The Roma issue – a never ending story for Romania (I)

Starting January 1, 2014 free movement in the EU was granted for Romanians and Bulgarians. The perspective stirred discomfort at the time in many European countries such as the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland and so on. All of them feared a huge influx of Romanian and Bulgarian migrant will flood their labour markets and take advantage of their social security systems. Nothing of the kind at the beginning. However, by the end of 2014 the number of east-Europeans looking for a better life in Western countries increased significantly. The UK seems to be most concerned about the matter as some of those arriving there are targeting only the social benefits.

The news about Romanians is not positive, although most of them aim working for some years in the UK, save some money and get back to Romania to start a small business or something like that. Most of the negative news concern Roma ethnics coming from Romania – gypsies. Due to the confusion Roma people-Romanian, many Western Europeans see all Romanians as being dangerous. A most unfortunate misunderstanding.

But how could the British react when things get out of normal?

In December 2013 a new case, revealed by Channel 5 and Daily Mail stunned everyone.

A Romanian migrant boasted handout from the UK has helped him construct home for wife and children in his homeland. “A Roma gypsy says he is using the £60,000 he has received in benefits to create a lavish house in his homeland. Ion Lazar boasts that British handouts are funding the refurbishment of the property in the village of Argetoaia in southern Romania. He said: ‘I know the benefit I can make very easily in England. It’s coming in benefits. It’s like free money, thank you England.’ Mr Lazar, 36, a part-time self-employed scrap metal collector in London, pays no tax as he earns so little and claims £1,700 a month in welfare. Ukip MEP Steven Woolfe is furious about the revelation. He told the Daily Express: ‘This is further proof of the national scandal of the abuse of our benefits system caused by our open-door migration policy with the EU. ‘We should ban all benefits to immigrants until they have contributed through taxation for at least five years.’ Mr Lazar came to the Britain with five other immigrants when the work restrictions on Romanians were lifted in January. In April he appeared in another Channel 5 documentary which followed the lives of Roma gipsies in Britain. In it he admits he is just planning to stash his benefits to take home to his family in Romania,” Daily Mail informed in December.

Facing such cases, how could I or anyone else not agree with the conclusions drawn by the British?

Let’s review the gypsies’ situation in Romania and abroad. My message would be not to regard them as victims – as the EU trend is going on. Discrimination comes from the overwhelming appetite of most of the Roma ethnics for crime and disorder. On the other hand I know lots of Roma ethnics that are high placed in official places, run businesses or are journalists. But, unfortunately they are not representative for the great majority. Also unfortunately Europe tells Romania to solve the problem, while western countries fail to cope with situations involving gypsy migrant from Romania or Bulgaria. As these countries found out, most of the gypsies are uneducated and reluctant to any form of education, while they aim easy money.

According to the 2011 census, there are more than 600,000 Roma ethnics in Romania, while unofficial data say their number exceeds 2,000,000. One cannot talk about a homogenous class among the Roma: there are very rich Roma, owning impressive palaces throughout the country, there are very poor ones, living in unimaginable conditions. Some are craftsmen, working with copper; others are specialized in the construction field; some are called ‘ursari’ – as they used to tame bears, others are allegedly organized in mobs. However most of them live in poor conditions and the state’s efforts during the last twenty years have solved only few of their problems, because of the lack of funds, lack of interest coming from the Roma and bureaucratic issues.

Some success is being noticed. Sources say European funds worth about 200 million euros were invested these years in Roma-related projects. The Romanian public television presented recently the cases of some of the successful Roma. It is the care of Carmen Gheorghe – entrepreneur for Roma related projects, managing a fund of about one million euros, like the case of Caudia Butala – who has graduated recently and is ready to carry on the job of accountant, as well as mediator for Roma tuition institutions.

Nevertheless, the general opinion is chances for Roma reinsertion, on large scale, are small.

The legal framework exists, that’s not the main issue. A strategy for improving Roma ethnics situation was approved by the Romanian government since 2001 (HG 430), in view of the period 2001-2010. It was followed by the National Plan for Combating Poverty and Promoting Social Reinsertion for 2002-2012 and then by the Joint Inclusion Memorandum for coordinating efforts at European level.

Some accuse the governments of not doing enough and of taking advantage of the Roma ignorance to manipulate them from the political point of view. It may be the case or, more probably, it may not be. The Roma ethnics are not generally interested in politics. Several political parties dedicated to the Roma set up during the last twenty years have never succeeded in over-passing the 5 per cent threshold to enter parliament. An alliance of the Social-Democrats (PSD) with one of these parties for the 2004 elections proved a failure, as PSD lost the general elections.

There are lots to be done in this field and some have exceeded the terms of normality regarding the Roma issue. Their motivation – the crime rate among the Roma is about three times higher than the average.

It is the case of Baia Mare (north-west Romania) mayor Catalin Chereches. In November 2011 he decided to build a wall meant to isolate the Roma from the city inhabitants, stirring discontent among the NGOs, the National Anti-Discrimination Council as well as the former US ambassador to Bucharest Mark Gittenstein, who paid a visit to Baia Mare for talks with the local mayor. Nothing was solved, except for the fact that Chereches was fined by 6,000 lei (about 1,400 euros). The same Catalin Chereches decided in June 2012 to relocate by force some 2,000 Roma people from Craica, Baia Mare to the former industrial complex Cuprom, stirring tough reactions from Roma organizations, which accused Chereches of exerting pressures on the locals and that the former complex is heavily polluted and dangerous for the people.

“The Roma are treated as second class citizens, their health being in danger as well as the observance of civil rights. It is unacceptable for a mayor to decide to move an entire ethnic group at any costs, putting its life in danger,” one of the Roma organizations complained at the time.

Although sometimes victims, the Roma ethnics have a ‘bad name’ in Romania for illegal deeds as theft, extortion, threat, beating and so on. Romanian expressions include: ‘don’t behave like a gypsy’, ‘this is a gypsy-like job’ or ‘unclean like a gypsy’ – revealing a hostile stand of common people in regard with the Roma.

 Opinion poll

• 58 per cent of Romanians consider it is more difficult for Roma people to get a job and to get promoted;
• 72 per cent consider most of the Roma infringe the laws, while 48 per cent say the Roma ethnics are a disgrace for the country;
• 45 per cent are afraid when encountering a group of Roma on the street, while 20 per cent say there should be stores and pubs where the Roma people do not have access;
• 56 per cent say they’re uncomfortable among Roma, while 64 per cent consider the Roma ethnics are more violent than the others (Romanians, Hungarians, etc.);
• 31 per cent state they’ve had no contact with Roma people during the last six months, 66 per cent say they’ve had conversations with a Roma ethnic in the same interval;
• ‘The first thought when hearing the word Roma’… – 23 per cent – law offence, theft, beggar; 10 per cent – uneducated, uncivilized, dirty; 5 per cent – disgust. Only 16 per cent replied ‘normality, usual people, indifference.

(to be continued)