Member Login

2014 European Parliament elects x2 Romani candidates.....invite them to the Hill!!

  • Print
Details
Published on Friday, 06 June 2014 14:00
Written by editor
Download File
Download File
Download File

Viktória Mohácsi Viktória Mohácsi.jpg Member of the European Parliament In office
2004–2009 Preceded by Gábor Demszky Succeeded by ? Personal details Born (1975-04-01) 1 April 1975 (age 39)
Berettyóújfalu, Hungary Political party Alliance of Free Democrats


ASSIST VIKTORIA MOHACSI IN HER IMMIGRATION HEARING! CANADA NEEDS POLITICIANS LIKE HER!!!! RTR

Tute can hair a covva ferridearer if you jāl shukár.

You can do a thing better if you go about it secretly the tao of the Roma/ Traveller Rumi

EP: Two Roma MEPs elected

Strasbourg, France, 26.5.2014 17:32, (ROMEA) Soraya Post (left) and Damian Draghici (right) became MEPs in 2014. (Collage: Romea.cz) Soraya Post (left) and Damian Draghici (right) became MEPs in 2014. (Collage: Romea.cz) Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email Share on print More Sharing Services 35 Roma people will occupy a total of two seats in the newly-elected European Parliament (EP). Soraya Post, a Roma activist and human rights fighter from Sweden, led the candidate list of the Feminist Initiative to victory yesterday.

Post will also continue in her position as Vice-Chair of the European Roma and Travellers Forum as well. The other MEP of Roma nationality is Damian Drăghici of Romania.

The success of Soraya Post is significant given the topics that she might be able to shore up at the EP and win more attention for. According to her campaign statements, the presence of a feminist representative could enhance the effort to enforce certain current issues, such as that of equality between men and women or the fight against racism, xenophobia and discrimination on the basis of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.

Rising anti-Romani tendencies in various European states should also become a more-discussed topic. "If I am elected to the EP, the first thing I will attempt will be to push for the establishment of a European Commissioner on Equal Rights and the Fight against Racism," Post said during her campaign.

Damian Drăghici is currently a senator in the Romanian Parliament and an adviser to the Romanian Prime Minister on Roma issues. He ran on the Social Democratic ticket during the EP election.

Currently only 15 of the 766 MEPs come from or somehow represent ethnic or religious minorities, which does not correspond to the reality of an EU in which more than 10 % of the population belongs to some minority. Up to now only three Roma had ever won seats since direct elections to the EP began in 1979.

The first Roma MEP, from 1986 - 1999, was Juan de Dios Ramírez of Spain, followed by the 2005 election of Lívia Járóka and the 2006 election of Viktória Mohácsi, both from Hungary. Nevertheless, more and more Roma candidates are turning up on the candidate lists of various parties throughout Europe.

voj, http://romediafoundation.wordpress.com, ERTF, translated by Gwendolyn Albert Views: 1758x

Related articles:

Tags:

Evropa, EU, European Parliament, human rights, Politika, Sweden, EU volby

“Travellers should travel” – the forked tongue behind the gag April 24, 2014

By Damian Le Bas

LAST week, Sajid Javid MP was appointed Britain’s new Minister for Equalities. We have yet to see what how he will perform in his post, and we should all wish him well: even those who have been made cynical by the British coalition government’s repeated attacks on Travellers. Three years ago, we should also observe, Mr Javid publicly asked a minister if “we should help Travellers to preserve their way of life – their travelling way of life – by moving them on”.

Image

Sajid Javid, Wikimedia Commons

Mr Javid- who is also the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport- is not the first person to make this joke, or a variant of it. There’s a forked tongue behind this gag: saying “if they’re Travellers they should travel” has become a popular catchphrase of the Right for two reasons. Firstly, it is a linguistic trick that traps Travellers in a Catch-22 by implying they are never allowed to stop moving (are they supposed to sleep at the wheel?) and that moving them immediately, and by force, is therefore always legitimate. Secondly, saying “Travellers should travel” actually marks a well-worn attempt to reduce complex, living cultures to a simple question of etymology. It’s based on the idea that being an ethnic Traveller is defined by nothing other than travelling; that all the linguistic and cultural history of Europe’s nomadic peoples can be summarised- and jeered at- through the disingenuous assumption that moving around is the only thing that makes us who we are.

The truth is more complicated than this, but only slightly. It’s certainly not too complicated for politicians who studied at top universities to understand, and explain. Down the centuries, across Europe, many peoples have been known in various languages as “Travellers” because of their nomadic history, which for some persists to the present day. Of course, many who share in this history- including millions of settled Roma people- have not been nomads for hundreds of years. Yet the way of life persists, and so in many places does the name. It is not just Romani people, but Yeniche people, Irish Travellers, the Mercheros of Spain, and others who have historically been called Travellers, and often referred to themselves as Travellers, too.

While it’s understandable that people associate these groups with human movement, it is not excusable for politicians to pretend that movement is the only thing that defines them culturally. Anyone who has had even the slightest acquaintance with historically nomadic peoples cannot seriously believe that motion is the only cultural facet they possess. Language, customs, rituals, family bonds- even the sense of togetherness itself- these are as important in creating the sense of community for minorities as they are for majority cultures.

