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German article about Ukrainian Roma poet and Holocaust survivor Raisa Nabaranchuk 

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German article about Ukrainian Roma poet and Holocaust survivor Raisa Nabaranchuk 

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Drei Schwestern aus Kiew, deren Roma-Familien von den Nazis verfolgt wurden, sind vor dem Krieg nach Deutschland geflüchtet.

Raisa Nabaranchuk blinzelt in die Sonne, rechts neben der 79-Jährigen sitzt ihre drei Jahre jüngere Schwester Angelina Markowskaja, rechts neben ihr die sechs Jahre jüngere Schwester Tatjana Kazimirenko. Die drei genießen den warmen Frühlingstag auf der Terrasse der Almgaststätte Kälbelescheuer, in 1000 Metern Höhe über dem Münstertal. Von hier aus haben sie einen herrlichen Blick auf die Rheinebene bis nach Frankreich. "Es ist wunderschön", sagt Raisa Nabaranchuk, wie "ein Paradies auf Erden". Die drei Frauen wirken vergnügt, lachen miteinander, machen Späße. "Wir Roma sind ein fröhliches Volk, wir tanzen und singen gerne", sagt Tatjana Kazimirenko.

Von den Strapazen der letzten Wochen ist ihnen in diesen Stunden im Schwarzwald nichts anzumerken. Dabei waren die jüngsten Erlebnisse - der Krieg in ihrer Heimat, der Ukraine, und ihre Flucht von Kiew ins Kloster St. Trudpert im Münstertal - für das Trio angsteinflößend, anstrengend, kräftezehrend, nervenaufreibend. Die drei erzählen von den Bombardements, die sie in Kiew bei Kriegsausbruch Ende Februar miterleben mussten - vom Ausharren im Keller und der Flucht im Zug nach Polen mit Töchtern, einer Enkelin und einem ein Jahr alten Urenkelkind im Schlepptau. "Das war schrecklich", sagt Raisa Nabaranchuk über die Flucht.

Nabaranchuk ist in der Ukraine eine bekannte Dichterin, schreibt in drei Sprachen - auf Romanes, Ukrainisch und Russisch - und war auch Dozentin für Poesie und Romastudien an der Nationaluniversität Kiew. Verse seien für sie Geschenk und Ausdruck der Schönheit menschlicher Gefühle, schreibt die Poetin im Vorwort ihres 2015 erschienenen Gedichtbands. Die Geschichte ihres Volkes, der Roma, habe sie immer schon bewegt.

"Wir haben für uns keinen anderen Ausweg gesehen, als zu fliehen", sagt Nabaranchuk im Licht der Spätnachmittagssonne. Die Männer der Familie, Söhne und Schwiegersöhne, mussten zurückbleiben, sie kämpfen gegen die russischen Invasoren.

Raisa Nabaranchuk und ihre Schwestern entstammen einer ukrainischen Roma-Familie, in der alle, auch die drei, das Friseurhandwerk erlernt haben, bis Kriegsausbruch war der Salon der Familie in Kiew geöffnet. "Unser Vater hatte einen sehr großen Salon, er war der Meister der goldenen Hände", so heiße auch der Salon, sagt Angelina Markowskaja.

Immer wieder, zwischen den Antworten auf die Interviewfragen, sagen die drei: "Vielen Dank für die Unterkunft. Möge Gott sie segnen." Und: "Wir werden das niemals vergessen, wir sind so dankbar, was wir hier bekommen." Gemeint sind ihre Gastgeberinnen, bei denen sie seit gut sechs Wochen wohnen: die Schwestern vom heiligen Josef zu St. Marc im Kloster St. Trudpert im Münstertal. Gemeint ist aber auch das Roma-Büro Freiburg und weitere Roma-Organisationen, die viele Roma aus der Ukraine unterstützen, sei es mit Hilfsgütern, Geld oder logistisch bei ihrer Flucht nach Westen. "Die Familien werden gelotst, dadurch wussten wir, wann sie ankommen", sagt Tomas Wald vom Freiburger Roma-Büro. "Es sind so viele ..."

Maßgeblich unterstützt werden die Schwestern auch vom "Hilfswerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine", einer am 9. März, gut zwei Wochen nach Kriegsausbruch, gegründeten bundesweiten Vereinigung von mittlerweile 46 Gedenkstätten, Museen und Initiativen, die mit ihrer Arbeit normalerweise an den Terror des Nationalsozialismus erinnern und Opfern und deren Angehörigen helfen. Das von ihnen gebildete Netzwerk will nun Holocaust-Überlebenden und Angehörigen helfen, entweder über Partnerorganisationen in der Ukraine, direkt vor Ort, oder bei der Flucht.

Auch die drei Roma-Schwestern sind Angehörige von NS-Opfern, die Großmutter wurde einst von den Nazis in den Schluchten von Babyn Jar ermordet. Die dortigen Massaker haben Raisa Nabaranchuk Zeit ihres Lebens beschäftigt - in Vorträgen, in Gedichten, im Film. Die ganze Familie wurde geprägt durch Krieg und Verfolgung. Die Großmutter sei zum Markt gegangen - und nie wieder aufgetaucht. Und die Mutter Paranja Starzew habe sich im Keller von Nachbarn vor den Besatzern versteckt, während Vater Boris Starzew und der ältere Bruder Leonid in der Roten Armee gegen die Deutschen kämpften.

Nun ist für Raisa Nabaranchuk und ihre Schwestern - zwei weitere sind in Frankfurt am Main gelandet - ausgerechnet Deutschland, das Land der Mörder der Großmutter, zum Zufluchtsort vor Putins Soldaten geworden. Es ist, als ob die Geschichte eine Drehung um 180 Grad genommen habe: Die Mörder von einst, die Deutschen, sind die Retter von heute, und die Befreier im Zweiten Weltkrieg, die Russen, sind nun die Invasoren, vor denen sie fliehen müssen. Wobei, Raisa Nabaranchuk denkt nicht in starren Feindbildern. "Wir sind alle Menschen Gottes. Die Erde ist für alle da", sagt sie, die der ukrainisch-orthodoxen Kirche angehört. Roma-Familien aus verschiedenen Ländern hätten Verbindungen untereinander, Roma aus der Ukraine, aus Moldau, Ungarn, der Slowakei, Russland - "wir kommen alle miteinander aus. Sollen wir jetzt auf einmal Feinde sein?" Angelina Markowskaja sagt: "Ich habe auch in Petersburg und Moskau Verwandte. Wir kennen keine Grenzen"; es sei die Politik, die sie errichte. Sie jedenfalls, sagt Raisa Nabaranchuk, habe keinen Hass auf Russen. Es sei aber wichtig, dass die Ukraine den Krieg gewinne.

In Europa, sagt Tomas Wald, gibt es 80 verschiedene Roma-Gruppen, sie sprechen viele verschiedene Mundarten, allein in der Ukraine gibt es ein bis zwei Dutzend verschiedene.

Diskriminiert und verfolgt wurden die Sinti und Roma (Sinti wird die Minderheit in West- und Mitteleuropa genannt, Roma in Ost- und Südosteuropa) ebenso wie die Juden mit dem Beginn der Machtübernahme Hitlers im Januar 1933 - in zunehmendem Maße durch die Rassegesetze und Verordnungen. Ab 1940 wurden sie deportiert, durch Himmlers "Auschwitzbefehl" seit Ende 1942 systematisch ermordet. Insgesamt sollen im Zweiten Weltkrieg bis zu 500 000 Sinti und Roma ermordet worden sein.

In Babyn Jar nordwestlich von Kiew verübten deutsche Einsatzgruppen der Sicherheitspolizei im September 1941 innerhalb von zwei Tagen ein Massaker und töteten mehr als 33 000 jüdische Männer, Frauen und Kinder. Man geht heute für die Zeit der gesamten deutschen Besatzung vom Sommer 1941 bis November 1943 von etwa 150 000 bis 200 000 ermordeten Minderheiten in Kiew und Babyn Jar aus - Juden, Alte und psychisch Kranke, Partisanen, Kriegsgefangene und auch Zehntausende Roma. "Babyn Jar", schreibt der Historiker Andrej Kotljarchuk, "gilt in der ehemaligen Sowjetunion als der Ort, an dem die meisten Menschen von den Nationalsozialisten umgebracht wurden".

Offiziell integrierte 2009 mit Präsident Viktor Juschtschenko erstmals ein ukrainischer Staatschef den Völkermord an den Roma in die Gedenkkultur des Landes. Aber erst seit 2016 steht in Babyn Jar ein nationales Denkmal für die ermordeten Roma. In einem kurzen Film auf Youtube sieht man Raisa Nabaranchuk in Trauer vor dem Denkmal, einem eisernen Planwagen mit Einschusslöchern.

Zuvor hatte es seit 1976 in Babyn Jar ein Denkmal für alle Opfer des Faschismus ungeachtet ihrer ethnischen oder religiösen Herkunft gegeben. Dass das Roma-Denkmal erst so spät eingeweiht wurde, liegt daran, dass die Roma in der kommunistischen Sowjetunion Repressalien ausgesetzt waren, ihr Nomadenleben galt als rückständig und Hindernis für den Sozialismus, schreibt Kotljarchuk. Der von den Nazis ermordeten Roma wurde in der Sowjetunion denn auch nie individuell als verfolgter Gruppe gedacht, sondern sie wurden allgemein der Opfergruppe der "friedlichen sowjetischen Bürger" zugeordnet. Der Diskurs über den Zweiten Weltkrieg sei in der Sowjetunion stark politisiert, ideologisiert und zensiert worden, schreibt Kotljarchuk. "Die Tatsache, dass die meisten Opfer in Babyn Jar Juden und Roma waren, wurde ignoriert", die Opferrolle der Roma heruntergespielt. Geändert hat sich das erst nach dem Zerfall der Sowjetunion.

An diesem sonnigen Frühlingsnachmittag hoch über dem Münstertal möchte Raisa Nabaranchuk über das Grauen von Babyn Jar und diesen Teil der Familiengeschichte nicht sprechen. Für sie zähle die Gegenwart. Die Geschichte von Verfolgung und Mord durch die Nazis, das sei "Vergangenheit. Eine Vergangenheit, von der uns unsere Eltern erzählt haben", sagt sie. "Aber wir leben im Hier und Jetzt." Vielleicht ist diese Haltung in der momentanen Situation ein Schutzschild, um im hohen Alter, mit fast 80 Jahren, weiter durchzuhalten.

Der Angriff auf die Ukraine habe sie überrascht, sagen die Schwestern auf der Terrasse der Kälbelescheuer, "wir haben nicht damit gerechnet, dass tatsächlich Krieg ausbricht",, sagt Angelina Markowskaja. Bis zum Schluss hätten sie an irgendeinen Kompromiss geglaubt.

Ob sie zurück in ihre Heimat wollen? "Ja natürlich, auf jeden Fall, was für eine Frage", sagt Tatjana Kazimirenko. "Aber jetzt bleiben wir erstmal hier in Sicherheit." Sie wollen ausruhen und zu Kräften kommen. "Gott sei Dank ist noch keiner aus der Familie gefallen", sagt Kazimirenko. Die Schwestern sind trotz allem zuversichtlich: "Wenn Gott will", sagt Tatjana Kazimirenko über ihre in der Heimat zurückgelassene Familie, "wird er uns alle wieder zusammenführen."

Das Interview mit den Schwestern wurde von Dolmetscherin Natalia Scheidies simultan übersetzt.

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Drei Schwestern aus Kiew, deren Roma-Familien von den Nazis verfolgt wurden, sind vor dem Krieg nach Deutschland geflüchtet. Raisa Nabaranchuk blinzelt in die Sonne, rechts neben der 79-Jährigen sitzt ihre drei Jahre jüngere Schwester Angelina Markowskaja, rechts neben ihr die sechs Jahre jüngere Schwester Tatjana Kazimirenko.

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Volunteer aiding refugees from Ukraine in Czech Republic: Institutionalized racism definitively condemns Romani people to a hopeless fate

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Volunteer aiding refugees from Ukraine in Czech Republic: Institutionalized racism definitively condemns Romani people to a hopeless fate

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Volunteer aiding refugees from Ukraine in Czech Republic: Institutionalized racism definitively condemns Romani people to a hopeless fate - Romea.cz

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Czech region puts 40 Romani refugees from Ukraine in tents near Pardubice

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Czech region puts 40 Romani refugees from Ukraine in tents near Pardubice

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Young children are among the 40 Romani refugees from Ukraine who have been living since Monday in makeshift tents on the outskirts of Pardubice. Members of the firefighter corps erected the tents.

The authorities abandoned without aid in the city center another group of Romani refugees from Ukraine that was smaller. Accommodation was then provided for them and activists and local Romani residents had to take care of them after the Governor was pressured by the Pirate Party to house them in Hradec Králové.

"Since Monday evening, temporary accommodation has been found for 40 people. It was absolutely exceptional for these persons to be offered shelter that is temporary before their citizenship has been checked as to whether another EU Member State could possibly protect them," Dominik Barták, spokesperson for the Pardubice Regional Authority, told the Romea.cz news server about the provisional tents.

The Governor of the Pardubice Region, Martin Netolický of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), rejects the criticism that the Romani refugees from Ukraine are not sufficiently taken care of in the Czech Republic. He also reiterated his previous attack on Romani refugees from the Region of Transcarpathia in Ukraine, alleging that there is no fighting underway there.

Bombardments with missiles by Russia have been happening in the Transcarpathian Region, including yesterday. What's more the allegation that all of the Romani refugees in the Czech Republic are from Transcarpathian Ukraine is also false.

Czech Television broadcast an interview with a Romani woman who fled from Dnipro, in the east of Ukraine, which has been hit by missiles from the Russian forces. "My child is three years old. When he heard the shooting and explosions, he fell to the ground. Then he began to scream," the young Romani woman from Dnipro described the crazy scene in that bombarded part of Ukraine.

"Anyway, we want to be sure that they are really refugees from Ukraine. If the Alien Police has doubts, they check. In those cases they even ask four states, if I'm not mistaken, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Germany," the Governor described the harsh vetting of Romani refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic to Prima TV.

Yesterday evening, news server Romea.cz contacted several inhabitants of Pardubice who stated that there were several Romani refugees from Ukraine in Pardubice in front of the Regional Authority, including young children, whom authorities had refused accommodation even in temporary tents. "It's just not possible that they allow them to sleep outside with young children. This is racism in its clearest form," a local Pardubice resident who is Romani told Romea.cz.

Finally, with the aid of Pardubice residents who are Romani, members of the Roma Luma party, and the local Pirate Party, accommodation was found for the remaining Romani refugees from Ukraine. "Local Roma and members of the Pirate Party put the money together to house the Romani refugees from Ukraine in a residential hotel not far from Pardubice. The owner of the residential hotel claimed at first that he did not mind accommodating Romani people. After they arrived there, the facility was said to be already full, suddenly," Lucie Fuková, an activist from the local Romani community who assisted the Romani refugees from Ukraine with finding accommodation, told news server Romea.cz.

"City assembly members for the Pirates, Lenka Španihelova and Andrej Ramashiski, then secured accommodation for the Romani refugees from Ukraine in Hradec Králové in cooperation with the Governor there," the activist said, adding that it is not yet clear whether the citizenship documentation for the refugees is in order. Last night, however, another group of Romani refugees from Ukraine appeared at the Pardubice railway station.

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Czech region puts 40 Romani refugees from Ukraine in tents near Pardubice, abandons others in the city center, local Roma had to aid them

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Young children are among the 40 Romani refugees from Ukraine who have been living since Monday in makeshift tents on the outskirts of Pardubice. Members of the firefighter corps erected the tents. The authorities abandoned without aid in the city center another group of Romani refugees from Ukraine that was smaller.

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Czech activist: Refuting the half-truths, rumors and untruths spreading about the Romani refugees

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Czech activist: Refuting the half-truths, rumors and untruths spreading about the Romani refugees

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In recent weeks, we at the Konexe organization have encountered many half-truths, hoaxes and untruths that are spreading about refugees from Russia's war on Ukraine - to be precise, about Romani children and their mothers seeking a safe haven from the war. These half-truths, rumors and untruths are being spread by official representatives of the Czech Republic, such as the President, the Interior Minister, and some governors and local politicians, and we would like to set the record straight on at least some of them.

Half-truth #1: The Romani refugees Ukraine are actually economic migrants from Hungary

Some of the refugees from Ukraine's western regions do have dual citizenship, Hungarian and Ukrainian. Years ago, Orbán's regime sent recruiters to the neighboring countries where Hungary has made territorial demands (i.e., "Great Hungary"), to seek allegedly "lost" members of the ethnic Hungarian minority in those territories.

Whoever was persuaded to sign a paper stating that he or she feels himself or herself to be Hungarian was immediately given Hungarian citizenship. The recruiters managed to persuade some Roma to sign.

Of these "citizens of Hungary" who are Romani, the vast majority have no ties to Hungary, may never have even been to Hungary, and this citizenship is a formality, purely. Aid or protection for them in Hungary is highly unlikely under Orbán.

In the Czech Republic, we at Konexe believe (although we cannot prove it yet) that it is just dark-skinned refugees who are being vetted for dual citizenship. As far as we are aware, background checks are not being conducted on Ukrainians who are "white" - nobody here is curious to check up on whether they, too, have dual citizenship.

Half-truth #2: Dual Hungarian/Ukrainian citizens are not entitled to aid and protection

In the other countries to which such refugees are heading, the process involves verifying that the person did actually live in Ukraine before the war, did have his or her permanent residence there, and is actually on the run from the war. If so, these countries will aid these refugees and their dual citizenship is a formality that is not an obstacle.

Half-truth #3: Romani refugees from Ukraine arrive in big groups - so large that they cannot be accommodated in housing of standard size

Such groups do actually appear here, but not frequently. Usually, if there is a bigger group of Romani people, it means just a few families are traveling together, and it is easy for the group to split up into those families to be accommodated in apartment units that are common to them.

Just walk along the halls of the Prague railway station, where hundreds of Romani refugee children and their mothers from Ukraine have been stuck - big groups here are rarely seen, on the contrary, we meet many mothers with anywhere between one and four children each, or just Romani women on their own. This deliberately-distributed rumor about giant groups that are indivisible serves as an excuse for the authorities to not even attempt to find housing that is standard to offer Romani refugees from Ukraine.

Half-truth #4: Romani refugees reject the accommodation that has been allocated to them by the state

In our experience, this "accommodation" is in centers for detainees, that is what is especially being offered to Romani refugees from Ukraine. These facilities are like prisons - barbed wire, bars on the windows, high fences, located in places that are remote.

Actually, it is these facilities that are so like prisons which are the ones the Romani refugees are rejecting. They do not want to live in them because for children they are completely unsuitable, and from a human perspective it is quite understandable that they would not want such "accommodation" in such environments.

Half-truth #5: Romani refugees come to the Czech Republic from a part of Ukraine where the war is not being waged

Bombardment and sniper fire is currently happening in all regions of Ukraine, including the west. The Romani refugees whom we have aided are from all over Ukraine - Donbas, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Odesa, the western regions and Zaporizhzhia.

Some of the Romani refugees whom we have aided fled from the front line, literally. It is as if we in the Czech Republic do not realize the partners and spouses of these Romani refugees are fighting the Russian aggression in Ukraine with weapons in their hands to save Europe, not just Ukraine itself.

Is the antigypsyism in the Czech Republic, as well as the institutional racism that is systemic, so strong that we are unable to aid the Romani refugees from Russia's war on Ukraine the same way we have assisted those whose skin is white? Apparently so, all evidence so far suggests that is the case.

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Czech activist: Refuting the half-truths, rumors and untruths spreading about the Romani mothers and children fleeing Russia's war on Ukraine

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In recent weeks, we at the Konexe organization have encountered many half-truths, hoaxes and untruths that are spreading about refugees from Russia's war on Ukraine - to be precise, about Romani children and their mothers seeking a safe haven from the war.

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Czech civic initiative calls for aid and demands systemic solution

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Czech civic initiative calls for aid and demands systemic solution

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When it comes to aiding the refugees from Russia's war on Ukraine in the Czech Republic, the situation at the main train station in Prague has long been unsustainable and Romani refugees are finding the assistance system restrictive, undignified and unfair. That is the message of a statement released yesterday by Initiativa Hlavák (Main Station Initiative), volunteers from which have been helping refugees since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Closing down our aid at the station would be pointless. However, we cannot work for much longer as we are working now. We don't have resources, the clients are suffering, the volunteers are quitting and no wonder. Systemic change in the assistance for Romani refugees from Ukraine is necessary. It's never going to work otherwise," reads the statement, which news server Romea.cz is publishing here in full.
Statement by Initiativa Hlavák (Main Station Initiative) on the current humanitarian crisis at Hlavní nádraží (the Main Train Station in Prague, Czech Republic)
The Main Station Initiative has been helping people who are fleeing to safety for seven years; during that time, the form of our volunteer work has transformed, but we have always been here for people who, for various reasons, have fallen through the cracks in the system. Currently, we feel that the way in which our Initiative is being forced to function is incorrect.

We do not agree with the conditions in which the refugees are being forced to rot away at the train station, and we are aware how the current functioning of the system is restrictive. Coordinators and volunteers across our Inititative realize that we have become part of a restrictive, undignified, unfair system.

However, we also perceive that if we were to stop working there, then even the basic, urgent aid we can offer to these people fleeing to safety would no longer be available. From the beginning of the war in Ukraine, it was clear that the Czech Republic was now in an historical situation that is unprecedented, and that a huge number of people would be arriving here.

Together with the Organization for Aid to Refugees (OPU), the firefighters who work for the railways, medics from the 3rd Faculty of Medicine in Prague, the Railway Administration and the Czech Police, we created a refugee center that is ready to provide comprehensive assistance, from help with train tickets to legal assistance for people in specific situations. Everything functions thanks to hundreds of volunteers who are taking care of the aid and operations.

In the first days of the war, our Initiative handled as many as 7 000 refugees from Ukraine daily and successfully. A lot has changed since then, though.

From the beginning, our role was focused around the information stands set up by the City Council of Prague, and was designed primarily as delivering basic information and aiding the refugees with navigating their arrivals, supplemented with the opportunity to arrange emergency overnight stays, basic food assistance or help from the medics. At the moment, however, our shifts do not involve information provision, but rather dealing with the humanitarian crisis at the station itself.

Hundreds of refugees from Ukraine whose conditions for living here are undignified, who are still in need of aid, and who have nowhere else to go are returning to the main station. Currently the situation there is becoming more and more demanding each and every and has long been unsustainable.

We are incapable of providing adequate, dignified aid to the people fleeing to safety. Basic assistance from the institutions of the state could make it adequate and dignified, but that is what we do not have.

There is more than one reason for this: One is food shortage. The rations there are set up on the basis of the assumption that individual refugees will come, get their strength back, and then continue on to the Regional Assistance Centers where they will get care.

Unfortunately, that is not happening. For many reasons, right now people (usually Romani families) are returning to us from the Regional Assistance Centers without having been housed and without having received more support, and they have nowhere else to go than to us.

This means the new arrivals and the returnees have to share the limited rations we have at the main train station. In addition to the amount of the food, its ingredients are a problem - from a nutritional standpoint it was never designed to be a daily diet one can live on.

Although OPU is repeatedly, urgently reporting this to the Crisis Team at the Czech Government and to many other committees and meetings, no aid is arriving from the state to solve this problem. So far, their concerns about the nutrition for the refugees have just manifested themselves in the restriction that for health reasons, we have been forbidden to give out coffee to those fleeing to safety.

Another reason things are inadequate and undignified are the opportunities to sleep at the train station. Those are limited and we do not have the capacity to arrange even the most basic lodging for the night for all of the refugees there.

Our services at the station were never designed to include providing long-term overnight accommodation and are by no means a dignified replacement for housing. There are just 70 beds in the hall that has been provided for this purpose by the Railway Administration.

These are places for the absolutely most vulnerable, usually nursing mothers and pregnant women. Up to 210 more people are also able to sleep on the seats of a parked train.

During our normal operations, that train is frequently completely overcrowded, it is not a dignified or a sustainable way to spend the night and it is definitely not suitable for long-term living; however, even those capacities are often completely filled. It is a common occurrence now for entire families to have no choice but to sleep on the cold floor of the station.

On Saturday, 7 May 2022, more than 400 people had no choice but to spend the night at the main station in Prague; during the month of April at least 3 807 people were forced to sleep at the main train station at some point. It is necessary that these people get into the refugee aid system.

These hundreds of human beings currently spending their nights at the main train station are predominantly Romani families. In their attempts to seek temporary protection they face, among other matters, the suspicion that they are citizens of Hungary (due to the foreign policy of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a large part of the Hungarian-speaking citizens of the countries adjacent to Hungary have dual citizenship).

It takes as long as 10 days to verify these refugees' identification, and there is no support given to them by the Czech state during that time. No hostel or any other space is available to them besides the main train station, and it is therefore understandable that all refugees in such situations come back here.

At the same time, refugees are returning to the train station who have left the accommodation allocated to them by the state. Here it is necessary to add that one of the few existing opportunities for long-term accommodation that the Czech state is providing to Romani families with many members are detention centers, the character of which is quite close to that of a custodial prison.

The refugees' choice to leave such housing is, from a human perspective, quite understandable. A significant segment of our current clientele is also formed by people who, for different reasons, were never afforded the opportunity to apply for temporary protection (again, Romani families, usually), or people who were not allowed to enter Germany and have returned to Prague.

No accommodation on an emergency basis and no aid with their legal and social situations is being provided by the state in a systematic way to any of these groups, it is the Main Station in Prague, at the moment, that is shouldering all responsibility for them. In Brno, in Pardubice and in other cities, these people are sleeping on the streets.

Political pressures exist here not to aid certain refugees. We are in the runup to local elections, and rescuing hundreds of impoverished Romani refugees will not score anybody political points if there is no guarantee their basic needs will be met and no prospects of their being accommodated or incorporated into their new places of residence.

Providing aid at the main station in Prague will always be necessary during refugee crises. Equivalents to our services are being provided in the cities to which refugees are fleeing around the globe.

The current situation, when instead of running information stands and aiding refugees with navigating the system, we are serving to inadequately patch up a humanitarian crisis that could have almost absolutely been prevented through solutions that are systemic, is exhausting and over a longer term it is undignified and unsustainable. Closing down our aid at the station would be pointless.

However, we cannot work for much longer as we are working now. We don't have resources, the clients are suffering, the volunteers are quitting and it is no wonder.

Systemic change in the assistance for Romani refugees from Ukraine is necessary. It's never going to work otherwise.

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Czech civic initiative calls for aid and demands systemic solution after assistance to Romani refugees from Ukraine collapses altogether

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When it comes to aiding the refugees from Russia's war on Ukraine in the Czech Republic, the situation at the main train station in Prague has long been unsustainable and Romani refugees are finding the assistance system restrictive, undignified and unfair.

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Ukraine’s Refugee Crisis ‘Woke Up’ Networks of Roma Evangelicals

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Ukraine’s Refugee Crisis ‘Woke Up’ Networks of Roma Evangelicals

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The first call woke Marek Olah up at midnight-it was his brother, telling him to prepare the church's community center because he was picking up Ukrainian refugees from the border. Olah began making calls, and people showed up to search for blankets and mattresses before the bus of 60 people arrived.

"I was very surprised and touched," said Olah, pastor of the Apostolic Church Sabinov, a Roma congregation of around 300 people in eastern Slovakia. "After COVID, we were all a little ... well, this situation with Ukraine woke us up."

Members of his church "have been very hospitable and compassionate, even crying with people. Teenagers are buying food, women are praying with people, one man used his savings to buy jackets for everyone."

Another Roma Apostolic church in Pavlovce nad Uhom, Slovakia, just 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, had been quickly overwhelmed by refugees. Pastor Marek Gombar asked Olah's church for help. Other churches sent food and clothing.

Eventually, this led to an informal network of 11 Roma and non-Roma churches from Slovakia, Czech Republic, and England coming together to serve the refugees. Together, they purchased a building in a town near Gombar's church for a storage area, housing, and in the future, another church.

Christianity among the Roma is thriving in places like Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, all key outposts for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. The crisis in the region calls out the fruits of this Christian growth.

"This is a way to show the real, strong love of Jesus," said Dimitar Angelov, director and founder of the Youth Mission Network, a nonprofit discipling Roma youth in Bulgaria. Immediately when the war broke out, Angelov began looking for ways to help, eventually connecting with a Ukrainian woman in his region who was coordinating humanitarian help.

Roma pastors and their congregations expressed a desire to help all refugees out of a sense of Christian compassion. However, the situation necessitated another motivation, as reports circulated of Roma and other nonwhite refugees facing discrimination at borders and processing centers. Before the war, 50,000 Roma lived in Ukraine, according to official counts, but estimates by intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations put the total at eight times as many.

"Roma people have many experiences of not being well received," Olah said. "And this is what happened to some Roma at the border; they were pushed aside and not treated equal as other Ukrainian people. This is why we as the churches stepped in, because we don't want these families to suffer just because they are Roma."

Over the centuries, Roma people in Europe have often been marginalized in the political, social, and religious spheres. Despite improved laws and social policies, crises like COVID-19 and war expose the deep-seated social fears and suspicion toward the Roma that are still endemic in Eastern European societies.

Even in Christian circles, Roma Christians are often left out of the narrative.

This reality influenced the way Angelov presented himself to his Ukrainian contact in Bulgaria. He said, "We do this because we are a Christian organization and we do this for the glory of God, and oh, by the way, I am Roma, and I am proud of this. No matter what we hear, bad feedback from your people or my people, we are here and we will help you. And don't forget, I am Roma."

Roma refugees move on

Reports of unequal treatment among Roma refugees have emerged from Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, Czech Republic, and Poland. Moldova is the poorest country in Europe with the most Ukrainian refugees per capita, including Roma refugees.

After rising tensions and complaints, the Moldovan government came to an agreement with Roma community leaders to separate ethnicities, promising quality facilities. However, the Roma refugees, along with Azerbaijanis and Uzbeks, were placed in substandard facilities and currently face steep challenges, according to an early March report issued by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) after visiting three reception centers in Moldova.

Victorina Luca, a Christian Roma lawyer in Moldova, estimated that 70 percent of the Roma refugees have no passport, although some have a birth certificate. Roma have been called the most undocumented group in Ukraine, with discrimination and bureaucratic hurdles keeping them from obtaining official identification. But as refugees, they need this documentation before moving on, which most want to do. According to Luca, no documents means no free transportation to the embassy.

"Most are here with no money. They walk to the city or get on the public bus but are ejected because they can't pay," said Luca, founder of the Roma Awareness Foundation and Romano Patrin radio station in Soroca, Moldova.

To register for documents, refugees have to stay in a line every day for two or three weeks, alongside thousands of ethnic Ukrainians. "And then the embassy says, 'We cannot document you because you never had any documentation.' So the people are stuck."

While a couple thousand Roma refugees want to stay in Moldova until the war is over, according to Luca, the majority are trying to make it farther west in Europe, where they have relatives.

Luca converted to Christianity at age 14 through a radio program and was the first in her family to finish school, despite people in her village telling her, "Your mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother never graduated." She went on to graduate from Central Eastern University in Budapest and New York University and now uses her position to advocate for her fellow Roma people-including the recent influx from Ukraine.

"When you give your life to God, he can take you from a desert and put you on the mountains of his glory," she said. "God transformed my life into his glorious light to shine over the world."

Ministry to Roma refugees

In this scenario, when government resources are dwarfed by the immensity of need, churches are playing a key role. Pastor Ionel Cocos and his wife, Anka, who lead five Roma churches in central Romania, suspected societal attitudes would be a factor in how Roma were received. When they heard reports of neglect, they shifted their primary focus to Roma refugees.

"When the war started, I was so shocked and cried, I just wanted to do something," Cocos said. "I spoke in my church; we started to gather offerings and also from international partners."

A friend connected him with a Roma church in Edineţ, Moldova, where pastor Sibiriak Farfacari and his wife, Tatiana, lead four churches in Roma communities. They had received a large number of Roma refugees, even taking into their own home an extended family with a young girl whose parents were killed while fleeing Mariupol.

Ionel and Anka Cocos now travel to Edineţ every other week to buy supplies for the church.

Roma Christians' adeptness at moving between cultures and languages is a key gift in this crisis. Gombar-the pastor in Slovakia-is part of the government's response team, and his ability to speak Romani with refugees is invaluable. As soon as the government heard that his church was serving the refugees, they began funneling most of the Roma to him.

"They called Marek, saying, 'You need to come get this family,'" said Shane McNary, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personal member who has worked with the Roma for 17 years in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. "Marek kept trying to figure out where they were, and eventually found out that they were sleeping in the woods. There are a lot of these stories, and it is still happening."

Support for Roma is also sent inside Ukraine. Gypsies and Travellers International Evangelical Fellowship (GATIEF), the mission arm of French Life and Light Fellowship, has delivered five large truckloads of relief supplies for thousands of Roma trapped in various cities.

Giving what you do not have

Distributing goods can present other kinds of challenges within the Roma churches themselves, particularly in poorer contexts. Gombar has long-standing relationships with three Roma churches in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, only 20 kilometers from his church. He drives aid to them from Slovakia so they can distribute it to the refugees in their churches.

Disagreements broke out, however, when it seemed one church received more aid than the others. Others were accused of "feeding their own people" instead of the refugees. One Roma refugee who had fled from more affluent circumstances in eastern Ukraine was shocked to see such abject poverty-and yet those were the communities serving him. Gombar made a pastoral visit to help churches resolve the disagreements and also to warn them about the difficulties of crossing the border and becoming refugees.

"They are doing the best they can in the midst of overwhelming need and poverty," McNary said after a visit to the communities in Ukraine with Gombar. "They are still willing to help when they barely have enough themselves."

Gombar reflected that the situation revealed different maturity levels in his congregation.

"Some of the people saw the need, and they came immediately and wanted to help. Some other people came and saw the need, but there is a struggle in them because they have the same needs and they see all the supplies for the refugees," he said.

"Do I go to the church and help the refugees when I myself am hungry? I am very strict. No, you can't have anything to eat, not even chocolate, because the chocolate is for the children. If you are here to serve, then serve."

In Moldova, the Farfacaris also grappled with the lack of resources, trusting God to daily provide for the 250 people who have passed through. One day in early March, they held a prayer meeting at the church to ask God to send help.

That day, Cocos telephoned him from Romania, and a few hours later they were together in a grocery store buying ten carts of supplies for the refugees.

"It is wonderful when God answers your prayers," Cocos said, "but it feels even better when you are the answer to someone else's prayer."

Melody J. Wachsmuth is a writer, researcher, and mission practitioner based in Zagreb, Croatia. Her forthcoming monograph is a study on Roma Pentecostals in Croatia and Serbia.

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Ukraine's Refugee Crisis 'Woke Up' Networks of Roma Evangelicals

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The first call woke Marek Olah up at midnight-it was his brother, telling him to prepare the church's community center because he was picking up Ukrainian refugees from the border. Olah began making calls, and people showed up to search for blankets and mattresses before the bus of 60 people arrived.

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Important information for Ukrainian Roma fleeing to the Czech Republic in Hungarian.

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Important information for Ukrainian Roma fleeing to the Czech Republic in Hungarian.

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Základní informace pro romské uprchlíky z Ukrajiny v maďarštině

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Important information for Ukrainian Roma fleeing to the Czech Republic in Ukrainian

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Important information for Ukrainian Roma fleeing to the Czech Republic in Ukrainian

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Základní informace pro romské uprchlíky z Ukrajiny

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Czech and Romani activists aid hundreds of Romani refugee Ukrainians with traveling on to countries that are less discriminatory and racist

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Czech and Romani activists aid hundreds of Romani refugee Ukrainians with traveling on to countries that are less discriminatory and racist

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Several hundred Romani refugees from Ukraine who ended up in the Czech Republic have been helped by the Konexe organization with getting out of the country as soon as possible. According to activist Miroslav Brož of Konexe, Romani Ukrainian refugees encounter discrimination and racism in the Czech Republic and it is better for them to travel to Germany, Ireland or Norway instead.

"We know from practice what a huge problem it is to find decent housing in the Czech Republic, at a normal price, outside the ghetto, for the Czech citizens who speak Czech and who are ethnic Roma, what the attitudes of the majority of the population here towards Romani families are. That is why we have focused on helping the Romani refugees who do not want to stay in the Czech Republic, but who want to travel further west, to a country with a lower level of antigypsyism and better opportunities," Brož said in an interview with Romea.cz.

Q: How has Konexe been involved with aiding Romani Ukrainians fleeing Russia's war?

