Recent Romnews postings
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Recent Romnews postings
PRESS RELEASE
Frankfurt-Main/GERMANY (RNN Agency) July 22nd 1998
Roma-Union Frankfurt and the Roma National Congress indignant about
the resolution of the local advisory board 1, Gallus, Frankfurt/Main,
not to install a commemorative plaque to the health centre
Since more than seven years the Roma Union made efforts to have a
commemorative plaque attached to the wall of the health centre of
Frankfurt/Main. The plaque was meant to remind of the Roma and Sinti,
who were murdered during the National Socialsm, and it should bear the
names of the relevant National Socialsm racial researchers Robert
Ritter and Eva Justin, who - despite of their crimes - were employed
again in positions of leadership with the health centre of
Frankfurt/Main after 1947.
This request is supported by the president of the central committee
of the Jews in Germany, Ignatz Bubis, the psychoanalyst Prof. Dr.
Eberhard Richter, and the political scientist Prof. Dr. Iring
Fetscher.
However, with the votes of SPD, CDU and one vote of the Republicans
(Republikaner), the local advisory board Gallus decided on July 7th,
1998, to reject the request of the Roma to install the commemorative
plaque with mentioning the two names. Only the parliamentary party of
the "Gr�ne" were solidly behind the request.
Faced with this decision, the Roma Union is deeply shocked and
concerned. The Union as the accepted self-help organization and
representative of the victims and their children`s children can in no
way understand, that obviously the personal rights of nazi-criminals
are being more protected than those of the hundred thousands of Roma
and Sinti, who were massacred and whose rights have been trampled on.
The Union can neither follow the arguments of the local advisory
board, that mentioning the names would avert from other helpers and
accomplices. The opinion of the Union is, that the withholding of the
names of the culprits falsifies history. In those cases, where names
can be assigned unambigiously to the responsible persons, they should
be published. This all the more, because the genocide of Roma and
Sinti during the National Socialism and the neglected compensation of
the people concerned have not been brought into the focus of the
public attention until to-day.
The local advisory board 1 in Frankfurt/Main could have pointed the
way to justice and responsibility by attaching the commemorative
plaque to the building of the health centre of the City.
-------------------
PIG-BREEDING FARM TO MAKE WAY FOR A MEMORIAL
Honouring of the Czech Roma victims of facism - Decision of the
government Realization bears problems.
Prague/CZECH REP. (RNN Correspondent) August the 5th 1998
The present interim government under Josef Tosovsk� is going to come
to terms with a black chapter of Czech history. Yesterday, the Czech
government decided to erect "a dignified memorial for the Roma
victims of facism" in the place of the former concentration camp in
Lety near Pisek in South Bohemia.
The problem is that in this place, where hundreds of Czech Roma died
during the Second World War, a gigantic pig-.breeding farm has ist
place. The owner, the AGPI, is not willing to sell the farm for the
price of 150 Mill. crowns (approx. 8,3 Mill. Deutsche Mark), that has
been determined by independent experts. Therefore, the cabinet decided
to put the firm under oblique pressure. The farm and its surroundings
were declared as a protective area that is not developable. Moreover,
the government instructed the responsible minister Vladimir Mlyna to
call for tenders for the erection of a memorial and to submit
proposals and costs for the designing of the area.
The firm AGPI insists on an "adequate compensation" in the form of
another farm with the same capacity. As there is no comparable one in
Czechia, the government would have to build a new one. After all, the
owners of a pig-breeding farm in South Bohemian Trebon offered their
farm for 200 Mill. crowns, but with a capacity of 9.500 pigs it was
too small. The pig-breeding farm in the place of the former
concentration camp has 13 pigsties with 14.000 pigs. The building of a
new farm with this capacity would also be problematic because the
experts think, that this size would not meet the European laws as to
large-scale animal husbandry. Furthermore, this building would have to
be erected next to the present one because many little farmers are
living on the pig-breeding farm.