Zoni Weisz, a Dutch Sinto, Holocaust survivor, and recipient of the Order of Orange-Nassau, has asked what keeps a culture together; what enables it to stand the test of time? Mr Weisz speaks of “the major binding factors” that give us our sense of belonging. Firstly, there is family; secondly, for his people, there is the Romani language, in all its forms. Each of us will have a different view on which things are most important in giving to us our sense of belonging, but I mention Mr Weisz’s view to show how absurd it is to try to reduce Romani ethnicity to a question of movement. Whether you are discussing Romani people or anyone else, to pretend that ethnic groups who have historically been known as “Travellers” have only one such “binding force”- the act of travelling- makes as much sense as saying that Italians are defined by being in Italy, and that as soon as they step out of the country, they cease to be Italian.

Image

Zoni Weisz, © Damian Le Bas

Returning to Britain, and to the issue of moving people on by force, we can observe that subtler responses to the serious issue of eviction have tended to be rarer than populist jokes and scaremongering. Last week was the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of The Travelling People, a revolutionary programme by Charles Parker and the folk musicians Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. It looked at the plight of Travellers, many of them Romani people, and many of whom at that time lived in dire poverty in 1960s Britain.

Back then, nobody made jokes about Travellers who didn’t travel- they were too busy complaining about the fact that they did travel, and refused to give up a way of life which had “no place in a modern, industrialised nation”. “They’re like the starlings here in Birmingham,” said alderman Harry Watton. “They’re here, and they’re making a mess.”

Speaking less than 20 years after the liberation of the Nazi death camps, Watton- a member of the Labour party- also suggested Britain should “exterminate the impossibles”, meaning those Travellers who couldn’t be “helped” out of their retrograde nomads’ habits. In the decades since, it’s been Britain’s Conservative-led governments who have done all they can to legislate this way of life out of existence- most notably in the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which gave police draconian powers to move people on who were neither causing a nuisance nor trespassing on someone else’s land. At the same time, Travellers who have taken the alternative route of settling down permanently while retaining their movable homes face highly organised campaigns aimed at scuppering their efforts. Now the DCLG- the UK Government department in charge of planning and accommodation- is thickening the soup by tabling new laws specifically intended to stop ethnic Travellers from buying land and settling down at all.

Europe has never quite made its mind up which it dislikes more- ethnic Travellers who do move around, and therefore cannot be trusted; or those who stop moving and become a permanent fixture in one place, and who are then mocked for thinking they still have a culture at all. Many people are, thankfully, not seduced by this binary attitude. Yet many populist politicians find it still plays well with a disillusioned electorate. Some of those same politicians must know that “Travellers” are people who got this name because of one strand in their people’s history, and that history’s other strands cannot be washed away, simply because we don’t move all the time. Politics likes its jokes, especially when it thinks the target group is unlikely to swing an election. But why should we settle for jokes that aren’t even funny, when the truth is hardly more challenging for us to grasp?

Share this:





----------

Pusuma family facing deportation to Hungary

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 | Categories: Episodes , International , Politics 0

Share 141

Jozsef Pusuma, Timea Daroczi, and their four-year-old daughter, Viktoria. (Facebook)

Listen

In 2009, after an attack by neo-Nazis, Jozsef Pusuma and his family left Europe and arrived in Canada as refugee claimants. Now, facing deportation back to Hungary, the Roma family have taken sanctuary in a church in Toronto.

Hungary's April parliamentary elections have actually made things worse for Roma and other minorities living in the country. Jobbik, the far-right party, is now the third largest in the National Assembly.

These are very worrying developments for Jozsef Pusuma and his wife, Timea Daroczi. Jozsef says he saw intolerance up close doing volunteer work investigating hate crimes for an NGO in Hungary. But the family's refugee claim was denied in 2011.

"Four people had baseball bats and would like to kill me...My family almost died."

Jozsef Pusuma

The immigration lawyer who represented them at the time faces a hearing at the Law Society of Upper Canada, following unproven complaints about his handling of their claim, and those of other refugees.

We caught up with the Pusuma family yesterday in the Toronto church that they now call home.

And to give us more insight on this case, we were joined by Andrew Brouwer, the Pusuma family's current lawyer.

We did request an interview with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Chris Alexander. He was not available. His office added that since "there is ongoing litigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Have thoughts you want to share?

Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Or e-mail us through our website. Find us on Facebook. Call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366. And as always if you missed anything on The Current, grab a podcast.

This segment was produced by The Current's Lara O'Brien and Howard Goldenthal.

Related Links

Roma family living in Toronto church exhausted from living in exile

International Roma Day focusses on issues of discrimination for Roma communities

CBC News Posted: Apr 08, 2014 1:18 PM ET Last Updated: Apr 08, 2014 3:34 PM ET

Fighting to stay

Fighting to stay 1:43

Facebook 66 Twitter 0 Reddit Share 66 Email

Related Stories

The six-year-old daughter of a Roma couple has spent more than one-third her life at a Toronto church where her family lives in exile.

Jozsef Pusuma and Timea Daroczi, and their daughter, Viktoria, also known as “Lulu," fled Hungary in 2009 following what they describe as an attack because of their Roma ethnicity.

Pusama worked as a political activist and researcher for Viktoria Mohacsi — a prominent Roma and former member of the European Parliament.

He said his activism and ethnicity made Hungary a “very, very dangerous” place for him and his family.

Their case was heard in 2010 and was denied by the Immigration and Refugee Board.

For more than two years, the family has lived at a Toronto church. Their days consist of reading, doing tasks around the church and trying to keep busy, but they are exhausted from a life of exile and fear arrest if they go outside.