A: We began helping Romani refugees as soon as they showed up. In the first days after the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine, Jožka Miker went with Mr. Emil Voráč to the Slovak-Ukrainian border, where they not only delivered aid, but mainly conducted a survey of the situation on the spot.
Q: What did they find there?
A: Already at that point we recorded information about how Romani refugees are being discriminated against and segregated while they are on the run from the war. They are pushed to the back of each line, they are separated from non-Romani refugees by those who offer accommodation or transport. It was clear to us that these things would continue even after they arrived in the Czech Republic. In this wonderful wave of solidarity, we knew Romani refugees would be an exception and would not be as welcome as other refugees.
Q: Is that why you decided to help Romani refugees travel further west?
A: We know from practice what a huge problem it is to find decent housing in the Czech Republic, at a normal price, outside the ghetto, for the Czech citizens who speak Czech and who are ethnic Roma, what the attitudes of the majority of the population here towards Romani families are. That is why we have focused on helping the Romani refugees who do not want to stay in the Czech Republic, but who want to travel further west, to a country with a lower level of antigypsyism and better opportunities. I have spent days reaching out to all the contacts that Konexe has in Germany and other European countries that are open to helping refugees from the war. We asked all of them whether they could find accommodation and accept a group of Romani Ukrainian refugees.
Q: What does that aid specifically entail?
A: I guess the model for our work that has emerged over the last few weeks is as follows: During the day somebody would call us, for example, from Initiativa Hlavák [Main Station Initiative in Prague], or from some non-profit organization saying that they have a group, typically of 10-20 Romani Ukrainian refugees, who want to travel to Germany. We would call our German partners and then instruct the group to go to Hamburg, for example, where people from a friendly organization would be waiting for them on the platform, would take them to their accommodation and help them with registration in the asylum process and with interpretation into Romanes during the following days, etc. In the beginning, we attempted to organize a trip for one group per day, but later we became overwhelmed, there were many groups. In total, we have helped slightly more than 300 refugees on their way to Germany, the largest single group we helped had 40 people in it.
Q: Have you helped Romani refugees leave the Czech Republic for other countries besides Germany?
A: In addition to Germany, we managed to help a group of 25 Romani Ukrainian refugees find asylum and safety in Norway, where our Norwegian partner picked them up at the airport. We would like to continue helping people to relocate there, but in the case of air travel, we are limited because we do not have the money for air tickets. We managed to pay for the flights for 25 Romani Ukrainian refugees to go to Oslo thanks to the kindness of Pastor Marek Gombár and thanks to the Romodrom organization, both of whom contributed. In addition, Mr. Gombár kindly took care of the refugees until their departure, with which he helped significantly. We thank him very much. At present we have a promise of CZK 50 000 [EUR 2 000] from a kind sponsor to buy tickets for 25 Romani Ukrainian refugees to fly to Dublin, Ireland. The Irish Republic is receiving and granting asylum to refugees from Ukraine, and we have a capable, strong partner organization in place there whom we know we can count on to help "our" refugees with all that will be necessary.
Q: Are you providing any other kind of aid? Here in the Czech Republic, for example?
A: On a daily basis we are also helping Romani Ukrainian refugees who are, how shall I put this, lost in Germany. Contact information for Konexe is probably circulating to all sorts of refugee or Romani groups through social media, which is good, of course. Almost every day we are being contacted by a Romani family who came on their own to a German city such as Leipzig, Nuremberg or elsewhere. They run out of money for gas, they don't know the language, they don't have food. We then find them a human rights organization or a Romani one, through our contacts or by searching in that city online, to go and find them and provide them with aid. Then there is our assistance in situations where things haven't worked out yet for the refugees in the Czech Republic. It does happen that a church parish, or a family, or a non-profit signs up to accept refugees and is assigned Romani ones. This may not be what they anticipated, they were not expecting Romani Ukrainians, or the situation might be too demanding, the hosts may not have expected such a big family, or there simply may be big cultural differences between them and, despite enormous efforts made by both sides, it's not possible to overcome the differences and the situation becomes quite challenging, both for hosts and for refugees. In such situations, we offer to aid the Romani refugees with traveling further west, that is the opportunity we can give them. Sometimes, however, after such an experience, these refugees travel back to Ukraine because they do not believe they will be granted asylum anywhere.

Q: At the moment you are expecting a group of Romani Ukrainian refugees to arrive from the area near Mariupol in Ukraine. How are you organizing that?

A: Some time ago, activists who are Romani Ukrainians, women, contacted us with a plan to leave their safe havens in the EU, return to Ukraine by bus, load up 50 Romani people from southeastern Ukraine, which is currently the front line, and bring them back to safety in Germany. Of course we agreed to aid them, for us it is a great honor to assist with such a plan. Through our partners we have helped find accommodation for them in Bremen and we anticipate the bus will arrive in Prague any day now, where they will take a break and the passengers will spend the night here before making the rest of the trip to northwestern Germany. I would like to thank everybody who is helping us with what we are doing.

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Czech and Romani activists aid hundreds of Romani refugee Ukrainians with traveling on to countries that are less discriminatory and racist

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Several hundred Romani refugees from Ukraine who ended up in the Czech Republic have been helped by the Konexe organization with getting out of the country as soon as possible. According to activist Miroslav Brož of Konexe, Romani Ukrainian refugees encounter discrimination and racism in the Czech Republic and it is better for them to travel to Germany, Ireland or Norway instead.

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Ukraine’s long-persecuted Roma minority joins war effort

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Ukraine’s long-persecuted Roma minority joins war effort

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Viktor Ilchak (left), a wounded tank mechanic, says that at the front there are no nationalities [Kamila Kielar/Al Jazeera]

Uzhhorod, Ukraine - "It was his dream to defend Ukraine," 23-year-old Angelina Debyosh says of her husband, who is fighting Russian forces in Mariupol, on the other side of Ukraine.

In her small and bare house with a sloping floor in Uzhhorod, in the war-torn country's southwest, a gaggle of kids crowd onto a loose mattress that serves as a main piece of furniture.

Debyosh's husband, 31-year-old Igor Kotlar, is a former taxi driver who enlisted in the Ukrainian army in 2018.

They share five young daughters and are both of a Roma background.

The road through their settlement, Radvanka, which runs next to a cement factory in the border city near Hungary and Slovakia, is pockmarked.

Houses here are visibly hand-built from cinder blocks, some with gaps in the walls, and lack gas and running water.

Municipal services, like trash removal, are absent.

Despite being persecuted and marginalised throughout Ukraine's history, the Roma minority - an estimated 400,000 people - have contributed enthusiastically to the war effort.

In dilapidated Roma neighbourhoods like Radvanka, Ukrainian flags are often seen fastened to walls or on flag posts.

Since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, Roma churches have collected food and medicine, and in western Ukraine, Roma volunteers have provided shelter to Roma and non-Roma evacuees.

Several families Al Jazeera interviewed said with pride that they boasted more than one service member.

According to Angelina, two of Igor's relatives - a cousin and an uncle - are also fighting in the army.

"[The war] has brought us together," ventured Myroslav Horvat, a Uzhhorod city councillor, and one of two ethnic Roma on the 38-member elected body.

"This genocide that is happening in Ukraine is a shared misfortune. When the bombs fall, they don't just fall on Roma or non-Roma; they fall on everyone."

Downtown Uzhhorod is a more comfortable area. It has a substantial middle class, and mainstream city dwellers live in apartment blocks connected to utilities.

By contrast, the Roma here subsist in settlements they built for themselves decades ago, that have been never fully recognised or provided for by the municipality.

This pattern of marginalisation is repeated in many Ukrainian cities. Poverty and social exclusion are common, as are social prejudices that associate the Roma with crime.

But Roma soldiers are among those who have been deployed to the war's toughest locales.

Horvat estimates at least 60 Roma from the Transcarpathian region, which includes Uzhhorod, are now fighting with Ukrainian forces.

'Ukraine will be different'

On a brisk April evening, in another part of Radvanka, a second Roma soldier shows his wound.

Viktor Ilchak, a 30-year-old father of four, is a tank mechanic.

In March, the armoured vehicle in which he was riding was hit when he was surrounded in a battle by Russian forces in Volnovakha, a city north of Mariupol.

Pieces of shrapnel lodged in his left arm and he was evacuated to a hospital.

He is now at home in Uzhhorod, awaiting redeployment.

Like Igor, Viktor served before the war escalated: he has volunteered for deployments since 2015, confronting Russian-backed separatists in the country's east.

"On the front line, there is no nation," he said.

A short, peppy man, he poses confidently in front of a Ukrainian flag.

"Whether you're Roma, Azeri or Ukrainian, we're all friends," he said. "Everything is collective. We consider each other brothers."

He believes that the Roma soldiers' service will improve relations between the community and other Ukrainians after the war.

"[They will see that] that Gypsies serve too, that [we're] good lads."

Myroslav, the city councillor, had similar hopes.

"People will change," he said. "Ukraine will be different."

Such optimism is refreshing, but Ukrainian media outlets have not been too proactive in reporting the Roma community's efforts, and many outside are unaware of their contribution.

And while the war is creating a sense of unity, a shared sense of patriotism is unlikely to ease the level of discrimination faced by the minority.

When the war ends, Roma service members who survive the conflict will return to dirt-poor communities where barriers to social integration remain and where the pace of change is glacial

"The conditions Roma live in are very hard," admitted Myroslav. "Many houses have no water and no heat. There's nowhere to put [garbage]. I've asked them a thousand times for them to put another [rubbish] container here, but ... it's difficult."

Myroslav faults the Ukrainian educational system for segregating Roma children into Roma-only schools, and laments the lack of job options in the community.

"A great number of people from here work abroad," he said.

Many Roma workers end up in construction jobs abroad, but the pattern of migration has been interrupted by Ukraine's wartime legislation, which bars men of fighting age from leaving the country.

Sasha (a pseudonym), a Roma activist from Uzhhorod, said a strategy for integrating Roma into Ukrainian society was created, and recently renewed, as part of the country's attempt to become a European Union member, but that the programmes associated with this scheme exist "only on paper".

He believes the only path forward is for the EU to force Ukraine to respect Roma rights.

"If we join the EU [things will change]," he said. "If we don't, they won't."

Ivan Balog, a Roma pastor and Radvanka resident, holds up the medals he received in eastern Ukraine in 2016, as a military padre ministering to soldiers on the front line of what was then a low-intensity fight against Russia-backed separatists.

On an everyday level, the marginalisation of Roma is expressed in their exclusion from services, but on occasion, hatred takes on a vicious form.

There is a history of attacks by Ukrainian far-right or nationalist vigilante groups against Roma.

In one such case four years ago, a 23-year-old Roma man, David Popp, from a village near Uzhhorod, was stabbed to death while sleeping in a migrant camp outside Lviv.

And as recently as February 28, four days after the Russian invasion began, the pattern appeared to reassert itself.

On that night, a group of non-Roma youth appeared in the Roma settlement of Telman, a few kilometres from downtown Uzhhorod, with firearms, a ccording to Balog and a second Roma source in Uzhhorod who wished to remain anonymous.

The non-Roma accused a Roma man of stealing some metal, they said.

The non-Roma then opened fire, and wounded five Roma, including a 26-year-old who died a week later from a stomach wound, according to both sources.

The anonymous source said a video, since taken offline, was posted by an individual in Uzhhorod a few hours after the attack warning Roma not to steal, or they would be "dealt with".

Police attended the crime scene and arrested suspects, but what happened next is unknown, according to both sources.

"They know who it was, but they said they would only deal with it after the war," Balog said of the local police force, adding that his sons gave blood to the man who ultimately died.

"A Gyspy died, so what?" Balog said, referring to the wider society's general view of Roma lives.

The anonymous source suggested that the attackers deliberately took advantage of the war situation to commit their crime, believing that there was less chance it would be investigated.

Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the details of the incident, but alleged vigilantism against civilians accused of looting has been widely reported since the war began, with cases of people being tied up, stripped and beaten in brutal acts of public humiliation.

Ukraine's official record of responding to hate anti-Roma crimes is varied.

In the capital Kyiv, several cases of non-lethal attacks against Roma migrant camps, such as arson, have not been prosecuted - including those caught on video.

Al Jazeera contacted the Uzhhorod Police Force with questions about the February 28 attack, but had not received a response at the time of publishing.

But in a short interview with Al Jazeera about the general condition of the local Roma community, Bohdan Andriiv, the mayor of Uzhhorod, argued that their homes cannot be serviced with running gas or water, for example, because they do not possess documents proving home ownership.

The mayor claimed such documents cannot be produced because the houses were built illegally.

An assistant in the city administration offered some hope, saying identification documents, which many Roma also lack, were being worked on, but did not provide a timetable of when this process would be completed. He also said the country cannot spend money on social services like these at a time of war.

"I think attitudes towards the Roma will change after the war. For a certain time, people will say positive things about them," said Sasha, the activist. "But with time, those attitudes will go back to where they were."
Kamila Kielar contributed to the reporting for this article.

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'When the bombs fall, they don't just fall on Roma'

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Uzhhorod, Ukraine - "It was his dream to defend Ukraine," 23-year-old Angelina Debyosh says of her husband, who is fighting Russian forces in Mariupol, on the other side of Ukraine. In her small and bare house with a sloping floor in Uzhhorod, in the war-torn country's southwest, a gaggle of kids crowd onto a loose mattress that serves as a main piece of furniture.

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Roma refugees say they face discrimination as they flee Ukraine

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Roma refugees say they face discrimination as they flee Ukraine

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roma refugees say they face discrimination as they flee ukraine - cnn video

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Displaced members of the Roma community say they're facing different treatment than Ukrainians. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.

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Romania: The case of some Roma refugees who were not received in the North Station hall where a hot meal is offered because “they eat too much”

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Romania: The case of some Roma refugees who were not received in the North Station hall where a hot meal is offered because “they eat too much”

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Oleg, one of the volunteers working at the refugee reception center at Bucharest North Railway Station, complained about a situation that happened on Monday, April 12: 32 Roma refugees from Ukraine, mostly mothers and children, were not received in the room where they offer hot food on the grounds that they are "an ethnic group" that "loads too much", revealed the Aresel platform, which fights for the rights of the Roma community.

In the video posted on Aresel's official Facebook page, a dialogue is captured between a person in charge of the room where the refugees are offered hot food and volunteer Oleg.

"It's not discrimination, but they come and load from all sides"

- North Station Manager: You have to understand some rules. The rule is that ethnic groups, students, Tunisians, whatever you want, always for six weeks, go to room 1 or the orange tents.
- Oleg, volunteer: Who set this rule? It says "ethnic groups?" If he writes somewhere, that rule blows up. It's illegal!

- Responsible: I'm in charge of the gym here. It doesn't matter what you think!
- Oleg: It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of ethnicity

The person caught in the recording made with a mobile phone and in the service area says that "there is no discrimination, God forbid", but "gypsies come and load from all sides", suggesting that refugees would take more food than they need .

Oleg insists there are 32 people, "they have to feed the children for 20 hours". "Go to room 3 or to the tent and wait there. What they need will be brought to them ", he is answered.

Understand that I am with children! Roma children are also children. Why are they treated differently from other people? Oleg, volunteer:

Oleg contacted Aresel's representatives, who came to the North Station and confronted the "parties".

"I can't say anything," said the woman, who had banned refugees from eating because she ate too much.

In the end, the situation was resolved. "It was an isolated incident that does not represent the usual way in which Roma refugees from Ukraine are treated at the North Railway Station in Bucharest. They have been accused of overeating. We also spoke with the ISU representative and he assured us that such behavior is a practice. We hope that this will not happen again so that we do not have to notify other institutions ", Aresel transmitted in the filming.

The group of refugees arrived in Germany

"We appreciate the work of the volunteers and we didn't want to go to the circus, we just wanted to resolve the situation and sound the alarm. I contacted the representatives of ISU and those from Child Protection, because in that group were mostly mothers with children. I know the case ", explained for Libertatea, Adi Tudor, Aresel representative.

"The group of Ukrainian refugees was in transit, and the mothers and children went to rest and eat in room 2. That's where the affair began with that lady who was an NGO volunteer. He asked them to move elsewhere and recommend going to that tent because they ate too much. People are fine, they have arrived in Germany ", added Tudor.
Watch Freedom LIVETEXT with the latest information on the war in Ukraine, triggered by Russia
Source From: Libertatea

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The case of some Roma refugees who were not received in the North Station hall where a hot meal is offered because "they eat too much"

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Oleg, one of the volunteers working at the refugee reception center at Bucharest North Railway Station, complained about a situation that happened on Monday, April 12: 32 Roma refugees from Ukraine, mostly mothers and children, were not received in the room where they offer hot food on the grounds that...

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EU funding: #StandWithUkraine: Call for Ukrainian CSOs and Activists

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EU funding: #StandWithUkraine: Call for Ukrainian CSOs and Activists

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#StandWithUkraine: Call for Ukrainian CSOs and Activists / Конкурс заявок для громадських організацій та активістів України

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Our EU-funded Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility project is adapting its activities in response to the war in Ukraine. The project's objective is to support organised civil society and activists in the region in various ways. Taking into account the difficult situation caused by the war, support is offered to Ukrainian applicants through a simplified process.

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No matter where they are, members of the Roma minority are harassed, discriminated against and persecuted all over the world. Even when they flee the war in Ukraine.

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Im April 2018 hatte die rechtsextreme Gruppierung C14 bereits ein Roma-Camp in Kiew angegriffen und die BewohnerInnen vertrieben. Sie waren Berichten zufolge aus Transkarpatien an der Grenze zu Ungarn, wo ein Großteil der ukrainischen Roma lebt, nach Kiew gekommen um dort nach Arbeit zu suchen. Die rechtsextreme Gruppierung selbst erklärte, sie sei durch die städtischen Behörden unterstützt worden. Serhij Mazur, ein C14-Aktivist, hatte auf seiner Facebook-Seite damit geprahlt, Roma-Familien aus deren Camp vertrieben zu haben. Zuvor sei den Roma - er benutzte einen rassistischeren Ausdruck - von C14, der "Gemeindegarde" und der "Bezirksverwaltung" "ein Ultimatum gesetzt" worden, das Gebiet zu verlassen. C14, so berichtet Kenan Emini vom Roma Antidiscrimination Network, warb zu der Zeit in der Ukraine mit Flyern und Aufklebern damit, zur Hilfe zu kommen, falls Roma in der Nähe seien, und dafür zu sorgen, dass sie verschwinden.

Anfang Juni 2018 war das Roma-Camp in Kiew erneut angegriffen worden, diesmal von Mitgliedern des Azov Bataillon, das mittlerweile in die ukrainische Nationalgarde integriert ist. Sie schwangen Äxte und Vorschlaghämmer und übertrugen den Angriff live auf Facebook. 2018 fanden noch weitere rechte Übergriffe statt, darunter einer auf den Rechtsanwalt Andriy Mukha. Er soll misshandelt und mit dem Tod bedroht worden sein, falls er weiter Roma vertrete, die Opfer einer Attacke im Jahr 2017 geworden waren. In Wilschany waren damals fünf Roma verwundet, ein 49-jähriger Mann war erschossen worden. Über den Angriff auf den Anwalt hatte die Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group berichtet, die aktuell zahlreiche russische Kriegsverbrechen dokumentiert, also nicht im Verdacht steht, anti-ukrainische Propaganda zu verbreiten.

Der Rassismus gegenüber Roma gehört keinesfalls der Vergangenheit an. Das Roma Antidiscrimination Network hat am 24. März dieses Jahres Fotos veröffentlicht, die an Pfosten gefesselte Roma zeigen. Ihnen wurde zum Vorwurf gemacht, sie hätten geplündert. Kremlnahe Telegram-Kanäle verbreiten diese Fotos als Propagandamaterial für den Vorwand der Entnazifizierung als Kriegsgrund, in der Ukraine werden sie von Rechtsextremen verbreitet.

Roma werden nicht mitgenommen

Auch die Flucht aus der Ukraine ist für Romnja und Roma beschwerlicher als für andere Bevölkerungsgruppen. Kenan Emini berichtet von einer Frau, die dreimal erfolglos versucht habe, aus der Ukraine zu fliehen. Man habe ihr unterstellt, in der Hoffnung auf eine bessere Zukunft und nicht aufgrund des Krieges ausreisen zu wollen. Da ist es, das Attribut Wirtschaftsflüchtling, das Roma angeheftet wird, selbst wenn die schockierenden Bilder vom Krieg um die Welt gehen. Erst als sich das European Roma Rights Centre mit Sitz in Budapest für die Betroffene einsetzte, gelang der Frau gemeinsam mit ihren Kindern die Flucht. In Lviv fahren, erzählt Kenan Emini, sogenannte Solidaritätsbusse ab, die zwischen der Ukraine und Polen hin und her pendeln. Romnja und Roma würden dort aber oft nicht mitgenommen, die Busse führen teilweise lieber halb leer. In einem anderen Fall soll ein Bus mit Roma an Bord an der Grenze wieder umgekehrt sein und die Schutzsuchenden einfach wieder auf ukrainischen Boden abgesetzt haben. "Keiner will uns haben; keiner nimmt uns mit", posteten Roma in Lviv in sozialen Netzwerken.

Etwa 20 Prozent der ukrainischen Roma sollen laut Schätzungen keine Pässe besitzen, ein Umstand, der die Flucht noch einmal komplizierter macht. Wohl auch deshalb ist die Mehrzahl der Roma bisher ins Nicht-EU-Land Moldawien geflohen, weil dort der Grenzübertritt ohne Pass leichter ist. Der Zugang zu Flüchtlingslagern in den umliegenden Ländern, die auch eine minimale Versorgung bieten würden, bleibt ihnen ohne Identitätspapiere oft verwehrt. In privaten Wohnungen finden sie keine Aufnahme, auch weil es sich meist um viele Familienangehörige handelt, die untergebracht werden müssen. Viele Familien wollen sich nicht noch weiter aufteilen, nachdem sie die Männer zurücklassen mussten, weil Männer zwischen 18 und 60 Jahren die Ukraine nicht verlassen dürfen.

Antiziganismus in Deutschland

Der Rassismus begleitet geflüchtete Roma bis nach Deutschland. Der Gruppe am Mannheimer Hauptbahnhof wurde der Zugang zu den extra für Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine eingerichteten Räumen angeblich deshalb verwehrt, weil dort keine Männer zugelassen seien. Zur gleichen Zeit sollen sich einer Augenzeugin zufolge jedoch mehrere "weiße" ukrainische Männer in dem Raum befunden haben. Chana Dischereit vom Verband Deutscher Sinti und Roma, Landesverband Baden-Württemberg, berichtet, die DB-Sicherheitsangestellten hätten sich darauf bezogen, dass eine Woche zuvor Essensvorräten geklaut worden sein sollen von "genau diesem Klientel". Die Bahnhofshelferin Natice Orhan-Daibel erklärt in der " Frankfurter Rundschau": "Was mir viel Angst bereitet, ist der Satz eines Helfers: 'Diese Familie hat den Vorfall nicht als besonders schlimm empfunden ... Leider sind sie Schlimmeres gewöhnt.'"

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Flucht aus der Ukraine: "Keiner will uns haben"

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Im April 2018 hatte die rechtsextreme Gruppierung C14 bereits ein Roma-Camp in Kiew angegriffen und die BewohnerInnen vertrieben. Sie waren Berichten zufolge aus Transkarpatien an der Grenze zu Ungarn, wo ein Großteil der ukrainischen Roma lebt, nach Kiew gekommen um dort nach Arbeit zu suchen.

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Romani activist from Ukraine: The rights of Romani people are neglected and they are persecuted, Russia takes advantage of this for its propaganda about neo-Nazi tensions in Ukraine

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Romani activist from Ukraine: The rights of Romani people are neglected and they are persecuted, Russia takes advantage of this for its propaganda about neo-Nazi tensions in Ukraine

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Romani people and other minorities are being constantly neglected, persecuted and treated unequally in Ukraine during the ongoing war, according to Viola Popenka, a Romani activist from the "Chiricli" Roma Women Fund who addressed a recent meeting organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "As a civil rights organization, we are expressing our deep distress over the sharply-escalating violence and growing number of victims already taken by this war," she told those attending.

"As far as the rights of Romani people go, just as the experiences of the Second World War, the Balkan wars and the wars in Yugoslavia have shown, this war, too, is an example of how Romani people and other minorities are constantly neglected, treated in an inhumane way, and continue to be persecuted," Popenko said. "We are emphasizing that all internally displaced persons, above all disadvantaged persons such as Romani people, should have equal access to temporary shelter and humanitarian aid."

"For that reason, we are documenting all cases of discrimination against Romani people in Ukraine and in the receiving countries of the European Union and reporting them to the relevant institutions," Popenko said. "It is also important to stress that stories about minority rights being violated are massively used by the Russian Federation for its propaganda about neo-Nazi tensions in Ukraine," the activist said in a speech published by news server Romea.cz in full translation below.

Speech by Viola Popenko, Romani activist from Ukraine

Dear delegates, international organizations and members of civil society,

My name is Viola Popenko and I am speaking on behalf of the "Chiricli" Roma Women Fund.

The Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine is an absurd, aggressive war that is leading to human rights violations, threatening security in Europe, and most importantly, undermining the most absolute right, that is, the right to life of every person living in Ukraine today.

The fighting in the Kyiv region, in Chernihiv, in Mariupol, in Suma, in Kharkov, in Kherson, in Donetsk and in Mykolaiv has already cost the lives of too many soldiers and civilians, and it has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. The war has forced hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, including Romani people and other minorities, to flee to neighboring countries, and many more have been stranded in conflict areas under constant attack, lacking access to food, water, electricity, gas, heat and medicine. In addition, the constant shelling of "green" corridors and humanitarian convoys is underway and amounts to a war crime, as it is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, namely, Article 23 on Shipments of Medical Supplies, Food and Clothing.

As a civil rights organization, we are expressing our deep distress over the sharply-escalating violence and growing number of victims already taken by this war. As far as the rights of Romani people go, just as the experiences of the Second World War, the Balkan wars and the wars in Yugoslavia have shown, this war, too, is an example of how Romani people and other minorities are constantly neglected, treated in an inhumane way, and continue to be persecuted.

Hate speech and prejudice

One serious case of persecution has happened in the Transcarpathian Region, where many Romani IDPs have gone to seek shelter. A police officer there called on members of the public to expel the Romani people into other regions of Ukraine, or for the Roma to find alternative countries, because in his opinion the Roma would cause public unrest there. That case has been reported to the Ombudsman's Office in Ukraine and to the National Human Rights Department of the Ukrainian Police. We would therefore like to express our gratitude to the Ukrainian authorities for monitoring and responding to these human rights violations.

We are emphasizing that all internally displaced persons, above all disadvantaged persons such as Romani people, should have equal access to temporary shelter and humanitarian aid. For that reason, we are documenting all cases of discrimination against Romani people in Ukraine and the receiving countries of the European Union and reporting them to the relevant institutions. It is the civil rights organizations that are bearing the burden of providing Romani IDPs with shelter in Ukraine and responding with the greatest accountability, and without their aid, these human beings could easily end up living in train stations throughout the country.

It is also important to stress that stories about minority rights being violated are massively used by the Russian Federation for its propaganda about neo-Nazi tensions in Ukraine. For example, footage showing Romani people tied up with their backs against pillars and their faces painted green in Ukraine went viral on social media and has been exploited by the Russian Federation to allege that internally displaced people are being lynched by neo-Nazis there. In fact that footage was taken in Lviv, where members of a pickpocketing gang were caught robbing people and were then treated in this inhumane manner by vigilantes.

Lack of identification

The problem of lidentification documents having never been issued by the authorities has begun to play a major role in protecting people's rights to asylum and humanitarian aid during this war. We have received many complaints from both children and women of Romani origin that they are being prevented from leaving Ukraine to exercise their right to asylum at the borders of Hungary, Moldova and Poland. Reports have reached us from the Chernihiv area, where humanitarian aid was only being provided upon presentation of a passport, and therefore Romani IDPs without documents were turned away empty-handed, without any means of subsistence.

We want to emphasize that the experience we have gained so far during this war should be taken into account by all authorities, and our recommendations are as follows:

1) Document the violations of international human rights and humanitarian law perpetrated by the Russian military with regard to civilian immunity, i.e., the violations of Article 51 (2) of the Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Convention; evacuation and protection of hospitals - Articles 17 and 18 of the Geneva Convention concerning the protection of civilians in time of war. Furthermore, document the violation of the right to self-determination of the Ukrainians as it is enshrined in the UN Charter and the Declaration of Principles of International Law on Friendly Relations and Cooperation between Nations in accordance with the UN Charter.

2) Take a stand against the horrors of violence and this war.

3) Ensure that Romani minorities and marginalized nationalities are guaranteed equal access to protection and security when fleeing, including undocumented persons, especially Romani women and children.

4) Ensure the right to humanitarian aid and medical personnel security in areas of combat.

5) Prevent and effectively investigate hate speech against Roma as well as discrimination in access to asylum.

6) Address the problem of Romani people who lack identification and are rendered stateless on the basis of the mechanisms for acquiring personal identification that have been developed by the Council of Europe, the OSCE/ODIHR, and both pro-Roma and Romani NGOs.

7) We are also concerned over the ongoing reports that the Russian authorities are arresting and then disappearing or imprisoning Crimean Tatar activists on Ukrainian territory and we call on the OSCE to investigate.

Thank you for your attention.

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Romani activist from Ukraine: The rights of Romani people are neglected and they are persecuted, Russia takes advantage of this for its propaganda about neo-Nazi tensions in Ukraine

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Romani people and other minorities are being constantly neglected, persecuted and treated unequally in Ukraine during the ongoing war, according to Viola Popenka, a Romani activist from the "Chiricli" Roma Women Fund who addressed a recent meeting organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

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The Roma refugees heading back to the Ukraine war after being treated badly in Europe

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The Roma refugees heading back to the Ukraine war after being treated badly in Europe

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Jonathan Lee: “We already hear of Roma not being genuine refugees – there are accusations that Roma are mere economic migrants taking advantage of humanitarian aid. This is the same argument that was used against Romani refugees escaping the war in Kosovo over 20 years ago; it is the same accusation levelled at North Africans crossing the Mediterranean in dinghies. It is a dangerous rhetoric which could lead to the very real danger of human rights violations against Romani refugees in host countries, particularly those bordering Ukraine where large numbers of marginalised Roma are staying.”

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The Roma refugees heading back to the Ukraine war after being treated badly in Europe

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Charities say that some of the 50,000 Roma who fled Ukraine immediately after the Russian invasion are returning to Ukraine, despite the war continuing, because of ill treatment in their host countries, reports Sofia Barbarani

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Segregation and sub-standard living conditions: Romani families stuck in limbo in Moldova

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Segregation and sub-standard living conditions: Romani families stuck in limbo in Moldova

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By Viola Popenko

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Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UN Human Rights in Moldova estimate that 421, 130 refugees have crossed the Moldovan border. Among them are thousands of Roma, who have experienced segregation and poor conditions in reception centres, with many lacking documentation which would enable them to travel on to EU countries. The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) has visited three refugee accommodations and constantly monitors the conditions and the segregated nature of those established by the Moldovan state.
Manej Sports Centre
In the Manej Sports Arena, based on the information provided by ERRC human rights monitors, in the first days of the Russian invasion around 800 Roma from Ukraine arrived. Several visits to this centre confirmed that this was a segregated facility, where only Roma and small number of people from Turkey and Central Asian countries were accommodated. Due to the limited resources for crisis management in Moldova and the decreasing number of refugees arriving into Moldova, this centre was closed on the 22nd of March 2022. On the 21st of March, the number of Romani refugees remaining in this institution was 200 and all of them were relocated to a study block of the State University of Moldova, in the Faculty of International Relations and Political Science on Nicolae Testemițanu Street. Some Romani families chose to stay in the Manej Sports Arena until the very last moment because there they had hot water and access to food. However, the administration decided to completely cut heating in the last days and those who did not want to move to other reception centres were forcibly evicted by service members.
State University of Moldova Study Block, Nicolae Testemițanu Street
At the university study block on Nicolae Testemițanu Street, it was observed by ERRC monitors on more than one visit that around 90% of the people staying there are of Romani ethnicity. The rest are people originating from Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, along with a small number of White Ukrainians. The ERRC considers the poor living conditions and over-representation of refugees of Romani background at the campus of the medical university to constitute unequal treatment based on ethnicity. The relocation of Roma to this location continues the apparent policy of segregating Romani refugees which was the case at the Manej Sports Centre. The presence of a small number of White Ukrainians amongst the predominantly Romani population is not a solution which can be considered desegregation.

Segregation is not the only issue the Roma face in the study block of the State University of Moldova. The ERRC has collected several complaints through its human rights monitors that Roma do not have access to hot water and washing facilities, do not have adequate drinking water and are forced to collect water from the toilet, do not receive any medical assistance, and have very poor nutrition resulting in numerous cases of food poisoning amongst their children. One Romani woman described how she fled to Moldova with her children and grandchildren, she has 10 minors in general and all of them had food poisoning after they ate food provided by the reception centre. She also stressed that they are not even provided with bread and receive only several cookies per day, quick-cooking oats, and cold pasta. Another Romani woman from the Odessa region claimed that she did not receive any medical assistance in this refugee accommodation after having a stroke because there is no medical staff there. Even after the ambulance came, nothing was provided and she told an ERRC monitor "they treat us like dogs." A an 11-year-old boy described to the ERRC how when an ambulance arrived to treat him for food poisoning he did not receive any drugs. Romani refugees also mentioned how no clothes were provided to them since they arrived, and many had been wearing the same clothing for 8 days. After discussion between ERRC human rights monitors and volunteers working in the centre, drastic changes were made and the quality of the food that refugees receive has improved.
Municipal Hospital for Tuberculosis
Another location where Roma refugees were accommodated temporarily was a municipal hospital for tuberculosis. In recent years, it was also used for treating COVID-19 patients. Despite the relatively good conditions there, it was closed at the end of February 2022. ERRC human rights monitors have been unable to locate the almost 120 people Romani refugees who were accommodated there. It is assumed that many continued their journey on to Romania and other EU countries beyond through buses organised by the state. Some have reportedly decided to find other means of accommodation in Moldova, and some have decided to return to Ukraine.
Amidst Segregation and Poor Conditions - Fewer Roma are Choosing Moldova
The ERRC has received information from human rights monitors in both Ukraine and Moldova that the number of people crossing the Moldovan border is declining. At the very beginning of the crisis, Moldova was a destination for asylum seekers without documents. Those who had documents and the financial means could go directly to EU countries, but some also passed through Moldovan territory as a transit zone to Romania and other EU countries. The majority of those without documents who were stranded in Moldova were Roma. While many remain there, some have chosen to return to Ukraine rather than remain in the refugee reception centres described above. The reasons for returning depend on personal circumstances, but the far from dignified conditions and treatment in segregated reception centres in Moldova cannot be discounted. Monitors report that some people are returning to Ukraine because they believe the war will soon be over, choosing to travel to Odessa or the Odessa region (territories without ongoing hostilities). For many Romani refugees, returning to Ukraine is their only option as without adequate support from the state, they do not have the finances to remain in Moldova.
Roma forced to choose between returning to Ukraine, or remaining in segregation and desperate conditions in Moldova
Issues still persist for those who do not have valid documentation for their children to flee farther and settle in EU countries. Many Romani families have also been faced with the potential breakup of their family groups as some family members lack the documents necessary to enter the EU. This means they are practically left with only two options: stay in terrible living conditions in Moldova, or return to the uncertainty of a war-torn Ukraine.

Moldovan officials have informed the ERRC that placement centres for Ukrainian refugees are being closed because of a lack of applicants and the number of refugees seeking asylum in the country is declining rapidly. The reason for this is the poor financial, informational and legal support that Moldova can provide in contrast to EU countries with much more developed schemes of temporary protection for refugees.

The ERRC continues to provide aid and legal support to Romani refugees crossing into Moldova and Romania, and will continue to monitor the situation for those Roma who have remained in Moldova.

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Segregation and sub-standard living conditions: Romani families stuck in limbo in Moldova

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Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UN Human Rights in Moldova estimate that 421, 130 refugees have crossed the Moldovan border. Among them are thousands of Roma, who have experienced segregation and poor conditions in reception centres, with many lacking documentation which would enable them to travel on to EU countries.

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Czech Interior Minister and Romani NGOs agree on closer collaboration to aid Romani refugees from Ukraine

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Czech Interior Minister and Romani NGOs agree on closer collaboration to aid Romani refugees from Ukraine

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Czech Interior Minister and Romani NGOs agree on closer collaboration to aid Romani refugees from Ukraine - Romea.cz

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Romani Ukrainian refugees refused housing and registration in Czech Republic and sent to Germany

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Romani Ukrainian refugees refused housing and registration in Czech Republic and sent to Germany

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Romani refugees from Ukraine are encountering more and more frequent problems in the Czech Republic; while the authorities, with the significant aid of nonprofit organizations, have managed to house several hundred Romani Ukrainian refugees, accommodation allegedly does not exist for some of the newer arrivals, and some Romani refugees are running into bias and discrimination. As of mid-April, housing similar to that offered to non-Romani Ukrainian refugees is practically inaccessible to Romani refugees.

