Archiv der Kategorie 'Antiziganistische Übergriffe'

Marika Schmiedt’s Exhibition at Construction Site in Linz, Austria – Posters Ripped Down, the Artist Threatened and Attacked at Opening by Outraged Hungarian Nationalist and her Austrian Husband.

Marika Schmiedt, one of the most politically engaged Roma activist artists in Austria (and Europe), has been censored, threatened, and attacked for her politically controversial artworks, which expose and critique various forms of racism, nationalism and fascism in Europe. By linking the history of the persecution and killings of Roma and Sinti to the current forms of systematic and violent discrimination and murder of Roma and Sinti in Europe and worldwide, Schmiedt’s work has hit a nerve in the neo-fascist atmosphere of European politics, enraging nationalists from various countries, as well as politicians, intellectuals, and activists who find her work too confrontational.

Source: Marika Schmiedt
Date: 18.04.2013

Fax campaign for solidarity against the censorship of Roma

Among the many reasons of concern about the political, economic and social crisis affecting the European Union’s civil society today, there is one that in our view has reached a critical level. We are very concerned about the re-establishment and re-legitimization of far-right parties in Eastern and Central Europe. We are also very concerned about the involvement of the far-right parties in present dynamics of society, about the participation of the far-right parties and fractions in the official decision-making processes of the political scene, along with the presence of the radical right-wing extremists within daily life under the protection of the authorities.

In the last years, there were many attacks and mobs against Roma people all over Europe; just to recall some of them, the mobs and pogroms against Roma in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Hungary from 2011 until today. Despite of the international critics and counter demonstrations, the far-right parties and fractions are still legal and their presence within public spaces is much stronger now than it was before. The legislation of the E.U. is not prepared to face this situation and unfortunately there is no interest from the side of political representatives to fight this volatile situation. Slowly but surely, the European Union turns into a ‘Europe of Nations’ in which minorities are neither respected nor protected.

There are declarations that officially dehumanize minorities: Zolt Bayer, a Hungarian official and a friend of Viktor Orban, declared at the beginning of this year: “Gypsies are animals”. The public opinion has a passive position that legitimates and empowers the far-right. Because of the lack of critics, the structure of the neo-nationalist parties and fractions has become stable and effective. Their strengthened mobs are now much more prepared and – with the support of media platforms that control and filter the information – less visible. (mehr…)

Slovakia: Romani man from Czech Republic and others beaten by 20 skinheads

The Slovak media are reporting that allegedly as many as 20 skinhead attackers brutally beat up a Romani man from the Czech Republic at a party in the Central Slovakian town of Banská Štiavnica. The man lost consciousness as a result of the brawl. Two Georgians and the man’s girlfriend, who is a local resident, were also targeted for attack. It is not yet clear whether the conflict was racially motivated.

The incident occurred on the evening of Saturday 6 April at a local discotheque. There was some discord between two girls and shortly thereafter the brawl was unleashed. The Georgians and the Romani man were working in the town, the Georgians as part of an EU-sponsored volunteer program. The assailants beat Romani victim Pavel H. to such a degree that he lost consciousness twice. They also broke his girlfriend’s nose. The injured girl is filing criminal charges and the Georgians are considering informing their embassy of the incident. Witnesses claim the attackers pushed their victims to the ground and kicked them wildly. None of the discotheque’s other customers or its staff came to the aid of the victims. Discotheque owner Zuzana Kaníková insists her security personnel did what they could, but believes they had no “powers” to intervene against the attackers out on the street.

The Georgian volunteers are not able to say with 100 % certainty whether the assault was racially motivated, but they do have the feeling that the brutality of the attack was caused by the fact that they are foreigners. Both of the Georgians are dark-skinned and spoke English at the start of the incident. „My friend from Georgia got punched inside and his colleague came to his defense. Then everything went down very fast. The conflict moved into the vestibule, then the bouncers sent us outside and the assailants went out after us. I was struck from behind and that’s the last thing I remember. Maybe the fact that I was unconscious is what spared me,” Pavel H. told news server Sme.sk. “The most I can tell you is that we really are not able to confirm that this was racially motivated. However, the fact that it was 30 against three is completely unacceptable,” victim Pavel H. told Czech Radio. Pavel H. had previously worked in Banská Štiavnica as a volunteer before being hired there as an auto mechanic. “I have never had this big of a problem anywhere before. I am planning to keep on living here and I’m a bit afraid for my safety now,” he admitted.