“[Lulu] is six years old and she knows everything because she is a very smart girl,” Pusuma told CBC’s Matt GallowayTuesday on International Roma Day — a day that celebrates Roma culture and traditions with a focus the on drawing attention to discrimination directed at Roma communities.

Pusama says that his daughter isn’t able to go to school, but she attends daily dance classes at the church and meets friends that way. Yet, she always asks why their entire life must take place inside that building.

“It’s a very hard time for me because my daughter always has questions, why do we live in a church? Why can’t we go outside?”

He says that he has to tell his daughter that they are waiting in the church because Canada is a safe country, whereas Hungary — for their family — is not.

However, the Canadian government disagrees.

Lawyer could have ruined chances

Canada lists Hungary as a safe country, which has been making it extremely difficult for Roma people to gain refugee status despite claims of ethnic discrimination and safety concerns.

Jozsef Pusuma and Timea Daroczi

Jozsef Pusuma, Timea Daroczihas and their six-year old daughter have lived at a Toronto church for more than two years. (CBC)

​Pusama says being Roma and particularly being a noted Roma activist has made him the target of violence and fears for his family’s safety should they be forced to go back to Hungary.

According to his website, the family was attacked by four members of the Hungarian Guard in July 2009.

Although their case was heard and denied — Mary Jo Leddy, founder of Romero House, a home for refugees — says the “unfair” particulars of this case are “disturbing and compelling.”

The family was represented by a Viktor Hohots, a Toronto immigration lawyer now at the centre of disciplinary proceedings at the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Pusama is one of more than a dozen complainants who allege that Hohots offered consulting services to assist them through the refugee process here in Canada, but then filed inaccurate and incomplete work therefore severely impairing their chances of making a successful refugee claim.

Leddy says that some Roma cases are still considered for refugee status and that Pusama’s activism and work for Romarights would make him and his family good candidates, but she says that Hohots contributed to ruining their chance.

“They had the misfortune of having a lawyer that has now been charged with misconduct by the law society,” she said.

“The lawyer never showed up and had never submitted the documentation of their activism.”

Leddy and others who have submitted a petition to change.org are requesting that the Minister of Immigration grant the family temporary resident status.

“It would allow them to stay in the country pending the outcome of the law society complaint against the lawyer,” she said. “That would allow them to have a fair refugee hearing and I think all they are asking for is fairness.”

  • Facebook Twitter Reddit
T HE ROMA COMMUNITY CENTRE is committed to: fundraiser artwork
  • Building community support for Roma in Canada
  • Public education regarding multiculturalism and human rights
  • Partnering with other organizations to work towards common goals
VISION: The Roma Community Centre (RCC) works to strengthen and unify Roma peoples across Canada in striving for self-determination, social justice, and human rights. We celebrate Roma cultural diversity, history, and achievements.

MISSION: The Roma Community Centre (RCC) serves the Roma community across Canada and seeks to build solidarity among a diverse Roma diaspora. The RCC provides settlement, education, legal services, and engages in outreach and advocacy. We also celebrate our culture and shared history. The RCC also works with the general public in combating anti-Roma racism and negative 'Gypsy' stereotypes and strengthening community partnerships in Canada and abroad.

Learn about us. Join us.

Current news and events...

  • TheGypsyRebels May 18, 2014 Fundraising Concert for the Roma Community Centre
    • Sunday, May 18th – 4:00 - 11:00 PM
      at the Black Swan – 154 Danforth Ave. (just east of Broadview Subway)
      Featured Bands:       Tickets $15 – phone 416-546-2524 for details.
      This event will also feature a Silent Auction and a 50/50 Draw.
  • Judgment_In_Hungary May 1, 2, 4, 2014 Judgment in Hungary (HotDocs documentary)
    • Thu, May 1st at 5:30 PM – TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
      Fri, May 2nd at 11:00 AM – ROM Theatre
      Sun, May 4th at 3:45 PM – Scotiabank Theatre 7