The authorities are said to be recommending some Romani Ukrainian refugees leave the country altogether. "We wanted to remain here, but they told us they have no housing for us and sent us to Germany," one Romani woman who fled Russia's aggression with her husband and five children told news server Romea.cz.

"Our child is ill, but nobody would aid us," she told Romea.cz from inside a train car at the Main Station in Prague. That family is not the only one.

There were about 100 Romani Ukrainian refugees at the Main Station on 13 April, mostly children and women for whom it is allegedly almost impossible to find accommodation. Martin Kavka, spokesperson for the firefighting service in Prague, claims that accommodation has been found for 300 Romani Ukrainians since the beginning of the refugee influx.

Kavka said that he believes the reason Romani Ukrainian refugees are not succeeding in finding housing now is that they want to remain together in big groups. "Romani people have requirements that are a bit specific, they want to live together in big numbers, for example, 30-50 people," he told news server Romea.cz.

"We are doing our best to find accommodation for all, whether they be specific groups, invalids, or pet owners. We're responding to offers that come to us from all over the country, de facto, doing our best to fill them," the spokesperson said.

"When accommodation is already actually full and we are unable to suddenly house 30-50 people together, we have to find a substitute solution for them," he told Romea.cz. "We have opportunities to accommodate five or six people together, it's really in the single digits, and if they want specific housing for 50 people and we are unable to offer them that, we have to recommend a different destination where such an option exists."

"I know there was a case of Romani people who traveled on to Germany, so it is likely that accommodation for them was found there," Kavka told Romea.cz. However, a person familiar with the situation to whom Romea.cz promised anonymity stated the following: "I see differences in the provision of information and in the treatment of the Romani versus the non-Romani refugees."

"They do not tell the Romani refugees that they are even able to remain in the Czech Republic, that they can apply for visas. They are instructed to go elsewhere from the start," the anonymous whistleblower said, describing this rejection of the Romani Ukrainian refugees as a common practice, not just as isolated excesses.

The Czech Government approved its strategic priorities for addressing the war refugee influx on 13 April and has now established the function of a National Coordinator for this issue; currently, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Vít Rakušan (STAN) will be filling the role. The chapter of the strategy on Accommodation and Housing, however, does not address the situation of Romani Ukrainian refugees encountering discrimination in the area of accommodation.

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Romani Ukrainian refugees refused housing and registration in Czech Republic and sent to Germany

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Romani refugees from Ukraine are encountering more and more frequent problems in the Czech Republic; while the authorities, with the significant aid of nonprofit organizations, have managed to house several hundred Romani Ukrainian refugees, accommodation allegedly does not exist for some of the newer arrivals, and some Romani refugees are running into bias and discrimination.

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Roma and Sinti fleeing Ukraine are met with anti-gypsy resentment in many places. Also in Germany. The daily newspaper junge Welt spoke with our colleague (and dROMa author) from the Baden-Württemberg regional association Chana Dischereit.

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Aus der Ukraine flüchtenden Roma und Sinti wird vielerorts mit antiziganistischen Ressentiments begegnet. Auch in Deutschland. Die Tageszeitung junge Welt hat mit unserer Kollegin (und dROMa-Autorin) vom Landesverband Baden-Württemberg Chana Dischereit gesprochen.

Chana Dischereit ist Wissenschaftliche Referentin für Politik und Referentin für Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit beim Verband Deutscher Sinti und Roma, Landesverband Baden-Württemberg. Interview: jW/Fabian Linder.

Neben anderen sind auch viele Menschen mit Romani-Hintergrund auf der Flucht aus der Ukraine. Bei deren Ankunft in Deutschland erlebten diese Ungleichbehandlung, kritisieren Sie und verweisen auf einen Fall aus Mannheim (wir berichteten). Was ist dort passiert?
Am 23. März sind flüchtende Menschen mit Romani-Hintergrund am Mannheimer Bahnhof angekommen. Ehrenamtliche Helfer empfingen und begleiteten die in der Nacht Angereisten zu Räumlichkeiten der Deutschen Bahn, die für Geflüchtete bereitstehen. Beschäftigte der DB-Sicherheit äußerten dort, "solche Menschen" kämen hier nicht rein. Verwiesen wurde auf Diebstähle und Verschmutzungen. Durch diese "Klientel" sei schon mehrfach die "Hütte" leergeräumt worden. So gaben Zeugen die Aussagen der Sicherheitsleute wieder. Dann kam die Bundespolizei dazu. Es waren immer mehr Sicherheitsleute anwesend, darunter auch eine Beamtin, die einen Dobermann-Hund privat mitführte. Das Ganze entsprach einer für die Schutzsuchenden verstörenden Drohkulisse. Beim Gespräch mit der Bahn einen Tag später wurden diese Fehler eingestanden.

Das alles war äußerst traumatisierend, auch für die Helfer. Infolge dieser chaotischen Situation kam es nicht einmal zur Ersthilfe mit Lebensmitteln. Andere ukrainische Geflüchtete wiederum hatten zeitgleich keine Probleme dabei, in die Unterkunft zu kommen.

Wie erklären Sie sich dieses Vorgehen?
Wir sehen vor allem in Stresssituationen an Bahnhöfen, Ländergrenzen oder in den Notunterkünften, dass Menschen auf antiziganistische Stereotype zurückgreifen. Den Flüchtenden wird beispielsweise kein Essen und Trinken angeboten, statt dessen wirft man ihnen vor, sie würden sich in der Situation nur bereichern wollen. Auch der Vorwurf des Klauens entspringt einem ganz alten Ressentiment.

Was wissen Sie über Übergriffe auf fliehende Sinti und Roma in der Ukraine oder den Nachbarländern?
Aus der Ukraine, Moldau, der Slowakei und weiteren Ländern gibt es Berichte von Übergriffen. Die Menschen, die am Bahnhof in Mannheim abgewiesen wurden, haben uns berichtet, dass sie in der Ukraine beim Versuch, die Grenze zu übertreten, von anderen ukrainischen Geflüchteten nach hinten gedrängt wurden. In Polen gibt es Berichte von Menschen, die verschwunden sind. Es gibt dort Vermutungen, sie würden Opfer von Menschenhandel.

Haben Sie Kontakt zu Partnerorganisationen dort?
Das European Roma Rights Centre beobachtet die Situation vor Ort und in den Grenzregionen. In Fluchtsituationen und im Krieg sind benachteiligte Gruppen immer doppelt betroffen. Das wird sich weiter zuspitzen, wenn es zu Engpässen in der Lebensmittelversorgung kommt.

Was erwarten Sie angesichts der Berichte über Übergriffe und Schikanen von der Bundesregierung und der EU?
Europaweit ist es jetzt wichtig, mit den Ländern in Kontakt zu bleiben. Nachdem es in der Slowakei diskriminierende Vorfälle gab, wurden Bemühungen unternommen, solchem Verhalten an den Grenzübergängen entgegenzuwirken.

In Russland und der Ukraine ist Antiziganismus nicht neu. Wie hat sich die Situation für Betroffene verändert?
Sowohl in der Ukraine als auch in Russland gibt es eine starke rechte Szene. In der Vergangenheit kam es in der Ukraine zu gewalttätigen Übergriffen und Vertreibungen. Es gibt aber auch andere Gegenden in dem Land, wo dies nicht der Fall ist. Darüber hinaus kämpfen auch Tausende Sinti und Roma in der dortigen Armee und den territorialen Selbstverteidigungseinheiten. Es gibt Roma-NGOs, die vor Ort aktiv sind und humanitäre Hilfe leisten für alle Menschen - nicht nur Roma.

Es leben etwa 400.000 Roma in der Ukraine. Zehn bis zwanzig Prozent davon haben keine Ausweispapiere, sondern oft nur alte sowjetische oder russische Pässe. Dementsprechend gibt es Probleme bei der Ausreise und Einreise in die Nachbarländer. Es ist noch unklar, wie Deutschland und andere Staaten mit "papierlosen" Menschen umgehen werden. Fest steht: Antiziganistische Stereotype, hier würden sich Menschen etwas erschleichen wollen, werden befeuert. Es wird ihnen abgesprochen, Kriegsflüchtlinge zu sein - man sieht sie häufig nur als sogenannte Wirtschaftsflüchtlinge.

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dROMa-Blog | Weblog zu Roma-Themen | "Es heißt, sie würden sich nur bereichern wollen"

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Aus der Ukraine flüchtenden Roma und Sinti wird vieler­orts mit anti­ziga­nis­ti­schen Res­sen­timents be­ge­gnet. Auch in Deutsch­land. Die Tages­zeitung junge Welt hat mit un­se­rer Kol­le­gin (und dROMa-Autorin) vom Lan­des­ver­band Baden-Württem­berg Chana Dischereit ge­sprochen. Chana Dischereit ist Wissenschaftliche Re­fe­ren­tin für Poli­tik und Re­fe­ren­tin für Pres­se- und Öf­fent­lich­keits­arbeit beim Ver­band Deut­scher Sinti und Roma, Landes­ver­band Ba­den-Württem­berg.

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ICE Train to Berlin: Roma refugees "sorted out"

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ICE Train to Berlin: Roma refugees "sorted out"

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Central Association speaks of discrimination – “pilloried”: Roma who fled Ukraine complain about exclusion in Germany

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Central Association speaks of discrimination – “pilloried”: Roma who fled Ukraine complain about exclusion in Germany

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Why Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator resonates with Romani refugees in Ukraine today

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Why Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator resonates with Romani refugees in Ukraine today

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New film celebrates Charlie Chaplin's Romani background

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Friday, April 8 is International Romani Day. As Roma advocacy groups raise the alarm over discrimination on the Ukrainian border, Euronews looks back at a surprising cultural icon who had a stark message on the treatment of minorities in his own time.

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Romani Ukrainian activist: Russia is deceptively accusing Ukraine of Nazism, Romani people from Russia should at least stay neutral

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Romani Ukrainian activist: Russia is deceptively accusing Ukraine of Nazism, Romani people from Russia should at least stay neutral

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Natali Tomenko, Romani activist from Ukraine (2022) (PHOTO: Youtube.com)

Russia is deceptively accusing Ukraine of Nazism and exploiting Romani-related subjects to do so. Natali Tomenko, a Romani activist from Ukraine, gave that assessment at a meeting on 30 March held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Coooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"Today, Russian propaganda is actively speculating on the topic of the Roma, trying to justify the bloodshed, their crimes and genocide against the Ukrainian people. They are making outright lies to accuse Ukrainians of Nazism," Tomenko said, expressing disappointment over several remarks made by Romani people from Russia.

"If, for fear of your own life and for some other reason, you are unable to protest against the war, at least maintain neutrality instead of calling for assassinations and supporting the criminal actions of the Russian authorities. Do not condemn Ukrainian Roma for protecting their country, their homes and their families. In this regard, the social media from the Russian Roma in relation to the Ukrainian Roma is a stream of hatred. It is better for you then to maintain neutrality than to kill us with your lack of understanding and any morality," Tomenko said in her speech, which news server Romea.cz is publishing in full transcription below.

VIDEO

Speech by Natali Tomenko, Romani activist from Ukraine

I am a daughter, sister and aunt that fled from Ukraine a few weeks ago. I am a Roma woman and I am Ukrainian.

I am an artist, activist, cultural heritage expert and human rights defender. I consider myself a part of European society and fully share all its values.

I have a dream, that one day my small sister will stop seeing in her dreams episodes of horror and that my 1.5-year-old niece finally will be able to hug her father.

I will not overwhelm you today with statistics that already were covered perfectly by our partners from ERRC, ERGO, and Chiricli yesterday, but unfortunately, the statistic is hiding human suffering and personal experiences. What happened with my friends and relatives are real cases of survival and history that will be told to my future children.

The majority of my team, ARCA, were forced to evacuate from their homes, lost almost everything and has no resources for living. Some still remain in the territories of the active hostilities, while working from underground spaces and shelters.

Every day we are losing more and more friends, relatives and neighbors. We have no assurance of what will give us the next day. but we have a dream, which is Peace!

In the current circumstances of the war in Ukraine, the ARCA team is working in several areas:

- we are providing financial support to Roma and non-Roma families who find themselves in difficult situations due to hostilities in different parts of Ukraine for the purchase of food, medicines and basic hygiene products;

- we are coordinating, financing and organizing the evacuation process for civilians, in particular for women and children and those elderlies who survived the Roma genocide;

- we are collecting, purchasing humanitarian aid for frontline cities and sending packages to hot spots.

All this we are documenting as testimonies in a format of video and photos on our official social media page. This all is happening due to the help of the huge network of our partners and colleagues from different parts of the world.

And now I would like to attract the attention of the European leaders. History is cyclical, now we are witnessing a repetition of the terrible scenarios of World War II. Europe must remember the consequences of indecision then and prevent them today. You are still able to prevent the catastrophe of 1941, when almost all of Europe was occupied by Nazi troops. Today's realities in Ukraine looks more like the most horrific movies about genocide. We have studied the testimonies and history of genocide for decades, and only now do we realize that we still know nothing about those terrible events. Anyone who has not personally experienced the horrors of war will never know what is hidden between the lines.

Today, Russian propaganda is actively speculating on the topic of the Roma, trying to justify the bloodshed, their crimes and genocide against the Ukrainian people. They are making outright lies to accuse Ukrainians of Nazism. On behalf of the Roma Council of Ukraine and the Roma Youth Council of Ukraine - I'm sorry, as a victim I have right to speak for a few more minutes - which includes more than 60 Roma NGOs, individual activists and public figures, I personally want to reproach our Roma brothers and sisters in Russia. We understand that you are also patriots of your country, but we are embarrassed and disappointed by the position and some statements of Russian Roma public figures. If, for fear of your own life and for some other reason, you are unable to protest against the war, at least maintain neutrality instead of calling for assassinations and supporting the criminal actions of the Russian authorities. Do not condemn Ukrainian Roma for protecting their country, their homes and their families. In this regard, the social media from the Russian Roma in relation to the Ukrainian Roma is a stream of hatred. It is better for you then to maintain neutrality than to kill us with your lack of understanding and any morality.

As a Roma representative from Ukraine, I declare that the Roma in Ukraine today are our doctors, our soldiers, our volunteers, lawyers. Roma are Ukrainians that are defending their country. They stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians and fight for their future together.

I have a dream - to rebuild a strong, beautiful Ukraine, where future generations will grow and live without fear. Where all together with friends and colleagues I will be able to build a strong civil society. Where we, the young leaders, can support the youth of all ethnic communities and become a symbol of legal freedoms and humanity for our neighbors that, unfortunately, are blinded today.
Barikane Roma! Khetane ame Zorale! Slava Ukraini!

mar, ryz, ERRC, translated by Gwendolyn Albert

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Romani Ukrainian activist: Russia is deceptively accusing Ukraine of Nazism, Romani people from Russia should at least stay neutral

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Natali Tomenko, Romani activist from Ukraine (2022) (PHOTO: Youtube.com) Russia is deceptively accusing Ukraine of Nazism and exploiting Romani-related subjects to do so. Natali Tomenko, a Romani activist from Ukraine, gave that assessment at a meeting on 30 March held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Coooperation in Europe (OSCE).

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Statement of Ombudsperson of Ukraine on International Roma Day

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Statement of Ombudsperson of Ukraine on International Roma Day

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April 8 marks the International Roma Day, launched in 1971 in London (England) at the World Congress of Roma.

30 years of Ukraine's independence this date was an occasion to draw attention to the original culture and history of the Roma ethnic group, to overcome discrimination and to develop the harmonious coexistence of all nationalities in our country.

Today, Roma, Ukrainians and all 130 nationalities living in Ukraine who consider it their Homeland are being oppressed and terrorized by the terrorist state of Russia.

The aggressor who started the genocide of all our diverse people.

But the enemy did not take into account that on the Ukrainian land for millennia of glorious history grew the UNITED FREE PEOPLE.

Nobody can break us while we are together, as long as we support each other regardless of nationality, gender, age, side by side, each in his place defending and protecting our State.

So let today be another occasion to lend a hand to each other - Ukrainians, Roma, Greeks, Armenians, Georgians.

Ahead of us awaits the glorious Victory and a free Ukraine for each of us!

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Уповноважений Верховної Ради України з прав людини

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Сьогодні відзначається Міжнародний день ромів

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Міжнародний день ромів, започаткований у 1971 році у м. Лондон (Англія) на Світовому конгресі ромів.

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"The oppression of Roma has already become so normal that people don't even notice it anymore": Adrienn Balogh is at the Ukrainian-Hungarian border to document the treatment of refugees.

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Von Klaus Petrus (Text und Bild), Zahony

Roma, die aus der Ukraine nach Ungarn flüchten, werden beim Grenzübertritt diskriminiert. Das passt zur sonstigen Politik von Viktor Orban.
Die Solidarität mit Geflüchteten aus der Ukraine ist in den Nachbarländern ungebrochen gross. Auch in Ungarn. In den Grenzorten warten Vertreter:innen der Gemeinden und Hilfsorganisationen sowie Helfer:innen mit warmem Essen und Decken; Autos und Kleinbusse stehen bereit, um die Menschen nach Budapest oder weiter in andere Länder zu bringen. Willkommen sind allerdings nicht alle Ankommenden.

"Ich brauchte Babynahrung, doch sie haben mich beschimpft und fortgeschickt", sagt Valeria*. Als der Krieg ausbrach, musste die 19-jährige Romni aus der westukrainischen Region Transkarpatien in Richtung Ungarn fliehen. Jetzt steht sie auf dem Bahngleis von Zahony an der ungarisch-ukrainischen Grenze, hält ihren Säugling in den Armen und wartet auf den Zug nach Budapest. Ihre Mutter und die ältere Schwester mit ihren drei Kindern sind ebenfalls mit ihr geflohen; wo die Männer sind, das möchten sie nicht sagen.

"Wir hatten Glück, sie liessen uns daheim in den Zug steigen." Valeria weiss von Romafamilien aus Lwiw und anderen Städten, die Ukrainer:innen Platz machen und zurückbleiben mussten. Als sie an der ungarischen Grenze angekommen seien, hätten sie bei der Ausweiskontrolle länger als die anderen warten müssen, erzählt sie. Rund vierzig Prozent der 300 000 Roma in der Ukraine - nach Angaben der Regierung sollen es nur 50 000 sein - besitzen zwar eine Geburtsurkunde, aber keinen ukrainischen Pass.

So auch Valeria und ihre Familie. "Die Grenzpolizisten glauben nicht, dass wir aus der Ukraine sind, sie sagen, wir hätten unsere Dokumente gefälscht." Nachdem sie registriert wurden, waren sie weiterhin auf sich allein gestellt. "Den anderen Geflüchteten half man mit den Koffern, sie bekamen Suppe, und die Kinder durften im Bahnhofsgebäude spielen. Uns liess man draussen in der Kälte."
Diskriminierung ist Alltag
"Was Valeria erlebt hat, ist kein Einzelfall" sagt Adrienn Balogh, selber Romni und Mitbegründerin der ungarischen Romaorganisation Magyarorszag Kezdemenyezes. Seit sich die Verunglimpfungen der Roma an der ungarisch-ukrainischen Grenze häufen, ist sie vor Ort und dokumentiert die Fälle. "Oft sind es verbale Diskriminierungen. Oder man hilft ihnen nicht beim Gepäck, sie haben Mühe, Tickets für die Weiterfahrt zu bekommen, manchmal wird ihnen sogar der Zugang zu medizinischer Versorgung verwehrt", sagt Balogh.

Von vergleichbarer Diskriminierung geflüchteter Roma aus der Ukraine wird inzwischen auch von der Grenze zur Slowakei und zu Rumänien berichtet. Hilfsorganisationen und Gemeinden weisen solche Vorwürfe indes zurück, was Balogh wiederum nicht erstaunt: "Die Unterdrückung der Roma ist subtil, sie ist schon so normal geworden, dass es den Leuten gar nicht mehr auffällt."

Auch für Valeria gehören Diskriminierung und Hass zum Alltag. "In meiner Heimat, in Transkarpatien, werden wir immer wieder angegriffen." Tatsächlich haben sich nach Angaben der Organisation Roma of Ukraine (Ternipe) in den vergangenen Jahren Aktionen gegen Roma gehäuft, oft sind rechte Gruppierungen dafür verantwortlich. Sie verbreiten im Netz Hass und Hetze, auch sind Fälle bekannt, wo Roma gezielt attackiert und verletzt wurden.

Nicht anders sei das in Ungarn, sagt Balogh. Zwar würden die Roma mit 900 000 Personen die grösste Minderheit im Land stellen; und doch würden sie am schlechtesten behandelt. "Fast die Hälfte der ungarischen Roma leben unter prekären Bedingungen. Sie haben kaum Arbeit, kriegen keine Wohnungen, der Staat lässt sie im Stich", so die Aktivistin. Sie bemängelt insgesamt, dass die Roma in der ungarischen Gesellschaft keinen Platz hätten.

Das trifft auch auf politischer Ebene zu. Unter den knapp 200 Parlamentarier:innen findet sich bloss ein Rom, Florian Fakas. Er ist Präsident der Partei Lungo Drom, die seit Jahren die rechtsnationale Regierungspartei Fidezs von Ministerpräsident Viktor Orban unterstützt. Kritiker:innen etwa aus den Reihen des Firosz - ein Zusammenschluss junger Roma - werfen Fakas vor, er sei in Korruptionsfälle verwickelt und würde damit der Romagemeinschaft schaden.
Vorurteile in den Köpfen
Aktivist:innen wie Balogh befürchten, dass Ungarn mit der Diskriminierung der Roma an der Grenze eine Art Zweiklassengesellschaft der Geflüchteten etabliert. Dass sich Orban an der Hetze gegen Roma beteiligt, ist für sie nicht von der Hand zu weisen. Balogh verweist auf eine Schule in der ostungarischen Stadt Gyöngyöspata, in der Romakinder diskriminiert wurden - sie durften unter anderem nicht dieselben Toiletten benutzen wie die übrigen Schüler:innen. Ein Gericht verurteilte den ungarischen Staat zu Schadenersatz, was Orban mit der Bemerkung kommentierte, es sei unverständlich, wieso eine ethnische Minderheit so viel Geld bekomme, ohne dafür zu arbeiten.

Wie sehr sich solche Vorurteile in den Köpfen der Leute festsetzen können, zeigt eine Erfahrung, die Valeria am Bahnhof von Zahony gemacht hat. Als sie mit Sack und Pack und ihrem Kind auf dem Arm am Bahnsteig auf den Zug wartete, kam jemand auf sie zu und meinte, sie würde die jetzige Situation ausnutzen, um sich von den Hilfsorganisationen Essen und Kleider zu ergattern. "Man glaubt uns nicht, dass auch wir vor dem Krieg flüchten müssen. Am liebsten würde man uns zurückschicken."

* Name geändert.

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"Am liebsten würde man uns zurückschicken"

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Von Klaus Petrus (Text und Bild), Zahony Roma, die aus der Ukraine nach Ungarn flüchten, werden beim Grenzübertritt diskriminiert. Das passt zur sonstigen Politik von Viktor Orban. Die Solidarität mit Geflüchteten aus der Ukraine ist in den Nachbarländern ungebrochen gross. Auch in Ungarn.

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Romani refugees segregated in a Czech center and discriminated against, Regional Governor accuses them of theft, police say no such crimes have been reported

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Romani refugees segregated in a Czech center and discriminated against, Regional Governor accuses them of theft, police say no such crimes have been reported

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Romani refugees segregated in a Czech center and discriminated against, Regional Governor accuses them of theft, police say no such crimes have been reported - Romea.cz

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Council of Europe Online Meeting: Roma from Ukraine, we hear you!

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Council of Europe Online Meeting: Roma from Ukraine, we hear you!

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On 1 April 2022 the Council of Europe’s Roma and Travellers Team and the No Hate Speech and Cooperation Unit organised an online consultation meeting with Roma NGOs active in Ukraine.

Despite the difficult conditions civil society activists are facing, especially in active war zones in the South-East of Ukraine, 35 representatives of Roma NGOs from all over Ukraine attended the consultation, organised by the Council of Europe with the participation of other international organisations. Participants discussed the current needs of Ukrainian Roma, in particular humanitarian aid, evacuation passages and access to support services for refugees and displaced persons, legal aid and policies, and documentation of war crimes.

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Strasbourg, France

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On 1 April 2022 the Council of Europe's Roma and Travellers Team and the No Hate Speech and Cooperation Unit organised an online consultation meeting with Roma NGOs active in Ukraine.

Despite the difficult conditions civil society activists are facing, especially in active war zones in the South-East of Ukraine, 35 representatives of Roma NGOs from all over Ukraine attended the consultation, organised by the Council of Europe with the participation of other international organisations. Participants discussed the current needs of Ukrainian Roma, in particular humanitarian aid, evacuation passages and access to support services for refugees and displaced persons, legal aid and policies, and documentation of war crimes.

The Roma Women's Fund "Chiricli", stressed the severity of the ongoing attacks and the humanitarian crisis facing Roma communities around Ukraine: "As a historically marginalised minority, Roma face discrimination in all parts of Europe, including Ukraine, but Roma Civil Society Organisations have always been able to work freely in cooperation with the Ukrainian Government, to address these issues and we have always been able to raise our concerns in front of international organisations, without fear of persecution".

Participants reported that, as for all Ukrainians, the war has led to loss of life, mass displacement and challenges to the protection of the rights of Roma. In these circumstances, it is important that international and other humanitarian organisations and agencies understand the specific risks faced by minorities and do their utmost to mitigate these risks.

Participants also reported that they have already documented repeated cases of Roma not being able to receive safe evacuation passage, due to a lack of documentation and IDs, as well as cases of discrimination in the allocation of basic humanitarian assistance in some countries hosting and receiving refugees from Ukraine

The Roma NGO Coalition of Ukraine stressed the need to monitor human rights violations, establish a human rights hub to document potential war crimes against Roma and other vulnerable groups, and provide legal support to internally displaced Roma, as well as those who have moved abroad, working with the authorities of Ukraine and abroad to facilitate access to rights and services, including resolving legal status issues to facilitate their movement across borders.

Expressing appreciation for the support of the national and local authorities in Ukraine, such as the Ombudsman Office and the Parliament Committee on Human Rights, law enforcement agencies, as well as the Uzhgorod, Lutsk, and Melitopol municipalities, participants called on international humanitarian actors to prioritise structured cooperation with the network of Roma CSO human rights monitors and mediators.

The NGOs representatives called on the media, politicians and public figures to report accurately on stories relating to Roma and other minorities in Ukraine and to consult with Ukrainian and Roma CSOs and refrain from making statements that may contribute to disinformation or stereotyping of Roma, further stigmatising and victimising these minorities already at risk.

The inputs received in this consultation will be taken into account for the future work of the Council of Europe with Roma in Ukraine.

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special representative of the secretary general for roma issues

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promoting social inclusion and respect for human rights: roma

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Strasbourg, France Diminuer la taille du texte Augmenter la taille du texte Imprimer la page Imprimer en PDF On 1 April 2022 the Council of Europe's Roma and Travellers Team and the No Hate Speech and Cooperation Unit organised an online consultation meeting with Roma NGOs active in Ukraine.

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Interview with Ukrainian Roma activist Zola Kondur

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Interview with Ukrainian Roma activist Zola Kondur

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#Ukraine: Interview with Roma Rights Activist Zola Kondur

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Interview with artist and Roma activist Natali Tomenko

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Interview with artist and Roma activist Natali Tomenko

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"We fear a new genocide".
The Roma community in Ukraine is huge. Artist Natali Tomenko talks about the hidden heritage of their culture and the situation during the war on International Roma Day.

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Interview mit Roma-Künstlerin - "Wir befürchten einen neuen Völkermord"

Die Roma-Gemeinschaft in der Ukraine ist riesig. Künstlerin Natali Tomenko spricht am Internationalen Tag der Roma über das versteckte Erbe ihrer Kultur und die Situation im Krieg.

Frau Tomenko, was können Sie uns zurzeit über die Situation der Roma in der Ukraine sagen?

Die meisten Roma wollen die Ukraine nicht verlassen. Das ist interessant, denn als Studentin des Kulturerbes habe ich all diese Theorien studiert, dass Roma früher als Nomaden galten und gerne reisen würden. Aber in Wirklichkeit sehen wir Menschen, die sehr mit dem Land verbunden sind und sich ihr Leben anderswo im Moment nicht vorstellen können. Sie haben Häuser gebaut, Zukunft, Leben. Und so bleiben sie.

Internationaler Tag der Roma Fakten zu den Roma

Der 8. April ist der Internationale Tag der Roma. Was wird gefeiert, woran wird erinnert? Wie viele Roma sind zurzeit auf der Flucht aus der Ukraine? Das erfahren Sie hier.

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Interview mit Roma-Künstlerin - "Wir befürchten einen neuen Völkermord"

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Die Roma-Gemeinschaft in der Ukraine ist riesig. Künstlerin Natali Tomenko spricht am Internationalen Tag der Roma über das versteckte Erbe ihrer Kultur und die Situation im Krieg. Frau Tomenko, was können Sie uns zurzeit über die Situation der Roma in der Ukraine sagen? Die meisten Roma wollen die Ukraine nicht verlassen.

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RomanoNet representatives meet with Czech Interior Minister and Labor Minister about the Romani refugees from Ukraine

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RomanoNet representatives meet with Czech Interior Minister and Labor Minister about the Romani refugees from Ukraine

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Representatives of the RomanoNet umbrella organization met earlier this week with Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan and yesterday with Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Marian Jurečka; another meeting is also planned at the Education Ministry. All of these meetings are about current aid to refugees from Ukraine and how to combine it with existing work by nonprofit organizations providing a broad range of assistance, above all to the Romani community.

"The meeting at the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry was concentrated on how to effectively target our energy and efforts in relation to refugees from Ukraine," Nikola Taragoš, director of the Romodrom organization, said in an interview for ROMEA TV. "We discussed the type of interventions and how to most quickly get support for them."

"Our support is focused more generally, not just on Romani people, but naturally, like other pro-Romani and Romani organizations, we will also be able to specialize in the Romani people who are part of this big set of those in need. It is important to say that the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry is ready to amplify and accelerate all processes so that support for the nonprofit sector, and thereby in the field, will come as fast as possible," the Romodrom director added.

Alena Gronzíková of the IQ Roma servis organization confirmed that in the South Moravian Region, NGOs have noted that Romani refugees from Ukraine are being treated differently and worse than are white refugees. "In the South Moravian Region we have unfortunately recorded problems with accommodating Romani people from Ukraine, the public simply does not want to house Romani refugees," Gronzíková said, adding that while individual cases of discrimination were not discussed during the meeting, what was discussed were formats for mediating the coexistence of non-Romani and Romani refugees from Ukraine as well as the coexistence of Romani refugees from Ukraine with the Czech public.

The area of housing was also a subject of the meeting between Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan and representatives of RomanoNet. "We discussed the area of the housing that the Refugee Facilities Administration will facilitate and how it will be connected to social services," the Romodrom director explained to ROMEA TV.

RomanoNet is an umbrella organization in which 11 nonprofit organizations are currently associated that provide different forms of support to Romani people in the Czech Republic first and foremost. According to the Romodrom director, the RomanoNet organizations are currently working with more than 500 Romani refugees from Ukraine.

"The total number of Romani refugees from Ukraine is estimated at 1 200. That means we are working with approximately half of those people in different locations," Taragoš told ROMEA TV.

"These are families with many members, roughly two-thirds of whom are children under the age of 15, and then they are either women or senior citizens of both sexes over the age of 65. That means actually their male family members of productive age, the young men, remained in Ukraine and were drafted into the Army," Taragoš said.

Since the beginning of the war, the Czech Republic has issued more than 269 000 special visas to those affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine; the actual number of refugees from Ukraine residing in the Czech Republic is probably higher than that. At the beginning of last week, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (Civic Democratic Party - ODS) said there are roughly 300 000 refugees in the country.

The number of such visas issued during the last two weeks has declined. On the basis of visas issued for temporary protection purposes, Ukrainian citizens are allowed to reside in the Czech Republic for up to one year.

Such persons are allowed to access public health insurance, education, the labor market and are eligible for other assistance, for example, when finding housing. The RomanoNet umbrella organization was created in February 2017 for the purpose of coordinating the collaboration of non-governmental, nonprofit organizations working in the Czech Republic with the Romani minority.

Its mission is to advocate for an inclusion policy emphasizing respect for human rights, equality, the participation of Romani people in public life, and their involvement in decision-making processes. The member organizations of RomanoNet are Awen Amenca, IQ Roma servis, Khamoro, Kleja, Otevřená společnost, Romano jasnica, ROMEA, Romodrom, Slovo 21, Společně-Jekhetane and Life Together (Vzájemné soužití).

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RomanoNet representatives meet with Czech Interior Minister and Labor Minister about the Romani refugees from Ukraine

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Representatives of the RomanoNet umbrella organization met earlier this week with Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan and yesterday with Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Marian Jurečka; another meeting is also planned at the Education Ministry.

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International Roma Day 8 April 2022, UN expert urges better protection of Roma minority during conflicts

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International Roma Day 8 April 2022, UN expert urges better protection of Roma minority during conflicts

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https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/04/international-roma-day-8-april-2022-un-expert-urges-better-protection-roma?fbclid=IwAR2YDcUuMrjXzsxSou797gOWkQLT-a3APFKT6Zts4TXPyJKzo7rMK9ryfO4

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Slovak MEP Peter Pollák draws attention to unequal treatment of Romani Ukrainian refugees on the floor of the European Parliament

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Slovak MEP Peter Pollák draws attention to unequal treatment of Romani Ukrainian refugees on the floor of the European Parliament

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Last week Slovak MEP Peter Pollák made a statement on the floor of the European Parliament (EP) expressing his concern about the information that refugees of Romani nationality who are fleeing Ukraine are not being treated as well as non-Romani refugees. "The suffering of the Romani women and children fleeing Putin's tanks in fear is compounded by the unequal treatment they are subjected to, not just in Ukraine itself, but according to my information also after they enter the European Union," he said.

Pollák also recalled the increasing racism in Europe, which he has long been pointing out is underway. "Romani people from Ukraine are refugees just like all other Ukrainians. Putin is taking away the safety, the homes, and unfortunately the lives of their loved ones from everybody in Ukraine. Esteemed friends, the life of each person fleeing a war is of the same value," he said.

The cases of unequal treatment of Romani Ukrainian refugees have appeared in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova and Slovakia. The situation at the Slovak-Ukrainian border was described at the beginning of March by Jaroslav Miko to ROMEA TV: "Romani people from Ukraine are being discriminated against at the border. There are many volunteers who are giving refugees rides further into the interior. However, if a Romani family arrives and asks for such aid, they are refused it."

News server Romea.cz reported the story of two Romani women with four children who were asked to move on from their accommodation in the Czech Republic twice for no reason; of Czech bus drivers who refused to transport to safety a group of Romani mothers originally from the Kyiv area; and other cases of volunteers not wanting to give rides to Romani families. One of the most recent cases involved the hostile reception of Romani refugees who were assaulted in the village of Božičany, Czech Republic.

After speaking at the EP, Pollák published a video to his Facebook profile in which he responds to the input he is receiving from his fellow Romani community members and constituents alleging, for example, that the Romani Ukrainians are not fleeing the Russian invasion, but that they are fleeing "fascists" who are Ukrainian. The MEP appeals in his video for aid to all refugees who are doing their best to escape Putin's attack on Ukraine and to find safety; news server Romea.cz is publishing the full translation of the transcript of that video here.

Peter Pollák: Differences of opinion are never resolved through violence and war

Recently I have been receiving many messages from you all asking whether it is even necessary to aid the refugees from Ukraine. I understand many of you have anxieties and problems that were long unresolved, truth by told, by [former Prime Minister] Robert Fico. I understand your impatience and that you would like to see change happen overnight. I, too, would like it to be immediate. However, I am not a magician - believe me, though, when I tell you that recently in many settlements where the mayors have applied for subsidies, they have been building or soon will build you roads, waterworks, nursery schools or apartments, everything Robert Fico ignored for 12 years.

We have to aid the Ukrainians fleeing Putin's rockets and tanks, though. They have lost absolutely everything. They have lost their homes, and unfortunately many of them have also lost their loved ones. If your opinion is different, if you don't want to assist them, I can't do anything about that. However, please respect my opinion. I will be helping them.

