Edita Stejskalová: Let's give the middle finger to the ultra-conservatives and ultra-right during the elections to the EP!
The 2024 European elections are here and we Roma have a chance to demonstrate that we are not powerless. What gesture could be more powerful than giving the middle finger to all the ultra-conservative and ultra-right parties which are trying to limit our freedoms and our rights?
Discrimination of Romani people: Educational and social segregation are the invisible walls of which it is made
Since the 1950s, generations of Romani people, first in Czechoslovakia and then in the Czech Republic, have been systematically educated in isolation in the special schools. Despite a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights in 2007 condemning the Czech Republic for indirectly discriminating against Romani people in their access to education, this is a trend that continues.
Our Romani children continue to face difficulties that have their roots in this segregated education system, which leads to their low self-confidence and lack of trust in their own intellectual abilities.
Your mind and your will are the instruments of your liberty
We Roma come from different environments and some of us had the good luck to have parents who supported us and strengthened our self-confidence. We managed to graduate from university, despite prejudices and the low expectations the majority society had of us.
What I have learned personally is that I have my own mind and my own will, and both are leading me to actively cast a ballot in these elections. Each vote has the same weight as any other, and exactly for that reason it is important for us all to go to the polls.
The parties which are unacceptable
I would never vote for any of the parties which seek to relativize communism or Nazism, or which are eurosceptic, or which cast doubt on the reality of climate change or on human rights. Contemporary democracies in the west face growing pressure from ultra-conservative and ultra-right parties which make no secret of their antipathy for minorities.
We have to be on our guard and to vote such that our freedoms and rights will be protected. We must defend ourselves against the Chinese and Russian forces which are interfering with European and national sovereignty, and not just in the states of the former eastern bloc.
Disinformation and support for ultra-conservative and ultra-right political parties in the Czech Republic are the strong weapons being wielded by those forces today.
Our power in a democracy
Elections are one of the most effective ways to enforce our will as citizens. Each vote has the same weight, whether we’re rich or poor, Romani or non-Romani.
When we cast our ballots we aren’t criminals or parasites, we are citizens with the power to change things. Let’s never forget that!
Which parties should we not vote for?
During the elections to the European Parliament there is the anticipation that support will grow for parties such as the Brothers of Italy or the League in Italy, the Freedom Party in Austria, the Law and Justice party in Poland, Fidesz in Hungary and the Swedish Democrats in Sweden. In the Czech Republic, the parties of this sort include the joint ticket of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement and Tricolor, FOR – Jindřich Rajchl, the joint ticket of Motorists Unite and the Oath (Přísaha) party, Enough! (Stačilo!), FOR LEAVING THE EU (PRO VYSTOUPENÍ Z EU), and the Freedom Party (Svobodní).
If we care about Europe’s fate and our own rights, let’s not vote for those parties.
Circle your Romani candidate!
Let’s go to these European elections and show we have the power to influence Europe’s future. Let’s not vote for the parties which want to divide the citizens of the European Union and limit our rights.
Let’s give the middle finger to everybody who discriminates against us, let’s defend democracy and equality for everybody. The candidates who are Romani and the current Romani MEPs all face many challenges, but their presence in the European Parliament is and has been crucial to ensuring equality and inclusion in Europe.
Their successes show that despite the obstacles, they have an important impact on European policy and society – they have included Romeo Franz (Greens, Germany), Lívia Jároka (Fidesz, Hungary), Viktória Mohácsi (Alliance of Free Democrats, Hungary), Peter Pollak (Ordinary People and Independent Personalities – OĽANO, Slovakia), and Soraya Post (Feminist Initiative, Sweden). It is essential that we motivate and support more Romani people with joining political processes in order to continue the fight for a more just and tolerant Europe for all.
David Beňák, Jaroslav Miko and Ivana Batthyány: Czech Roma in the 2024 elections to the European Parliament
In the Czech Republic there are three Romani people vying for our votes in the European elections this year: PhDr. David Beňák, Ph.D (an independent candidate running on the Association of Dissatisfied Citizens – ANO ticket), Jaroslav Miko (an independent candidate running on the Mayors and Independents – STAN ticket), and Ivana Batthyány (The Left – Levice). I have been following their campaigns and their debates, for example, the one moderated by journalist Gerhard Hadi (WORLD RADIO) and the one moderated by journalist Jarmila Balážová (ROMEA TV).
During this year’s elections to the EP I am following a slogan borrowed from Romani leader Peter Pollák (OĽANO, Slovakia): “ROM ROMEHA” (Roma for Roma). I will be casting my ballot for a Romani candidate.
I am aware of the significant downsides to each of the Romani candidates. I have just one vote to cast, and I will be voting for David Beňák, who is running for ANO 2011 (candidate list no. 14), who is running in 17th place.
By voting for him, I hope he will get some room to work on behalf of a free, equal, safe and prosperous Europe for all EU citizens. This commentary is my call to action for all citizens and all Romani people who want to live in a free and fair society.
These elections are the instrument for achieving such an outcome. Don’t forget to cast your ballot for a future that will be better for us all.
Please cast your preferential vote for a Romani candidate during these European elections. Despite all of the potshots they have taken at each other, what unites them all is a vision of equality and freedom for Romani people throughout the entire European Union.
Casting your ballot for any of these Romani candidates would be like giving the middle finger to the political parties such as the SPD, the Workers’ Social Justice Party (DSSS), the Motorists and the Oath, the Freedom Party and other ultra-conservative, ultra-right groups which pose a real danger to the citizens of the European Union and naturally to Czech Roma as well. Don’t forget that you will increase the chances that these Romani candidates could be elected only if you circle their name on your ballot.