Especially Vladimir Mlyna, the competent minister for minorities, who
took over in December 1997, fights for the erection of a memorial
site. His involvement nearly made him loose his job when it became
known that he had tried to get information from the secret service BIS
about the firm AGPI. In order to be prepared for the negotiations, he
had tried to find out the share-structure of the firm and whether
representatives of the AGPI had been working for the communistic state
security service (StB) in the past. For this the opposition accused
him of having overstepped his competence, because only the president
or the government were allowed to give instructions to the secret
service. At last, it came out hat inquiries like this one had also
been the usual thing at the time of the cabinet of Vacl�v Klaus, and
the accusations about it had been part of the election campaigns.
The concentration camp in Lety had already been established before the
occupation of Czechoslovakia and had been under Czech leadership even
during the time of the "patronage". About 1.300 Roma, among them 500
children had been interned here. Many of them died of diseases like
typhoid, others died in Auschwitz. Due to comments of surviving
persons maltreatments and torture had been the usual thing.
Now, Mlynar is going to negotiate directly with the owners of the
farm. The "last resort" would be the dispossession. The residents of
the place Lety cannot understand all this excitement. Most of them are
against the building of a memorial site. Their opinion is, that the
existing monument is sufficient. One could build a protective wall
between the monument and the pig-breeding farm to hide the latter from
sight.
-------------------------
Hearsay vs. hearsay
Doubt against the accused
Judge believes policemen who say they've been offended by a Roma woman
Nuremberg/GERMANY (RNN/Agency) August the 10th 1998
The 62 year-old accused couldn't stand it any longer. Half-way through
the judge's explanation for his verdict, the woman stormed out of hall
619 of the Nuremberg district court and shouted at the judge. "You're
right of course. We Roma have all lied and the policemen have spoken
the truth. May God bless you".
What had enraged her so much was the upheld verdict against her: 90
days imprisonment and a fine of 30DM per day for resisting the state
in its attempt to prosecute her. When the judge spoke of how he simply
did not believe that the policemen had sworn at her, saying "Hitler
forgot to gas you, you pack of gypsies", the woman cried out "that's
exactly how they said it, as God is my witness". It was a case of
their word against hers: two local officers against the defendant and
her daughter.
The conflict was ignited when the accused's son was meant to be
arrested � he was supposed to pay a 200DM fine for a driving
misdemeanour. Police searched for him in his mother's flat, something
which led to friction. It is claimed that the woman's left elbow was
disconnected when a policeman restrained her. She filed a complaint
against the officers, something which was thrown out and then she
found herself at the receiving end of legal action.
In court she said "I called the policemen racists and bastards only
after they had said that I was a gypsy, that I was not fit to be
alive. My father was beaten up in Dachau, my five brothers and sisters
were murdered in Auschwitz". Her lawyer accused the law of "a general
tendency to always believe the police" and will appeal the decision at
Bavaria's highest court.
"My client was at first the victim, but now this old, frail woman has
been turned into the sole culprit. On this occasion, the police
totally disregarded the basic tenant of moderation in their dealings".
Public prosecutor Gerd Sch�fer has also accused the Nuremberg police
of mistakes. When the squad searched the defendant's house, her son
had already phoned the police and paid his fine. During the trial, one
of the policemen voiced his doubts about the doctor's diagnosis of a
dislocated elbow, saying "it didn't stop her from using both hands to
make a phonecall".
-------------------------
Fear in Roma Ghetto in Stip
Stip/MACEDONIA (RNN Correspondent) August the 2nd 1998
Near the restaurant "Krusevo " in Stip on the 02.08.1998 Zoran Sorov
{police worker) was attack by two Roma people. Zoran ask for the
police and about 10-policeman come and start look for the two
attackers.
They arrive in restaurant "Krusevo" and attack Romani guests believing
that two attackers hide there. Children was between the guest, a
one-pregnet woman was victim of police brutality.
But police do not stoped on these, next two days every hour some of
Roma people was taken to police where they was beaten. About 20 Roma
ask for help after police brutality.
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