      Judgment in Hungary details the two-and-a-half-year trial of four defendants accused of firebombing a Romani family and killing a five-year-old child. It examines forensic details to reveal an astonishing network of corruption and neglect. You can purchase tickets online for this HotDocs documentary.
  • RomaDay2014 April 8, 2014 The Shape of a Heart: A Gypsy love story
    • Tuesday, April 8th at 9:00 PM — Admission $10
      Revue Cinema — 400 Roncesvalles Ave. Google Maps
      Join the Roma Community Centre in celebrating International Roma Day
      with a documentary film featuring the Toronto Romani Community.
  • January 8, 2014 Immigration minister tells Ontario: Pay for refugees’ health care yourself
    • Ottawa Citizen: A week after Ontario began providing health care to many refugees, the federal government has firmly closed the door on either restoring the program it cut 18 months ago, or helping to pay for it... story by Elizabeth Payne
  • December 2, 2013 Law Times article confronts stereotypes
    • The December issue of Law Times carried an article – Time for lawyers to confront anti-Roma stereotypes – by Gina Csanyi-Robah and Sean Rehaag, an associate professor at Osgood Hall Law School. The Osgood Hall library recently hosted Roma Rising/Opre Roma – Portraits of a Community, an exhibit of 24 black-and-white portraits by photographer Chad Evans Wyatt. The thematic connection was stereotypes: the exhibit challenges misinformed negative stereotypes; the article challenges public remarks made by high profile legal professionals. Law Times is not available online, but interested individuals can read the article at professor Rehaag's faculty website .
  • CAZZAROLA - music! November 25, 2013 – CAZZAROLA! – book launch, live theatre, and music
    • Montreal author/musician/actor Norman Nawrocki will launch his new novel, CAZZAROLA! Anarchy, Romani, Love, Italy, with a solo theatre piece and live music inspired by the book. CAZZAROLA! spans 130 years in the life of a family of Italians. They resist Fascism in Italy, including the recent wave of contemporary neo-Fascism sweeping Europe and the persecution of Roma refugees. CAZZAROLA! is also a love story about an Italian boy who falls for a Romani refugee girl from Romania.
    • Monday, November 25th at 7:00 PM – free admission
    • Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre
    • 1499 Queen Street West (Directions and map)
  • Papusza - Toronto Polish Film Festival November 16, 2013 — Papusza at the Toronto Polish Film Festival
    • True story of Papusza - the first Roma woman who put her poems into writing and published them, and therefore confronted the traditional female image in her community. The film follows Papusza’s life from birth to old age: arranged marriage as a small girl, her life in a gypsy tabor before, during and after second world war, then forced settlement in communist Poland and urban life in poverty. Her meeting with the Polish poet Jerzy Ficowski, who discovered her great talent for poetry and published her works, led to a tragic paradox: a famous poet living in poverty, rejected by her own community for betraying their secrets. — Co-sponsored by the Toronto Polish Film Festival and the Roma Community Centre
  • Church of the Holy Trinity November 10, 2013 — "Proud to Protect Refugees" week and opening of Roma Rising exhibit
    • Sunday, November 10th*
    • Church of the Holy Trinity – Directions and map
    • 10:30 AM – Eucharist with a brief Homily by Michael Creal
    • 12:00 noon – Gina Csanyi-Robah, Executive Director of the Roma Community Centre, will introduce the Roma Rising exhibit
    • This is the beginning of the Canadian Council for Refugees initiative, "Proud to Protect Refugees" week, and the opening of the Roma Rising photography exhibit at Holy Trinity. Located behind the Eaton Centre, the nearest subway stop is Dundas. *Note: The exhibit will be at the Church of the Holy Trinity until January 3rd.
  • bulldozing Roma November 07, 2013 — The Modern Persecution of the Roma People
    • Ronald Lee, Canadian Roma writer and activist and Gina Csanyi-Robaj (Roma Community Centre) discuss the discrimination and even violence faced by the Roma people from Eastern Europe to France and Canada. The second of two talks on the History and Persecution of the Roma People presented in collaboration with the Roma Art Centre, and moderated by the centre's president, Julius Csoka.
  • November 5, 2013 — CRS Seminar Series: Representing Roma: Critical Perspectives from Canada and Europe
    • Moderated by Gerald Kernerman, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, York University
    • Speakers:
      Natasha Beranek, Fulbright Scholar, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University — The Ethnic Identification of Romani Individuals the Czech Republic: Individual Narratives from a Small Czech Town
      Gina Csanyi-Robah, Executive Director, Roma Community Centre — Anti-Gypsy Sentiment: A Canadian Roma response
      Paul St. Clair, Roma & Immigration Counselor, Culturelink Settlement Services — Canadian Response to Roma Claims
    • 2:30 – 4:00 PM on Tuesday, November 5th
    • Room 519, Kaneff Tower, York University
    • Directions and map
  • A People Uncounted - film November 3, 2013 — A People Uncounted — film screening for Holocaust Education Week
    • The Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre and the Roma Community Centre together present A People Uncounted , a Canadian documentary on the Roma people, their colourful but often difficult lives, and how their present condition has been shaped by tragedies of the past. Gina Robah-Csanyi, Executive Director of the Roma Community Centre, will participate in a question and answer session following the film.
  • October 29, 2013 — Roma in Europe: Guilty until proven innocent?
    • The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has issued a statement regarding 'non-Roma looking' children being removed from Roma families: Stigmatization of Roma communities as criminal is disturbing and dangerous, warns UN Independent Expert on minority issues (more...)
  • October 29, 2013 — From India to Europe: the Path of Roma History
    • Roma_arriving_tn Emerging from northwest India in the 11th century, the Roma traced a path to Europe, and by 1450 had crossed most of the continent. Lynn Hutchinson Lee (Roma Community Centre) and Julianna Beaudoin (Anthropologist, University of Western Ontario) discuss this rich and complex history. The first of two talks on the History and Persecution of the Roma People presented in collaboration with the Roma Art Centre, and moderated by the centre's president, Julius Csoka.
  • October 25, 2013 — For Roma Families, a Racist Myth Returns with a Vengeance
    • News of a little blond girl allegedly abducted by a Roma couple in Greece dominated headlines this week. The hysteria that ensued was shocking, playing on medieval myths and racist stereotypes.
    • "What we have seen to date is rumor run amok and an absence of political leadership."
      – Jim Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative
  • film event at temple September 22, 2013 – Never Come Back: documentary film event at Temple Emanu-El
    • Introduction by Rabbi Arthur Bielfeld, founder of JRAN, followed by views and Q&A with:
      • Karl Nerenberg, Documentary Director
      • Bernie Farber, Human Rights Activist and JRAN Board Member
      • Tibor Lukacs, Co-Founder of United Roma of Hamilton and community worker activist, featured in the film

  • September 19, 2013 – Roma Rising / Opre Roma – Portraits of A Community
  • September 9, 2013 – CBSC: Negative generalizations about ethnic group violates codes
    • The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) today released its decision concerning comments made about "Gypsies" by Ezra Levant during his program The Source on Sun News Network. The CBSC found the broadcast in violation of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' (CAB) Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code.
  • September 5, 6, 13, 2013 – An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker
    • An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker Toronto International Film Festival: Acclaimed director Danis Tanovic won the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival for this unflinching exposé of the prejudices faced by Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Roma minority, starring the real-life couple whose harrowing ordeal became a national scandal. ( screening dates and times )
  • 15th Annual Roma Community Centre Summer Family Picnic August 18, 2013 – 15th Annual Roma Community Centre Summer Family Picnic
    • Sunday August 18, 2013 – 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
      Dufferin Park – 875 Dufferin St., Toronto
      A short walk south of the Dufferin subway station
      Bring your family and food and music to meet friends!