Source: Romea.cz
Date: 11.04.2013

Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Thugs Clash with Roma in Kalamata Hospital Raid

Anti-foreign nurse swoop on Peloponnese hospital explodes in violence as Roma patient’s friends confront Nazis

Members of Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party have clashed with a group of Roma in a raid on Kalamata Hospital in the southern Peloponnese. The extremists, led by MP Dimitris Koukoutsis, swooped on the hospital hunting for foreign nurses. Earlier this year, four women from Bulgaria were forced to leave the Panarkadiko hospital in Tripoli, Peloponnese, after dozens of Golden Dawn members evicted them.

This time, however, they were confronted by Roma who had taken to the hospital a 22-year-old victim of a racially motivated attack. Violence broke out between the two groups but was broken up by police.
Koukoutsis accused the Roma of „involvement in delinquency“ and said Golden Dawn would not regard them as equal citizens until they gave up crime. He said delinquency was „in their DNA“, according to ENET website. Hospital director Yirgos Bezos said that Golden Dawn’s raid on the hospital was „unacceptable.

The row came days after a leading member of a Roma settlement in Komotini, northern Greece, threatened Golden Dawn with a provocative video on YouTube. In the footage, two Roma men wield guns, axes and chainsaws and dare the neo-Nazi party to launch a raid on their camp. „You will have to send a lot of guys to my camp,“ says one man. Addressing Nikos Michaloliakos, chairman of Golden Dawn, the unnamed Roma leader brags about having many „crazy guys“ watching his back. „Michaloliakos, round up your mongrels,“ says the man.

Source + Video: International Business Time
Date: 10.04.2013

The New Roma Ghettos: Slovakia’s Ongoing Segregation Nightmare

Throughout history, sometimes events seem perfectly aligned to spark racial violence. On March 10 of last year, the residents of the small village of Krásnohorské Podhradie, in the mountains of eastern Slovakia, looked up to the hilltop at the center of town to see their beloved 14th-century Krásna Hôrka Castle being engulfed in flames. By the time firefighters made it up the hill, the roof was gone and three bells had melted down into the tower.

The next day, a police spokesman announced that the fire had been caused by two Roma boys, aged 11 and 12, who lived in a ghetto on the edge of the village. They had allegedly been trying to light a cigarette at the bottom of the hill when an unusually strong gust of wind carried a piece of smoldering ash up the mountain, where it ignited wood strewn on the castle grounds. Whether or not they were responsible, the accused and their families were terrified – perhaps because, in the last two years, according to data from the European Roma Rights Center, there have been dozens of violent attacks on Roma in Slovakia – the ethnic group better known as Gypsies. Fearing reprisal, the boys were quickly spirited out of town to stay with relatives, while Roma men prepared throughout the night to defend their community. Ultimately, the boys weren’t charged with any crime because they’re minors, but the damage was done: the image of Gypsy kids setting fire to a hallmark of Slovak national heritage seemed to only reinforce the prejudices many white ethnic Slovaks have toward their country’s poorest citizens. With the burning of Krásna Hôrka Castle, the far right in Slovakia had their equivalent of 1933’s Reichstag fire – the symbolic event needed to justify a crackdown.

In mid-March, I flew to Slovakia and drove out to Krásnohorské Podhradie for a rally to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the burning of Krásna Hôrka. Marian Kotleba, a former teacher and leader of the far right People’s Party-Our Slovakia – named in honour of the clerical-fascist regime that ruled the Czechoslovak Republic between World War I and II – had pegged his dim electoral prospects on Krásna Hôrka and his stand against “Gypsy criminality.”

On arrival, I entered a lot beside the municipal offices. A crowd of about 150 people – skinheads, tough-looking townspeople and about 12 of Marian’s green-clad officer corps – stood around listening to Marian’s speech. My translator suggested parking away from the crowd so that there would be less of a chance of anyone noticing the Hungarian plates on our rental car. “If there’s one thing the neo-Nazis like less than Roma, it’s Hungarians,” he said, only half joking, referring to Slovak resentment of their former imperial neighbour.