I am also getting messages from you about Romani people fleeing Ukraine because there are fascists there, not that they are fleeing the Russian invasion. Yes, as I have said many times before, racism and fascism are on the rise in many countries. We also have racists and fascists here at home in Slovakia. You are right that they also exist there in Ukraine, just as they also exist in Russia, the Czech Republic, or Hungary. The simple truth is that the fascists are everywhere. They're even seated in Parliament here in Slovakia.

I have also received your messages about racist treatment in Ukraine. I condemn that. I have never defended any fascists, just as I do not defend racists and fascists in Slovakia. I fight against racists and fascists whatever country they are from. I have met in person with many of the Romani refugees from Ukraine, and when I asked them what it was they were escaping, they all told me that they were fleeing Putin's tanks and rockets. Yes, you are right, there are also fascists among the Ukrainians, just as they are among us here in Slovakia. Let's not forget, though, that many Romani people are standing in Ukraine with machine guns in their hands against Putin's rockets and tanks. Romani people, just like the Jewish people, have our experience of history from the Second World War, when the countries where the fascists ruled drove us all into the concentration camps and killed us.

There is nobody in this world who has the right to decide who lives and who does not have the right to live. No nation is inferior to any other nation. The Ukrainians have the right to live. You can have as different opinions as are possible about this world, but we cannot resolve our differences, under any circumstances, through violence, and not at all through war. None of you would like it if, just because your opinion about the world is different, you were to lose your home, or God forbid, your children - and merely because your neighbor believes might makes right.

In conclusion, esteemed friends, allow me to repeat the words of Jesus Christ: "Whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers and sisters, you do unto me." Let's not turn our backs on the victims of this war, today we have a unique opportunity to show our humanity, our aid, to save a life, to do a good deed.

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Slovak MEP Peter Pollák draws attention to unequal treatment of Romani Ukrainian refugees on the floor of the EP

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Last week Slovak MEP Peter Pollák made a statement on the floor of the European Parliament (EP) expressing his concern about the information that refugees of Romani nationality who are fleeing Ukraine are not being treated as well as non-Romani refugees.

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How Russia’s War Has Hit Ukraine’s Roma People

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How Russia’s War Has Hit Ukraine’s Roma People

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On March 22, a Czech-based Roma human rights organization confirmed reports of several Romani individuals from Lviv being tied to lampposts and publicly humiliated. This was orchestrated by a local vigilante group called "the Hunters" that prides itself on persecuting Roma who are accused of pickpocketing and stealing. Such vigilantism might be brushed aside by some as an unfortunate consequence of a social order harshened in wartime. Yet the civil and state violence inflicted upon Roma communities that lack legal access to work and services is nothing new - and certainly not unique to Ukraine.

Last year, following the murder of Romani man Stanislav Tomáš by Czech police, I explored the poverty of projects for progressive Romani nation building in the context of extreme deprivation and a concerted aggressive siege from violent state and civil forces. This, I argued, was a historically heroic endeavor - but currently a misplacement of priorities and the energy of social movements. Indeed, Romanestan - the name of a proposed Romani nation - remains in a state of emergency. A year later, nowhere exemplifies this state of emergency more than the situation of Ukraine's Roma population.

Today Ukrainian Roma find themselves between the massive invading forces of an irredentist and criminal Russian state and comparably smaller and outgunned, but nevertheless armed and battle-hardened, fascist militias. Yet to fully appreciate their place in this emergency, we must also look beyond the war itself.

The 2001 Ukrainian census notes that there are just short of fifty thousand people who self-identify as Roma in Ukraine. However, this number is disputed by advocacy organizations, which suggest the number is as high as four hundred thousand, with the largest communities in the regions of Crimea, Odesa, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk. There are three main reasons why official figures are inaccurate, of which we will focus on the first two: 1) Roma people's reluctance to declare their ethnic origin due to fear of persecution or discrimination; 2) Many Roma individuals in Ukraine do not have identity documents and are not registered as Ukrainian citizens, and are thus stateless; 3) Their incorrect registration by authorities as "Romanians."

The first reason is a well-founded fear. Ukraine, like much of Europe, has a dark history regarding the treatment of the Romani population. A detailed report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) high commissioner of national minorities confirmed that Ukraine was at the top of the list, alongside other Central and Eastern European states, when it came to rampant skinhead violence against Roma. The study was published in 2000, fourteen years prior to what Vladimir Putin called a putsch by "a gang of drug dealers and neo-Nazis."

As recently as 2018, to commemorate Adolf Hitler's birthday, a fascist paramilitary organization called C14 launched a violent assault on a temporary Romani encampment in Kiev and then went on to stab seventeen people from a local Roma encampment in Lviv. More pogroms were reported in 2019 - the year of Volodymyr Zelensky's election as president -and again in 2020. In response to these brutal attacks, the police response ranged from sporadic and slow arrests to pure indifference. No one has ever been prosecuted. In response to an attack, one Odesa judge ruled that the act of ethnic cleansing in Loshchynivka was "an act of direct democracy."

These are not historically isolated incidents in Ukraine or the wider region. The history of persecution by Nazi-collaborationist states during World War II, alongside the Stalinist denial of cultural pluralism, is well documented.

Fascist militias are today emboldened and armed with professional military equipment - partly as a result of the 2014 collapse of the Ukrainian state, which in turn desperately clamored for volunteer fighters. And it seems that these incidents are only going to escalate in intensity and barbarity.

The second reason - Roma people's lack of documents - can be seen as a further symptom of abandonment and the incompetence of state authorities. It is also an effect of discrimination and persecution from both the state and civil society. The scale of statelessness remains unknown even to Ukraine, but the consequences are highly visible. Without legal access to basic services such as health care, education, and formal, legally contracted work, the Roma population finds itself in Dickensian shantytowns and temporary settlements.

Ukrainian Roma are effectively being reproduced as a surplus population, superfluous to the needs of capital or the state, mirroring the condition of Roma across Europe. Given the Zelensky government's commitment to large-scale privatization through the State Property Fund - a process affecting even basic utilities - the economic future of the most marginalized didn't look promising even before the war, with new barriers to accessing even the basic means of everyday existence.

In these conditions, Ukrainian Roma communities, like their counterparts across Europe, would have every reason to feel reluctant to rush to the defense of Ukraine's liberal democratic state. Despite this, Roma in Ukraine are willingly volunteering to join Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, professional military, and international legions. Meanwhile, those who are not engaged in direct combat are engaged in acts of resistance to the invasion that range from capturing Russian tanks, as reported during intense resistance in Kherson Oblast, to building barricades.

Internationally, almost two hundred pro-Roma human rights and Romani organizations have condemned the Russian Federation's war on Ukraine and called on it to end its violent attacks. Their joint statement also calls on the relevant authorities to ensure the human rights of all groups fleeing the war zone are upheld, noting the extreme vulnerability of Roma refugees. In today's circumstances, Roma families can often be torn from their social networks only to find themselves welcomed by other hostile states on Ukraine's borders run by right-wing populists.

Despite Putin's bogus claims of a fascist junta in Kiev, the liberal democratic state - however incompetent and corrupted by institutional prejudice - retains semi-responsive democratic institutions, and at least the promise of a return to a less authoritarian order once peace has returned. To Ukrainian Roma, this is worth defending with their lives. Within the scope of the Ukrainian liberal democratic state, however damaged and dysfunctional, it is still possible to build social movements, benefit from the counsel of human rights organizations, and gain concessions from political and civil institutions.

Given what we have established above, regarding the economic and legal condition of Ukrainian Roma, any talk of human rights and liberal democracy may easily be charged with hypocrisy. And rightly so. Yet the husk of a liberal democratic state still carries a kernel of liberatory potential, however constrained it may be by inequality and institutional prejudice. The point of movements for social justice is to realize the formal rights-based framework of liberal freedom through giving it content. And Romani social and liberation movements have started to make gains in this regard.

Following its election in 2019, Zelensky's government set up a special authority to identify and meet the needs of national minorities and Romani communities in Ukraine. Further, a national Romani strategy was approved to ensure inclusion measures were followed through on. It is true that, even without a war, these policies would have likely proven fruitless given the scale of the problem, combined with the incompetence and entrenched prejudice among many state authorities.

From the few human rights organizations that operate in the Russian Federation, it is unclear as to the scale and condition of the 1 million Russian Roma, and only scant information about pogroms in rural areas have come to light. What is clear, though, is that they are cut off from the lifelines of international organizing, international networks of solidarity, and responsive democratic institutions.

Meanwhile, many Ukrainian Roma flee to Ukraine's western borders and, subsequently, into the European Union. While the EU Commission is engaged in ongoing work to tackle issues related to statelessness among member states, many Ukrainian Roma who do not hold valid biometric passports have been turned away from transport to EU states. Despite the blatant breach of Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this has left many stranded in segregated temporary encampments in border towns and villages' public sports halls. These encampments for the stateless, many of which are in Moldova (not an EU member state), lack food and sanitary facilities. Illness is endemic.

On March 4, the EU activated the Temporary Protection Directive, allowing those fleeing the war to be granted temporary protection in the EU. This should mean that refugees will be given a residence permit, and they will have access to education and to the labor market. At present, this seems to have not been equally applied to a huge number of Roma refugees on the ground.

Those who do make it to EU member states are unlikely to find respite and complete safety. In fact, refugees who have fled to the Czech Republic, the home of murdered Stanislav Tomáš, have found themselves fleeing again due to assaults by locals. That country is just one example among the many EU member states, highlighted by the aforementioned OSCE report, that is marked by harsh anti-Roma racism in addition to social and economic hardship among its Romani population. Here the latent contradictions of liberal democratic freedom again rears its ugly head. However, amid those contradictions and within that narrow space for agency, we still see a rich architecture of a plurality of Roma civil rights movements that claim varying mixtures of victories and setbacks. Many of these groups have rallied and organized to appeal for humanitarian aid for Ukrainian Roma.

Questions must be raised about what will happen to Ukrainian Roma after this barbaric war.

In the scenario of a less-than-impossible Ukrainian victory, Will the Ukrainian state come to redeem all those Roma lives lost fighting the invader by cleansing its judiciary and police of prejudiced forces? Will the government commit to resolving the endemic statelessness of Roma communities and rebuild a democratic state that is responsive to the needs of the most marginalized?

In the scenario of a victory for Putin's war machine, Will Europe acknowledge the plight of Ukrainian Roma and their heroic defense of an abstract liberal democracy that has never been realized for them? Will European states welcome the stateless as refugees and offer asylum with fully realized, material human rights alongside enforced legal protections?

Given the long history of large-scale violence against the Romani people and their social exclusion, I am doubtful. But large and dramatic societal changes rarely follow smooth historical trajectories and, as one wise man once remarked, decades can happen in a matter of weeks.

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How Russia's War Has Hit Ukraine's Roma People

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The Russian invasion has brought fresh hardships for the hundreds of thousands of Romani people in Ukraine. In a moment of proclaimed national unity, they face violence from not just the invading army but domestic vigilantes and even states welcoming refugees.

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Interview with Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska: Roma refugees experience racism; about Roma solidarity work in Poland

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Interview with Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska: Roma refugees experience racism; about Roma solidarity work in Poland

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„Unterstützung für die Ausgegrenzten unter den Ausgegrenzten", so bezeichnete ein Aktivist in Polen sein Engagement mit den Geflüchteten. Auch in unserer medico-Arbeit zur Ukraine geht es darum, diejenigen sichtbar zu machen, denen nicht oder nur wenig geholfen wird. Und es gibt viele, die vom russischen Krieg betroffen sind und in der Öffentlichkeit nicht wahrgenommen werden: LGBTIQ-Personen, Rom:nja, BPoC, Geflüchtete ohne ukrainischen Pass. Für diejenigen, die nicht das Bild der flüchtenden ukrainischen Mutter mit Kind erfüllen, gilt die breite gesellschaftliche Solidarität nur begrenzt. In vielen Ländern Osteuropas waren Rom:nja schon vor dem Krieg einer besonderen Verfolgung ausgesetzt - auch in der Ukraine. Allein 2018 gab es dort sechs rassistische Pogrome, die auch Todesopfer forderten. Zwei Jahre zuvor wurden in der Nähe von Odessa Häuser von Rom:nja Familien von einem Mob angegriffen und angezündet. Im Dezember 2021 wertete eine Richterin dies als einen Ausdruck "direkter Demokratie" der Bewohner:innen. Die rassistische Ausgrenzung von Rom:nja findet auch während ihrer Flucht vor dem Krieg statt. In Polen berichteten uns Aktivist:innen, dass die Bereitschaft diese Menschen unterzubringen so gut wie nicht vorhanden sei und auch in Deutschland will kaum jemand Rom:nja privat aufnehmen. Im Gespräch mit medico berichtet die Akademikerin und Rom:nja-Aktivistin Dr. Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska über die konkrete Situation von aus der Ukraine geflüchteten Romn:ja, die nach Polen gekommen sind. medico: Wie ist die allgemeine Situation der Rom:nja in der Ukraine?
Joanna Talewicz: Die meisten Rom:nja, die sich noch in der Ukraine aufhalten, sind jung. Es heißt, dass es insgesamt mehr als 400.000 Menschen sind. Wir glauben aber, dass es noch mehr sind. Offizielle Statistiken sind immer problematisch und spiegeln die Realität selten wider.

Die Situation in der Ukraine ist von Region zu Region unterschiedlich. Wir beobachten, dass viele erst einmal abwarten, wie sich die Situation entwickelt. Viele junge Romnja haben beschlossen, bei ihren Männern zu bleiben. Sie versuchen, normal zu leben. Aber natürlich haben sie Angst und verstecken sich die meiste Zeit wegen der russischen Angriffe.
Wie ist die Lage derer, die nach Polen fliehen?
Wir beobachten, dass insgesamt immer weniger Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine hier nach Warschau kommen. Aber was die Rom:nja betrifft, sind es unserem Eindruck nach mehr Menschen als zu Beginn. Nach dem, was wir hören, hatten viele Rom:nja die Hoffnung, dass der Krieg bald vorbei sein würde und sie in der Ukraine bleiben könnten. Jetzt ist ihnen klar, dass das nicht möglich sein wird, so dass nun immer mehr den Entschluss fassen, das Land zu verlassen. Rom:nja fühlen sich in der Ukraine sicherer und zögern daher eher, in ein anderes Land zu gehen. Für viele von ihnen ist es das erste Mal, dass sie die Ukraine verlassen.

Wir nehmen auch eine Zunahme von Menschen mit größeren gesundheitlichen Problemen und Traumata und in schlechteren finanziellen Situationen wahr. Bei den ersten Gruppen, die hier ankamen, waren die meisten besser ausgebildet, gesund und hatten eine recht stabile finanzielle Situation. Die Menschen, die jetzt ankommen, befinden sich insgesamt in einer schlechteren Situation.
Wie hat sich die Situation an der Grenze entwickelt?
Meine Kollegin, eine polnische Romni, die in Krakau lebt, war einige Tage an der Grenze in Korczowa, um die Situation zu beobachten. Gemeinsam mit einer deutschen Rom:nja-Organisation hat sie Busse für flüchtende Rom:nja organisiert, um sie aus dem Grenzgebiet nach Deutschland zu bringen. Sie berichtete von einer ziemlich schrecklichen Situation, da viele Menschen völlig allein gelassen sind. Nicht nur wegen der Xenophobie oder des Rassismus, sondern weil es so chaotisch ist und einfach so viele Menschen dort unterwegs sind. Deshalb ist es wichtig, auch Rom:nja als freiwillige Helfer an der Grenze zu haben. Das schafft ein Gefühl der Sicherheit für die ankommenden Rom:nja. Ich bin gegen Segregation, aber in dieser Situation sind leider nicht alle Geflüchteten gleich und haben auch nicht den gleichen Zugang zu Hilfe. Wir müssen unser Handeln auf diese Situation abstimmen.

Was ich aber sagen kann, ist, dass Rom:nja nicht unbedingt Schwierigkeiten haben, über die Grenze zu kommen. Es wäre jedoch auch falsch, von Gleichbehandlung zu sprechen. Eine andere ukrainische Romni-Kollegin von mir hat zum Beispiel mit polnischen Grenzbeamten gesprochen, die ihr von einer inoffiziellen Anweisung berichteten, vorrangig ukrainischen Geflüchteten zu helfen und sich erst dann den Minderheiten zu widmen. Die Kollegin ist Anwältin und wies sie darauf hin, dass das Racial Profiling und Diskriminierung ist.
10 bis 20 Prozent der ukrainischen Rom:nja haben keine Papiere. Können auch sie ungehindert über die Grenze kommen?
Die meisten Rom:nja, die wir in Polen getroffen haben, hatten Papiere. Einige von ihnen hatten allerdings keinen Stempel in ihren Pässen, der den Grenzübertritt bestätigt. Dies wird dann manchmal als Vorwand dafür genutzt, ihnen den Zugang zu Flüchtlingsunterkünften zu verwehren. Nach polnischem Recht ist das jedoch nicht rechtens. Und sowieso gibt es nach dem internationalen Schutzgesetz ein neues Gesetz für Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine, nachdem auch Menschen ohne Papiere das Recht haben, die Grenze zu passieren.
Wie ist die Unterbringungssituation für Rom:nja, wenn sie in Polen ankommen?
Die Situation ist schlimmer als zuvor. Zum einen wegen der hohen Zahl an Menschen. Zum anderen aufgrund von Rassismus. Wir sprechen hier von keinem verdeckten, sondern einem sehr offenen rassistischen System. Die Betreiber der Unterkünfte sagen ganz offen: 'Wir wollen hier keine Rom:nja haben'. Als Organisation kennen wir zwei oder drei Einrichtungen in Warschau, die für Rom:nja sicher sind. Sie sind eine große Unterstützung, aber das reicht bei weitem nicht aus.

Überall gibt es Aggressionen gegenüber Rom:nja. Einmal haben mich Freiwillige aus einer Geflüchtetenunterkunft angerufen und mich darum gebeten, die dort untergebrachten Rom:nja wegen Spannungen von dort abzuholen. Das ist auch der Grund, warum andere Zentren Rom:nja nicht reinlassen. Gleichzeitig ist man in Polen sehr offen dafür, Ukrainer:innen zu helfen. Aber die Rom:nja? Sie sollten von Rom:nja unterstützt werden. Manchmal kommen Freiwillige zu uns, die helfen wollen, aber sobald sie merken, dass es um Hilfe für Rom:nja geht, ziehen sie ihr Hilfsangebot wieder zurück. Der Rassismus wird wirklich immer schlimmer. Kurz gesagt, die Rom:nja haben überall in Polen große Probleme mit der Unterbringung.

Deshalb habe ich mich auch entschieden, mit polnischen Medien zu sprechen und Interviews zu geben. Wir bereiten auch einen Aufruf mit anderen Organisationen vor, um das Bewusstsein für diese Probleme zu stärken.
Was für Rückmeldungen kamen auf die Interviews?
Bisher hatte ich immer geglaubt, dass wir etwas tun können, um unser Volk und die Rom:nja-Geflüchteten zu schützen. Jetzt weiß ich, dass das unmöglich ist. Ich habe viele E-Mails von Leuten erhalten, die alle möglichen rassistischen Stereotypen über Rom:nja äußerten und mich davon überzeugen wollten, dass Rom:nja problematisch seien. Ich habe nicht eine einzige positive E-Mail mit Hilfsangeboten bekommen.

Über Polen hinaus gibt es viele Menschen, die uns helfen wollen. Vor allem Rom:nja und Organisationen aus anderen Ländern. Letztes Wochenende hat ein Rom aus Schweden mehrere Unterkünfte für Geflüchtete besucht und drei Personen mit nach Schweden genommen. Andere Rom:nja aus England haben ebenfalls Hilfe angeboten und eine Spendenaktion organisiert. Ich habe auch mit italienischen Medien gesprochen und wurde von Organisationen aus Italien kontaktiert. Sie wollen helfen und versuchen, die Menschen nach Italien zu bringen. Aber es ist nicht leicht, die Rom:nja davon zu überzeugen, Polen zu verlassen, weil sie möglichst bald in die Ukraine zurück wollen. Viele Frauen wollen so schnell wie möglich wieder zurück zu ihren Ehemännern.

Wir haben auch von einer Situation gehört, in der einige Rom:nja von Polen nach Deutschland gebracht und mitten im Wald zurückgelassen wurden. Nach ein paar Tagen gelang es ihnen dann, zurück nach Polen zu kommen. Wir haben versucht, die Situation zu aufzuklären, aber leider konnten wir nicht herausfinden, was genau passiert war und wer dafür verantwortlich war. Aufgrund dieser Erfahrung verbreiten die Betroffenen nun die Information, dass es nicht sicher ist, mit dem Bus zu fahren. Viele Rom:nja sind verängstigt und wollen sich auch gar nicht äußern. Aus Angst vor Zwangsabschiebungen wollen sie sich nicht an öffentlichen Orten aufhalten. Wir wissen von einigen Menschen, die seit 16 Tagen im Bahnhof sind, weil sie sich dort sicherer fühlen. Darunter sind auch ältere, kranke Menschen und viele Kinder. Wir haben eine Romni im Bahnhof getroffen, die nicht spricht und wir sind uns sicher, dass sie etwas sehr Traumatisches erlebt haben muss.
Wie viele Rom:nja sind aus der Ukraine geflohen?
Es ist noch zu früh um genaue Angaben zu machen, aber wir werden bald mit der Erfassung beginnen. Es sind wahrscheinlich mehr als 20.000 Menschen. Aber die Situation ist noch sehr dynamisch und unübersichtlich. In vielen anderen polnischen Städten halten sich Rom:nja auf, aber wir haben keine konkreten Information.
Wie hat sich eure Arbeitsweise durch die aktuelle Situation verändert?
Ich vertrete die Organisation Towards Dialoge und vor dem Krieg haben wir uns in Zusammenarbeit mit Institutionen auf Bildung und Sensibilisierung für unsere Kultur und Geschichte konzentriert. Unser Grundanliegen ist es, das Wissen über uns vor allem unter Nicht-Rom:nja zu verbreiten. Wir kooperieren viel mit Organisationen jüdischer Menschen in Polen, da sie bereits ein großes Publikum haben. Wir arbeiten mit Politiker:innen, Polizist:innen und Richter:innen zusammen und wenden uns an Schulen und Lehrer:innen. Dabei geht es zum Beispiel darum, Unterrichtsmaterialien zu entwickeln, mit Hilfe derer Aufklärungsarbeit über die Situation der Rom:nja während des Holocausts geleistet werden kann. Wir organisieren auch Programme, in denen wir Hate Speech und Vorurteile thematisieren. Diese Bildungsaktivitäten waren vor dem Krieg unser Hauptfokus.

Jetzt konzentrieren wir uns ganz auf die Situation der Rom:nja-Geflüchteten. Zum einen helfen wir den Menschen bei der Suche nach einer Unterkunft und bieten Fahrdienste und medizinische Versorgung an. Dafür arbeiten wir auch mit Rom:nja-Organisationen aus Schweden und Deutschland zusammen.

Zum anderen geht es darum, den geflüchteten Rom:nja hier in Polen bei der Integration in die polnische Gesellschaft zu helfen. Was wird zum Beispiel mit den Kindern passieren? Sie müssen zur Schule gehen und wir wollen ihnen dabei helfen. Es war schon vor dem Krieg fast ein Wunder, als Rom:nja in Polen einen Job zu finden. Jetzt sind fast 3 Millionen Menschen als Geflüchtete hierhergekommen. Ich bin mir sicher, dass die fliehenden Rom:nja die letzten sein werden, die Möglichkeiten erhalten, ihr Leben zu stabilisieren.
Das Interview führten Kerem Schamberger und Karoline Schaefer.
Transkript: Anna Pagel
* Dr. Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska promovierte 2011 in Anthropologie an der Jagiellonen-Universität in Krakau zum Einfluss von EU-Förderprogrammen auf die Lebenssituation von Rom:nja in Polen. Sie ist Assistenzprofessorin am Institut für Ethnologie und Kulturanthropologie an der Universität Warschau. Zuvor arbeitete sie als Bildungsberaterin für das Internationale Zentrum für Bildung über Auschwitz und den Holocaust im Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. Sie ist außerdem Vorsitzende der zivilgesellschaftlichen Organisation Towards Dialogue (Fundacja w Stronę Dialogu), die sich für die Rechte der Rom:nja in Polen und die Erinnerung an den Porajmos (Holocaust an den Rom:nja) einsetzt.

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Auf der Flucht - Rom:nja erleben Rassismus und Diskriminierung - medico international

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„Unterstützung für die Ausgegrenzten unter den Ausgegrenzten", so bezeichnete ein Aktivist in Polen sein Engagement mit den Geflüchteten. Auch in unserer medico-Arbeit zur Ukraine geht es darum, diejenigen sichtbar zu machen, denen nicht oder nur wenig geholfen wird. Und es gibt viele, die vom russischen Krieg betroffen sind und in der Öffentlichkeit nicht wahrgenommen werden: LGBTIQ-Personen, Rom:nja, BPoC, Geflüchtete ohne ukrainischen Pass.

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Evacuation support and Humanitarian Aid for Holocaust survivors

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Evacuation support and Humanitarian Aid for Holocaust survivors

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With the help of donations, we would like to realise a coordinated and unbureaucratic support for former Nazi persecutees and their relatives, but also for our network partners.

With this aim in mind, the Aid network for the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine was founded on 9 March 2022 on the initiative of the non-profit association KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI. It consists of about 30 associations, foundations, places of remembrance and memorial sites in Germany that come to terms with crimes of the Nazi era. Some of them maintain long-standing contacts with survivors of Nazi persecution, specialist colleagues and cooperation partners in Ukraine.

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- English below - Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine

Durch den aktuellen Krieg in der Ukraine sind viele Menschen in große Not geraten. Unter den Leidtragenden sind auch die Überlebenden nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung. Sie brauchen jetzt mehr denn je unsere Hilfe, damit lebenswichtige Grundlagen wie Wärme, Nahrung und medizinische Versorgung sichergestellt, aber auch Wiederaufbauarbeiten unterstützt werden können. Mit Hilfe von Spenden möchten wir eine koordinierte und unbürokratische Unterstützung von ehemaligen NS-Verfolgten, ihrer Angehörigen und den Partner*innen des Netzwerks realisieren.

Mit diesem Anliegen hat sich am 9. März 2022 ein Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine auf Initiative des Vereins KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI gegründet. Es besteht aus rund 30 Initiativen, Stiftungen, Erinnerungsorten und Gedenkstätten in Deutschland, die sich mit NS-Verbrechen beschäftigen und teilweise langjährige Kontakte zu Überlebenden der NS-Verfolgung, Fachkolleginnen und Kooperationspartner*innen vor Ort pflegen.

Helfen Sie mit Ihrer Spende den Überlebenden der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine!

Spendenkonto bei der Berliner Volksbank:

Empfänger: Kontakte-Kontakty
IBAN: DE59 1009 0000 2888 9620 02
BIC: BEVODEBB

KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI e. V. verwaltet die Spenden treuhänderisch.

Mit herzlichem Dank
Ihr Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine

Appeal Letter for Donations
launched by the Aid network for the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine
The current war in Ukraine has left many people in great need. Among those suffering are also the survivors of National Socialist persecution. They need our help now more than ever, so that vital basics such as warmth, food and medical care can be ensured. But the reconstruction of their homes after the war must also be supported. With the help of donations, we would like to realise a coordinated and unbureaucratic support for former Nazi persecutees and their relatives, but also for our network partners.

With this aim in mind, the Aid network for the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine was founded on 9 March 2022 on the initiative of the non-profit association KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI. It consists of about 30 associations, foundations, places of remembrance and memorial sites in Germany that come to terms with crimes of the Nazi era. Some of them maintain long-standing contacts with survivors of Nazi persecution, specialist colleagues and cooperation partners in Ukraine.

Help the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine with your donation!

Donations account at the Berliner Volksbank:

Recipient: Kontakte-Kontakty
IBAN: DE59 1009 0000 2888 9620 02
BIC: BEVODEBB

The non-profit organisation KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI e. V. was entrusted with the management of the donations.

With sincere thanks
Yours Aid network for the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine

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English below - Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine Durch den aktuellen Krieg in der Ukraine sind viele Menschen in große Not geraten. Unter den Leidtragenden sind auch die Überlebenden nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung. Sie brauchen jetzt mehr denn je unsere Hilfe, damit lebenswichtige Grundlagen wie Wärme, Nahrung und medizinische Versorgung sichergestellt, aber auch Wiederaufbauarbeiten unterstützt werden können.

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7 April: Press Release of Aid Network for Holocaust Survivors

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7 April: Press Release of Aid Network for Holocaust Survivors

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Presseerklärung vom 7. April 2022

Presseanfragen und Fotografien: vogel@kontakte-kontakty.de

Das am 9. März 2022 gegründete und mittlerweile aus 46 Gedenkstätten, Museen und Initiativen bestehende „Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine" konnte dank der großen Hilfsbereitschaft unmittelbar nach dem Spendenaufruf mit ersten Auszahlungen beginnen. Innerhalb des ersten Monats unseres Bestehens haben wir bereits rund 30.000 Euro an Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung, ihre Angehörigen sowie durch den Krieg betroffene Kolleg:innen aus der Ukraine weiterleiten können.
Evakuierung nach Deutschland
Die erste finanzielle Soforthilfe ging an die 1943 geborene Raisa Nabaranchuk. Mitglieder ihrer Familie gehörten zu den Opfern und Überlebenden von Massenerschießungen in der Nähe von Kiew. Am 29./30. September 1941 ermordeten die deutschen Täter und ihre Kollaborateure fast 34.000 jüdische Kinder, Frauen und Männer in der Schlucht von Babij Jar. Auch Rom:nja wurden an diesem Ort erschossen. Die ukrainische Dichterin konnte mit Hilfe einer Vielzahl von Organisationen nach Deutschland evakuiert und in Sicherheit gebracht werden. Der im Hilfsnetzwerk vertretene Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma setzte sich dafür ein, dass sie vom Hilfsnetzwerk eine erste unmittelbare Unterstützung erhielt, da sie mit ihrer Familie völlig mittellos in Freiburg ankam.

Vielen Überlebenden ist es besonders wichtig, dass darüber hinaus ihren Angehörigen geholfen wird. Zu den Nachfahren pflegen viele der im Netzwerk vertretenen Gedenkstätten, Museen und Initiativen engen Kontakt, da auch sie sich zum Teil über mehrere Jahre hinweg für eine aktive Erinnerungskultur an die Nazi-Verbrechen in Europa eingesetzt haben. So unterstützte das Hilfsnetzwerk beispielsweise den Neffen von zwei Opfern des KZ Neuengamme, Ivan Titow und Nikolai Titow. Seine Tochter Irina befand sich bereits in Polen - wir organisierten dann die Evakuierung der Familie aus der Ukraine und aus Polen nach Hamburg. Neben Hilfe bei der Flucht unterstützen wir Überlebende und ihre Angehörigen auch bei der Suche nach einer Unterkunft in Deutschland. Die Tochter von Viktor Karpus, Überlebender des KZ Buchenwald, schrieb uns nach einer Auszahlung von Soforthilfe an ihre Familie: „Es ist sehr berührend, dass Sie sich in einer schwierigen Zeit für unser Land und uns an uns erinnern, uns unterstützen, sich Sorgen machen! Vielen Dank für die finanzielle Unterstützung! Leider kann das Unternehmen, wo ich arbeite, jetzt nicht mehr sein Geschäft führen und uns ein Gehalt zahlen. Und diese Hilfe ist wie ein Wunder!! Ich bin sehr froh, dass mein Vater mich mit nach Weimar genommen hat und ich da wunderbare Menschen kennengelernt habe! Vielen Dank!"
Hilfe in der Ukraine
Uns ist es wichtig, auch jene Betroffene zu erreichen, die nicht mehr fliehen können oder wollen. Vielen hochbetagten Überlebenden dienen die finanziellen Unterstützungen dazu, Medikamente und Nahrungsmittel zu besorgen, was in der angespannten Kriegswirtschaft teilweise sehr schwierig ist. Über das Projekt „Netzwerk Erinnerung" der Stiftung Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas erreichten wir insgesamt 49 Überlebende der Jüdischen Gemeinden in Berdichiv und Bratzlaw mit einer Direktspende.

Darüber hinaus steht das Netzwerk in engem Kontakt zu anderen Einzelpersonen und Einrichtungen, die ähnliche Hilfe leisten. Dazu gehört beispielsweise die Jewish Claims Conference, die zusammen mit jüdischen Hilfsorganisationen bereits über 50 Holocaust-Überlebende mit Rettungswagen in jüdische Alters- und Pflegeheime nach Deutschland bringen konnte. Unser Ziel ist es, diese Strukturen zu nutzen, um über das Hilfsnetzwerk auch nichtjüdische Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung nach Deutschland zu transportieren. Auch die ukrainischen Historikerinnen Tetiana Pastushenko und Ljuba Danylenko setzen sich unermüdlich vor Ort von Ushgorod aus für die Soforthilfe von Überlebenden der NS-Verfolgung im ganzen Gebiet der Ukraine ein. Wir konnten ihnen bei der Auszahlung von finanziellen Unterstützungsleistungen aber auch beim Erwerb von Medikamenten oder Hygieneartikeln behilflich sein.

Anatoly Podolsky, Direktor des Ukrainischen Zentrums für Holocaust Studien, bedankte sich mit den Worten: „Ihre Hilfe für die verschiedenen Gruppen von Überlebenden und ehemaligen Opfern der Gräueltaten des Zweiten Weltkriegs trägt dazu bei, das Leid dieser Menschen zu lindern und sie mit den grundlegenden Mitteln auszustatten, um einen weiteren schrecklichen Krieg in Europa zu überleben."
Unterstützung für Kolleg:innen
Schließlich setzt sich das Hilfsnetzwerk auch für Kolleg:innen in der Ukraine ein, die durch den Krieg stark betroffen sind. Das Ukrainische Zentrum für Holocaust Studien unterstützt das Hilfsnetzwerk bei der Ermittlung von bedürftigen Kolleg:innen. Viele von ihnen, versuchen sich seit Wochen in ihren Kellern zu schützen oder sind aus ihren zerbombten Wohnungen geflüchtet. Das Dokumentationszentrum NS-Zwangsarbeit hat u.a. Kontakte zur Staatlichen Universität und zur Stadtbibliothek Mariupol. Zehn Kolleg:innen konnten der belagerten und zerstörten Stadt entkommen und befinden sich zur Zeit in Dnipro oder Zaporizhzha. Sie erhielten finanzielle Unterstützung für sich und ihre Familien, um sich mit dem Notwendigsten versorgen zu können.

Das „Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine" möchte vor allem jene Personen erreichen, die noch nicht in organisierte Hilfsstrukturen eingebunden sind und leistet auch weitere Vernetzungsarbeit. Eine Hilfsanfrage des Holocaust-Museums Odessa zur Unterstützung von 234 Überlebenden von Konzentrationslagern und Ghettos überstieg die finanziellen Möglichkeiten des Hilfsnetzwerks. Diese wurde daher an die Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft weitergeleitet. Die Stiftung ist ebenfalls im Hilfsnetzwerk vertreten und unterstützt die Koordination des Hilfsnetzwerkes mit einer Projektförderung beim Berliner Verein KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI.

Dr. Christine Glauning, Leiterin des Dokumentationszentrums NS-Zwangsarbeit in Berlin-Schöneweide, betont: „ Ukrainische Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung müssen zum zweiten Mal in ihrem Leben einen furchtbaren Angriffskrieg erleben. Die Berichte über ihre aktuelle Situation infolge des russischen Überfalls sind erschütternd. Viele sind krank und oft zu schwach, um in die Bunker zu gehen. Wir bitten die deutsche Öffentlichkeit eindringlich um Spenden für die letzten Überlebenden der NS-Diktatur und ihre Angehörigen. Auch die vielen ukrainischen Kolleg:innen, mit denen wir seit vielen Jahren zusammenarbeiten, sind schwer vom Krieg betroffen. Sie brauchen ebenfalls dringend unsere Unterstützung."

Spendenkonto bei der Berliner Volksbank:

Empfänger: Kontakte-Kontakty
IBAN: DE59 1009 0000 2888 9620 02
BIC: BEVODEBB

Presseerklärung vom 17. März 2022
Neu gegründetes Hilfsnetzwerk will Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine unterstützen
Deshalb haben sich auf Initiative des Vereins KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI rund 30 Gedenkstätten, Museen sowie verschiedene Initiativen und Vereine aus der ganzen Bundesrepublik dazu entschlossen ein Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine aufzubauen, um schnell und unbürokratisch den hochbetagten Opfern der NS-Ausbeutungs- und Vernichtungspolitik und ihren Familien zu helfen. Zu vielen haben die im Netzwerk vertretenen Einrichtungen seit einigen Jahren und Jahrzehnten Kontakt. Zudem brauchen unsere langjährigen Partnerorganisationen nicht nur in der Ukraine, sondern auch in Russland und Belarus Unterstützung: Für ihr Personal, aber auch bei der Sicherung ihrer Arbeitsergebnisse, Archivalien und Daten.