      — An invitation from the Board and Staff of the Roma Community Centre
  • A_People_Uncounted_screening August 2, 2013 – International Romani Holocaust/Porrajmos Commemoration Day – Toronto
    A People Uncounted: The Untold Story of the Roma – film screenings co-presented by Kinosmith and the Toronto Roma Community Centre
    • Dates and times:
      • Fri, Aug 2 - 6:30 PM
      • Sat, Aug 3 - 3:15 PM
      • Sun, Aug 4 - 1:00 PM
      • Sun, Aug 4 - 6:15 PM
      • Mon, Aug 5 - 4:00 PM
      • Thu, Aug 8 - 6:30 PM
    • For more information and to view the trailer visit www.apeopleuncounted.com
      • Has played in over 30 festivals in 15 countries
      • Best Documentary Cinematography from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers
      • Winner of the Human Rights Award at the Festival des Libertés, Belgium
      • Winner of Best Film at the International Romani Film Festival, Hungary
      • Winner of the Light in Motion Award for Best Documentary at the Foyle Film Festival, Northern Ireland
      • Nominated for a 2013 Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Documentary Motion Picture Producers of the Year
    • Screenings will be at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema MAP (Bloor St. just East of Bathurst; ample parking nearby)
    • Tickets available for advance purchase online at www.bloorcinema.com
  • July 30, 2013 Letter from Bob Rae re International Romani Holocaust/Porrajmos Commemoration Day
    • "The continuing struggle of Roma people against powerful discrimination reminds us all of a time when much of Europe was dominated by a truly hateful ideology...Vicious stereotypes continue to tarnish political debate in many places. Even some Canadian commentators perpetuate these myths. We must not allow this to happen without being challenged."
  • July 20, 2013 – Canada asylum hearing delayed in closely watched Roma case
    • Toronto (Reuters): Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board has put off until mid-July a hearing on an asylum claim by Hungarian Roma activist Viktoria Mohácsi, a former member of the European Parliament.
  • June 18, 2013 – EU lawmaker to Canada asylum seeker: A Roma's long trek
    • Toronto (Reuters): Less than four years ago, Viktoria Mohácsi enjoyed the life of an international politician, eating at pricey restaurants in Brussels and winning awards as a human rights activist. Today, the 38-year old mother of three sleeps on the floor of a one-room basement apartment in Toronto and faces deportation. As a political asylum seeker, she hopes to convince Canada that the life of a former member of the European Parliament could be in danger in a democratic country like Hungary. (1,400 words, 4 photos)
    • Viktoria's political asylum hearing begins on Tuesday, June 18th, and the media around the globe are following her case: Chicago Tribune, Oman Daily Observer, Jakarta Globe, The Scotsman, NewsUK24, New York Times
    • Viktoria Mohácsi on Facebook
  • Doctors for Refugee Care June 17, 2013 – National Day of Action Against Refugee Health Cuts
    • Vancouver - Calgary - Edmonton - Saskatoon - Winnipeg - Kitchener - Hamilton - Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal - Halifax - St. John's – sponsored by Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care
    • TORONTO – 12:00 Noon – Monday, June 17th
    • Canadian Citizenship and Immigration office at 25 St. Clair Ave. East
    • We want to clearly show that we are individual health care workers concerned about the cuts to IFH. Come out and be counted. (If you are a healthcare worker, please wear a white lab coat.)

  • June 5th event at Holy Blossom Temple June 5, 2013 – Why the Roma? Supporting a Community’s Struggle for Justice
    • A panel discussion introduced by Rabbi Dow Marmur, Rabbi Emeritus of Holy Blossom Temple, and moderated by Mary Jo Leddy, 2011 recipient of the Gunther Plaut Humanitarian Award and founder of Romero House.
    • Panelists:
      • Bernie Farber - Social Activist, Former CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress
      • Anna Porter - Publisher of Key Porter Books, Author of Kasztner’s Train
      • Gina Csanyi-Robah - Executive Director of the Roma Community Centre, Educator, Human Rights Advocate
    • When & Where:
      • 7:30 - 9:00 PM – Wednesday, June 5, 2013
      • Holy Blossom Temple – 1950 Bathurst Street – Toronto
      • Reception and photo exhibit follow
  • English poster June 1, 2013 – Annual General Meeting – Roma Community Centre
    • Music - Discussions - Food - Tell us how to help you!
      Elect the 2013-24 Board of Directors (membership required to vote)
    • When & Where:
      2:00 - 4:00 PM on Saturday, June 1, 2013
      2340 Dundas Street West, #301 (large meeting room at CultureLink)
      POSTER in       English and Romanes
  • May 17, 2013 – World Jewish Congress concerned about virulent racism in Hungary
    • Canadian Jewish News, reporting on the WJC plenary in Budapest — Jewish and Roma Hungarians, members of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) say there is an urgent need to stem the tide of antisemitism and antiziganism, prejudice against Roma people, now spreading through much of central Europe.
  • poster for May 14th event at U of T May 14, 2013 – Roma Migration: A glance at the situation of Roma in Central and Eastern Europe and in Canada
    • Dr Vidra will present the findings of the research project entitled "Roma Migration to and from Canada: the Case of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia" conducted by the CEU in cooperation with Czech, Slovak, Hungarian and Canadian researchers.
      • Guest Speaker: Dr Zsuzsanna Vidra – Centre for Policy Studies – Central European University, Budapest
      • Discussant: Dr Antonela Arhin – Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies – University of Toronto
    • When & Where
      • 2:00 - 4:00 PM – Tuesday, May 14, 2013 – Free and open to the public
      • U of T, Jackman Humanities Building, Room 100A
        170 St. George Street (Corner of St. George and Bloor – former Medical Arts Building)

