MINELRES: Greece: Pioneer Police Circular Showing Sensitivity to Roma

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Greek Helsinki Monitor <office@greekhelsinki.gr>


Greek Helsinki Monitor 
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PRESS RELEASE

9 August 2004

TOPIC: PIONEER HELLENIC POLICE CIRCULAR SHOWING SENSITIVITY TO ROMA.
"OPEN CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION" BETWEEN GREEK MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND
EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTER.
 
Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) congratulates the Hellenic Police (EL.AS.)
for its Notification 7100/26/5?/4-8-2004 sent to all its agencies
(translation of full text follows) underlying that "when there is a need
to identify a member of the vulnerable group of Roma, you make use
exclusively of the international terms rom (roma) or of the term gypsy
[tsiganos in Greek] - the use of derogatory terms, like "athigganos"
etc. is not allowed." This Notification was sent one day after the
meeting held between cadres of the Hellenic Police Headquarters and
representatives of the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) and GHM,
during which it was pointed out that many state agencies and media use
the derogatory term "athigganos." GHM will  request that various
Ministries and the Journalists' Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers
(ESHEA) send similar recommendations to their agencies and the media
respectively. This action taken by EL.AS. is complemented by the also
praiseworthy distribution of the European Commission against Racism and
Intolerance (ECRI)'s both "Third Report on Greece" (with EL.AS. document
7100/16/1-??/8-7-2004) and the "Recommendation no. 8 on combating racism
while fighting terrorism" (with EL.AS. document 7100/16/3-?/29-7-2004). 

A day earlier, on 2/8/04, the representatives of ERRC and GHM met with
Deputy Minister of Education Spyros Taliadouros, who announced the
Ministry's will to keep "an open channel of communication and
cooperation" with these non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in a
press release (translation of the press release follows). During 2 &
3/8/2004, the representatives of these two NGOs also met with Director
of the Office of the Minister of Justice Athanasios Theodorou, Special
Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Administration Professor Anthony
Makrydemetres, Secretary General of Administration of European Union and
Other Revenues of the Ministry of Employment and Social Protection
Professor Spyros Vliamos and Secretary General of the Ministry of
Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Thanos
Vezyrgiannis. Moreover, on 31/7/04, along with Livia Jaroka - the only
ethnic Romani Member of the European Parliament, on Hungary's FIDESZ -
European People's Party list, and Vasilis Paiteris - Special Advisor on
Romani Issues to the Deputy Minister of Culture, they visited Romani
settlements in Spata and Aspropyrgos (see their joint statement about
the living conditions in the settlements and the announcement of forging
an alliance for the effective defense of Roma rights in Greece at
http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/organizations/ghm/ghm_02_08_04.doc).
 


NOTIFICATION

FROM: HELLENIC POLICE HEADQUARTERS (A.E.A.)/ADMINISTRATIVE   SECTOR
(K.D.)/ ORGANISATION AND LEGISLATION DIVISION/ 2nd DEPARTMENT OF
STRATEGIC PLANNING

TO: ALL HELLENIC POLICE AGENCIES

CC: MINISTRY OF PUBLIC ORDER 

NO.: 7100/26/5?
         4-8-2004

SUBJECT: Identification of members of the vulnerable group of Roma
REL.: Our order 7100/ 16/1?? of 8-7-2004 to all Sectors'
Directorates/A.E.A.

1.	Following the afore-mentioned relevant order, concerning the Third
Report issued by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
(ECRI) on the situation in Greece, emphasis is laid on the
recommendation of the Commission about the continuation and
strengthening of efforts to abolish direct and indirect discrimination
against Greek Roma and sensitize the authorities, especially in the area
of the statements that include derogatory or racist terms.

2.      On the basis of the afore-mentioned recommendation and in view
of the obligation of the Hellenic Police - which is a part of the public
administration - as defined from the current legislation in force [Legal
Decree (N.D.) 494/1970 "Ratification of the international convention on
the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination" Government
Gazette Issue (F.E.K.) 77/A'], we request that, when there is a need to
identify a member of the vulnerable group of Roma, in correspondence,
written and oral statements of the Agencies and your staff, you make use
exclusively of the international terms rom (roma) or of the term gypsy
[tsiganos in Greek]. The use of derogatory terms, like "athigganos" etc.
is not allowed.  

                                                     CHIEF OF STAFF 
                                               NIKOLAOS TASIOPOULOS
                                          POLICE LIEUTENANT GENERAL 


Responsible for the copying of the document
in Athens, the same day
2nd Department of Strategic Planning
of the Organisation and Legislation Division/A.E.A. 
Georgios PALLIOURAS 
Lieutenant Colonel 

 

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND 
RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS

PRESS RELEASE 

Athens, 2 August 2004


The Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Spyros Taliadouros held an
informative meeting with the Programs Director of the European Roma
Rights Center (ERRC), Mr. Claude Cahn and Mr. Panayote Dimitras, Board
Member of Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM). 

The Deputy Minister underlined that the basic aims of the Ministry of
Education and Religious Affairs are the stabilization of the pupils'
population, the fight against pupils' dropout, and their integration
into the educational process.

Both sides agreed that the relevant departments of the Ministry of
Education and the European Roma Rights Center have to keep an open
channel of communication and cooperation.

The Vice-President of the Institute for the Greek Diaspora Education and
Intercultural Studies (IPODE), Mr. Dimitropoulos and Mr. Linardos of the
Secretariat for Greek Education Abroad and Intercultural Education also
participated in the meeting.