Für diesen Zweck wurde ein Spendenkonto eingerichtet, welches von dem Berliner Verein KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI, der seit vielen Jahren Erfahrungen mit Spendenauszahlungen in dieser Region hat, treuhänderisch verwaltet wird.
Die Koordination des Netzwerkes wird freundlich unterstützt von der Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft (EVZ).

Eine Internetseite, auf der fortlaufenden über den aktuellen Stand unserer Aktionen unterrichtet wird, finden Sie hier: www.hilfsnetzwerk-nsverfolgte.de

#ÜberlebendeNSVerfolgungUkraine

Bei Fragen zu unseren konkreten Hilfsaktionen und bei Interesse, unseren Spendenaufruf zu teilen, wenden Sie sich bitte an:
Ragna Vogel
KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI e.V.
Feurigstr. 68, 10827 Berlin
Fon: 01520 4756887
vogel@kontakte-kontakty.de
www.kontakte-kontakty.de
https://www.facebook.com/kontaktekontakty/

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Presseanfragen und Fotografien: vogel@kontakte-kontakty.de Das am 9. März 2022 gegründete und mittlerweile aus 46 Gedenkstätten, Museen und Initiativen bestehende „Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine" konnte dank der großen Hilfsbereitschaft unmittelbar nach dem Spendenaufruf mit ersten Auszahlungen beginnen.

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Information for People Affected by the War in Ukraine

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Information for People Affected by the War in Ukraine

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Areas of Information: Border & Migration; Transportation; Accommodation; Support for BIPoC/ racialized people; Support for Queer People; Support for Sick, Disabled and Deaf People; Legal Support; Medical & Psychological Support; Education & Work; Non Ukranian Citizens; Donations; Support Groups & Volunteering; Digital Security.

There is a form to add more resources to their list.

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nowar.help | Information for People Affected by the War in Ukraine

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Overview of Information for War Refugees

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Council of Europe: Let us fight discrimination and prejudices against Roma fleeing the war in Ukraine 

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Council of Europe: Let us fight discrimination and prejudices against Roma fleeing the war in Ukraine 

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https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/let-us-fight-discrimination-and-prejudices-against-roma-fleeing-the-war-in-ukraine

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Strasbourg

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The Manej Sport Arena in Chisinau, Moldova, where emergency shelter was provided to people - including Roma - fleeing the war in Ukraine. (4 March 2022)

Ahead of International Roma Day, my thoughts are with Ukrainian Roma who not only suffer from the consequences of the horrific war in Ukraine but also often face discrimination and prejudices in Europe when fleeing Ukraine. In these difficult times, it is even more important to protect Roma and Travellers from being discriminated or left behind.

During the monitoring missions that my team and I carried out in March to countries neighbouring Ukraine, we received reports of Roma families - almost exclusively composed of women and children - having been discriminated in the provision of humanitarian assistance or transportation. In some instances, evictions from transit hubs, such as train or bus stations, or shelters were also alleged. Furthermore, there are serious concerns regarding the availability of adequate shelter for some Roma families.

As I already stated on 8 April last year, referring to another crisis - the COVID-19 pandemic, respect for the rights of Roma and Travellers, especially in times of hardship, is a litmus test for European democracies. The current humanitarian crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine only puts in evidence and further amplifies the deep-seated prejudices and stereotypes that Roma and Travellers face every day in Europe.

All Council of Europe member states should increase awareness of the vulnerabilities and difficulties faced by Roma fleeing the war, within and outside of Ukraine, and increase efforts to address them. In particular, humanitarian assistance, including emergency and permanent shelter and adequate transportation, must be provided to all, without any discrimination. Effective access to housing, education, work, and health should be provided to Roma on equal terms with other persons fleeing the war in Ukraine. Moreover, it is reported that approximately 10-20% of the estimated 400,000 Roma living in Ukraine are stateless or at risk of statelessness. States should ensure that lack of identity documents or other documentation does not prevent Roma people, stateless people and those at risk of statelessness from accessing international protection or other forms of protection under national law. As we know that statelessness is a risk factor for trafficking and exploitation, states must effectively protect Ukrainian Roma women and children from risks of trafficking and exploitation as well as gender-based violence.

I salute the immense work that Roma networks and NGOs, within and outside Ukraine, carry out to alleviate the suffering of Ukrainian Roma. I reiterate my call to all Council of Europe member states to scale up humanitarian protection responses and coordinate efforts, in consultation with these existing networks on the ground. More generally, Council of Europe member states should step up efforts to fight against pervasive discrimination targeting Roma and Travellers in all fields of life throughout Europe.

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Let us fight discrimination and prejudices against Roma fleeing the war in Ukraine

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Strasbourg Diminuer la taille du texte Augmenter la taille du texte Imprimer la page Imprimer en PDF The Manej Sport Arena in Chisinau, Moldova, where emergency shelter was provided to people - including Roma - fleeing the war in Ukraine.

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ERRC intervenes at OSCE Meeting on the situation of Roma in Ukraine

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ERRC intervenes at OSCE Meeting on the situation of Roma in Ukraine

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Bernard Rorke: Racism doesn’t vanish during wartime

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Commissioner for Human Rights urges more coordinated efforts by all member states to meet the humanitarian needs and protect the human rights of people fleeing the war in Ukraine

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Commissioner for Human Rights urges more coordinated efforts by all member states to meet the humanitarian needs and protect the human rights of people fleeing the war in Ukraine

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Commissioner urges more coordinated efforts by all member states to meet the humanitarian needs and protect the human rights of people fleeing the war in Ukraine

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Допомога жертвам нацистських переслідувань

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Допомога жертвам нацистських переслідувань

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Допомога жертвам нацистських переслідувань

Ваша сім'я постраждала від нацистських переслідувань під час Другої світової війни?

У Вас є контакти з українськими жертвами нацистських переслідувань чи їхніми родичами? Будь ласка, зв'яжіться з нами! Ми хочемо надати швидку та небюрократичну допомогу.

Ми - це мережа допомоги, яка складається з меморіальних центрів, музеїв та ініціатив, присвячених нацизму в Німеччині. Пожертвування, які ми збираємо, призначені насамперед для тих, хто постраждав від нацистських переслідувань під час Другої світової війни, а також для наших українських колег, які перебувають на місці чи були змушені втекти. Ми хочемо надавати підтримку з урахуванням ваших потреб. Розкажіть нам, що вам потрібно - безпосередньо на місці в Україні, в процесі виїзду з України або після прибуття до Німеччини або інших країн.

Контакт: https://hilfsnetzwerk-nsverfolgte.de/

Ragna Vogel: +49 1520 475688

vogel@kontakte-kontakty.de

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German Parliament debate about actions of German government for Ukrainian Roma refugees (including survivors)

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German Parliament debate about actions of German government for Ukrainian Roma refugees (including survivors)

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Debate on 6th April in the German Parliament; Green MP Filiz Polat raises a question to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding concerns for equal treatment of Ukrainian Roma refugees, as well as regarding special assistance for the evacuation of Roma Holocaust survivors from Ukraine (around Minute 25:00). #StandWithUkraine #SupportSurvivors

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Regierungsbefragung: Kanzler Scholz stellt sich den Fragen der Abgeordneten | heute im Parlament

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Statement of Fundación Secretariado Gitano (Spain)

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Statement of Fundación Secretariado Gitano (Spain)

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https://www.gitanos.org/actualidad/archivo/135396.html.en

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We condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and express our special concern for the situation of the Roma people [editar]

Statement of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano
We join the international community in its condemnation of the human rights violations that this conflict is inflicting on the Ukrainian people. We recognise and value the solidarity and the work of the host countries and the entities working in the border areas. We are also particularly concerned about how this conflict may affect the Ukrainian Roma community -already affected by inequality and discrimination- in the processes of departure and reception.
Picture: Romea.cz. Romani refugees from Ukraine in the church at Pavlovce nad Uhom, Slovakia. (PHOTO: "Czechs Are Helping" / Če¨i pomáhají)

The Fundación Secretariado Gitano condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine and is concerned about the current situation of the Roma people, whose previous situation was already marked by inequality, poverty and discrimination. We have expressed this concern, together with other European organisations, in a Joint Declaration "End the war against Ukraine!" #StandWithUkraine, and we are closely following the evolution of the situation.

Situation of the Roma people in Ukraine
The following brief information on the Roma people in Ukraine will be updated with the most relevant news following the Russian invasion of the country on the 24th of February.

The presence of a Roma minority on the territory of Ukraine has been documented since the 14th century. They adopted the language and religion of the dominant society. Nowadays, they are Orthodox in most parts of Ukraine, Catholics in the West and in the Zakarpathia region and Muslims in Crimea.

The estimated current population ranges from 47,000 (2001 census) to 400,000 (estimations of Roma organisations, Council of Europe, etc.).

The population is spread throughout the country, although the highest concentration can be found in the Zakarpathia region. Half of them live in cities and 35% consider Romani to be their mother tongue.

As documented by various international organisations, this current situation is exacerbated by the discrimination and antigypsyism that the population has historically suffered. The fifth report on Ukraine (2017) by ECRI - European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, for example, already indicated the need for urgent policies to address the situation of Roma communities in Ukraine in order to guarantee them the same rights as all citizens.

Reports by ECRI, and other international organisations and NGOs (United Nations, Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, European Roma Rights Centre, etc.), also highlight a serious situation of exclusion and poverty, affecting employment, education, housing and health. In addition, serious cases of police brutality and frequent cases of discrimination and anti-gypsyism have been confirmed. Moreover, since the 1990s, numerous cases of hate crimes and discrimination against Ukrainian Roma have been reported.

Current situation regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine
The FSG has recently been able to gather information on how the situation of special vulnerability in which Roma people in Ukraine were already living, may be generating a particularly critical situation for them in the current invasion context, including the detection of some cases of disparate and discriminatory treatment that some Roma people in Ukraine are already receiving.

There is a large internal movement of Roma people in Ukraine, travelling from the east of the country to the west. The movements are not safe because of the shelling, but there is no other way out. There is a certain reluctance to leave the country mainly for two reasons: lack of financial means to survive outside their environment and lack of legal documentation for many Roma (they lack identification documents: ID cards, family books, etc.), which means that they are being detained at the borders. Many do not know how to read or write, and this makes it difficult for them to complete the necessary documentation to be able to apply for asylum in the host countries.

http://www.errc.org/news/ukrainian-roma-face-segregation-poor-conditions-and---without-documentation---nowhere-to-go

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/7/ukraines-roma-refugees-recount-discrimination-on-route-to-safety

Some cases of discriminatory treatment have been reported, ranging from the obstacles that they find when trying to cross the borders of neighbouring countries (Moldova, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Poland) to the treatment that they receive once they have managed to cross the borders.

http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/czech-bus-drivers-for-refugees-from-ukraine-refuse-to-rescue-romani-refugee-mothers-and-children-stuck-on-the-slovak-border

There have also been some reported cases where the conditions under which some Roma from Ukraine are received in the EU states seem to be discriminatory.

In conclusion, it seems that the main additional difficulties encountered by Roma people in this war context are related to the following:

Many Roma people stay in Ukraine due to the lack of means to survive outside their environment

The lack of documentation of the Ukrainian Roma population may have a direct negative impact on equal rights in access to reception and refugee processes by other European countries

The illiteracy levels of a large part of the Roma people could make it difficult to carry out the procedures required for reception and refuge processes.

In view of some specific cases already reported, discrimination against the Roma people, as well as against other ethnic and racial minorities, by the care services at the border crossing points, would be preventing them from accessing these services on the same terms as the rest of the Ukrainian population.

Some initiatives emerging at a European level
Following a meeting held on the 8th of March, organised by Marius Tudor (assistant to the MEP Romeo Franz) and soma Roma organisations in Ukraine, we were informed of the main concerns: the need for food, drinking water, clothes and medicines.

http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/roma-in-the-czech-republic-and-slovakia-join-aid-efforts-for-victims-of-russian-aggression-in-ukraine

There are several initiatives and movements carried out by European NGOs -including the FSG- in the form of letters addressed to the European Institutions and other political figures, such as the Joint Statement "End the war against Ukraine" #StandWithUkraine. More initiatives will emerge during these days:

In response to this situation, ERGO has set up a financial contribution plan that is being managed on the ground with the Ukrainian organisation Roma Women Fund Chiricle:

https://chuffed.org/project/ukraine-help-roma-access-humanitarian-aid

We are aware about other specific donation initiatives such as the following:

ERIAC: https://eriac.org/humanitarian-support-for-the-brave-people-of-ukraine/

ERRC: https://chuffed.org/project/human-rights-fund-for-roma

OPRE: https://baxtalo.wordpress.com/2022/03/16/solidaridad-con-los-rroma-ucranianos-o-p-r-e/

The situation of the Roma people in Ukraine can be followed through this link, which is continuously updated by local activists, NGOs and international organisations:

https://padlet.com/ternype/support_roma_ukraine

At the above-mentioned meeting on the 8th of March, Roma MEP Romeo Franz mentioned that a statement will soon be issued by several MEPs on this issue.

List and contact details of NGOs on the ground in Ukraine and neighbouring countries:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1m9kok3XrnF49_0T7SPLcNEvr38GmViLimjUW3hHqCCA/edit
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Statement of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano We join the international community in its condemnation of the human rights violations that this conflict is inflicting on the Ukrainian people. We recognise and value the solidarity and the work of the host countries and the entities working in the border areas.

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80 year old poet and Romani activist Raisa Nabaranchuk evacuated to Germany

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80 year old poet and Romani activist Raisa Nabaranchuk evacuated to Germany

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Find out more about Raisa Nabaranchuk and her story https://www.romarchive.eu/de/collection/p/raisa-nabaranchuk/

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Remembering The Massacre Of Roma At Babi Yar

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It's been 75 years since more than 100,000 people were killed in a series of massacres by Nazi soldiers at Babi Yar, in Ukraine. Many of the victims were Jewish, but non-Jews were also murdered -- including many Roma. It's a source of intense, ongoing pain for Raisa Nabaranchuk...

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#ConnectUkraine: If you know someone in Ukraine that needs to top up their phone, fill out this form  

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#ConnectUkraine: If you know someone in Ukraine that needs to top up their phone, fill out this form  

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The Unconnected. Connecting 100 million new people to the internet.

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Ukrainians lose connectivity as soon as they cross the border; they need a charged phone, data to process visas, follow the news, get to their next destination, and most importantly, stay in touch with their families.

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The Unconnected. Connecting 100 million new people to the internet.

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Ukrainians lose connectivity as soon as they cross the border; they need a charged phone, data to process visas, follow the news, get to their next destination, and most importantly, stay in touch with their families.

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Undocumented Roma Refugees Facing Discrimination As They Flee Ukraine

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Undocumented Roma Refugees Facing Discrimination As They Flee Ukraine

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Undocumented Roma Refugees Facing Discrimination As They Flee Ukraine

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At a refugee centre for Roma people in Moldova, VICE World News saw rotting food and people with no way out.

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Speech of Roma youth activist Natali Tomenko (ARCA) at the OSCE Meeting in Vienna

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Speech of Roma youth activist Natali Tomenko (ARCA) at the OSCE Meeting in Vienna

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Our Volunteer Coordinator for Ukraine Natali Tomenko, who is also the Creative Director of the Ukrainian Romani youth Organization АРКА − Агенція адвокації ромської культури, spoke yesterday at the OCSE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights' Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting. She left Ukraine as a refugee a few weeks ago with her family.

“Roma are Ukrainians. We are defending our country. They stay shoulder by shoulder with Ukrainians and fight together. I have a dream to rebuild a strong and beautiful Ukraine where future generations will grow and live without fear, where all together, with friends and colleagues, I will be able to build a strong civil society where we, the young leaders can support the youth of all ethnic minorities." - she says.

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OSCE Meeting in Vienna on the situation in Ukraine: 

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OSCE Meeting in Vienna on the situation in Ukraine: 

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Speech of Natali Tomenko
https://fb.watch/cbijNQJjAG/

Our Volunteer Coordinator for Ukraine Natali Tomenko, who is also the Creative Director of the Ukrainian Romani youth Organization АРКА − Агенція адвокації ромської культури, spoke yesterday at the OCSE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights' Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting. She left Ukraine as a refugee a few weeks ago with her family.

“Roma are Ukrainians. We are defending our country. They stay shoulder by shoulder with Ukrainians and fight together. I have a dream to rebuild a strong and beautiful Ukraine where future generations will grow and live without fear, where all together, with friends and colleagues, I will be able to build a strong civil society where we, the young leaders can support the youth of all ethnic minorities." - she says.

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Blue Dot - Providing Critical Support To Refugees From Ukraine

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Blue Dot - Providing Critical Support To Refugees From Ukraine

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The purpose of Blue Dot Hubs

UNICEF is working with partners to establish Blue Dots at all border crossings with Ukraine and at other locations within Romania, following the flow of children affected by the situation in Ukraine. The purpose is to "connect the (Blue) dots" to ensure all children are monitored, traced, protected and will arrive safely at the destination.

On medium and long term, UNICEF works with the Romanian Government, local authorities and NGOs so that all children entering Romania are registered in a platform that allows effective case management for the most vulnerable children, as well as monitoring access to services. It is also desired that those children who remain in Romania, in different areas of the country, or who only transit Romania to another country, benefit from access to the same type of services under the umbrella of the Blue Dots regardless of the area or country they transit. The platform will allow also exchange of information so the authorities from the area/ country of destination will know in advance the situation of children and their needs.

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Blue Dot - Providing Critical Support To Refugees From Ukraine

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UNICEF is working with partners to establish Blue Dots at all border crossings with Ukraine and at other locations within Romania, following the flow of children affected by the situation in Ukraine. The purpose is to "connect the (Blue) dots" to ensure all children are monitored, traced, protected and will arrive safely at the destination.

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Ukraine: Government launches a substantial program of support for IDPs

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Ukraine: Government launches a substantial program of support for IDPs

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Important to know by all Roma who are still in Ukraine.

"The Government has embarked on implementation of a program of the President of Ukraine to support Ukrainian citizens who were forced to flee their war-torn regions. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal announced in his video address on March 21.

“Money, jobs, housing are the three main directions covered by this program,” the Head of Government noted.

According to the Prime Minister, the state will pay each displaced in Ukraine a minimum monthly allowance of 2,000 hryvnias. The payments will be made through the Diia application to the bank account.

“Also, a 3,000 hryvnias resource will be paid for each child who was forced to move to safer regions because of the war and all those atrocities”, added Denys Shmyhal.

Besides, the Government launches an employment program for all the displaced persons. To do this, the state commences payment of benefits worth 6,500 hryvnias each to those employers who hire IDPs from the affected regions.

The Prime Minister also reminded that a week ago the Government had taken a decision on a mechanism to reimburse utility costs to communities that provide free shelter to IDPs in schools, kindergartens, cultural centers and municipal institutions.

"We are now working to supplement the program so that families receiving displaced persons in their homes can also get compensation for utility bills. All those who responded to the hardship the IDPs face, provided them with shelter for free, will receive 450 UAH per month for each of those whom they helped to compensate while paying for utilities," said the Prime Minister.

According to Denys Shmyhal, all the three directions of the programs have already been approved by the Government of Ukraine. Their implementation triggers March 21, with the registration of temporary displaced persons by territorial communities and CASPs. Registration through the Diia will be available starting March 30."

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The Government has embarked on implementation of a program of the President of Ukraine to support Ukrainian citizens who were forced to flee their war-torn regions. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal announced in his video address on March 21.

"Money, jobs, housing are the three main directions covered by this program," the Head of Government noted.

According to the Prime Minister, the state will pay each displaced in Ukraine a minimum monthly allowance of 2,000 hryvnias. The payments will be made through the Diia application to the bank account.

"Also, a 3,000 hryvnias resource will be paid for each child who was forced to move to safer regions because of the war and all those atrocities", added Denys Shmyhal.

Besides, the Government launches an employment program for all the displaced persons. To do this, the state commences payment of benefits worth 6,500 hryvnias each to those employers who hire IDPs from the affected regions.

The Prime Minister also reminded that a week ago the Government had taken a decision on a mechanism to reimburse utility costs to communities that provide free shelter to IDPs in schools, kindergartens, cultural centers and municipal institutions.

"We are now working to supplement the program so that families receiving displaced persons in their homes can also get compensation for utility bills. All those who responded to the hardship the IDPs face, provided them with shelter for free, will receive 450 UAH per month for each of those whom they helped to compensate while paying for utilities," said the Prime Minister.

According to Denys Shmyhal, all the three directions of the programs have already been approved by the Government of Ukraine. Their implementation triggers March 21, with the registration of temporary displaced persons by territorial communities and CASPs. Registration through the Diia will be available starting March 30.

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Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine - Denys Shmyhal: Government launches a substantial program of support for IDPs

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The Government has embarked on implementation of a program of the President of Ukraine to support Ukrainian citizens who were forced to flee their war-torn regions. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal announced in his video address on March 21. "Money, jobs, housing are the three main directions covered by this program," the Head of Government noted.

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Fundamental Rights Agency: EU-Ukrainian border check points: First field observations

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Fundamental Rights Agency: EU-Ukrainian border check points: First field observations

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The EU is facing a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Over 10 days at the beginning of March, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) visited all EU countries bordering Ukraine and Moldova – Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

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European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

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During the field visits, it was observed how the affected EU countries address the fundamental rights challenges of the humanitarian crisis. These field visits also allow FRA to calibrate its advice to EU institutions and Member States.

A particular focus was on procedures at border crossing points and registration/reception centres or assistance points to support those fleeing the war.

FRA staff witnessed overwhelming support to everyone fleeing from Ukraine. People were not only formally accepted into the EU, but officials and volunteers assisted them with kindness.

Almost all people arriving in the EU are vulnerable or very vulnerable - pregnant women, infants, old people, single headed households and persons with disabilities.

This short report highlights in particular how the EU countries coped with the fundamental rights challenges regarding:

While most people fleeing the conflict want to go back to their home country as soon as possible, this may not be possible and their stay in the EU may become much longer.

Therefore, EU countries should now start planning ahead. This will require extensive relocations across the EU, as well as integration measures and policies at EU, national and local levels. These will need to consider:

the impact of psychological trauma;

the particular challenges facing the overwhelming majority of arrivals who are women, many with infants or young children, in accessing employment and finding childcare;

family reunification;

the specific needs of children;

prevention and monitoring to avoid labour exploitation.

Background

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, a large number of people are fleeing the war and are seeking protection in the EU. As a first step, FRA dispatched a team composed of Agency staff to the EU countries bordering Ukraine and Moldova to observe and collect evidence on the evolving situation.

FRA staff on these field visits speak the national languages and have expertise in migration, child protection, equality and non-discrimination and Roma inclusion. The team reported daily to the EU mechanism for preparedness and crises management on migration (Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint).

Country officials, such as police or border police, facilitated the work of FRA staff. They provided access to all areas at border crossing points, such as passport control facilities, first and second line checks, and CCTV monitoring rooms.

Moreover, national and regional authorities facilitated full access to Reception Points and other coordination centres for humanitarian assistance, as well as closed reception facilities that were close to border crossing points.

FRA collected information through observations and meetings with police and/or border authorities, local authorities, civil society actors, volunteers, staff of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and international governmental organisations (UNHCR, UNICEF and IOM).

FRA staff also spoke with several Ukrainian nationals fleeing war, including Roma, and other non-Ukrainian third-country nationals.

FRA's field visits to the border area took place between (3 and 14 March):

Poland: Thursday 04/03 - Sunday 06/03

Slovakia: Sunday 06/03 - Tuesday 08/03

Hungary: Wednesday 10/03 - Friday 11/03

Romania: Friday 11/03 - Monday 14/03

In all EU countries visited, civil protection and local authorities organise and operate Reception Points in towns, villages or cities close to the borders. Reception Points provide humanitarian aid for immediate needs. They also allow people to rest, usually for one day, before they continue their onward journey or are transferred to (larger) municipalities to arrange for a longer stay.

Overall, the coordination between state authorities (national, regional and local) appeared to work well. The efforts of civil society organisations and the many individual volunteers can be further enhanced to improve efficiency and impact.

In some of the visited locations, the provision of humanitarian aid, legal assistance and translations relies heavily on volunteers and local communities as the first responders. This is not sustainable in the long run and durable solutions need to be identified.

FRA met with international organisations, including UNHCR, UNICEF and IOM. They informed FRA about the focus of their presence and work in the field. We observed Blue Dot tents deployed by UNICEF in two border crossing points in Romania.

Allegations of discrimination and racism

During its field visits, FRA did not witness any incidents of discrimination or racism despite being aware of the many allegations of such incidents reported in the media.

Roma and third-country nationals that FRA staff spoke to did not make any complaint, including the way they were treated when departing from Ukraine. Three Roma families we spoke with did not report any mistreatment to us. They did not have passports, only quite old identity cards, and not for the children. They were nevertheless admitted, registered and provided with assistance for onward travel.

But as concerns reportedly have been raised about discrimination and racist or discriminatory incidents, FRA advises the authorities to be diligent to prevent such incidents. In case these occur, they should be promptly investigated. The Agency encourages civil society actors in the field to react and report any such incidents.

Protecting children

FRA observed many children and infants among those fleeing from Ukraine. This requires particular protection measures to ensure appropriate housing, as well as work opportunities combined with child care provisions, and access to healthcare.

Local authorities informed FRA of positive initiatives placing children immediately in classes of local schools. This helps to reduce stress as it gives children a sense of normality being occupied with various activities. It also allows their parents, mainly mothers, and relatives to rest. FRA advises that such initiatives are continued and replicated.

In the long run, language learning initiatives should be developed so that children can continue their education.

Practical support

The European Commission announced that, as of 10 March 2022, all EU countries, Norway and Turkey, have offered in-kind assistance ranging from medical supplies and shelter items, to specialised equipment, vehicles and fuel.

Humanitarian aid is delivered both directly to Ukraine and through logistical hubs, such as those FRA visited in Poland. The Municipality of Przemyśl informed FRA of the need for better coordination between humanitarian hubs in the capital and those in the border region, such as the one in Przemyśl, to ensure the logistical distribution of the aid. Humanitarian hubs in the border region directly receive large amounts of humanitarian aid but struggle to distribute it due to an insufficient number of delivery lorries and drivers.

The local authority in Przemyśl receives a disproportionally large number of people fleeing from Ukraine. They asked for more practical support in the form of containers and foldable beds to accommodate the increased number of arrivals.

Furthermore, FRA noted difficulties for people arriving in the EU to exchange Ukrainian currency. For example, at the time of the mission border guards and people interviewed claimed that banks in the countries visited did not exchange Ukrainian currency except for one bank in Romania. The Romanian Commercial Bank exchanged Ukrainian currency at a maximum of RON 1,000 per passport (around EUR 200 EUR).

FRA advises that forms of cash assistance should be available as soon as possible. In Poland, for example, state vehicle insurance covers cars coming from Ukraine for 30 days. FRA recommends that other Member States should also consider such positive initiatives.

The risk of human trafficking is particularly high. Many volunteers offer transportation or housing outside reception facilities. Such offers bear particular risks for women and children. FRA pointed this out to all border authorities.

The Agency advised relevant authorities to make additional efforts to inform in simple and considered language about the risks of trafficking. People should be warned also orally during passport controls and advised not to accept non authorised rides or accommodation.

In many cases, FRA observed that municipal or other authorities checked and registered drivers offering transportation. But this was not always the case outside the Reception Centres or in train stations and bus terminals despite efforts by the police.

Unaccompanied children

Authorities and civil society reported some cases of arrivals of unaccompanied children to FRA. This also included children living in institutions in Ukraine (about 100,000 children according to UNICEF data).

Children accompanied by grandparents or relatives usually had a letter from their parents authorising these persons to care for the child. Border authorities informed FRA that they generally check these cases. They speak to the children using interpreters to ensure that the child has actual links to the adult accompanying them.

Unaccompanied children are reportedly treated according to national law. As the competent authorities informed FRA, in Poland unaccompanied children are referred to the court who assigns a temporary guardian; in Hungary, they are referred to the Directorate-General for Social Affairs and Child Protection; in Slovakia and Romania they are placed in the care of municipal social services.

FRA advises the authorities that all children arriving unaccompanied should be immediately placed in protective care to avoid any risk of trafficking. Moreover, individual risk and best interests assessments should be carried out as soon as feasible for all unaccompanied children.

Since June 2017, Ukrainian citizens holding biometric passports can travel to the EU (Schengen Zone) without a visa for a period of 90 days within any 180-day period for business, tourist or family purposes.

In all EU countries visited, FRA observed border checks conducted efficiently with minimal delay. Procedures were fast tracked to facilitate entry of vulnerable people, including children and infants, older people and persons with disabilities who were visibly tired and traumatised. Several border crossing points started processing pedestrians creating separate lanes for them.

Border authorities in Hungary and Romania informed border crossing points in airports and elsewhere to facilitate the onward travel of people fleeing from Ukraine in the EU or to exit the EU without a Schengen visa.

Several embassies were present at border crossing points assisting repatriation by issuing laissez-passer documents and arranging transportation.

In all countries visited, FRA noted that border guards and customs officials, as well as military staff, actively supported people arriving in the EU. For example, they carried their luggage to onward transport and provided hot beverages, while working under particularly stressful conditions in 12-hour shifts and beyond.

Legal information and advice

There was limited legal information concerning temporary or international protection schemes provided directly at the border crossing points. In many locations, FRA observed that legal and other information was provided in Ukrainian-Russian-English language by volunteers, churches and charity organisations. Legal assistance was provided by local-regional NGOs and international organisations.

Statutory national human rights bodies, international organisations and civil society actors, as well as law faculties and bar associations should be encouraged and specifically resourced, and facilitated, to provide legal advice.

Observations at border crossing points

FRA's field visits to border crossing points in the four EU Member States observed the following.

Poland (Schengen zone)

Ukrainian nationals with a biometric passport were allowed visa-free entry.

But in practice anyone fleeing Ukraine was admitted with any form of identification, such as a driver's license, after due checks.

Within 15 days, people fleeing Ukraine could apply for international protection or contact their embassy to be repatriated.

Note that during FRA's visit of the border crossing points in Poland between 4 and 6 March 2022, temporary protection by Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 was not yet available.

The Directive provides minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof.

The Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022 establishes the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine within the meaning of Article 5 of Directive 2001/55/EC, and having the effect of introducing temporary protection.

Slovakia (Schengen zone)

Visa-free entry was allowed with any type of passport. Everyone received an entry stamp which allows them to stay in Slovakia for 90 days.

Those without any type of identity document were registered, fingerprinted, photographed and also allowed to stay 90 days based on the exception on humanitarian ground (Article 6 (5) (c) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399).

Hungary (Schengen zone)

Ukrainian nationals, their spouse or partner, minor child and relatives living in the same household with biometric passport could stay and move freely within the EU for 90 days.

Persons without a valid biometric Ukrainian passport or a valid non-Ukrainian passport with Schengen visa (but still with some documents, including children's birth certificate) were recorded, fingerprinted and photographed and issued with a 'certificate for temporary stay' ( ideiglenes tartózkodásra jogositó igazolás) valid for 30 days. This certificate can be prolonged for another 30 days, each time up to six months.

Persons subject to an EU-wide entry ban, either issued by Hungary or another EU Member State, were also issued the certificate for temporary stay after consultation with the other Member State.

Romania

All citizens with any type of passport were allowed to enter without a Schengen visa and to continue their onward journey.

Those wishing to remain in Romania had to file an asylum application. This was because Romania, by 14 March, had not yet incorporated in national law the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 activating temporary protection.

On 18 March, the Romanian government adopted the decision on the temporary protection. According to this decision, the temporary protection applies automatically to all Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons fleeing the war.

While most people fleeing the conflict want to go back to their home country as soon as possible, this may not be possible and their stay in the EU may become much longer.

Therefore, EU countries should now start planning ahead. This will require extensive relocations across the EU, as well as integration measures and policies at EU, national and local levels. These will need to consider:

the impact of psychological trauma;

the fact that almost all arrivals are women, many with infants or young children who may face particular challenges in access to employment and finding child care;

enabling family reunification and caring for the needs of children;

introducing preventive and monitoring measures to prevent labour exploitation.

National and local authorities proved equal to the task preparing reception facilities in record time. EU civil protection mechanisms should support their work providing assistance quickly and efficiently, simplifying administrative red tape.

Among civil society actors, established churches and charity services put in place extensive support facilities. They reacted very quickly and efficiently with good coordination among them and the authorities, particularly in Hungary.

Nevertheless, NGOs and other support organisations could be better coordinated at national, potentially also at EU level, to make better use of the generous offer of the many volunteers who work tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid.

A long-term sustainable solution is necessary to support volunteers and to ensure an adequate rotation of staff.

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EU-Ukrainian border check points: First field observations

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During the field visits, it was observed how the affected EU countries address the fundamental rights challenges of the humanitarian crisis. These field visits also allow FRA to calibrate its advice to EU institutions and Member States. A particular focus was on procedures at border crossing points and registration/reception centres or assistance points to support those fleeing the war.

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Germany: Deutsche Bahn discriminates against Roma refugees from Ukraine

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Germany: Deutsche Bahn discriminates against Roma refugees from Ukraine

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In Mannheim soll es in den Räumlichkeiten der Deutschen Bahn für Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine zu Diskriminierung gegen Roma gekommen sein.

Mannheim/Frankfurt - „ Putins entsetzlich brutaler Krieg gegen die Ukraine hat in Europa die größte Fluchtbewegung seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg ausgelöst": Innenministerin Nancy Faeser* (SPD) fand angesichts des russischen Angriffskriegs zuletzt deutliche Worte. Die Zahl der Menschen, die aus der Ukraine geflüchtet sind, beträgt aktuell etwa 280.000. Das Bundesinnenministerium vermutet allerdings, dass die Zahl noch deutlich höher sein dürfte.

Eine Minderheit ist von der russischen Invasion besonders betroffen: Roma in der Ukraine. Sie gelten als vulnerable Gruppe, weshalb sie noch stärker als andere Menschen unter den Auswirkungen des Krieges leiden könnten. Denkbar ist das insbesondere im Hinblick auf Diskriminierung. Ein Fall in Mannheim zeigt, dass sie als Geflüchtete teils anders behandelt werden, als ihre Landsleute.

Ukraine-Krieg - Viele Roma fliehen aus ihrer Heimat

Auch Roma verlassen ihre ukrainische Heimat und suchen Zuflucht in einem anderen Teil der Ukraine* oder im Ausland. Erwähnt sei an dieser Stelle, dass sich viele Roma verpflichtet fühlen, für ihr Heimatland zu kämpfen - laut Angaben von Roma-Organisationen haben sich bislang einige Hundert freiwillig gemeldet -, und das, obwohl sich Roma seit Jahren Überfällen durch Rechtsradikale ausgesetzt sehen.

Die Strafverfolgungsbehörden würden jedoch „nicht immer angemessen reagieren", berichtet der Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma. Entsprechend wächst die Sorge, dass es im weiteren Verlauf des Krieges, wenn die Versorgung der Menschen noch schwieriger wird, zu vermehrten gewalttätigen Übergriffen auf Roma kommen könnte.

Folgen des Ukraine-Kriegs: Geflüchtete Roma wurde Zugang zu DB-Räumlichkeiten verwehrt

Vor diesem Hintergrund müssen die Ereignisse bewertet werden, wie sie der Verband Deutscher Sinti und Roma in Baden-Württemberg in einer Stellungnahme beschreibt und wie sie von der Organisation Sinti Powerclub e.V. und der anwesenden Bahnhofshelferin Natice Orhan-Daibel bestätigt werden. Demnach seien in der Nacht zum 24. März geflüchtete Roma-Familien aus der Ukraine in Räumlichkeiten der Deutschen Bahn diskriminiert und nicht eingelassen worden, obwohl diese für Ukrainerinnen und Ukrainer eigens zur Verfügung gestellt werden. „Mutmaßliche Beamte der DB-Sicherheit" hätten abweisend auf die Familien reagiert und „antiziganistische Vorurteile wiedergegeben", heißt es.

Natalie Reinhardt vom Sinti Powerclub wird auf Anfrage unserer Redaktion konkreter. Ihr Verein betreut seit Kriegsbeginn geflüchtete ukrainische Roma bei ihrer Ankunft in Baden-Württemberg. „Über unsere Koordinierungsbeauftragte, die mit den Menschen oft schon ab Fluchtbeginn in Kontakt steht, wissen wir manchmal schon Tage vorab, wie viele Menschen wo ankommen werden", erklärt Reinhardt. In der Nacht zum 24. März sei sie nun „von unseren Kooperationspartnern, den Bahnhofshelfern", angerufen worden, die über die Probleme am Hauptbahnhof Mannheim berichtet hätten.