  • April 23, 2013 – CBC Radio – As It Happens
    • Today – after months of controversy -- the Sun News Network goes in front of the CRTC. And it's got some explaining to do....As today's CRTC hearings got started, a group of Roma and their supporters protested outside. One of those supporters is Bernie Farber, a human rights activist and the former Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress. We reached Mr. Farber at his office in Toronto.
  • April 23, 2013 – Rally to oppose Sun Media's application for mandatory distribution on basic cable
    • Canada's Romani community and supporters will rally in front of the CRTC to demand
      • That the CRTC refuse Sun Media Corp.'s application for mandatory distribution on basic cable
      • That Sun Media fire Ezra Levant after his nationally broadcast anti-Roma commentary on the Sun News Network
    • Speakers include: Cheri Di Novo MPP | Bernie Farber (former CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress) | Gina Csanyi-Robah (Roma Community Centre) | Borys Wrzesnewskyj (former MP) | Robi Botos (jazz musician)
      WHAT: Rally to oppose Sun News application to the CRTC
      WHEN: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 – 11:30 AM
      WHERE: CRTC Regional Office –       55 St. Clair Ave. East, Toronto
  • April 8, 2013 – Tweet from Justin Trudeau on International Roma Day
    • Today, on International Roma Day, we celebrate the rich Romani culture in Canada and their brave triumphs over persecution around the world. — Justin Trudeau, MP (@JustinTrudeau)
  • ROMA_COMMUNITY_GATHERING_April_8th_Flyer April 8, 2013 – Roma Community Gathering to celebrate Roma Community Day – Scarborough
    • We want to hear from you – talk, eat, and celebrate the Roma Community with music and snacks!
    • FREE: Hungarian food, translation, child-minding, and TTC tokens (provided with receipts/transfers)
    • 3:00 - 5:00 PM on Monday April 8th – International Roma Day
    • 90 Mornelle Court , Scarborough, ON – in the Community Room
  • April_8_2013_International_ROMA_Day April 8, 2013 – International Roma Day Film Screening – Revue Cinema (free event)
    • On April 8th, 1971, the UN officially recognized the Roma as a single ethnic group with a shared origin.
    • Join Peggy Nash, MP Parkdale-High Park. and Cheri Di Novo, MPP Parkdale-High Park and the Roma Community Centre at this film screening to celebrate Romani culture and raise awareness of the issues and challenges facing the Roma.
  • April 4, 2013 – Refugee Rights Are Human Rights
  • April 1, 2013 – Are EU Citizens who are Roma also Potentially Refugees outside the EU? – York University (free event)
    • European Union citizenship is supposed to provide all citizens of the Union with a right to live anywhere in Europe and to work. Why then do some EU citizens flee the whole of the EU and seek international protection in Canada? Do they seek protection outside the countries in other EU states and if so with what results? What are the circumstances which create concern for these groups of persons? Building on recent research carried out for UNHCR, Professor Guild will address these issues in her presentation.
  • March 21, 2013 – Toronto Star: Stephen Harper’s inconsistencies on hate laws: Siddiqui
    • The Stephen Harper Conservatives could have hardly imagined that one of their pet projects would come back to haunt them. Last summer, they axed Section 13 of the federal Human Rights Code, the provision prohibiting hate speech on grounds of race, religion, ethnicity, etc. read more...
  • March 21, 2013 – J-Source: Ezra Levant apologizes for Roma 'slurs' six months later
    • More than six months after Ezra Levant ranted on his show about the Roma community – sparking outcry and a ongoing hate crime investigation – he and Sun News Network vice-president Kory Teneycke issued an on-air apology ... on the same day that Sun News Network submitted their final application to the CRTC in a bid to gain mandatory carriage on basic cable. – by Eric Mark Do read more...
  • March 21, 2013 – The story behind Ezra Levant's 11th hour 'apology' for Roma rant
    • Karl Nerenberg in his Parliament Hill blog: Levant apologized, it seems, because he was facing possible charges under article 319 of the Criminal Code of Canada: "public incitement and willful promotion of hatred." read more...
  • OurSchoolPoster_100 March 21, 2013 – FILM SCREENING for United Nations Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
    • In recognition of the United Nations Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Roma Community Centre presents