A short, mustached man in black fatigues, Marian Kotleba stood in front of his blue zebra-striped Hummer flanked by two skinheads waving the party’s massive green flags. “We don’t like the way this government deprives polite people in order to improve the position of parasites,” he said in a stern, steady voice. An enormous yellow crane loomed above the castle on the hilltop, making repairs on the castle’s roof. “This burned castle is a symbol of the way it will go if the government doesn’t do anything with this growing and increasing menace,” Marian continued. “If we don’t do anything about it, the situation will continue getting worse… If the state wasn’t creating surprisingly good conditions for these Gypsy extremists, what do you think would happen? They would all go to England. They can go anywhere; they have freedom to move. If they suffer so much in Slovakia, no one is keeping them here. No one will miss them. I don’t have to tell you that I wouldn’t miss them at all.” (mehr…)

Slovakia: Punishment for shooter of three Romani victims called absurdly low

The sentence of nine years in prison and an order to undergo psychiatric treatment handed down by a court in Slovakia against municipal police officer Milan Juhász, who shot dead three people and injured two others in Hurbanovo last year, has prompted much reaction. The defendant originally faced the possibility of life in prison, but the judges chose a lighter sentence for him at the suggestion of the prosecutor and after experts testified that he had not been completely sane when he committed the shooting. The verdict has taken effect, as neither side has appealed.

„The Romani Union Party sharply protests the nine-year sentence for the shooter from Urbanovo [sic], Milan Juhász, who committed a triple murder and seriously injured two people. The party cannot agree with the court’s findings and there is no excuse for this behavior with respect to protecting public order and the residents of the town. The psychiatrist did not unequivocally testify that Milan Juhász was incapable of telling right from wrong when he committed this crime. As a member of the municipal police, he had previously undergone psychological testing and knew what legal procedures he could have used to settle any dispute he had with troubled residents. He did not deny that he committed premeditated murder, and his confession was evidence of the fact that he recalls his actions very well and therefore knew what he was doing. We disagree with this absurdly low sentence, as well as with the fact that he will be under protective supervision for three years only, and we consider this sentence disproportionate to the seriousness of this crime, which we believe was racially motivated. Experts have even claimed that they cannot rule out the notion that he might repeat this behavior, so this person decidedly does not belong at large until the end of his life,“ said František Tanko, chair of the Romani Union Party in Slovakia (Strana romské unie na Slovensku).

According to psychologist Róbert Máthý, a detention center would be an ideal place for Juhász. However, there is still no such facility in Slovakia.

„There is no doubt that this person needs psychiatric treatment. In my view, that is even more important than punishing him. Since that kind of treatment takes a long time and the patient must be tested to make sure it really has had an effect, a certain detention period would be appropriate,“ Máthý told news server Aktuálně.sk.

„Any attempt to compare the lengths of sentences for completely different criminal cases runs the risk of ending very badly, but there are moments when one cannot help oneself,“ commentator Roman Pataja wrote in the daily SME. „In October 2012 a court in Považská Bystřica sentenced a 19-year-old first-time offender to 12 years in prison for kicking a policewoman in the knee and attacking two other people while drunk (the sentence has not yet taken effect). If, purely theoretically, we believe that sentence was proportionate, what are we to make of the verdict in the trial of the police officer Milan Juhász?“

„The quasi-expert evaluation provided by the psychiatrist and psychologist did not sound reliable, because according to the law on the police corps, all police officers must pass capacity tests to perform their jobs. This inadequately low, stupid sentence is an encouragement to everyone who sets their heart on taking the law into their own hands and then being declared insane afterward with the help of psychiatrists and psychologists,“ said Václav Kappel, chair of the Romani Initiative of Slovakia (Romská iniciativa Slovenska.