Ukrainische geflüchtete Roma durften nicht in Raum für Geflüchtete

Demnach wurde Roma-Familien der Zugang zum Aufenthaltsraum mit Übernachtungsmöglichkeiten für ukrainische Geflüchtete nicht gestattet. Man habe ihnen angeblich nicht geglaubt, dass sie ukrainische Staatsbürger seien. Zunächst habe es die Familie mit kleinen Kindern in den Geflüchtetenbereich geschafft, doch die herbeigerufene Bundespolizei verwies die Familien der Räumlichkeiten, heißt es. Sie dürften sich dort nicht aufhalten.

Die Deutsche Bahn habe auf Anfrage des Sinti Powerclubs erklärt, dass man sich „geeinigt" habe, und die Familien von den Bahnhofshelfern zur Weiterfahrt nach Heidelberg begleitet würden. Dort würden sie direkt in ein Aufnahmezentrum gebracht.

Ungleichbehandlung von ukrainischen Roma durch Deutsche Bahn kritisiert

Die Familien als auch die Helfenden am Bahnhof seien eingeschüchtert gewesen, was Natice Orhan-Daibel, die vor Ort war, unserer Redaktion bestätigt. Sie berichtet, dass die Familien als Kriegsgeflüchtete das Recht gehabt hätten, sich in den Räumlichkeiten des Bahnhofs aufzuhalten und gegebenenfalls zu übernachten, falls ihr Anschlusszug eine längere Aufenthaltsdauer am Mannheimer Hauptbahnhof darstellt.

Natice Orhan-Daibel beschreibt, wie mit den Menschen umgegangen worden sei: „Mir wurde mehrfach von verschiedenen Seiten gesagt, dass die Räumlichkeiten nicht für ‚solche' Menschen gedacht seien, dass sie nicht rein könnten. Es gäbe auch keine Hotelgutscheine, wie ich sie sonst zuvor für andere Geflüchtete (weißer Hautfarbe) an der DB-Information bekam. Auf meine Nachfrage erhielt ich die Antwort: ‚Wer soll das bezahlen? Die DB hat dafür kein Geld.'" Die Bundespolizei sei hinzugerufen worden, die nur die Ausweise dieser Gruppe kontrolliert hätte, während sich noch drei weitere ukrainische Familien im Raum befanden, die nicht kontrolliert worden seien. Begründet wurde die Ungleichbehandlung mit Männern innerhalb der Gruppe. „Ich wollte vorerst nur, dass die Familie sicher oben im Raum war. Es waren so viele kleine Kinder dabei", erzählt sie.

Diskriminierung von ukrainischen geflüchteten Roma: Deutsche Bahn reagiert

„Auf meine Nachfrage, weshalb die zwei anderen ukrainischen Männer, die sich zur selben Zeit auch dort aufhielten, aber eben weißer Hautfarbe waren, nicht kontrolliert wurden, bekam ich die Antwort, sie hätten keine anderen Männer gesehen." Im Laufe der Szene hätten jedoch andere Männer ungehindert den Raum betreten: „Sicherheitsleute und weiteres Personal haben sich demonstrativ blockierend aufgestellt."

Diskriminierung von ukrainischen Roma-Familien: Deutsche Bahn äußert sich

Auf den Vorfall am Mannheimer Bahnhof hingewiesen, verweist die Sprecherin der Deutschen Bahn darauf, dass bereits Gespräche mit den Beteiligten stattgefunden hätten. „Wir bedauern an dieser Stelle ausdrücklich, dass es in der Nacht von Mittwoch auf Donnerstag im Rückzugsraum für Geflüchtete des Mannheimer Hauptbahnhofes zu Missverständnissen gekommen ist", heißt es. Auch habe sich der Mitarbeiter „persönlich entschuldigt". Die Bahn würde „gemeinsam mit der Bundespolizei täglich für die Sicherheit der Geflüchteten im Bahnhof" sorgen und „die gute Zusammenarbeit aller" sei getragen vom Ziel, „Menschen in Not zu helfen".

Bahnhofshelferin Orhan-Daibel sagt dazu, dass die Angst vor einem weiteren Vorfall vorherrsche: „Dieser Vorfall ist kein Einzelfall." Ihr sei bewusst, dass dieses Problem längst nicht aus der Welt geräumt ist, sondern dass sich solche Szenen bundesweit abspielten. „Was mir viel Angst bereitet, ist der Satz eines Helfers: ‚Diese Familie hat den Vorfall nicht als besonders schlimm empfunden ... Leider sind sie Schlimmeres gewöhnt.' Worauf ich nur antworten kann: Und deshalb wird es Zeit, diesen Menschen zu zeigen, dass man sich vor sie stellt, sie schützt und ihnen zeigt, dass sie Menschen sind und kein Abfall." (Katja Thorwarth) *fr.de ist ein Angebot von IPPEN.MEDIA.

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Deutsche Bahn diskriminiert geflüchtete Roma aus Ukraine

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In Mannheim soll es in den Räumlichkeiten der Deutschen Bahn für Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine zu Diskriminierung gegen Roma gekommen sein. Mannheim/Frankfurt - „ Putins entsetzlich brutaler Krieg gegen die Ukraine hat in Europa die größte Fluchtbewegung seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg ausgelöst": Innenministerin Nancy Faeser* (SPD) fand angesichts des russischen Angriffskriegs zuletzt deutliche Worte.

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Many Roma Refugees Are Stuck in Temporary Shelters, Activists in Poland Say

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Many Roma Refugees Are Stuck in Temporary Shelters, Activists in Poland Say

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ROME (CNS) - Lacking documents, fearing violence, and needing a host country, many Roma fleeing Ukraine are not able to leave temporary shelters, said two human rights experts in Poland.

Elzbieta Mirga-Wójtowicz told Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian bishops' conference, that a large number of Roma lack passports or identity certificates and "often they do not know where to go."

"They are forced to set up camp and have become the target of neo-Nazi gangs recently. But the problem is many are stuck" inside welcoming centers that are meant to offer only temporary shelter and assistance, said Mirga-Wójtowicz, who promotes policies for protecting and integrating national and ethnic minorities, especially Roma, in Poland.

Poland has shown tremendous solidarity and generosity in welcoming more than 2 million refugees since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she said in an interview published March 26. "Every day about 100 Roma arrive at the border from Ukraine" and this number is seen by some as "a problem."

Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska said life before the conflict already was difficult for the estimated 400,000 Roma in Ukraine, and now those tensions and prejudices have shifted to the border and the nations they flee to. There had been several attacks by mobs, often led by far-right groups, against Roma across Ukraine in recent years, she said.

Roma face racial stereotypes, xenophobia and hatred in many eastern European countries, she said, and when they seek shelter at refugee centers in Poland, "tensions immediately erupt when the other guests see them," she said.

As a result, they are often housed in separate and undisclosed facilities, otherwise "they risk being attacked," Talewicz-Kwiatkowska said.

Family ties are important for Roma communities so families can be large, including extended family members, and this makes finding housing or accommodation even more difficult, she said. When no one offers them more permanent shelter, "they are forced to stay at the centers."

Talewicz-Kwiatkowska, who is of mixed Polish and Roma ancestry, told Avvenire that she was appealing to all Roma communities throughout the European Union to help each other. "Up to now we have organized bus transfers only to Sweden and Germany."

The second appeal, she said, was to Polish authorities to launch a campaign against anti-Gypsyism, racism, xenophobia and hate speech.

Meanwhile, other human rights' advocates called on the United Nations and the European Union to work together to monitor and investigate reports of discrimination and rights violations against Roma and other minorities fleeing Ukraine.

"We have been receiving increasing reports of allegations of discrimination against Roma, people of African descent, Asians and Arabs at the borders with Moldova, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic and we are currently working on putting in place reporting mechanisms and collection of evidence," wrote Gabriela Hrabanova, director of the ERGO Network.

"Foreigners, especially Roma, face discrimination in countries of transit or arrival. When Ukrainians of Slavic origin are welcomed by the population of countries they travel through or to, Roma are often denied access to transportation, accommodation and other assistance provided by volunteers, therefore, they have to rely only on state-supported assistance, which is limited and often is less accessible in remote areas," she said in letters sent to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and key officials of the European Union March 8.

Based in Brussels, the ERGO Network mobilizes and connects organizations and individuals to empower Roma communities, combat anti-Gypsyism and establish needed national and European policies.

The network shared with the U.N. and EU a joint letter with more than 400 signatories, including members of the European Parliament and major organizations, calling for solidarity and immediate diplomatic solutions to the war.

"From the Second World War to the Balkan Wars of the late 1990s, history has shown us that in times of war or conflict, the plight of Roma as well as other minorities is continuously ignored. Ethnic minorities are often rendered invisible and further victimized instead of being provided equal protection," the letter said.

They called on governments and entities to monitor and investigate human rights' violations and provide equal access to aid for all marginalized and vulnerable people.

The letter also warned "media editors, journalists, and politicians to not monetize the war against Ukraine to promote inflammatory, racist portrayals of marginalized groups, including Roma."

"Such stories only further stigmatize and victimize minorities and promote the risk of additional violence against these groups," it said.

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Many Roma Refugees Are Stuck in Temporary Shelters, Activists in Poland Say - The Tablet

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ROME (CNS) - Lacking documents, fearing violence, and needing a host country, many Roma fleeing Ukraine are not able to leave temporary shelters, said two human rights experts in Poland. Elzbieta Mirga-Wójtowicz told Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian bishops' conference, that a large number of Roma lack passports or identity certificates and "often they do not know where to go."

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Poland: Roma from Ukraine treated as second-class refugees. "We hear: we do not accept these people".

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Poland: Roma from Ukraine treated as second-class refugees. "We hear: we do not accept these people".

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Olena Vaidalovych jest działaczką na rzecz praw człowieka, prawniczką i ukraińską Romką. Wraz z rodziną uciekła przed wojną. Od wolontariuszy pracujących na granicach i w punktach recepcyjnych słyszała, że kobiety i dzieci pochodzenia ukraińskiego są przepuszczane w pierwszej kolejności, a inne narodowości i mniejszości - później.

„Zapytałam więc wolontariuszy pracujących na granicy Ukrainy i Polski, czy uważają, że Romowie nie mają obywatelstwa ukraińskiego. W odpowiedzi usłyszałam, że w tych okolicznościach nie są w stanie sprawdzić paszportu, więc po prostu wnioskują po wyglądzie. Dlatego zdarza się, że niektóre osoby, które nie wyglądają na Ukraińców, czekają dłużej na przekroczenie granicy lub są kierowane na koniec kolejki. A przecież wszyscy uciekają przed tą samą wojną" - mówi OKO.press.

Olena obecnie mieszka w Warszawie i kontynuuje swoją działalność na rzecz praw człowieka. Dodaje, że podwójne standardy w stosunku do ukraińskich Romów nie kończą się na granicy.

"Odwiedziłam kilka punktów przyjmowania uchodźców z Ukrainy. Zauważyłam, że miejsca dla Ukraińców są dobrze wyposażone i stosunkowo komfortowe, podczas gdy te, w których przebywają Romowie, nie mają w zasadzie nic, a warunki są znacznie gorsze" - opowiada.

Zapytała więc, dlaczego Romowie nie przebywają razem z innymi Ukraińcami. W odpowiedzieli wolontariusze stwierdzili, że w ten sposób chcą uniknąć ewentualnych napięć i konfliktów między Romami a innymi ukraińskimi uchodźcami. Niektórzy Romowie z powodu takiej postawy myśleli o powrocie na Ukrainę, a wielu z nich - zapewnia Olena - już wróciło.

"Takie sytuacje mogą wydawać się odosobnione, zwłaszcza gdy weźmiemy pod uwagę ogrom stojącego przed nami wyzwania oraz hojność pomocy humanitarnej i pomocy udzielanej ukraińskim uchodźcom. Jednak, jak pokazuje historia, społeczność romska pozostaje największą mniejszością etniczną w Europie i nadal doświadcza różnych form dyskryminacji w krajach Europy, a obecnie, od czasu rosyjskiej agresji jest jeszcze bardziej narażona i stygmatyzowana".

Dodaje, że wojna w Ukrainie jest wyniszczająca dla całego wieloetnicznego narodu, ale teraz należy zwrócić szczególną uwagę na mniejszości, które już przed rosyjską agresją znajdowały się w trudnej sytuacji. Wyjaśnia też, że wielu Romów przyjechało do Polski bez paszportów i jest traktowanych jak niewidzialni, pozostawionych bez godnej pomocy i dostępu do ochrony. Dlatego uważa, że potrzebne jest wdrożenie programów rządowych, które wspierałyby romskich uchodźców w kontaktach z władzami, służbą zdrowia, a później w znalezieniu pracy.

„Tymczasem Romowie, którzy uciekają do Polski, Mołdawii czy Słowacji, są często pozbawieni równego dostępu do pomocy i bezpieczeństwa". Olena ma jednak nadzieję na lepszą współpracę między rządami krajowymi, organami kontroli granicznej i społeczeństwem obywatelskim w tym zakresie.

Szacuje się, że przed inwazją Rosji w Ukrainie żyło od 400 tys. do nawet pół miliona Romów i kobiet romskich. W rzeczywistości ta liczba może być jednak znacznie większa.

Systemowa dyskryminacja

Dr Joanna Talewicz jest antropolożką kultury i prezeską Fundacji w Stronę Dialogu. Od dwóch dekad zajmuje się też wspieraniem społeczności romskiej, której jest częścią.

"Jestem przerażona tym, co się dzieje i tym, co może się wydarzyć" - mówi OKO.press. Talewicz od początku obserwuje, z czym mierzą się uchodźcy i uchodźczynie romscy w Polsce.

Najpierw docierały do niej pojedyncze doniesienia, że Romom odmawiano transportu czy schronienia. W tej chwili, zapewnia, nie są to już incydenty. "Obserwujemy narodziny systemowej dyskryminacji względem ukraińskich uchodźców romskich. I dzieje się to bardzo szybko".

Talewicz wymienia sytuacje, z jakimi nieraz miała do czynienia:

Policja nocą wyrzuciła Romki z dworca, bo „istnieje zagrożenie kradzieżą" z ich strony;

Ukrainki nie chciały przebywać w jednym pomieszczeniu z Romkami, bo „są brudne";

Wolontariusze i koordynatorzy tłumaczyli kłótnie między Ukraińcami i Romami, słowami „taka jest romska kultura";

Romskim uchodźczyniom i uchodźcom odmawiano przekazania ubrań z darów, bo „biorą za dużo";

Właściciel mieszkania wyrzucił przyjętych Romów po jednym dniu, bo „romskie dzieci są głośne", inny powiedział po prostu „Ja Cyganów nie chcę".

"Zdarzyło nam się, że wolontariuszka, dzwoniąc na oficjalny numer interwencyjny wojewody mazowieckiego, usłyszała w słuchawce, że Romom nie pomogą, bo mają wszy" - wspomina.

Kluczem do zrozumienia, z czego to wszystko wynika, są dwa pojęcia: zbiorowa odpowiedzialność i głęboko zakorzenione stereotypy.

"To oczywiste, że wśród Romów, tak samo jak wśród wszystkich Ukraińców i ludzi w ogóle, zdarzają się osoby, które są awanturnicze czy kradną. Ale w przypadku naszej społeczności, winą za zachowanie jednego człowieka obarcza się wszystkich Romów" - mówi Talewicz - "Jeśli ktoś łamie prawo, to reakcją powinna być wezwanie policji, a nie karanie całej grupy i odmawianie im dostępu do pomocy".

Wybiórcza pomoc

Zdaniem Talewicz, w Polsce panuje przekonanie, że wszyscy pomagają uchodźcom z Ukrainy, ale uchodźcom romskim mają pomagać tylko polscy Romowie. Każdego dnia dostaje mnóstwo telefonów od osób, które potrzebują pomocy, ale też od wolontariuszy i koordynatorów z granicy i punktów recepcyjnych, od których słyszy: "zajmij się swoimi".

"Robimy, co możemy, ale jest nas za mało, żeby wszystkim pomóc, a jeśli nie my, to nikt inny tego nie zrobi. Na szczęście są osoby nieromskiego pochodzenia, które działają razem z nami, ale to nadal kropla w morzu potrzeb".

Niewielkie grupy aktywistów wspierających Romów z Ukrainy działają w miastach w całej Polsce. Na Facebooku powstała też specjalna grupa wsparcia Poland-Roma-Ukraine. Jej współtwórczynią jest Paulina Piórkowska. Chociaż sama nie pochodzi ze społeczności romskiej, to od kilku lat pracuje ze społecznością romską pochodzenia rumuńskiego w Poznaniu.

"Informacje o potrzebach i problemach romskich uchodźców/czyń często były usuwane przez administratorów grup pomocowych na Facebooku, dlatego potrzebowałyśmy dla nich bezpiecznej przestrzeni. Postanowiłyśmy też zbierać wszystkie doniesienia o aktach romofobii" - opowiada Piórkowska.

Państwo zamiata problem pod dywan, dlatego aktywistki i aktywiści lobbują na rzecz wzięcia odpowiedzialności przez instytucje rządowe za uchodźców/czynie romskie. Zaznaczają, że jest to grupa, która ze względu na rasizm i marginalizację wymaga specjalnego wsparcia. Tymczasem jedyna pomoc, jaką otrzymują ze strony rządowej, jest zapewniana przez RPO w przypadku interwencji.

"Nie możemy zastępować systemowych rozwiązań" - stwierdza Piórkowska. Co więcej, romskie rodziny najczęściej są dużo większe niż przeciętna rodzina ukraińska, więc również z tego powodu trudniej im znaleźć nocleg w prywatnych domach. Dlatego pomoc rządowa jest w ich przypadku tak ważna.

Twórczynie grupy pracują też nad raportem dotyczącym dyskryminacji społeczności romskiej uciekającej przed wojną. Na tę chwilę prowadzą spis tych, którym udało się pomóc, i przebieg działań pomocowych. Do czasu naszej rozmowy jest to ponad 400 osób, które przewinęły się przez platformę, głównie kobiety z dziećmi.

Działaczki są jednak pewne, że Romów i Romek, którzy uciekli do Polski z Ukrainy, jednak znacznie więcej. Można mówić o tysiącach, ale do zdecydowanej większości pomoc nie dociera.

Romów nie przyjmujemy

Dla Talewicz najgorsza jest wizja tysięcy romskich Ukraińców i Ukrainek w kryzysie bezdomności.

Zaznacza, że jeśli nic się nie zmieni, to taka wizja prędzej czy później stanie się polską rzeczywistością.

"Na początku nie chcieliśmy rozmawiać z mediami, żeby nie robić z Romów i Romek ofiar i nie eskalować napięć w społeczeństwie. Byliśmy naiwni. Zdecydowaliśmy się o tym mówić, ale nie po to, by wytykać ludzi palcami, tylko żeby znaleźć rozwiązanie. Ci ludzie muszą być bezpieczni" - mówi.

Punkty recepcyjne i inne przestrzenie oddane uchodźcom/uchodźczyniom na ogół nie są przyjazne Romom. Ci Romowie, których stać na wynajem mieszkania, najczęściej spotykają się z odmową ze strony właściciela. Okazuje się więc, że nie mają w zasadzie żadnej możliwości znalezienia dachu nad głową.

Paulina Piórkowska: "Gdy w ośrodkach i punktach recepcyjnych dochodzi do sytuacji konfliktowych, winy zawsze upatruje się w Romach. Nagle przestają być uchodźcami, są natychmiast wyrzucani. A spróbujmy sobie wyobrazić, że z takiego ośrodka wyrzuca się rodzinę ukraińską nieromskiego pochodzenia".

Piórkowska opowiada też o sytuacjach, w której koordynatorzy danej placówki zapewniają, że ma już wolnych miejsc, gdy tylko dowiadują się, że chodzi o osoby pochodzenia romskiego. Ale miejsce znajduje się, gdy chwilę później zgłaszają się nieromscy Ukraińcy/Ukrainki.

"Za każdym razem zastanawiamy się, czy mówić od razu, że te osoby szukające schronienia są pochodzenia romskiego, czy lepiej to przemilczeć, bo obawiamy się, że usłyszymy ze strony ośrodka natychmiastową odmowę".

Ponieważ w tej chwili aktywiści i aktywistki nie widzą innego wyjścia, zdecydowali się zorganizować relokację romskich uchodźców i uchodźczyń na Zachód. W tych działaniach pomaga m.in Fundacja W Stronę Dialogu, której prezeską jest Talewicz, oraz Stowarzyszenie Romów w Polsce, ale też inne organizacje romskie, aktywiści i aktywistki z romskiej społeczności: Karolina i Karol Kwiatkowscy z Centralnej Rady Romów, Edyta Jaśkowiak, Elżbieta Mirga- Wójtowicz, Rajmund Siwak, Sonia Styrkacz i wiele innych osób.

Ale to też nie jest rozwiązanie idealne. Talewicz opowiada o sytuacji, gdy Romowie wyjechali z Polski do Niemiec autobusem i zostali wyrzuceni w lesie. Planują teraz wrócić do Ukrainy.

Brakuje edukacji

"Wojna dotknęła każdego - wśród Romów są osoby zamożne, które sobie poradziły, oraz mniej zamożni, którzy potrzebują wsparcia, a zamiast tego są dyskryminowani" - opowiada Władysław Kwiatkowski ze Stowarzyszenia Romów w Polsce.

Wspomina o sytuacji, jednej z wielu, która miała miejsce w Krakowie. Prywatny właściciel miał zaoferować swój obiekt dla uchodźców z Ukrainy. Gdy przyjechali na miejsce Romowie, właściciel stwierdził, że "przecież była mowa o ukraińskich uchodźcach, a nie Cyganach". Ostatecznie rodzina została przetransportowana na dworzec, gdzie koczowała całą noc.

Kwiatkowski przytacza też kolejne plotki o romskich uchodźcach i uchodźczyniach, które usłyszał: że jedzą psy, że zostawiają wszy w ośrodkach. Powtarzają się opowieści o kradzieży ubrań.

„Te historie nie mają żadnego sensu, a niektóre narracje bardzo przypominają te, które dotyczyły Żydów przed II wojną światową" - mówi i dodaje:

"Romscy mężczyźni walczą w Ukrainie tak samo jak wszyscy inni, ale nikt nie nazywa ich bohaterami. Romskie kobiety z dziećmi uciekają przed wojną, ale nie są przyjmowane tak jak inne rodziny, tylko przenoszone z jednego ośrodka do drugiego. Nie ma narodu idealnego, ale jedno jest pewne - ich wszystkich dotknęła wojna i zasługują na taką samą pomoc".

Stowarzyszenie gości w swoich budynkach 40 romskich uchodźców/czyń - na więcej osób nie ma miejsca. Dlatego członkowie stowarzyszenia organizują wyjazdy całych grup do Europy Zachodniej, we współpracy z tamtejszymi organizacjami romskimi.

Jak twierdzi Kwiatkowski, Polska szybko nie nadrobi edukacji międzykulturowej, którą zaniedbywała przez lata. Dodaje, że programy zorientowane na społeczność romską są nieprzemyślane i nie przynoszą efektów. "Zamiast tego obserwujemy nienawiść, która wynika z niewiedzy i silnie zakorzenionych stereotypów, które można zwalczyć poprzez edukację".

Kwiatkowski zwraca uwagę, że oczywiście w Polsce znalazły się osoby, które przyjęły rodzinę pod dach niezależnie od koloru skóry. "Ale częściej otrzymujemy informacje, takie jak ta, że 18-osobowa rodzina z niemowlętami została wyrzucona z dworca, bo matki poprosiły o dokładkę zupy".

Konsekwencje przeszłości

Jak wynika z danych, gromadzonych przez NGO-sy od lat, Romowie to najbardziej prześladowana mniejszość w całej Europie. Międzynarodowa organizacja Minority Rights Group (MRG) przez ostatnie pięć lat prowadziła projekty w Ukrainie dotyczące Romów. Ta społeczność w zasadzie od zawsze mierzyła się z nienawiścią, brakiem dokumentów, dostępu do edukacji i usług publicznych, w tym szczepień na covid.

Ze względu na prześladowania musiała stale zmieniać swoje miejsce zamieszkania. Nic więc dziwnego, że od czasu rosyjskiej agresji to właśnie Romowie znaleźli się w jeszcze trudniejszym niż wszyscy Ukraińcy położeniu.

"Przeciętna osoba w Polsce nie wie, że na ukraińskich Romach, również w ostatnich latach, dokonywano pogromów: ich domy były podpalane, ludzie byli atakowani i zabijani. Dziś widzimy, że część z nich boi się jechać jednym autobusem z innymi Ukraińcami i spać obok nich w ośrodkach" - mówi OKO.press Anna Alboth, aktywistka i dziennikarka pracująca w MRG.

Przyczyny dyskryminacji Romów są bardzo złożone. Żeby zrozumieć, dlaczego np. stopień bezrobocia wśród Romów jest wyższy niż w przypadku innych obywateli, trzeba dostrzec wielopokoleniową, systemową dyskryminację, która działa podobnie jak w przypadku Afroamerykanów w USA.

"Jeśli rząd od lat, mimo wielu walk, nie podłączy prądu ani wody do romskiej osady, to jej mieszkańcy nie mogą zrobić prania, a wtedy dzieci chodzą w brudnych ubraniach. Więc dzieci w szkole są wyśmiewane i nie chcą do niej chodzić. I tak dalej. To bardzo skomplikowane zjawiska i niestety nie widzimy zmiany na lepsze. Jako MRG staramy się dbać, by nie było gorzej niż jest".

Alboth na co dzień mieszka w Berlinie i potwierdza to, co słyszę od innych aktywistów/ek - Romom łatwiej znaleźć pomoc w krajach zachodnich.

"Mimo wszystko kraje zachodnie są bardziej otwarte na jakąkolwiek inność, więc jeśli ktoś ma ciemniejszą skórę, to niezależnie czy jest Hiszpanem, Turkiem czy Romem, będzie traktowany zdecydowanie lepiej niż w Polsce. Poza tym w Berlinie, na przykład, jest duża społeczność romska, od której uchodźcy mogą dostać wsparcie".

Dlatego jej zdaniem wyjazd jest dla uchodźców/czyń romskich bezpieczniejszą i najlepszą opcją. "Tylko że tak nie powinno być, bo to są uchodźcy ukraińscy tacy sami jak wszyscy inni, ale w przeciwieństwie do reszty zostanie w Polsce jest dla wyjątkowo trudne".

Dodaje, że Romowie wcale nie chcą skarżyć się, mówić o tym, że są dyskryminowani, nie chcą znowu zaistnieć jako ofiary. „Ale sytuacja jest na tyle zła, że nie ma innego wyjścia. Musimy mówić o tym głośno".

Tylko że czasem rozgłos tylko utrwala stereotypy. Tak było w przypadku wideo, na którym widać romskiego Ukraińca, który wywozi traktorem rosyjski czołg. Prezydent Andrzej Duda udostępnił nagranie na Twitterze, komentując, że "chersońscy Romowie ukradli Rosjanom czołg" i dodając zabawne emotikony.

W https://t.co/yJfEcIDgRS podają, że chersońscy Romowie ukradli Rosjanom czołg. 😂😂😂😜Под Каховкой украинские ромы украли у россиян танк, - местные - 24 Канал https://t.co/AzOxZVvXyO

- Andrzej Duda (@AndrzejDuda) February 27, 2022

„To był romski oddział i to, co zrobili ci ludzie, to nie była kradzież, tylko odbicie czołgu wroga. Gdyby to byli po prostu ukraińscy żołnierze, mówilibyśmy o tej sytuacji zupełnie inaczej" - mówi Alboth i dodaje:

"Język ma ma ogromne znaczenie, a nasz prezydent zrobił sobie z tego żart, który podłapali wszyscy. Stereotyp się umacnia, a konsekwencje tego widzimy dzisiaj bardzo wyraźnie, choćby na dworcach czy w punktach recepcyjnych, gdzie wolontariusze boją się, że Rom to taki, który ukradnie. Jest to nie tylko niemądre, ale i obrzydliwe".

Romscy aktywiści działają w Ukrainie

MRG współpracowało z wieloma romskimi działaczami na rzecz praw człowieka w Ukrainie. Jednym z nich jest Julian Kondur. Mieszkał w Kijowie, dziś jest wewnętrznym przesiedleńcem, czyli uchodźcą we własnym kraju. Przeniósł się do zachodniej Ukrainy, skąd nadal zajmuje się monitorowaniem praw swojej mniejszości.

Kondur zna przypadki, gdy ukraińscy pogranicznicy utrudniali przekraczanie granicy Romom i Romkom tylko na podstawie ich wyglądu.

"Znamy pozytywne historie o ciepło przyjętych ludziach, którym udzielono pomocy. Z drugiej strony słyszymy coś zupełnie odwrotnego. Wnioskuję, że na traktowanie Romów gorzej ma wpływ ich sytuacja ekonomiczna oraz wygląd. Ci, którzy nie mają "typowo romskiego wyglądu", oraz mają ze sobą pieniądze i tym samym nie zdani na łaskę pomagających - mają lepsze doświadczenia" - mówi OKO.press. Dodaje, że takie sytuacje - rzecz jasna - mają miejsce nie tylko w Polsce, ale też np. w Słowacji.

Julian Kondur i inni romscy aktywiści, którzy zostali w Ukrainie organizują zbiórki pieniężne, ewakuacje, dbają o gorące posiłki w Charkowie czy Lwowie. Zapewniają wsparcie nie tylko Romom, ale także nieromskim żołnierzom ukraińskim. "Udzielamy pomocy wszystkim potrzebującym. Chcemy też pokazać naszemu rządowi, że jesteśmy gotowi, by współpracować w zakresie ochrony mniejszości w Ukrainie".

Nie tylko Romowie

Joanna Talewicz nazywa dyskryminację "czymś niedostrzegalnym pod płaszczykiem równych szans".

"Przez większość swojego życia nie zdawałam sobie sprawy, co to znaczy dorastać w społeczeństwie, gdzie jest społeczne przyzwolenie na mówienie w tak negatywny sposób o grupie, której jest się częścią.

Gdy byłam jeszcze uczennicą i odwiedzałam koleżanki, zawsze pilnowałam, żeby nic się nie zgubiło, bo wiedziałam, że wtedy będą mnie podejrzewać o kradzież. Ale pokolenia się zmieniają, a nasza sytuacja nie. A w ostatnich latach znów znaleźliśmy się w regresie pod względem narracji o inności i wielokulturowości"

- mówi.

Sposób, w jaki przyjmujemy romskich uchodźców i uchodźczynie zdaje się potwierdzać to, co obserwujemy na granicy polsko-białoruskiej. Wiele wskazuje na to, że to kolor skóry i pochodzenie świadczy o tym, komu zostanie udzielona pomoc i kto będzie mógł poczuć się w Polsce bezpiecznie.

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Romowie z Ukrainy traktowani jak uchodźcy drugiej kategorii. „Słyszymy: tych ludzi nie przyjmujemy"

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Olena Vaidalovych jest działaczką na rzecz praw człowieka, prawniczką i ukraińską Romką. Wraz z rodziną uciekła przed wojną. Od wolontariuszy pracujących na granicach i w punktach recepcyjnych słyszała, że kobiety i dzieci pochodzenia ukraińskiego są przepuszczane w pierwszej kolejności, a inne narodowości i mniejszości - później.

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Volunteers chase away Ukrainian Roma. "Because they will trade food and clothes like frying pans".

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Volunteers chase away Ukrainian Roma. "Because they will trade food and clothes like frying pans".

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Aby czytać nasze artykuły wyłącz AdBlocka/uBlocka lub dodaj wyjątek dla naszej domeny.

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Romani mothers and children groundlessly prevented from leaving Ukraine three times before finally crossing into Hungary

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Romani mothers and children groundlessly prevented from leaving Ukraine three times before finally crossing into Hungary

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report of the ERRC about this case: http://www.errc.org/news/romani-family-denied-exit-from-ukraine-border-guards-accuse-roma-of-wrongdoings-in-hungary

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Romani mothers and children groundlessly prevented from leaving Ukraine three times before finally crossing into Hungary - Romea.cz

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EXCLUSIVE TO ROMEA TV: Interview with Romani soldiers serving in the Army of Ukraine at the front

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EXCLUSIVE TO ROMEA TV: Interview with Romani soldiers serving in the Army of Ukraine at the front

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A group of Romani soldiers has been serving on the front line of the Russo-Ukrainian war for two weeks now. They all come from the same town and now, like other Romani people in Ukraine, they have volunteered to defend their country from the barbaric attack being perpetrated by the Army of Russia.

"We get up at 4 or 5 AM, whenever necessary. There are days we don't sleep," one Romani soldier from the Army of Ukraine says in this exclusive interview with ROMEA TV.

According to him, the Roma are not afraid on the front line. "What's to fear now? We knew where we were going. The main thing is for our families to be ok," he told ROMEA TV.

These soldiers are not the only Romani people defending Ukraine from the Russian aggressor. "The young Roma have gone to fight in the Donbas, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Odessa or Kherson. They are also defending Kyiv," Myroslav Horvat, a Romani activist from Uzhhorod, Ukraine, said in an earlier interview for ROMEA TV.

Russia attacked Ukraine in the early morning hours of 24 February 2022. The attack is the biggest by one state against another in Europe since World War II.

More than a month since the Russian attack began, upwards of 3.8 million Ukrainians have fled into the European Union, of whom more than two million have found refuge in Poland. Among other countries in the region, the Czech Republic, where there are already around 300 000 refugees from Ukraine, is one of those most involved with their reception.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assesses the current overall situation as tense in Ukraine, despite the partial successes of the Army of Ukraine in recent days. According to him, the Ukrainian defenders have managed to push Russian troops out of the city of Irpin near Kyiv, but fighting continues in other parts of the country.

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EXCLUSIVE TO ROMEA TV: Interview with Romani soldiers serving in the Army of Ukraine at the front

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A group of Romani soldiers has been serving on the front line of the Russo-Ukrainian war for two weeks now. They all come from the same town and now, like other Romani people in Ukraine, they have volunteered to defend their country from the barbaric attack being perpetrated by the Army of Russia.

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Romani family denied exit from Ukraine: border guards accuse Roma of “wrongdoings” in Hungary

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Romani family denied exit from Ukraine: border guards accuse Roma of “wrongdoings” in Hungary

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Romani family denied exit from Ukraine: border guards accuse Roma of “wrongdoings” in Hungary - European Roma Rights Centre

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By Jonathan Lee A 52-year-old Romani mother and her two children have been repeatedly denied exit from Ukraine ...

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Ukranian Roma: discriminated before and during the war (in Spanish)

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Ukranian Roma: discriminated before and during the war (in Spanish)

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https://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional/20220325/8149202/racismo-belico-doble-vulnerabilidad-sufren-gitanos-ucrania.html?fbclid=IwAR3C7TwW19Kcx6X_NeptWfvxkDJIVYybVaHe0yny9MhGDfDLvaXSRckounc

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Conductores de autobuses de la República Checa esperan en la frontera para recibir a los refugiados de Ucrania. Se niegan a que suban los gitanos, madres y niños romaníes que también son ucranianos y se encuentran atrapados entre la guerra y una discriminación histórica. "Solo están intentando aprovecharse", son las declaraciones que, según Romea.cz, ofrecen estos conductores que hablan de "refugiados reales" para referirse al resto de ucranianos que no son gitanos.

Béla Rácz, miembro de la Conferencia Permanente Gitana (organización húngara que se ocupa de esta minoría en el país) y que ayuda a los refugiados romaníes que van a la ciudad fronteriza de Zahony, ofrece un testimonio similar: los refugiados llegan en autobuses distintos, "en unos los gitanos y en otros los "gadchés", una forma de traslado dispuesta por la policía ucraniana, a lo que añade que "las madres gitanas son controladas por la policía húngara muchas veces, pero las madres no gitanas, no".

La segregación en el transporte no es el único problema con el que se encuentran algunos de los gitanos ucranianos en las fronteras. Como indican desde la Unión del Pueblo Romaní, "los gitanos y gitanas son agredidos físicamente en los pasos fronterizos" y se enfrentan a una "mayor espera en las colas bajo las inclemencias del tiempo".

En un testimonio recogido por Al Jazeera, Cristina, una mujer romaní de 41 años que fue trasladada al centro deportivo Manej Arena en Chisinau, Moldavia, cuenta cómo lo ha perdido todo después de que las bombas rusas destrozaran su casa en la ciudad de Járkiv. Al huir del país, explica que, antes de cruzar la frontera, tuvo que "pasar cuatro días esperando a la intemperie, sin nada de comida o agua". Zeljko Jovanovic, director de la Oficina de Iniciativas Romaní de la Open Society, también ha denunciado esta discriminación en las fronteras.