      Watch on Vimeo site

      "> Our School , an award-winning documentary, as an initiative of the Roma Rising/Opre Roma project encouraging Romani youth to defy negative stereotypes and break through the barriers of racism.
  • March 20, 2013 ‐ EMBASSY News: Hungary 'not very enthusiastic' about Canadian billboard campaign
    • Canadian government data cited indicating Hungarian asylum claims have dropped 98 per cent compared to the average between 2009 and 2012. – by Kristen Shane read more...
  • March 20, 2013 "Why now?" asks Karl Nerenberg in his Parliament Hill blog
    • "Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney might be breathing a sigh of relief that Conservative ally, Sun News TV personality Ezra Levant waited until long after Kenney's refugee reform bill had passed before apologizing on air for slanderous comments he made last September about the Roma people." read more...
  • March 18, 2013 – BILL C-31 & Public Discourse on Diversity in Canada – University of Toronto
    • A panel discussion on changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
      Moderator: Mary Jo Leddy – Panelists: Gina Csanyi-Robah, Bernie Farber, Angus Grant
    • Presented by the Diversity Committee of Massey College
    • 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 18th, 2013
    • Event details and registration
  • March 13, 2013 – Music fundraiser in support of the Roma Community Centre
    • Featuring four Romani bands – Julius Csoka & Robert Lakatos, Romani Rota, The Gypsy Rebels, UngroDrom – and an Art Auction
    • Lula Lounge, 7:00 - 11:00 PM, Wednesday, March 13, 2013 – event details
  • February 21, 2013 – Petition to the CRTC to stop "Fox News North" from becoming part of basic cable TV package
    • Avaaz.org has an online petition to stop "Fox News North" from becoming a mandatory part of the basic cable TV package.
    • Scroll down this page to October 24, 2012 to see the type of "provocative" content that has been broadcast by the Sun News Network.
  • February 21, 2013 – Toronto Star: Toronto declared 'sanctuary city' to non-status migrants
  • February 19, 2013 – Canadian Jewish News: Hungarian filmmaker fears for his children
    • Some Hungarian Jews are declaring their fear that the EU state is on the path toward an ultra-nationalistic regime bent on persecuting Jews and Roma, not unlike Germany in the early-to-mid 1930s. – Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf, Staff Reporter
  • February 11, 2013 – CBC reports on a landmark European Human Rights Court decision against Hungary (6 min.)
  • February 9, 2013 – The Roma of Hungary: A Canadian View , by Judy Young Drache
    • Judy Young Drache is a former senior public servant with 25 years of experience in the Canadian government's multiculturalism programs. She is President of the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation and lives in Ottawa.
  • February 9, 2013 – A petition to protest divisive party politics at the Embassy of Hungary in Ottawa
    • "The signatories of this petition call for an end to blatant party politics at the Embassy of Hungary in Ottawa..."
  • February 1, 2013 – Huffington Post: Why We Can No Longer Call Canada an Advocate for Human Rights
    • "When the official opposition in Hungary, the fascist Jobbik party, appears to applaud neo-Nazi violence against Roma communities while demanding lists of Hungarian Jews, one wonders how Canada sees Hungary as 'safe'." Bernie Farber on how the United Nations and Amnesty International both scolded Canada last month over its human rights record.
  • February 1, 2013 – Karl Nerenberg: Canadian government to persecuted Roma people in Hungary: 'Stay home'
    • When Immigration Minister Kenney announced that he was including Hungary on the list of safe "Designated Countries of Origin" he was asked if was not worried that this might give comfort to groups in Hungary the Minister himself had described as "xenophobic nutbars."
  • January 31, 2013 – US Ambassador to OSCE issues statement on discrimination against Roma
  • January 30, 2013 – The Canadian Jewish News: Canada warns Hungarian Roma not to seek asylum
    • Canada is taking a proactive role in dissuading Hungarian and Roma asylum-seekers from choosing it as a place of refuge.
  • January 29, 2013 – ECHR rules Hungary must correct wrongful placement of Romani children
  • January 28, 2013 – Toronto Star: Letters to the Editor: Kenney's Roma tactics racist
    • "Mackenzie King...did not raise billboards in Germany saying something like: 'Kanada ist fur Juden verboten.'"
  • January 27, 2013 – Petition to the European Parliament re recognizing the Roma Holocaust
    • "We believe that Roma Holocaust/Samudaripen deserve full recognition, commensurate with the gravity of Nazi crimes..." (petition active in 75 countries)

  • January 25, 2013 – Toronto Star: Roma refugees: Canadian billboards in Hungary warn of deportation
    • Ottawa has launched an unprecedented billboard campaign in the Hungarian city of Miskolc, home of many Roma refugees, trumpeting Canada's rapid expulsion of failed asylum seekers.
  • January 24, 2013 – Christian Science Monitor: Canada tells Hungary's Roma: Do not seek asylum here.
    • The Harper government has launched an ad campaign in the Hungarian city of Miskolc – from which many Roma have migrated to Canada in recent years – warning of tougher immigration laws.
  • January 14, 2013 – The Canadian Jewish News: Protecting Roma refugees: A unique perspective
    • Gina Csanyi-Robah outlines the work of the Roma Community Centre and addresses the Jewish community. "We have come to each other's aid in our times of need in the past, and, thankfully, I have learned that our hands and hearts are still there now."
  • January 11, 2013 – Open Democracy: Roma inclusion in 2012: No respite in prejudice
    • "2013 is the European Year of Citizens, dedicated to the rights that come with EU citizenship. It seems utterly remote and removed from the reality facing millions of Roma across the Union."
  • January 11, 2013 – Zsolt Bayer calls for 'final solution'
  • January 5, 2013 – The Canadian Jewish News: The Holocaust. The Roma. Canadian refugees?
    • Avrum Rosenweig describes racism against Roma during the Holocaust, then visits present day Hungary. He cites Amnesty International on racism in Europe today, which conflicts with the Canadian Government's position that refugee claims from Hungary are largely bogus.