Source: Romea.cz
Date: 28.03.2013

Nazis stören Gedenken an Deportation der Wuppertaler Sinti und Roma

Am Sonntag den 03.03.2013 fand die Gedenkveranstaltung zum 70. Jahrestag der Deportation der Wuppertaler Sinti und Roma im städtischen Jugendzentrum Heinrich-Böll-Strasse am Klingholzberg statt. Zum Zeitpunkt der Deportation lebte ein Großteil der in der Stadt lebenden Sinti und Roma in der dortigen Notsiedlung. Die vom Verein zur Erforschung der Sozialen Bewegungen im Wuppertal organisierte Veranstaltung fand im Zuge der Reihe „Kemna 2013 – Es lebe die Freiheit“ statt, mit der der Inbetriebnahme des KZ Kemna vor 80 Jahren gedacht werden soll.

Noch vor der musikalischen Eröffnung waren plötzlich laute Stimmen vor dem Eingangsbereich des Jugendzentrums zu hören. Die Anwesenden waren schnell informiert, dass pöbelnde Nazis vor der Türe standen. Die zwei, von den nun herausströmenden Gästen sichtlich verunsicherten, Nazis wurden lautstark ohne körperlichen Zwang, unter Hinweis auf des Hausrecht, vom städtischen Gelände verwiesen. Die beiden Nazis, darunter der frisch aus der Haft entlassene Lukas Bals, drohten darauf hin mit Pfefferspray, riefen die Polizei und beschuldigten wahllos Besucher*innen der Veranstaltung, sie körperlich angegriffen zu haben.

Die anrückende Streifenwagenbesatzung nahm zunächst die Anzeige der Neonazis entgegen. Bei der anschließenden Suche nach den vermeintlichen Täter*innen die stellten die Beamt*innen überrascht fest, dass eine Gedenkveranstaltung im Gange war. Die beiden Nazis erhielten nach diesen überraschenden Ermittlungsergebnissen dann doch einen Platzverweis durch die Polizei. Nach einer Aufforderung des Leiters des Jugendzentrums, wenigstens ab jetzt für die Sicherheit des Gedenkens zu sorgen, trudelten bis zum Ende der Veranstaltung zwei weitere Streifenwagen ein. Statt für Sicherheit zu sorgen filmte ein Streifenwagen jedoch, unverschämter Weise, die abreisenden Veranstaltungsteilnehmer*innen ab.
Die Sicherheit bestand ironischerweise darin, dass alle das Gebäude verlassenden Gäste, Redner*innen und Verwandte der Deportierten aus einem Streifenwagen abgefilmt wurden. (mehr…)

Oberwart: Gedenken an Roma-Attentat

18 Jahre ist es mittlerweile her, dass bei einem Attentat vier Männer – Angehörige der Volksgruppe der Roma – in Oberwart ermordet wurden. Die vier sind im Februar 1995 getötet worden. Am Ort des Geschehens fand am Sonntagnachmittag eine Gedenkfeier statt.

Den schrecklichen Anschlag kann niemand vergessen. Am 4. Februar 1995 wurden vier Roma durch die Rohrbombe von Franz Fuchs getötet. Das geschah nur wenige Meter von der Roma-Siedlung entfernt. Die Bombe war im Sockel einer Tafel versteckt. Auf der Tafel war zu lesen: „Roma zurück nach Indien“. Für Josef Simon, Peter Sarközi, Karl und Erwin Horvath kam jede Hilfe zu spät.

Tabuthema Attentat

„In der Siedlung ist es nach wie vor ein Tabu, über dieses Attentat zu reden. Einige Betroffene sind weggezogen, weil sie dem Druck nicht standgehalten haben“, so Stefan Horvath, der Vater von zwei Opfern.

„Für mich ist es persönlich wichtig. Es ist so ähnlich, wie die Feierlichkeiten in den Konzentrationslagern – man darf nie mehr vergessen“, sagte Horvath.

Schwerstes politisches Attentat seit 1945

Der Bombenattentäter Fuchs wurde nach seiner Verhaftung, zwei Jahre nach dem Anschlag in Oberwart, zu lebenslanger Haft verurteilt. Im Jahr 2000 nahm sich Fuchs in seiner Zelle das Leben. Der Anschlag gilt als das folgenschwerste politische Attentat in Österreich seit Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs.

