their parties’ political programs by starting to submit draft legislation on restrictions against so-called "inadaptable citizens" (Romani people); they will ignore inter-ethnic conflict between Czechs and Romani people; individual MPs will intentionally exploit this situation to their advantage, contributing toward an escalation of violence.  

The SRS material endeavors to draw possible conclusions regarding future developments based on current events in the Czech Republic. The SRS says the aim of its report is to point out the causes and consequences of this problematic coexistence that concerns Czechs, Romani people, and all of society in general.