Her testimony is particularly important today, as ignorance and sometimes denial of past atrocities persist, and hate speech and violence against Roma are pervasive in many European countries.
It is indeed not rare to hear politicians minimising or condoning horrendous past human rights violations committed against the Roma.
Hate speech
Hate speech dehumanises the Roma and paves the way to further violence and other human rights violations against them.
I am particularly dismayed by the persistence of hostile demonstrations and collective attacks against Roma, which sometimes force them to move away for their own security. Such attacks do not always result in an appropriate judicial response.
In the last year, there have been reports of groups of people demonstrating against Roma and using racist hate speech and threats in Bulgaria, Italy and Croatia, where a demonstration was held last June in which Roma as a group were labelled as “criminal and primitive”. In the Russian Federation, also in June, almost a thousand Roma had to leave their hometown following a brawl with non-Roma inhabitants and a subsequent demonstration at which non-Roma inhabitants requested that “the Gypsies be kicked out.”
These are just a few examples of the climate of rejection and simmering violence in which many Roma live in Europe today.
Instead of looking away, we should all feel concerned by this tide of hate. And we should all do something to halt it.
The best way of acting is to speak out against anti-Gypsyism, confront those who attack the Roma and educate about past human rights violations but also the positive contribution of Roma to our societies.
To get there, there is a need for national and local politicians and law makers to better understand the consequences that their actions – and often inaction – have for the lives of many Roma. They should avoid perpetuating prejudices and patronising approaches that have so often characterised policies aimed for Roma. They should systematically and firmly condemn any anti-Roma hate speech they come across.
Necessary steps
The goal of fighting anti-Gypsyism cannot be achieved overnight. It requires political will, investments and a long-term vision which combines actions in different priority sectors.
One such sector is education. National and local authorities should invest more in education and awareness raising to debunk age-old myths and deeply-rooted prejudices. There should be more quality teaching about Roma culture and history in schools.
In parallel, national and local authorities should take immediate action to ensure that Roma can access housing – including social housing - on equal footing with others. Access to adequate accommodation is a prerequisite to enjoying a variety of other human rights, and in particular, the rights to health and education. At the same time, it is urgent to stop the flow of forced evictions of Roma without adequate alternative housing solutions.
Another necessary step is to establish truth and reconciliation commissions that set the record straight on past human rights violations against Roma, set the grounds for compensation of the victims and promote mutual understanding and trust.