Jaroslav Miko, camionero y activista, cuenta en declaraciones a Romea TV que además, en los pasos fronterizos, "hay algunos voluntarios que no quieren ayudar a las familias romaníes".

Sobre el alojamiento en los países de acogida, desde el Centro Europeo de Derechos de los Gitanos (ERCC por sus siglas en inglés), indican que las familias romaníes son "étnicamente segregadas en los centros de recepción". Un caso ilustrativo es el del centro deportivo Manej Arena donde, además de Cristina, en torno a 600 refugiados romaníes han sido separados del resto y tienen que hacer frente "a la falta de comida, ropa caliente o medicinas".

La política que está siguiendo Moldavia, según el ERCC, es la de "traer autobuses llenos de minorías étnicas desde la frontera con Ucrania, alojarlos en centros étnicamente segregados (a menudo en malas condiciones) y trasladarlos a la próxima frontera lo más rápido posible".

Además, el ERCC añade que, "a menudo, los romaníes son enviados a la frontera sin ser informados sobre cómo funciona el proceso migratorio y a muchos se les rechaza por no tener la documentación adecuada".

No todos pueden irse. A la falta de información y documentación hay que añadirle, como indica Ana Segovia, directora del Departamento de Incidencia Social de la Fundación Secretariado Gitano, que muchos "se quedan en Ucrania porque no tienen medios para salir de sus entornos".

La población romaní constituye la mayor minoría étnica de Europa con una cifra de entre 10 y 12 millones de ciudadanos. En Ucrania, según un censo realizado por el Consejo de Europa en 2001, hay 47587 gitanos y gitanas. Aun así, de acuerdo con organizaciones civiles e internacionales, la cifra estaría, a día de hoy, en torno a los 400.000. Aunque algunos están bien integrados en la sociedad ucraniana, muchos tienen que hacer frente a grandes niveles de pobreza y discriminación, sobre todo los que se encuentran en la región de Transcarpatia, al oeste del país. "Es una población que está expuesta a situaciones de discriminación estructural muy grande", explica Segovia.

Más de 3,5 millones de personas han abandonado Ucrania desde que comenzara la invasión rusa el pasado 24 de febrero. La respuesta europea ha sido uniforme y países como Polonia, Hungría, República Checa o Eslovaquia los han recibido como a hermanos, desplegando todos los esfuerzos posibles. Pero no ha sido así para todos: algunos refugiados ucranianos gitanos, al igual que los estudiantes nigerianos o indios que huían de la guerra, son discriminados cuando cruzan la frontera y también en su país y en aquellos que los reciben. La mayoría son mujeres y niños, ya que a los hombres -sean romaníes o no- de entre 18 y 60 años, se les ha prohibido la salida del país y han tenido que quedarse a luchar.

En 2018, la violencia contra la comunidad romaní ucraniana se intensificó. Desde este año, según datos de la Comisión de Seguridad y Cooperación en Europa, se han producido ocho ataques a asentamientos gitanos en Ucrania con más de 150 víctimas.

Como cuenta la doctora y experta en el tema, Lucie Fremlova, el pasado 17 de octubre, "aproximadamente 50 radicales de extrema derecha fueron de puerta en puerta en la ciudad ucraniana de Irpin, coreando consignas de odio y llamando a la violencia contra los residentes romaníes locales; algunos llevaban antorchas. Pintaron con aerosol consignas de incitación al odio en la valla de una casa que pertenecía a una familia romaní".

En los últimos días, han aparecido en redes sociales y otros medios, fotografías que muestran a personas o familias en Lviv atadas a postes o farolas con cinta adhesiva y con la cara pintada de verde. Muchos denuncian que son familias gitanas que están siendo atacadas por ultranacionalistas ucranianos; otros dicen que todo es parte de la estrategia de propaganda de Putin para evidenciar que hay nazis en Ucrania y justificar su invasión.

Sea como sea, la comunidad gitana de Ucrania -y de otros países de Europa del Este- lleva años siendo marginada, desde el siglo XV (primera vez que se registra la presencia de gitanos en la zona), pasando por la esclavitud sufrida durante la época del Imperio Ruso o la criminalización con la que tuvieron que lidiar durante el orden soviético.

Ahora, además de con los bombaredos y la destrucción, tienen que lidiar con un racismo bélico, un racismo que se esconde detrás de la ilusión de impunidad que trae consigo la guerra.

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Gitanos de Ucrania: marginados antes y durante la guerra

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Conductores de autobuses de la República Checa esperan en la frontera para recibir a los refugiados de Ucrania. Se niegan a que suban los gitanos, madres y niños romaníes que también son ucranianos y se encuentran atrapados entre la guerra y una discriminación histórica.

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Ukrainian Roma war refugees seek refuge in Freiburg (south Germany)

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Ukrainian Roma war refugees seek refuge in Freiburg (south Germany)

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In Freiburg sind jüngst mehrere schwer traumatisierte Kriegsflüchtlinge der Roma-Minderheit angekommen, darunter auch Holocaustüberlebende. Jetzt wird dringend Wohnraum gesucht.

Es herrscht reger Betrieb im Roma-Büro in Freiburg. Im Versammlungsraum ist ein Matratzenlager aufgebaut, Kinder spielen dort, Frauen unterhalten sich. Seit dem Wochenende beherbergt die Selbsthilfeorganisation für Roma-Kriegsflüchtlinge aus dem ehemaligen Jugoslawien eine neunköpfige ukrainische Familie in ihren Räumlichkeiten.

Erstversorgung in der Not

Was hätte er am Sonntagmorgen, als sie in Freiburg angekommen sind, anderes machen sollen, sagt Büroleiter Tomas Wald. Er hätte sie ja schlecht in den Park schicken können. Also räumte er mit anderen Vereinsmitgliedern das Büro um und organisierte schnell Matratzen und Verpflegung für die erschöpfte Familie, die zwei Wochen auf der Flucht war. Die Erstversorgung ist jetzt zwar gesichert, die Lage sei aber immer noch sehr unübersichtlich.

"Wir haben es geschafft, einen sicheren Ort zu schaffen. Aber wir leben noch von Tag zu Tag. Wir können nur schauen, was heute oder in den nächsten zwei Stunden ansteht."

Roma-Büro: klein aber sicher

Das Roma-Büro ist etwas klein für so viele Menschen. Aber es gibt ein Bad und eine Küche sowie zwei Zimmer zum Schlafen und Ausruhen. Ludmilla ist sehr dankbar, dass sie mit ihrer Tochter und ihren Verwandten hier ein Obdach gefunden hat und in Sicherheit ist. "Mir geht's gut", sagt sie bei einer Besprechung am Küchentisch. Die 40-Jährige ist dennoch besorgt, denn ihr Sohn musste in der Ukraine bleiben.

Heimatstadt im umkämpften Osten ist zerstört

Ludmillas Neffe hatte mehr Glück. Der 29 Jahre alte Arthur hat fünf Kinder - zwölf Jahre ist das älteste, gerade mal 10 Monate das jüngste. Deshalb durfte er die Ukraine verlassen. Ab dem vierten Kind entfällt die Wehrpflicht. Die Großfamilie kommt aus dem stark umkämpften Osten. Dort, so erzählt Arthur und zeigt das Handyfoto eines Trümmerfeldes, sei nun alles zerstört.

"Zwei Kilometer von unserem Haus schlugen die Bomben ein, stundenlang. Deshalb sind wir so schnell wie möglich abgehauen und haben uns vier Tage in einem Bunker versteckt. Dort sind die Kinder krank geworden. Später haben die Russen diesen Bunker auch bombardiert."

Arthur, ukrainischer Romaflüchtling

Es folgten weitere angsterfüllte Tage in der U-Bahn von Charkiw, bevor die Familie mit dem Zug an die polnische Grenze fahren konnte. Die Fahrt dauerte 18 Stunden, zwei Scheiben Brot war ihr einziger Proviant. In Polen brachten Roma-Aktivisten sie zu einem Bus nach Freiburg. Der Transport hatte zuvor Hilfsgüter geliefert und nahm auf dem Rückweg Flüchtlinge mit. Das Hilfe-Netzwerk funktioniere gut, so Tomas Wald, der die Familie dann in Freiburg in Empfang nahm.

Schwierige Situation für beide Seiten

Die Kriegsflüchtlinge seien sehr verängstigt und orientierungslos gewesen, berichtet Wald. Sie hätten zunächst kein Vertrauen gehabt. Für ihn und die anderen Helfer, die unter anderem den Kosowo-Krieg erlebt hätten, sei das emotional eine sehr schwierige Situation. Bei ihnen komme dadurch das Trauma zurück - sie würden das, was vor 20, 30 Jahren passiert sei, jetzt wiedererleben. Das Ankommen, Einleben und Helfen überdecke die Ängste der Roma-Kriegsflüchtlinge von damals und heute. Die Nerven liegen aber bei allen blank.

"Das Eis ist ganz dünn: Wenn man einen Hubschrauber hört, denkt man gleich, die Detonation geht los."

SWR Gabi Krings

Tomas Wald sucht nun händeringend nach Unterkünften: für die neunköpfige Großfamilie und auch für die vielen anderen Roma-Kriegsflüchtlinge, die noch kommen werden. "Wir brauchen dringend großen Wohnraum wie leerstehende Gasthäuser oder verlassene Bauernhöfe. Wir brauchen größere Orte, wo sie zusammenbleiben können. Denn für Angehörige der Roma-Minderheit ist der Familienzusammenhalt das wichtigste."

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In Freiburg sind jüngst mehrere schwer traumatisierte Kriegsflüchtlinge der Roma-Minderheit angekommen, darunter auch Holocaustüberlebende. Jetzt wird dringend Wohnraum gesucht. Es herrscht reger Betrieb im Roma-Büro in Freiburg. Im Versammlungsraum ist ein Matratzenlager aufgebaut, Kinder spielen dort, Frauen unterhalten sich. Seit dem Wochenende beherbergt die Selbsthilfeorganisation für Roma-Kriegsflüchtlinge aus dem ehemaligen Jugoslawien eine neunköpfige ukrainische Familie in ihren Räumlichkeiten.

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Roma fleeing war find themselves in the lowest circle of refugee hell

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Roma fleeing war find themselves in the lowest circle of refugee hell

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Shortly after the war broke out, two Roma women and eight children arrived. The eldest crossed the border barefoot. They were not registered. It is not known what happened to them. They disappeared," says Dr. Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska, who has been involved in supporting the Roma community for two decades, president of the Stronę Dialogu Foundation and co-founder of the Poland-Roma-Ukraine Facebook group.

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O jak licznej grupie mówimy?

- Według różnych szacunków na Ukrainie żyło przed napaścią Putina od 120 do 400 tys. Romów, ale te liczby mogą być zaniżone. Do samej Warszawy przybywa każdego dnia kilkudziesięciu nowych uchodźców romskiego pochodzenia. Gdy wysiadają z pociągu czy autokaru, raczej trudno się spodziewać, że do gromadki Romów ktoś podejdzie. Zaoferuje nocleg. Jestem jedną z tych wielu osób, do których dzwonią wolontariusze i mówią: „Mamy grupę romską, przyjedźcie po nich jak najszybciej". Każdego dnia i każdej nocy odbieram takie telefony.

Czy przybywający do Polski ukraińscy Romowie jadą dalej?

- Taką przyjęliśmy strategię. Poprzez kontakty z organizacjami oraz osobiste przyjaźnie próbujemy znaleźć dla nich miejsce w Niemczech, Szwajcarii, Hiszpanii, Norwegii, Szwecji... To są bardzo skomplikowane logistycznie operacje. Jednej nocy dostałam telefon, że pięć romskich kobiet i 13 dzieci w wieku od 2 do 12 lat stoi w nocy na zimnie. Poprosiłam o pomoc studentów, bo pracuję na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim w Instytucie Etnologii i Antropologii Kultury. Przyjechali swoimi samochodami. Potem znaleźliśmy im bezpieczny dom w Niemczech. Gdy wsadziliśmy tę grupę do busa, jeszcze tej samej nocy dostałam informację, że na Dworcu Centralnym są kolejne romskie matki z dziećmi przebywające w podróży od czterech dni. One już były w Niemczech, ale nic tam nie znalazły i wróciły do Polski. Chcą wracać na Ukrainę. Nie byliśmy w stanie ich przekonać. Następnego dnia już ich nie było.

Straciliście z nimi kontakt?

- To się niestety zdarza. Tak się zresztą zaczęło. Bardzo tragicznie. Na samym początku, zaraz po wybuchu wojny przybyły dwie romskie kobiety i ośmioro dzieci. Najstarsza przeszła granicę na bosaka. Po polskiej stronie ktoś dał jej buty. Gdy dostaliśmy informację, od razu zaczęliśmy kombinować dla nich transport i dach nad głową. Znalazło się miejsce u cudownego księdza Mietka na plebanii, ale nie dotarli do niego. Ostatni raz widziano te kobiety i dzieci w punkcie przyjmowania uchodźców w Centrum Kultury w Lublinie na ulicy Peowiaków. Nie zostali zarejestrowani. Nie wiadomo, co się z nimi stało. Zniknęli. Nie ma nocy, żebym o nich nie myślała. To był pierwszy sygnał, że jeśli uchodźcami są Romowie, to może być trudno.

Złożyliście zawiadomienie o zaginięciu?

- Tak, zajęli się tym wspaniali prawnicy, pracujący pro publico bono, ale to szukanie igły w stogu siana. Romowie są najłatwiejszym kąskiem do zniknięcia. Nie mamy swojego państwa, swojej ambasady, nie ma kto o nas walczyć. Raz zadzwoniła do mnie wolontariuszka, która poznała mnie na wykładzie i stąd miała kontakt. Mówi, że jest u nich Romka mająca chyba problem psychiczny, albo będąca w szoku, nie ma z nią kontaktu. Towarzyszy jej dwójka dzieci. Dzieci zdane na siebie. Musimy szybko coś zrobić, bo zaraz wywalą ich z ośrodka. Więc robimy, znajdujemy miejscówkę, wysyłamy transport, ale kobiety już nie ma. Podobno przewieziono ją do innego punktu dla uchodźców, ale do którego nie wiadomo. W dokumentach nie ma po niej śladu. I chwilę po tym kolejny telefon z prośbą o zabranie kobiety w zaawansowanej ciąży, która chodzi w kółko bez celu. A kto z nich ma cel? Jedziemy po tę ciężarną i jej też już nie ma. Nie chcę pisać najgorszych scenariuszy, jednak na wojnie ludzie giną nie tylko od kul.

Mówi pani o handlu ludźmi?

- Każdy kryzys uchodźczy to tysiące ofiar. Gdy teraz dostaję prośby o zorganizowanie przeszkolenia dla wolontariuszy, to rozkładam ręce. Nie odrobię przez weekend lekcji kilkuset lat stereotypów i uprzedzeń.

Czytaj też: Porwania romskich dziewczynek. "Błagała, bym chronił jej córkę"

Jakich stereotypów?

- Że jeśli Cyganie, to kradną. Nawet prezydent Andrzej Duda powiela twitta o tym, że „chersońscy Romowie ukradli czołg", to nam nie pomaga. Chersońscy Romowie są Ukraińcami walczącymi w tej wojnie, ale gdy próbują zatrzymać wroga, to nie przejmują czołgu, nie odbijają go, tylko kradną. Takie żarty przekładają się w ośrodkach dla uchodźców na postrzeganie romskich matek jako złodziejek. Ciągle słyszę, że biorą za dużo leków, za dużo jedzenia, za dużo ubrań, że to na handel. Czy widział ktoś Romkę handlującą na ulicy używanymi ubraniami?

Nie chcę wyłącznie narzekać, bo w Polsce dzieje się teraz wiele dobra, ale to nie jest tak, że przyjechały wyłącznie wdzięczne, ukraińskie matki. Przyjechali ludzie, którym wojna zabrała całe dotychczasowe życie. Bezradność, szok, trauma, płacz. Mężowie zostawieni może na śmierć. Dzieci krzyczące, bo po wielodniowej podróży bez mycia większość ma odparzone w pieluchach pupy.

Czytaj też: Polacy i Romowie: Ściana nienawiści

Na ile te sterotypy są barierą w niesieniu pomocy dla uchodźców romskiego pochodzenia?

- Sytuacja jest bardzo dynamiczna i teraz zdarzają się sytuacje, że Romów nie wpuszcza się do ośrodków recepcyjnych w Warszawie. Argument: w jednym z ośrodków jest 150-osobowa grupa romska, która jest agresywna. Albo jest grupa, która została rozpoznana jako szajka złodziei. Efekt: nie wpuszczamy Romów w ogóle, bo napięcia będą większe. Zbiorową odpowiedzialność ponoszą niewinne kobiety, które lądują na ulicy. Są wyrzucane z dworców pod pretekstem, że zdarzają się kradzieże. Tego typu napięć jest coraz więcej. Prawda jest taka, że przyjeżdżają różni ludzie, w tym różni Romowie. Zapewne złodzieje i awanturnicy również. Zdarza się, że zostajemy z ludźmi na ulicy w środku nocy i szukamy pomocy, odbijając się od drzwi.

Czy akty przemocy wobec społeczności romskiej zdarzały się w Polsce w ostatnich latach?

- Napięcia w ośrodkach między Ukraińcami romskiego i nieromskiego pochodzenia mają swoje podłoże także w trudnych relacjach między tymi społecznościami w przeszłości. W 2018 r. doszło do eskalacji przemocy wobec Romów (agresja fizyczna, podpalenia, ataki na miejsca zamieszkiwane przez Romów, pogromy). Zadźgano także kobietę romską w regionie Zakarpacia, zabito 24-letniego mężczyznę, dotkliwie pobito kobietę i dziecko. Ataków dokonywały m.in. grupy neonazistowskie lub sąsiedzi (tak było np. we Lwowie) burmistrzowie wyrzucali Romów z różnych miejscowości. Powodem było oskarżenie Roma o zabicie 9-letniej dziewczynki. Odpowiedzialność poniosła cała społeczność. Wspominam o tym, ponieważ to wszystko jest żywe i przenosi się na relacje osób, które są w ośrodkach. Te napięcia są coraz bardziej widoczne.

Wiele osób podkreśla, że pospolite ruszenie w niesieniu pomocy dla ukraińskich uchodźców to zasługa wyłącznie ludzi dobrej woli, fundacji, samorządów, ale nie instytucji państwa czy wielkich organizacji międzynarodowych. Czy pani doświadczenia są podobne?

- W Warszawie jest siedziba ODIHR - Biura Instytucji Demokratycznych i Praw Człowieka OBWE. A w niej Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues - najważniejsza struktura do spraw Romów w tej potężnej międzynarodowej organizacji. Zdarzyło się, że osoba z ODHIR powiedziała mi, że na ten moment nie mogą w żaden sposób pomóc. Żadnego transportu ani wsparcia. Więc ja pytam: gdzie są ci wszyscy urzędnicy z pensjami po tysiące euro, gdy my z własnej kieszeni płacimy za busy?

Może pora zlikwidować międzynarodowe molochy typu OBWE czy ONZ?

- Gdy zadzwoniono do mnie z prośbą o przekazywanie informacji na temat aktów rasizmu i ksenofobii podczas tego exodusu uchodźczego, odparłam, że to bardzo ważne oczywiście, ale teraz próbuję gasić pożar i ratować ludzkie życie. I nie mam czasu na monitorowanie aktów rasizmu. Bo to, co najlepiej udaje się wielkim organizacjom międzynarodowym, zwłaszcza w sprawie Romów, to pisanie raportów.

Jest pani rozczarowana?

- Raczej zmęczona. Najpierw byłam małym, romskim dzieckiem, jedynym, które zostało w Oświęcimiu po pogromie w 1981 r. Zostałam z mamą i babcią. Potem mieszkałam w Bieruniu, ale do szkoły dojeżdżałam do Oświęcimia. Byłam tym innym kwiatkiem w bukiecie jednolitych fiołków. A to wcale nie jest łatwe. Dlatego w nowej Polsce, po 1989 r., wydawało mi się, że może być już tylko lepiej. Mój kraj się zmienia i zawsze do niego wracałam, ze studiów i stypendiów w Nowym Jorku. A dziś myślę, że jeśli skończy się ta wojna, to przestanę walczyć. Bo my całe życie musimy walczyć. O miejsce w społeczeństwie, o pamięć dla romskich ofiar w historii, o uchodźców romskiego pochodzenia też. Gdy jednej z grup powiedziałam, że mam dla nich już dom i do ośrodka przyjedzie po nich bus, to czekali na zewnątrz cztery godziny. Z dziećmi, z torbami, na zimnie. Dlaczego nie w środku? - zapytałam. A oni, że tak się cieszą, że stąd pojadą i że musieli pilnować, aby czasem tego busa nie przegapić.

Czytaj również: „My, Romowie, żyjemy tu dłużej niż niektóre góralskie rody"

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Romowie uciekający przed wojną trafiają do najniższego kręgu uchodźczego piekła

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Według różnych szacunków na Ukrainie żyło przed napaścią Putina od 120 do 400 tys. Romów, ale te liczby mogą być zaniżone. Do samej Warszawy przybywa każdego dnia kilkudziesięciu nowych uchodźców romskiego pochodzenia. Gdy wysiadają z pociągu czy autokaru, raczej trudno się spodziewać, że do gromadki Romów ktoś podejdzie. Zaoferuje nocleg.

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TV reportage that addresses also the situation of Roma

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Heimat Fremde Heimat vom 20.03.2022 um 13:32 Uhr

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Nachrichten, Magazine, Dokumentationen, Diskussionen, Kultur, Sport, Shows, Comedys, Filme, Serien, Regional- und Kindersendungen: Die Videoplattform ORF-TVthek bietet mehr als 200 ORF-TV-Sendungen als Livestream und Video-on-Demand an. Die Videoarchive erlauben zudem einen Blick ins ORF-Archiv zu zeit- und kulturgeschichtlichen Themen.

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From your safe location, you can buy lunch (or several of them) for someone in Ukraine right now.

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Romani Ukrainian refugees leave Czech Republic for Germany, say local teenagers assaulted their children with glass bottles and accommodation manager attacked a little boy

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Romani Ukrainian refugees leave Czech Republic for Germany, say local teenagers assaulted their children with glass bottles and accommodation manager attacked a little boy

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Romani Ukrainian refugees leave Czech Republic for Germany, say local teenagers assaulted their children with glass bottles and accommodation manager attacked a little boy - Romea.cz

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Romani Ukrainian refugees leave Czech Republic for Germany, say local teenagers assaulted their children with glass bottles and accommodation manager attacked a little boy

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Romani Ukrainian refugees leave Czech Republic for Germany, say local teenagers assaulted their children with glass bottles and accommodation manager attacked a little boy

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Romani Ukrainian refugees leave Czech Republic for Germany, say local teenagers assaulted their children with glass bottles and accommodation manager attacked a little boy - Romea.cz

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EU Countries Start Implementing Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians

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EU Countries Start Implementing Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians

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Over three million Ukrainians have fled the war up to this point due to Russia's full-scale invasion, while the number is expected to increase in the following weeks.

Due to the current situation in Ukraine, European countries, especially Ukraine's neighbouring countries, have opened their doors welcoming a large number of migrants, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

In order to help the refugees in Ukraine, the European Commission previously announced that it would activate the Temporary Protection Directive, which aims to help refugees to stay for at least one year in one country and also have access to the labour market and education.

Such a mechanism attempts to provide immediate protection for displaced Ukrainians who cannot return to their home country due to the war.

In addition, the temporary protection directive also offers protection to non-Ukrainian citizens who are ineligible to return to their country of origin.

"Others who are legally present in Ukraine for a short-term and are able to return safely to their country of origin will fall outside the scope of this protection. Nevertheless, they should be allowed access to the EU to transit prior to returning to their countries of origin," the statement clarified.

As soon as the EU proposed to activate such mechanism, the block's member states have started to rapidly implement this directive, providing more information for persons who can benefit from this mechanism as well as the conditions and documents they need to have in order to be eligible to be granted residence permits and also have access to the education as well as labour market.

The following countries have provided more specific information regarding the requirements that Ukrainian refugees need to meet so they can benefit from this scheme:

Austria

Ukrainian citizens are eligible to apply for the temporary protection status in this country, including those who hold Ukraine-issued international protection status as well as their family members.

Citizens of Ukraine interested in granting such status will likely be required to submit photographic identification documents and proof of legal residence status in Ukraine and proof of residence in this country before February 24, even though the requirements are not yet officially published.

France

At present, Ukrainian citizens are eligible to apply for temporary protection in France, as well as stateless persons who benefit from protection in Ukraine, together with their family members.

Applicants must be residents in Ukraine before February 24. However, such scope may be extended by authorities in France in the near future.

In order to apply for Temporary Protection in France, applicants must submit photographic identification documents as well as other documents which confirm the civil status as well as detailed information regarding conditions of entry and arrival in France.

Regarding the family members, they must submit proof of the family relationship, such as marriage or birth certificate.

Denmark

Even though Denmark does not offer such a scheme, it soon plans to introduce a similar status through national legislation.

Authorities in Denmark have introduced the Special Act Status through which citizens of Ukraine, as well as those who hold Ukraine's refugee status, before February 24.

In order to apply for such a scheme, interested persons are required to schedule an appointment and complete forms online. Then they will be required to apply in person at the Immigration Services Citizens centre without being required to pay for a fee.

Hungary

The Temporary Protection status is also eligible in Hungary for Ukrainian citizens as well as spouses and minor children in Ukraine before February 24.

Applicants must submit photographic identification documents and proof of residence in Ukraine before February 24.

Upon their arrival, applicants are required to register at the National Directorate General of Aliens Policing (OIF) or at the temporary offices at the border and also file an application for protective status.

Once completing the registration process, persons can file an application for temporary registration officers near the border.

Belgium

Authorities in Belgium have also introduced the Temporary Protection status, which permits Ukrainian refugees to apply for such a scheme.

All Ukrainian nationals residing in Ukraine, as well as third-country nationals or stateless persons who enjoy protection in Ukraine together with their family members, are eligible to apply for temporary protection in Belgium.

Ukrainians interested in temporary protection must register to the registration centre in order to submit an application for temporary protection together with identity documents.

In case persons possess the certificate of temporary protection and their residence is located in Brussels, they can head to the Administrative Centre of Brussels, provided they hold the certificate mentioned above, proof of identity, and 10 euros in order to request the registration.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria has an agreement on visa-free travel with Ukraine, which permits the latter's citizens to enter Bulgaria by only presenting a biometric passport and remaining in this Balkan country for up to 90 days.

Due to Russia's attack on Ukraine on February 24, Ukrainians were automatically eligible to seek protection in Bulgaria.

Citizens of Ukraine fleeing the war are eligible to be granted temporary protection for a period of one year, which can be further extended by two-six-month periods for a minimum of one year.

However, the rules for registering people under such a scheme have not yet been announced; therefore, Ukrainians are advised to wait for detailed information to be published rather than submitting an asylum application in the territorial divisions of the State Agency for Refugees (SAR).

Croatia

Authorities in Croatia have also provided detailed information regarding the temporary protection directive, which has been activated, following the proposal of the Commission of the European Union. The EU directive permits Ukrainian refugees to stay in Croatia and gain specific benefits without being required to apply for international protection.

In this regard, Croatia's Directorate of Civil Protection introduced a leaflet that provides detailed information to Ukrainians planning to enter Croatia. The leaflet is available in both Croatian and Ukrainian languages.

Citizens from Ukraine who reach Croatia's borders are required to present a passport or an ID card. That is all the documentation needed in order to enter Croatia. In this regard, police officers at the borders will give instructions on what to do next.

Ukrainians who meet such requirements must then register with the Croatian Red Cross.

Croatia's Ministry of Interior is responsible for the reception of Ukrainian refugees who meet the requirements for granting protection as well as for deciding on the requests filed for international protection.

Latvia

Authorities in Latvia have also announced that the temporary protection status is eligible to citizens from Ukraine as well as third-country citizen residents in Ukraine who are ineligible to return to their home countries, including spouses, as well as minor children resident in Ukraine on or before February 24.

Once reaching the Baltic country, applicants are required to apply in-person at the country's Latvia Migration Authority; however, formal processes have not been published yet. Authorities in Latvia have announced that the processing times are not yet confirmed; however, approval is expected to happen immediately.

Malta

Malta's government has yet not implemented the EU Temporary Protection mechanism; however, detailed information in this regard will soon be provided, according to the country's authorities.

Czech Republic

Ukrainians who arrived in the Czech Republic on or after February 24 are eligible to apply for a long-term visa at the special contact points for refugees from Ukraine.

Authorities in the Czech Republic have clarified that Ukrainians residing in this country before February 24, within the visa-free scheme or on the Schengen visa, which will expire in two weeks, are required to apply for the special long-term visa at the regional office of the Asylum and Migration Policy Department of the Ministry of the Interior.

In order to apply for the special long-term visa, applicants must prepare the following documents:

Finland also offers temporary protection to citizens from Ukraine. In order to benefit from this status, applicants applying for temporary protection should be submitted to the police or a border control authority.

Ukrainian citizens who plan to apply for temporary protection can also fill out an application for international protection. If they have been granted temporary protection, the processing of asylum applications is suspended for as long as the residence permit they have been issued based on the temporary protection is valid.

Ireland

In order to benefit from the temporary protection, Ukrainians must meet the following requirements:

They have been residing in Ukraine before February 24

They are nationals of a third country or stateless persons who have benefited from international protection in Ukraine

"Temporary protection may also be extended to other people who were legally residing in Ukraine who cannot safely return to their country of origin, including nationals from non-EU countries or stateless persons. People who can safely return to their country of origin will be assisted to do so," the statement published by Ireland's government reads.

Netherlands

Following the example of other European Union countries, authorities in the Netherlands also have made the temporary protection directive eligible.

Ukrainians who meet the requirements introduced by authorities in the Netherlands can enjoy the following benefits:

Live in the Netherlands

Access to healthcare services

Be permitted to work or study

"Ukrainians with a biometric passport can stay in the Netherlands for 90 days during the visa-exempt term. Then you are allowed to stay in the Netherlands. You do not have to apply for asylum. You also do not have to extend your visa-exempt term or short-stay visa. There are no consequences if you stay longer in the Netherlands. You can also get a sleeping place in one of the reception centres of the municipalities," authorities in the Netherlands have clarified in this regard.

Norway

Norway's government has also introduced the scheme to offer temporary protection for a period of one year to Ukrainian citizens.

"This scheme primarily covers Ukrainian citizens who were resident in Ukraine until the war broke out. Applicants must provide proof of their identity and nationality, primarily by presenting a Ukrainian passport or ID card," the statement reads.

Poland

Authorities in Poland have also implemented new immigration measures for citizens of Ukraine fleeing their country because of the Russian invasion.

Following the law, citizens of Ukraine who left the country due to the war are allowed to remain in Poland until August 24, 2023, the country's authorities have confirmed. Non-Ukrainian spouses of Ukrainian citizens who reached Poland from Ukraine on or after February 24 can also benefit from such a rule.

However, authorities in Poland have clarified that Ukrainians who remain in Poland are eligible to cross the Poland-Ukraine border during this time, but they must not leave the country for one month in order to maintain the right to stay in this country.

Portugal

Authorities in Portugal have also announced that citizens of Ukraine are able to request for temporary protection in Portugal.

Portugal's Immigration and Border Service (SEF) has recently announced that it is launching an online platform in different languages for temporary protection from Ukrainian residents.

"The SEFforUkraine.sef.pt platform enables all Ukrainian citizens and their households, as well as any foreign citizen living in Ukraine, to make an online request for temporary protection of one year, extendable for two periods of six months," SEF pointed out in a press release.

Romania

Authorities in Romania have announced that they will implement legal provisions in order to facilitate procedures for refugees from Ukraine.

In this regard, Romania's government has already started drawing up draft laws related to the measures in order to provide protection as well as special assistance for Ukrainians.

In addition, authorities in Ukraine have announced that those who wish to work in Romania and who do not hold a work permit must conclude a full-time employment contract with a Romanian company for a period of at least nine months.

Spain

Spain's government announced that it launched the Temporary Protection mechanism on March 10, permitting displaced persons from Ukraine to apply and have easy temporary protection and have all the rights and permits of residence and work.

In this regard, authorities in Spain have announced that two ministerial orders have been approved, increasing the temporary protection and implementing the procedure for recognition of temporary protection for persons who have been affected by the war in Ukraine.

According to Spanish authorities, Ukrainian citizens who hold a biometric passport are not required to obtain a visa in order to reach Spain or Schengen Zone countries.

Applicants who do not hold a biometric passport or travel document are required to go to a consular post in a bordering country to Ukraine in order to have their situation reviewed, as reported by Fragomen.com.

Citizens of Ukraine who plan to apply for temporary protection are able to use a birth certificate or other valid document which proves they have been in Ukraine on or before February 24. Minors are eligible to use their birth certificates or a certificate that proves the family link or relationship with the persons who take care of the minor.

Sweden

Authorities in Sweden have also introduced the Temporary protection scheme, permitting citizens to apply for such a scheme.

"Ukrainian citizens with national biometric passports or Schengen visas can stay in Sweden for 90 days and do not need to contact the Swedish Migration Agency following entry as long as the 90 days have not passed," the statement reads.

In order to benefit from the mechanism, applicants are required to submit photographic identification documents and present proof which shows their legal residence in Ukraine before February 24.

Slovakia

Authorities in Slovenia previously announced that from March 14, citizens of Ukraine together with their families are permitted to file an application for protection in Slovakia, which can be completed electronically through online services of the Ministry of Interior.

Such a decision was confirmed through a statement published by the European Union Commission which said the online portal is available in Slovak, Ukrainian, and English.

"Although an in-person appointment with Slovakia's Border and Foreigner Police will still be necessary to finalise a person's temporary protection status, being able to complete the online data form in advance will significantly speed up the entire application process," the statement notes.

Recently the Commission of the European Union introduced operational guidelines of the directive in order to support the European Union Member States applying the mechanism.

Based on a press release published by the EU Commission, Ukrainian nationals will be eligible to move freely to the EU countries by using a 15-day visa obtained at the border, and secondary EU Member States do not impose financial penalties on carriers who are transporting persons who benefit from the temporary protection mechanism.

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EU Countries Start Implementing Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians - SchengenVisaInfo.com

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Over three million Ukrainians have fled the war up to this point due to Russia's full-scale invasion, while the number is expected to increase in the following weeks. Due to the current situation in Ukraine, European countries, especially Ukraine's neighbouring countries, have opened their doors welcoming a large number of migrants, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

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UNHCR warns of rising needs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, calls for cessation of hostilities

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UNHCR warns of rising needs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, calls for cessation of hostilities

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With more than 3.1 million refugees forced to flee Ukraine over the past three weeks, and millions internally displaced within the country, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning that humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially.

In addition to those who have had to flee, around 13 million people have been affected in the areas hardest hit by the war within Ukraine and are in need of humanitarian and protection assistance.

Many people remain trapped in areas of escalating conflict and, with essential services disrupted, are unable to meet their basic needs including food, water and medicines.

Humanitarian reports received from those areas are horrifying, and we continue to call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect for international humanitarian law, and appeal to neighbouring countries to continue keeping their borders open to those fleeing in search of safety.

As UNHCR has warned from the outset, the pace and magnitude of the internal displacement and refugee exodus from Ukraine, as well as resulting humanitarian needs, will only increase if the situation deteriorates.
In Ukraine:
The humanitarian situation in cities such as Mariupol and Sumy is extremely dire, with residents facing critical and potentially fatal shortages of food, water and medicines. UNHCR is closely tracking negotiations for safe passage and already has humanitarian cargo pre-positioned. We are ready to send critical supplies into Sumy as soon as conditions allow.

In Odessa, authorities have appealed for support for general food assistance to cover the needs of some 450,000 people in the city, as well as medicines. As of 17 March, a permanent consultation point for protection, legal, and social matters is functioning at the Odesa railway station where 600 to 800 individuals transit daily on their way from Mykolaiv to the western oblasts of Ukraine.

The humanitarian needs in eastern Ukraine are becoming even more urgent. More than 200,000 people are now without access to water across several localities in Donetsk oblast while the constant shelling in Luhansk region has destroyed 80 percent of some localities, leaving 97,800 families without power.

Targeted attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and lack of safe passage are increasing protection risks and posing serious threats to the lives of thousands of civilians. Vulnerable population groups - such as women and children, people with disabilities or with serious medical conditions, as well as older people and minority groups - are increasingly facing barriers in accessing critical services such as transportation, food, water, medicines, and emergency health care in impacted areas.