Quelle: burgenland.orf.at
Stand: 03.02.2013

Pogrom gegen Roma in Griechenland

Bei einem Überfall auf ein Roma-Viertel in Etoliko wurden mehrere Unter­künfte und Fahr­zeuge zerstört. Unter den Tätern befand sich angeb­lich auch ein Abge­ord­neter der neo­nazisti­schen „Gol­denen Morgenröte“.

Rund 70 zum Teil vermummte Personen überfielen vergangenen Freitag ein mehrheitlich von Roma bewohntes Viertel der Kleinstadt Etoliko (Αιτολικό) in Westgriechenland. Sechs Unterkünfte und vier Fahrzeuge (Video) gingen laut Polizeibericht in Flammen auf. Ob dabei auch Personen zu Schaden kamen, ist noch unklar. Griechische Medien berichten allerdings, dass die meisten Bewohner vor dem anrückenden Mob aus dem Viertel geflüchtet seien. Presseberichten zufolge soll sich auch Konstantinos Barbarousis, Parla­ments­abgeordneter der neo­nazistischen „Goldenen Morgenröte“ (Umfragen zufolge bereits die drittstärkste Partei in Griechenland), mit einer Gruppe weiterer Partei­anhänger an dem Pogrom beteiligt haben. Erst im Oktober war Barbarousis’ parlamentarische Immunität aufgehoben worden, nachdem er bei einem Angriff auf einen Einwanderermarkt im benachbarten Mesolongi – Schlägertrupps zerstörten die Marktstände afrikanischer und asiatischer Migranten – gefilmt worden war.

Am Samstag meldete die Polizei vier Verhaftungen im Zusammenhang mit dem Angriff auf das Roma-Viertel; nach neun weiteren Personen wird gefahndet. Starke Polizeipräsenz vor Ort soll eine neuerliche Eskalation verhindern. Schon im vergangenen August war Etoliko Schauplatz von Ausschreitungen gegen Roma: Etwa 200 Einwohner attackierten damals das Roma-Viertel. Die Angreifer verwendeten auch Schusswaffen. Vier bzw. nach anderen Angaben fünf Personen wurden damals verletzt.

Auslöser des jüngsten Pogroms in Etoliko war eine Prügelei zwischen zwei Roma und zwei Nachbarn, bei der ein 24-Jähriger leicht verletzt wurde. Die beiden Roma befanden sich in Polizeigewahrsam auf dem Kommissariat, vor dem sich daraufhin einige Dutzend Bewohner versammelten und schließlich mit Brettern und Prügeln bewaffnet zu den Häusern der Roma zogen.

Quelle: dROMa
Stand: 06.01.2013

Griechenland: Pogrom gegen Roma

Am 4. Jänner überfielen 70 zum Teil vermummte Personen ein mehrheitlich von Roma bewohntes Viertel der Kleinstadt Etoliko (Αιτολικό) in Westgriechenland. Mehrere Unterkünfte und Fahrzeuge gingen in Flammen auf. Griechische Medien berichteten, dass sich die meisten BewohnerInnen vor dem anrückenden Mob in Sicherheit bringen konnten.

Auch ein Parlamentsabgeordneter der neonazistischen Partei Chrysi Avgi (“Goldenen Morgenröte”) soll sich mit weiteren Parteianhängern an dem Angriff beteiligt haben. Im Oktober 2012 wurde die Immunität des Abgeordneten Konstantinos Barbarousis aufgehoben, nachdem er dabei gefilmt wurde, wie er mit einem Schlägertrupp einen Markt angegriffen und dabei Marktstände von afrikanischen und asiatischen MigrantInnen zerstört hat.

Der Blog Roma Service berichtet, dass am Tag nach dem Angriff auf das Roma-Viertel die Polizei vier der Angreifer festgenommen hat. Nach neun weiteren Personen wird gefahndet. Roma Service erinnert auch an das Pogrom im August des vergangenen Jahres, als ein Mob aus 200 Personen das Roma-Viertel attackierte. Dabei wurden auch Schusswaffen eingesetzt und es gab mehrere Verletzte.

Quelle, Video und weiterführende Links: Stoppt die Rechten
Stand: 24.01.2013