      Record number of Roma running in Czech EU election

      02.04.14 @ 09:12

      Related

      1. Sweden examines its treatment of Roma
      2. New Green party shakes up Croatia's political landscape
      1. By Katerina Safarikova

      Prague - Despite rising animosity toward the country’s minority Roma population – or perhaps because of it – there is now a record number of Roma running in the Czech EU elections.

      • The likelihood of a Roma faction in the European Parliament is slim (Photo: europarl.europa.eu)

      Out of the 39 parties and political movements running for the elections in the Czech Republic, two are fully-fledged Roma parties with 11 candidates between them.

      Roma people have not had such a strong interest in taking active part in political life since 1990, a year after the Velvet Revolution and a time when everyone wanted a say.

      Roma in the Czech Republic appear to be leading the political field compared to other eastern European countries.

      No Romany party has registered for the European vote in Slovakia or in Hungary, both countries with strong Roma minorities.

      There are two reasons for the Czech experience.

      One, unlike the parliamentary vote where parties have to provide separate lists of candidates for each region, the EU vote is a one-list exercise.

      That makes it both easier and less costly for any party to register and try their luck. The smaller ones particularly appreciate the system.

      "The one list factor did play a role," says Stefan Tiser, chairman of the Equal Opportunities Party (SRP).

      For the parliamentary vote last October, SRP lined up with the Green party but the Greens did not reach the 5 percent threshold.

      "This time, our governing committee decided that we should try it on our own," Tiser explains.

      For the Roma Democratic Party (RDS), the choice was even simpler: They already ran their own party lists in two regions last October.

      The RDS' five candidates obtained 609 votes nation-wide, equal to 0.01 percent.

      "I don't pipe-dream that we could make a break-through this time," says Miroslav Tancos, the party's leader, "but us politicians, we should be trying every time!"

      Rise in anti-Roma sentiment

      The second reason for the Roma alert is more serious.

      During the last three years the country has witnessed rising violence by the majority population towards the Romany minority. It reached a peak last year when white Czechs marched against Romas in many regions.

      While the marches were organised by small extremist groups, locals took to the streets to join with them in shouting "Gypsy bastards!" in front of Romany houses.

      That was partly why, after two decades out of politics, Stefan Tiser went back into it. "People in ghettos started to beg me they need a party that will speak for them," he said.

      Others confirm his experience.

      "It is beyond doubt that especially the younger generation of Roma feels stirred up by the recent development in the country and want to engage in public affairs," says Martin Simacek, director at the governmental agency for social inclusion, which has long worked with Roma people.

      The Equal Opportunities Party has nine candidates on its list, the Roma Democratic Party two.

      The chances of both parties reaching at least 1.5 percent of the vote, which would secure them some financial assistance from the state, are very low.

      Out of a total Czech population of around 10.5 million, the Romany population counts some 250,000 – although some estimates speak of almost 400,000.

      The big problem is that 90 percent of Roma ignore voting booths.

      "It's good they're trying anyway," says Jiri Dienstbier, the minister responsible for minorities.

      Drahomir Radek Horvath, a Roma mediator and activist, is more critical.

      The community would do better, he says, if its candidates presented themselves on mainstream party lists.

      "An ethnically-defined party is a dead end," says Horvath. "Me, as a Roma, I would never vote for a Roma party because I’m interested in policies, not ethnicity."

      The policies of the Roma parties are similar and basic: jobs for Romas, a bill on social housing, and fair access to schooling.

      On Europe, both the chief of SRP and RDS think in very broad terms.

      "Europe is good, she has class," says Miroslav Tancos (RDS). For him, the European Parliament offers another platform from where to discuss "the violation of the Roma's human rights in the Czech Republic".

      Tiser (SRP), for his part, says his party "is of course for Europe".

      "But some rules must change," he continues, "jobs must be given to our people, the Czech citizens. Only after that should we enroll foreigners."

      Unlike Miroslav Tancos, Stefan Tiser knows what group the SRP would like to belong to should it make it to the European Parliament.

      "The Greens and the Pirates. We would found a new group," he says.

      Each to their own

      When asked about possible alliances with Roma from other member states, both leaders keep their distance. It remains to be seen, they say.

      Roma community insiders put this reticence down to the Romany elite not have sufficiently grasped the need for coalition building at the European level.

      "Romany university students are very active in reaching their specific goals via European grants and funds," says Pavel Pecinka, editor-in-chief of the Czech Roma magazine Romano hangos.

      "But I don't know of anybody of the elite who would concentrate on and look for a source of change in the European Romany scene in general," he adds.

      This attitude is linked to the status of families and clans in Romany society. When important families hold one another in esteem, cooperation comes easily even across national borders. When there is indifference – or worse, outright disdain – among some groups, cooperation with the white majority is the preferred option.

      The likelihood of a Roma faction in the European Parliament is slim.

      It would take some years for the EU assembly to host a sufficient number of Roma MEPs – 25 MEPs from 7 member states are needed to form a group – and even then, political love between them would not be a given.

      The European Parliament has already seen Roma MEPs – especially the young female duo from Hungary, Viktoria Mohacsi and Livia Jaroka – after the 2004 enlargement.

      But they have both indicated that they found it more natural to seek allies based on politics rather than on ethnicity.


Login Form