Recent Romnews postings
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Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 14:33:50 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Recent Romnews postings
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Recent Romnews postings
- Czech government tries to infiltrate the International Romani Union
(IRU)
- For a permanent right to stay: 800 people demonstrated against the
deportation to Kosovo
RomNews Network Exclusive Special
Czech government tries to infiltrate the International Romani Union
(IRU)
Malmo / SWEDEN (Holger Johanson for RNN) May the 19th, 2000
The president of the IRU Wiktor Famulson raised heavy accusations
yesterday against the politics of his general secretary Emil Scuka
(IRU) and the Czech Republic. Famulson, in his position as president
of the IRU, had invited the biggest Roma organizations to Malmo
(Sweden) to inform them about worrying developments in his
Organization. The crisis meeting was attended by the Roma National
Congress, the Romenas Riksfoerbund and over forty representatives of
local and regional Roma organizations.
The Czech Republic is said to manipulate the IRU and other European
Roma movements for a longer time now by pointed financing and
misinformation, according to Famulson. This includes that Roma had
systematically been brought into key positions of the IRU who had
close contacts to parts of the Czech government. Financial support of
the IRU had been connected with personnel decisions, so that already
three members of presidency are Czechs, two of them had even worked
for the state before. Among them is the organization's general
secretary, Emil Scuka, who is known to have excellent contact to the
Czech government. Scuka is supposed to have worked for the communistic
CSSR as state attorney before the "Velvet revolution". Apart from
that, the international work is said to be influenced by Czech money.
Insiders of the OSCE reported that the position of the Roma
representative in the OSCE is financed by the Czech government to
secure the Czech influence.
As the president of the IRU reported, organizational details had been
decided without him on a regular basis. Thus, a "world Congress" of
the Roma, which was short-termed planned for June 1st, 2000 in Prague
(Czech Republic), had been decided about in close Coordination between
Scuka and the Czech government. Famulson had to face finished facts.
One of the aims of the "world Congress" had been the confirmation of
the sole agency of the IRU. Financial aid came from the Czech state
deposit again.
"This procedure has not been coordinated with me. Organizing a 'World
Congress in two weeks is unserious and reminds more of an aimed revolt
than of a serious attempt to unite Roma organizations from around the
world. Apart from that, such a short summoning does not account to the
articles of the IRU", said the president.
Other Roma representatives at the meeting found clearer words: "This
is a slight of hand from the mothed repertoire of the KGB."
Experts of the situation in the Czech Republic think that the
motivation of these actions by the Czechs can be found in an attempt
to hush up the Roma problem in the Republic. By exploiting the
European Roma movement for Czech interests, unwanted voices concerning
the Roma may be silenced. The IRU playing down the situation of the
Roma in the Czech Republic would be the perfect "partner" to distract
the EU from the violations of human rights in the Republic.
As conclusion of the meeting in Malmo, the participants adopted a
declaration according to which a Congress in the Czech Republic is
ruled out. As Famulson explained, the Czech Republic is already out of
question because a majority of Roma organizations would refuse to meet
in a country that is known as one of the heaviest persecutors of Roma
in Europe. "Apart from that, the security of the participants could
not be granted there", added Famulson. "Enhancing the status of a
country that allows a pig-farm on the ground of a former concentration
camp, and in which discrimination and violence against Roma is an
everyday experience, is out of the question! In the last few months
alone, hundreds of Roma fled from the Czech Republic. With this
Congress, the Czech government wants to distract from the
Anti-Gypsyism in the country. On the one hand, there doesn't seem to
be any money to remove the pig-farm from the graves of our victims of
the Czech fascism, while on the other hand there seem to be endless
financial amounts available to take over the IRU", said the spokesman
of the RNC, Rudko Kawczynski. As a result of the meeting in Malmo,
Famulson and Kawczynski signed a declaration about future cooperation
of IRU and RNC.
The unanimous opinion of all delegates: "In times of crisis, the civil
rights movement of the Roma has to be protected from manipulation and
exploitation by states!"
For a permanent right to stay: 800 people demonstrated against the
deportation to Kosovo
(RNN Agency) Hamburg / Germany May the 17th, 2000
About 800 Roma demonstrated in the inner city of Hamburg yesterday for
a permanent right to stay. The demonstration marked the beginning of
nationwide activities of the Roma National Congress (RNC), by which
the deportation of Roma to Kosovo shall be prevented. Following the
rally, a corresponding petition was handed over to the different
parties of the Hamburg city council.
Since the beginning of the Kosovo war, thousands of Roma became
victims of atrocities by Albanian militias, explained spokesman Rudko
Kawczynski. These "ethnic cleansings" as well as the persecution by
the Serbian population led to the flight of hundreds of thousands, so
that hardly any Roma are still living in Kosovo today. "Who deportates
them, sends them to death." But no "international union of states"
would feel responsible for these people - not even those who dropped
bombs over Yugoslavia in the name of human rights only a few months
ago.
The foreign-political spokeswoman of the GAL-party, Christa Goetsch,
also spoke out against a forced return of persecuted minorities to
Kosovo. "Here in Hamburg, people must have the opportunity to stay",
she claimed. In the morning, representatives of the RNC had laid down
a wreath at a memorial plaque in Harburg for the Roma who were
deportated and killed during the NS-regime. The deportations of Roma
from Hamburg had started 60 years ago.
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