As part of the humanitarian response in Ukraine, and in close coordination with local authorities and other humanitarian agencies, we continue supporting the establishment of reception centres, delivering core relief items and emergency shelter and strengthening our support at border crossing points inside Ukraine. Protection services also remain of paramount importance, and we continue to facilitate access to legal aid, psychosocial support and other assistance to those most vulnerable.

UNHCR is launching a large-scale multi-purpose cash programme to help internally displaced people (IDPs), who fled their homes and left behind their belongings. This will help cover their basic needs like rent, food and hygiene items. Cash assistance allows people to make choices, prioritize their needs and boosts local providers. UNHCR started enrolling IDPs for its programme in Lviv on 17 March and will progressively expand to other cities and regions.
Outside Ukraine:
UNHCR staff on the ground undertake regular protection monitoring - at the main border crossing points, transit centers and reception centers and other locations where refugees pass or gather - to assess protection risks and assist the authorities in addressing them. As women and children constitute some 90 per cent of those who have fled Ukraine for neighbouring countries, UNHCR and other agencies have warned of increased risks of trafficking and exploitation. Given the very high protection risks, UNHCR and partners are disseminating key information and awareness raising messages to alert refugees of the risks of trafficking, exploitation and abuse.

We deployed Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Coordinators, gender and child protection experts to Poland, Moldova, Hungary, and Romania and have set up protection coordination structures with other partners and national authorities to ensure an efficient and coherent approach.

In response to the Ukraine emergency, UNHCR and UNICEF have agreed to jointly roll out the 'Blue Dots' in 6 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). Other countries may be added as the situation evolves and depending on the needs on the ground. The Blue Dots are one-stop-shops, and safe spaces which provide a minimum set of protection services for children, families and others with specific needs, in support of existing services and government efforts.

They aim to improve accessibility and standardization of services provided by different partners, as well as predictability through a recognizable label - the 'Blue Dot'. They have become a recognizable component of emergency assistance and a good example of inclusiveness in collaboration, where all service providers are welcomed to operate, provided the services meet relevant protection standards.

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UNHCR warns of rising needs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, calls for cessation of hostilities - UNHCR Nordic and Baltic Countries

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With more than 3.1 million refugees forced to flee Ukraine over the past three weeks, and millions internally displaced within the country, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning that humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially.

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UNHCR and UNICEF roll out the ‘Blue Dots’ (one-stop-shops and safe spaces for protection) in 6 countries (CZ, HU, MO, PL, RO, SK)

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UNHCR and UNICEF roll out the ‘Blue Dots’ (one-stop-shops and safe spaces for protection) in 6 countries (CZ, HU, MO, PL, RO, SK)

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In their effort to seek refuge to EU countries, Ukrainian Roma should also be informed of this important development and referred to services provided by these Blue Dots.
"In response to the Ukraine emergency, UNHCR and UNICEF have agreed to jointly roll out the ‘Blue Dots’ in 6 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). Other countries may be added as the situation evolves and depending on the needs on the ground.

The Blue Dots are one-stop-shops, and safe spaces which provide a minimum set of protection services for children, families and others with specific needs, in support of existing services and government efforts."

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With more than 3.1 million refugees forced to flee Ukraine over the past three weeks, and millions internally displaced within the country, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning that humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially.

In addition to those who have had to flee, around 13 million people have been affected in the areas hardest hit by the war within Ukraine and are in need of humanitarian and protection assistance.

Many people remain trapped in areas of escalating conflict and, with essential services disrupted, are unable to meet their basic needs including food, water and medicines.

Humanitarian reports received from those areas are horrifying, and we continue to call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect for international humanitarian law, and appeal to neighbouring countries to continue keeping their borders open to those fleeing in search of safety.

As UNHCR has warned from the outset, the pace and magnitude of the internal displacement and refugee exodus from Ukraine, as well as resulting humanitarian needs, will only increase if the situation deteriorates.
In Ukraine:
The humanitarian situation in cities such as Mariupol and Sumy is extremely dire, with residents facing critical and potentially fatal shortages of food, water and medicines. UNHCR is closely tracking negotiations for safe passage and already has humanitarian cargo pre-positioned. We are ready to send critical supplies into Sumy as soon as conditions allow.

In Odessa, authorities have appealed for support for general food assistance to cover the needs of some 450,000 people in the city, as well as medicines. As of 17 March, a permanent consultation point for protection, legal, and social matters is functioning at the Odesa railway station where 600 to 800 individuals transit daily on their way from Mykolaiv to the western oblasts of Ukraine.

The humanitarian needs in eastern Ukraine are becoming even more urgent. More than 200,000 people are now without access to water across several localities in Donetsk oblast while the constant shelling in Luhansk region has destroyed 80 percent of some localities, leaving 97,800 families without power.

Targeted attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and lack of safe passage are increasing protection risks and posing serious threats to the lives of thousands of civilians. Vulnerable population groups - such as women and children, people with disabilities or with serious medical conditions, as well as older people and minority groups - are increasingly facing barriers in accessing critical services such as transportation, food, water, medicines, and emergency health care in impacted areas.

As part of the humanitarian response in Ukraine, and in close coordination with local authorities and other humanitarian agencies, we continue supporting the establishment of reception centres, delivering core relief items and emergency shelter and strengthening our support at border crossing points inside Ukraine. Protection services also remain of paramount importance, and we continue to facilitate access to legal aid, psychosocial support and other assistance to those most vulnerable.

UNHCR is launching a large-scale multi-purpose cash programme to help internally displaced people (IDPs), who fled their homes and left behind their belongings. This will help cover their basic needs like rent, food and hygiene items. Cash assistance allows people to make choices, prioritize their needs and boosts local providers. UNHCR started enrolling IDPs for its programme in Lviv on 17 March and will progressively expand to other cities and regions.
Outside Ukraine:
UNHCR staff on the ground undertake regular protection monitoring - at the main border crossing points, transit centers and reception centers and other locations where refugees pass or gather - to assess protection risks and assist the authorities in addressing them. As women and children constitute some 90 per cent of those who have fled Ukraine for neighbouring countries, UNHCR and other agencies have warned of increased risks of trafficking and exploitation. Given the very high protection risks, UNHCR and partners are disseminating key information and awareness raising messages to alert refugees of the risks of trafficking, exploitation and abuse.

We deployed Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Coordinators, gender and child protection experts to Poland, Moldova, Hungary, and Romania and have set up protection coordination structures with other partners and national authorities to ensure an efficient and coherent approach.

In response to the Ukraine emergency, UNHCR and UNICEF have agreed to jointly roll out the 'Blue Dots' in 6 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). Other countries may be added as the situation evolves and depending on the needs on the ground. The Blue Dots are one-stop-shops, and safe spaces which provide a minimum set of protection services for children, families and others with specific needs, in support of existing services and government efforts.

They aim to improve accessibility and standardization of services provided by different partners, as well as predictability through a recognizable label - the 'Blue Dot'. They have become a recognizable component of emergency assistance and a good example of inclusiveness in collaboration, where all service providers are welcomed to operate, provided the services meet relevant protection standards.

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UNHCR warns of rising needs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, calls for cessation of hostilities - UNHCR Nordic and Baltic Countries

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With more than 3.1 million refugees forced to flee Ukraine over the past three weeks, and millions internally displaced within the country, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning that humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially.

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How to apply for a shelter in Europe: temporary protection vs refugee status

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How to apply for a shelter in Europe: temporary protection vs refugee status

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Temporary protection is the goal that should be pursued by /for all Roma. Of course, the comparison between the two statuses must be verified properly, from official sources, but from the text it seems the temporary protection gives immediate rights to holders, for residence status, access to services, emergency assistance, health care, and the right to be given employment

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How to apply for a shelter in Europe: temporary protection vs refugee status

After leaving the country, Ukrainians face many issues that need to be addressed, including the legalization of residence and issuance of refugee status (international protection). It should be noted that in addition to the well-known refugee status, there is another relevant tool for Ukrainians - "temporary protection".

In general, people who left Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and later may receive temporary protection or refugee status in the EU. Temporary protection does not mean obtaining refugee status, however, persons who have received temporary protection in the EU can apply for refugee status at any time. So, what is the difference between refugee status and temporary protection and which of them is better for Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homeland?

First of all, those who leave the territory of Ukraine should know that temporary protection and refugee status are different legal categories that have different legal consequences. People crossing the border are often confused in terms, mostly using the concepts of "refugee" and therefore, when applying for help, may misunderstand the category of protection they would like to receive in the EU.

The main document regulating the provision of temporary protection is the EU Directive 2001/55 / ​​EU, which was activated by EU Council Decision 2022/382 of 04.03.2022 specifically for Ukrainians. Since the decision applies to all EU countries, Ukrainians can legally obtain the status of "temporary protection" in any EU country. Moreover, temporary protection is being activated for Ukrainians fleeing the war immediately after crossing the EU border. After registration with the relevant state authorities, citizens of Ukraine can immediately use the rights granted by the status: the right to work, medical care, education, access to housing, etc.

Who is eligible to obtain it? Citizens of Ukraine and members of their families displaced on 24 February 2022 and later have the right to obtain temporary protection, but each EU member state may, at its discretion, provide temporary protection to Ukrainian citizens who had been to the EU before 24 February 2022 for various reasons (on leave, for business trip, or fleeing from a possible war).

Validity period. The term of temporary protection is one year (until 04.03.2023) and can be automatically extended twice for six months if the reasons for granting such protection do not disappear, but up to a maximum of one year (until 04.03.2024). Depending on the situation, the European Commission may propose or extend the term for another year (until 04.03.2025). Therefore, temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens in the EU will be terminated once the war in Ukraine ends.

Procedure of obtaining. When crossing the border of an EU member state, a person must be informed by the public authorities of the country concerned regarding of his / her right to temporary protection. The process of obtaining such a status is quite fast and as simple as possible. In different EU countries, temporary protection issues are dealt with by different bodies (for example, the commune administration in Poland, the police in Italy, the Refugee Authority in Germany, and the Migration Service in Portugal).

According to Directive 2001/55 / ​​EU, a person receives:

- The right to reside in the country in which she sought temporary protection;

- Access to work, which can be obtained immediately from the moment of applying for protection;

- Access to housing (the state does not guarantee housing, but the competent authorities/volunteer organizations can help with its acquisition);

- Medical care;

- Social assistance;

- Access to education for children and adolescents;

The main international instruments governing the issue of refugees (international protection) are the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951, the New York Protocol of 1967 and the Dublin Convention of 1990. The Dublin Convention of 1990, in turn, states that a person may apply for obtaining refugee status exclusively in the first safe country borders of which it has crossed. Given the closed air service over the territory of Ukraine, a person can apply for asylum only in those countries bordering Ukraine. If a person crosses the borders of several countries and seeks asylum in a country that does not border Ukraine, he/she will be deported to the state borders of which he/she crossed for the first time. A person's right to international protection is granted after a lengthy administrative procedure, which has its own peculiarities and can last from six months. During this time and after obtaining refugee status, a person seeking international protection faces certain restrictions.

Who is eligible to receive it? A person who: (1) has a well-founded fear of being persecuted on the grounds of race, religion, nationality or political opinion may apply for refugee status; (2) is outside the country of his or her nationality; (3) is unable or unwilling to enjoy the protection of their country.

Expiration date. Refugee status guarantees the right of permanent residence in the territory of the respective state. Refugee status can be revoked as soon as evidence emerges that there are grounds for reconsideration, but ending the war in Ukraine will not be an automatic reason for revoking it.

Receipt procedure. Obtaining refugee status involves a rather long administrative procedure (from 6 months), which begins with the application of a person for refugee status to the competent authority only of the state the border of which he/she first crossed. In each EU country, the application procedure has its own peculiarities, such as the withdrawal of an individual's passport before the end of the 6-month application period, the ban on employment during this period, the ban on leaving the country of residence, and compulsory residence in designated place (ban to rent an apartment or live with relatives), etc.
Rights:
Refugee status provides a very similar range of rights as temporary protection, but the main difference is that not all rights become available to a person who has crossed the border immediately from the moment of applying for refugee status. Thus, a person with the appropriate status is given:

- housing (usually a bed in a refugee centre);

- free meals

- medical care (limited);

- free travel on public transport;

However, the main feature of applying for refugee status is that a person cannot be employed for 6 months while his / her application for refugee status is being considered, even if he/she has previously lived and worked in this country.
Therefore, there is no doubt that if a person crossing the border intends to return to Ukraine after the end of hostilities, the best option for such a person is to obtain temporary protection, as the procedure itself is fast and the rights it guarantees are granted to the person immediately upon application. in contrast to the lengthy refugee status procedure.
When crossing the border of an EU Member State, the public authorities of the country concerned must inform the person of his / her right to temporary protection. The main thing is not to get confused in a hurry and panic, and instead of temporary protection not not ask for refugee status (unless of course, the person intends to obtain it)!!! For example, in Poland (which is currently the largest centre of our citizens), the application for refugee status is submitted through the border service. Therefore, there is a risk that when a person crosses the border, one can hastily ask not for temporary protection, but refugee status, which has its own, not quite "pleasant" features, in contrast to temporary protection.
Before deciding to apply for one of the statuses, remember:
1) Temporary protection can be obtained in any EU country (except Denmark), while refugee status can only be obtained in the country the border of which a person first crossed. That is, today they are Ukraine's neighbours.

2) Employment for persons who have applied for temporary protection is possible from the moment of applying, while for persons who have applied for refugee status, the option of employment within 6 months from the date of application is not available.

3) Persons who have received temporary protection may return to the state of citizenship at any time and travel within the EU for 90 days without hindrance. A person who has applied for refugee status is prohibited for 6 months while his / her application to cross the border of the host state is being considered.

4) When applying for refugee status, a person is forced to surrender his / her passport until a decision is made to obtain refugee status. In case of temporary protection, the passport is not revoked.

5) When you receive temporary protection, you are free to choose housing at your own discretion, especially now that there are a lot of volunteer organizations and resources in Europe that help to find housing for free. Instead, by applying for refugee status, you become hostage to the place you have been given in the refugee centre, which houses refugees not only from Ukraine but from all over the world.

To determine what status a person plans to receive in the host country, it is necessary to answer the question: what is the purpose of obtaining such status? If a person is interested in the immediate acquisition of all social rights and the urgent return to the territory of Ukraine after the end of hostilities and does not intend to remain in the EU, it is optimal to obtain temporary protection. If a person pursues more far-sighted goals, such as obtaining the right of permanent residence, then it makes sense to apply for refugee status. However, remember that if you plan to stay in the EU for a long time, regardless of the end of the war in Ukraine, you can choose other procedures for obtaining a residence permit in the EU without refugee status and without restricting your rights and comfort.

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How to apply for a shelter in Europe: temporary protection vs refugee status

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How to apply for a shelter in Europe: temporary protection vs refugee status After leaving the country, Ukrainians face many issues that need to be addressed, including the legalization of residence and issuance of refugee status (international protection). It should be noted that in addition to the well-known refugee status, there is another relevant tool for Ukrainians - "temporary protection".

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Russia distorting photos for propaganda purposes, Roma nonprofits alert Ukrainian authorities

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Russia distorting photos for propaganda purposes, Roma nonprofits alert Ukrainian authorities

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Photographs from Lviv, Ukraine in which several Romani people are shown as bound with their backs against pillars and with green paint on their faces are being disseminated through social media along with the untrue claim that the individuals in the photographs are internally displaced people from Kyiv who were unjustifiably attacked by local Ukrainians immediately upon arrival in Lviv. However, as the Romea.cz news server has discovered, the actual context of the photos is something else.

The people are allegedly members of a group of pickpockets, and during recent looting in Lviv they were apprehended by vigilantes and treated in this unacceptable way. Russian propaganda is now claiming these photographs confirm that neo-Nazis are active in Ukraine.

"The people in the photos have been caught in Kyiv for pickpocketing several times. Their photos have been taken and shared by several groups that publicize such cases. In Lviv there is a group calling themselves 'The Hunters' who persecute Romani people involved in pickpocketing in public places," Julian Kondur, a young Roma activist from Ukraine, told news server Romea.cz.

"Russia is exploiting this to accuse Ukraine of allegedly being run by neo-Nazis. The images have been distributed on the Telegram social media company by an account run by agents of Russia," Kondur said.

The account in question is named for Vladimir Solovyev, a journalist and propagandist for Putin in Russia. The Romea.cz news server has learned that Roma non-profit organizations from Ukraine have already asked the relevant Government authorities to respond to the cases and punish all those involved in illegal activity.

Ukrainian Police have already identified several of the attackers who tied up the Romani people. According to Kondur, it is very important that the competent authorities in Ukraine pay more attention than ever to eliminating hate speech and hate-motivated violence of this kind.

"It damages our international image and creates opportunities for the [Russian] aggressor to manipulate it," Kondur told Romea.cz. The brutal methods used by vigilantes punishing looters were described for public broadcaster Czech Television by reporter Tomáš Vlach, who described them as harsh.

Those suspected of looting are stripped naked, bound to public light poles, and then abandoned. "These are the laws of war. My colleagues and I attempted to find out what was driving people to these brutal methods against those disturbing the peace and we concluded that there is a role being played here by old Cossack traditions and laws that used to designate this punishment," Vlach reported for Czech Television.

According to the reporter, such people are abandoned until police arrive and begin criminal investigation proceedings with them in a standard way. "We also heard allegations that such people will be transferred to the front, to the front line, and that they will dig trenches under fire there," the Czech Television reporter said.

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Russia distorting photos for propaganda purposes, Roma nonprofits alert Ukrainian authorities

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Photographs from Lviv, Ukraine in which several Romani people are shown as bound with their backs against pillars and with green paint on their faces are being disseminated through social media along with the untrue claim that the individuals in the photographs are internally displaced people from Kyiv who were unjustifiably attacked by local Ukrainians immediately upon arrival in Lviv.

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Civil society members of Czech Govt Roma Council call for solidarity with refugees, 500 Romani children and women have arrived in Czech Republic from Ukraine

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Civil society members of Czech Govt Roma Council call for solidarity with refugees, 500 Romani children and women have arrived in Czech Republic from Ukraine

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Civil society members of Czech Govt Roma Council call for solidarity with refugees, 500 Romani children and women have arrived in Czech Republic from Ukraine - Romea.cz

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Czechoslovak Romani Union: Aid to those fleeing war is our moral obligation, we reject the rhetoric of refugees "taking our jobs"

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Czechoslovak Romani Union: Aid to those fleeing war is our moral obligation, we reject the rhetoric of refugees "taking our jobs"

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According to the Czechoslovak Romani Union, it is everybody's moral duty to provide refuge and security to refugees from the Russo-Ukrainian war. The Union also rejects the rhetoric that refugees will "take jobs" from Czech citizens.

"These people are fleeing a war-torn country to save their lives and their children, and the Czechoslovak Romani Union flatly rejects the rhetoric that refugees will take Czech citizens' jobs and reduce their social status," the Czechoslovak Romani Union said in a statement. News server Romea.cz is publishing the statement in full translation below.

Declaration of the Czechoslovak Romani Union

The Czechoslovak Romani Union unequivocally and strongly condemns the aggressive invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Army and perceives this act of war as an unprecedented violation of international law and a crime against peace. Attacks on civilian targets are completely contrary to the Geneva Conventions.

"Ukraine is fighting for the whole of Europe, for democracy and for our freedom. Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and must be held accountable for his crimes!"

The Czechoslovak Romani Union fully supports the Czech Government's position on assisting refugees from the Russo-Ukrainian war, it is our moral duty to provide them with shelter and security. These people are fleeing a war-torn country to save their lives and their children, and the Czechoslovak Roma Union flatly rejects the rhetoric that refugees will take Czech citizens' jobs and reduce their social status

We believe these refugees will in fact strengthen us, mainly morally, and that we will realize that aiding them is humane. At the same time, the Czechoslovak Romani Union is actively involved in assisting refugees from Ukraine and will help as needed.

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Czechoslovak Romani Union: Aid to those fleeing war is our moral obligation, we reject the rhetoric of refugees "taking our jobs"

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According to the Czechoslovak Romani Union, it is everybody's moral duty to provide refuge and security to refugees from the Russo-Ukrainian war. The Union also rejects the rhetoric that refugees will "take jobs" from Czech citizens.

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Russia launched its re-invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Since then, we have been hearing and reading daily accounts of the Ukrainian army’s responses to the advances of the Russian aggressor, and of the mass exodus of over 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees into neighbouring Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. It is the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.

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ESSAY
Russia launched its re-invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Since then, we have been hearing and reading daily accounts of the Ukrainian army's responses to the advances of the Russian aggressor, and of the mass exodus of over 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees into neighbouring Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. It is the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.
In the immediate wake of Russia's launching its air and ground offensive against Ukraine, the small-size Czech Romani media outlet Romea began reporting on Roma-related aspects of the war. The coverage has included statements of support for Ukraine, pleas to Putin by and international Romani organisations to the war in Ukraine, but also reports on the agency of Ukrainian Roma during the war.

Under martial law, all Ukrainian men aged 18-60 are banned from leaving Ukraine and are encouraged to join the army. Indeed, many of them, including those of heritage, have done so in order to defend the independence and sovereignty of their homeland. Ukrainian Roma have been proudly defending the nuclear plant in Zaporozhzhia; a group of Romani soldiers from Kherson even captured a belonging to the Russian aggressor.

Romani and non-Romani Ukrainians have been fighting for their country side by side, momentarily putting aside the fact that anti-Romani racism - also termed antigypsyism or Romaphobia - is widespread and deeply-rooted in the wider region.
A history mired in exclusion, slavery and discrimination
The largest group of Roma in Ukraine is called Servo, or Servitka Roma, who sometimes refer to themselves as Ukrainian Roma. Communities of Vlax Roma and Tatar Chingine - or Kyrymlytica Roma - also live in Ukraine.

According to the Council of Europe (CoE), based on the 2001 census, 47 587 Roma live in Ukraine. However, according to international and civil society organisations, unofficial estimates of the Romani population in Ukraine range from 200 000 to 400 000 people. Most of Ukraine's Roma are fully integrated into mainstream society but many still endure shocking levels of poverty, particularly in the Zakarpattia region, 800 kilometres south-west of the capital.

Key challenges include all forms of ethnic, or racial discrimination; adult illiteracy and children's lack of access to education; lack of housing due to decentralisation, including issuing title deeds to housing and land plots; low employment rates exacerbated by the pandemic; poverty and resulting financial difficulties and increased social tension; lack of access to healthcare; lack of personal identity documents (ID).

Approximately 30 000 Ukrainian Roma have no form of ID. Despite a lack of reliable information, the "Social Atlases" of Romani communities that were created for Kharkiv, Donetsk, Odesa and the Zakarpattia oblast all point to the urgent need to focus on a range of socio-economic difficulties. Namely, the breaches of human rights and the multiple forms of discrimination faced by Roma with multiple, intersecting identities, including women and girls, the disabled, LGBTIQ persons and those with an internally displaced person (IDP) status.

The above factors are compounded by distinctions within and between the various Romani communities across Ukraine based on regional context, social status, residence (i.e. urban/rural areas, temporary settlements), as well as cultural and religious differences (i.e. Christian and Muslim Roma).

Over the course of 2018, mob attacks by the neo-Nazi group C-14 and the targeting Ukrainian Romani families, homes and entire communities escalated dramatically, destroying their property, injuring many, and killing at least one. From April 2018, the Roma Coalition eight attacks against Roma settlements in Ukraine, with more than 150 people falling victim to these attacks.

Although efforts were made at local, national, and international levels to counter this violence, much remains to be done. On 17 October 2021, approximately 50 far-right radicals went door to door in the Ukrainian city of Irpin, near Kyiv, chanting hateful slogans and calling for violence against local Romani residents; some were carrying torches. The mob spray-painted hate speech slogans on the fence of a house belonging to a Romani family.

According to Minority Rights Group International, the presence of Roma in the region dates to the 15 th century. Then, most of present-day Ukraine's territory was part of the Grand Lithuanian Duchy, and later, in the 16 th century, it was controlled by the Polish Crown in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which ordered the expulsion of Roma. Between the 15 th and 17 th centuries, a Romani community began to develop in Crimea.
"With the expansion of the Russian Empire to the north coast of the Black Sea and the region then known as Bessarabia, many new and distinct groups of Roma came under its rule. Historians suggest that the expulsion of Tatars and other Muslims by the Russian rulers of these lands forced many Muslim Roma to relocate to Crimea, where Islam was still widely practised by most of the population. Today, the ancestors of these displaced Muslim Roma call themselves 'Kyrymlytica Roma', 'Kryms' or 'Krymuria', signifying their links with the Crimean Peninsula. Due to more recent historical events, particularly the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, they are now scattered all over Ukraine and can also be found in Odesa, Kherson, Donetsk, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr and Kyiv. The majority of Kyrymlytica Roma still practise Islam."
Throughout the of what became modern Ukraine, the role of the Russian empire and, later in the 20 th century, the Soviet Union was mostly detrimental and often fatal to Roma. "The jurisdiction of the Russian Empire also extended to many Christian Roma, who, for centuries, had been enslaved by Romanian landlords, Greek and Romanian Orthodox monasteries in Bessarabia and even other, more privileged Roma community members: according to Romanian law, they were regarded as the property of the state."

The Russian authorities permitted Romanian landlords and monasteries to continue enslaving Roma. In order to 'regulate' the status of travelling Roma who were deemed to be state property, the Russian authorities also attempted to settle them on state-owned lands. Industrialisation, the First World War, and the social unrest that emerged in its wake "triggered a wave of mass migration throughout Eastern Europe, including of Roma".

Stalin's artificially orchestrated famines of 1921 and 1932-1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians led to many Roma fleeing the famine-affected villages and resettling in cities. This undoubtedly saved some from starvation, though many of the escapees were subsequently arrested by Soviet authorities and deported to Siberia.

"To escape persecution, many sedentary Roma in Ukraine left their homes and returned to their previous nomadic lifestyles." Given that nomadism was perceived by Soviet authorities to be compatible with proletarianism, this may have saved some Roma from repression during Stalin's brutal collectivisation drive.

However, the new economic and political order built by the USSR undermined and even criminalised traditional Roma trades, threatening their livelihoods. Roma and other Ukrainians were forced into collective farms and deprived of their passports. Their access to liquid cash was denied and a strictly regulated system in the cities controlled migration.

It was also prohibited to own horses. By the 1930s, itinerant Roma were likely to be arrested for "'vagrancy', 'counterrevolution', 'spying' or other charges".
Discriminated against even during war
One would hope that every person fleeing the war waged by the Russian state would be treated without discrimination. However, it appears that not even war constitutes an exception to centuries-old prejudice in the region.

Within a couple of days of the re-invasion being launched, it became clear that Romani refugees fleeing the country were among those groups who were being treated less favourably, in ways that amount to racial discrimination. Such discriminatory practices by various stakeholders mainly in the neighbouring states have been disproportionately targeting Ukrainians of colour, including Afro-Ukrainians and Ukrainian Roma, and international students of colour studying in Ukraine.

Within the first week, national media outlets such as the Czech daily Denik and Romea reported instances of anti-Romani discrimination in the Slovak and Czech voluntary sector, including by non-Romani representatives of an accommodation facility, bus and a firefighter. In addition to the trauma of the war, Ukraine's estimated 400 000 Roma face discrimination along the evacuation route.

As many as 30 000 Ukrainian Roma were undocumented prior to the war, while others have lost their papers during the war. The public interest law organisation European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) has visited three refugee reception facilities in Moldova. They found that these facilities were ethnically segregated, crammed and used almost exclusively to accommodate Ukrainian Romani refugees (approximately 90%), including many children. The remainder consisted of other communities of colour, including refugees of Central Asian and African descent.
Providing support
Ukrainian Roma have been demonstrating their self-determination, pride and agency as both Ukrainians and Roma to defend their country. However admirable this is, it is not enough to help solve the current situation, which is extremely complex and multi-layered.

The status of Ukrainian-Romani civilians - both inside and outside Ukraine - is uncertain and very fragile, especially given the above accounts of discrimination in Ukraine and en route to safety, as well as the fact that Romani families are being separated, segregated, or, in the most extreme cases, facing outright refusal of emergency accommodation.

Despite a lack of hard data, there is ad-hoc evidence that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate the intersectional vulnerability of Ukrainian-Romani refugee women, children, disabled, IDP and LGBTIQ persons.

In response to the overall situation, as well as the aforementioned instances of racial discrimination, fundraisers for Ukrainian Romani organisations have been launched, including the Roma women fund, Chiricli.

Moreover, initiatives for Ukrainian Romani refugees, namely but not exclusively those who have reportedly migrated to and are now stuck in western Ukraine, have been launched by the Glasgow-based , Network, and the Czech and Slovak branches of Open Society Foundations ().

If you happen to live in any of the neighbouring countries that have been receiving refugees from Ukraine and have a large or empty property, please consider housing Ukrainian Romani refugees. Otherwise, if you have financial capacity, please contribute to the above Roma-specific fundraising initiatives and if you are on social media, raise awareness of and bring visibility to the issues.

Article Image Credit: Steve Evans (© IMB)

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ESSAY SUPPORT ON PATREON Russia launched its re-invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Since then, we have been hearing and reading daily accounts of the Ukrainian army's responses to the advances of the Russian aggressor, and of the mass exodus of over 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees into neighbouring Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova....

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Evacuation support and Humanitarian Aid for Holocaust survivors

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Evacuation support and Humanitarian Aid for Holocaust survivors

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With the help of donations, we would like to realise a coordinated and unbureaucratic support for former Nazi persecutees and their relatives, but also for our network partners.

With this aim in mind, the Aid network for the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine was founded on 9 March 2022 on the initiative of the non-profit association KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI. It consists of about 30 associations, foundations, places of remembrance and memorial sites in Germany that come to terms with crimes of the Nazi era. Some of them maintain long-standing contacts with survivors of Nazi persecution, specialist colleagues and cooperation partners in Ukraine.

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- English below - Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine

Durch den aktuellen Krieg in der Ukraine sind viele Menschen in große Not geraten. Unter den Leidtragenden sind auch die Überlebenden nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung. Sie brauchen jetzt mehr denn je unsere Hilfe, damit lebenswichtige Grundlagen wie Wärme, Nahrung und medizinische Versorgung sichergestellt, aber auch Wiederaufbauarbeiten unterstützt werden können. Mit Hilfe von Spenden möchten wir eine koordinierte und unbürokratische Unterstützung von ehemaligen NS-Verfolgten, ihrer Angehörigen und den Partner*innen des Netzwerks realisieren.

Mit diesem Anliegen hat sich am 9. März 2022 ein Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine auf Initiative des Vereins KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI gegründet. Es besteht aus rund 30 Initiativen, Stiftungen, Erinnerungsorten und Gedenkstätten in Deutschland, die sich mit NS-Verbrechen beschäftigen und teilweise langjährige Kontakte zu Überlebenden der NS-Verfolgung, Fachkolleginnen und Kooperationspartner*innen vor Ort pflegen.

Helfen Sie mit Ihrer Spende den Überlebenden der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine!

Spendenkonto bei der Berliner Volksbank:

Empfänger: Kontakte-Kontakty
IBAN: DE59 1009 0000 2888 9620 02
BIC: BEVODEBB

KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI e. V. verwaltet die Spenden treuhänderisch.

Mit herzlichem Dank
Ihr Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine

Appeal Letter for Donations
launched by the Aid network for the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine
The current war in Ukraine has left many people in great need. Among those suffering are also the survivors of National Socialist persecution. They need our help now more than ever, so that vital basics such as warmth, food and medical care can be ensured. But the reconstruction of their homes after the war must also be supported. With the help of donations, we would like to realise a coordinated and unbureaucratic support for former Nazi persecutees and their relatives, but also for our network partners.

With this aim in mind, the Aid network for the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine was founded on 9 March 2022 on the initiative of the non-profit association KONTAKTE-KOHTAKTbI. It consists of about 30 associations, foundations, places of remembrance and memorial sites in Germany that come to terms with crimes of the Nazi era. Some of them maintain long-standing contacts with survivors of Nazi persecution, specialist colleagues and cooperation partners in Ukraine.

Help the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine with your donation!

Donations account at the Berliner Volksbank:

Recipient: Kontakte-Kontakty
IBAN: DE59 1009 0000 2888 9620 02
BIC: BEVODEBB

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With sincere thanks
Yours Aid network for the survivors of Nazi persecution in Ukraine

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English below - Hilfsnetzwerk für Überlebende der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine Durch den aktuellen Krieg in der Ukraine sind viele Menschen in große Not geraten. Unter den Leidtragenden sind auch die Überlebenden nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung. Sie brauchen jetzt mehr denn je unsere Hilfe, damit lebenswichtige Grundlagen wie Wärme, Nahrung und medizinische Versorgung sichergestellt, aber auch Wiederaufbauarbeiten unterstützt werden können.

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Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the morning of the 24th February 2022, large numbers of Ukrainian Roma have been internally displaced or fled to neighbouring countries. The Roma are Ukraine's largest and most marginalised ethnic minority group.

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Ukraine: UN expert says war against multi-ethnic population must stop, calls for protection of all minorities

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Ukraine: UN expert says war against multi-ethnic population must stop, calls for protection of all minorities

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https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/03/ukraine-un-expert-says-war-against-multi-ethnic-population-must-stop-calls

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DECEPTIVE HOAX: No, Amazon has not fired 400 workers in Czech Republic because of refugees from Ukraine

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DECEPTIVE HOAX: No, Amazon has not fired 400 workers in Czech Republic because of refugees from Ukraine

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Many untruths are circulating through social media in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its repercussions. One such Czech-language hoax alleges that Amazon recently laid off 400 workers because it plans to hire refugees from Ukraine to fill the vacant positions.

This explanation for the layoffs is false. Since Amazon employs many Romani people, they, too are sharing this fake news.

A man from Most, Czech Republic is among those spreading this untruth and his Facebook post with the allegations has already been shared more than 1 200 times. However, according to Amazon spokesperson Noah Zyla, these annually planned dismissals have nothing to do with Ukrainian refugees.

Annually, before the Christmas peak season, Amazon recruits additional temporary workers. "Every year we offer seasonal work to employees who help us during peak season," Zyla explained to Romea.cz.

"We value this support very much and we clearly state in our communications that these are temporary positions. At the end of the peak season the contracts expire, but many of these temporary workers regularly return to us every year," Zyla said.

The Amazon spokesperson flatly rejected the idea of the company preferring certain kinds of employees in its hiring. "Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and offers an inclusive work environment for everybody, regardless of background, nationality, gender or ability," he told Romea.cz.

"It is extremely important to us that our employees feel safe and supported," said Zyla. "We are proud to offer 3 000 permanent jobs in the Czech Republic in a safe working environment with high pay."

"Amazon's continued investment is clear evidence of our commitment to people and communities in the Czech Republic," Zyla told Romea.cz. Such allegations about redundancies happening because of the availability of refugees from Ukraine have been made about other companies as well.

These allegations always claim that somebody was fired somewhere because the employer allegedly accepted "cheap labor" from Ukraine. The Romea.cz news server has investigated several such claims and has yet to confirm any of them as true.

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DECEPTIVE HOAX: No, Amazon has not fired 400 workers in Czech Republic because of refugees from Ukraine

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Many untruths are circulating through social media in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its repercussions. One such Czech-language hoax alleges that Amazon recently laid off 400 workers because it plans to hire refugees from Ukraine to fill the vacant positions. This explanation for the layoffs is false.

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Websites / Databases to find accommodation for Ukrainian refugees:
https://www.shelter4ua.com/en
https://www.ukrainetakeshelter.com/
https://unterkunft-ukraine.de/

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Дорогі друзі,
Цей невеликий сервіс має на меті поєднувати людей у потребі житла через війну в України з тими, хто готовий його надати. Дякуємо за вашу підтримку 🙏

Карта доступних тимчасових помешкань

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Дорогі друзі, Цей невеликий сервіс має на меті поєднувати людей у потребі житла через війну в України з тими, хто готовий його надати. Дякуємо за вашу підтримку 🙏 Карта доступних тимчасових помешкань

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Stateless people and people at risk of statelessness forcibly displaced from Ukraine

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Stateless people and people at risk of statelessness forcibly displaced from Ukraine

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Other sources suggest there could be many thousands more including a significant proportion of the Roma population as well as children born in Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk since 2014. People fleeing the conflict in Ukraine who are stateless or at risk of statelessness may face significant extra barriers when seeking safety abroad because of their lack of nationality or lack of civil documentation. It is imperative to ensure that they are afforded equal access to protection and that their rights are guaranteed.

In this new briefing, we explain why statelessness is important in the Ukraine refugee response and how frontline responders can identify statelessness as well as avenues for stateless people to access protection, support, and services. The briefing also makes a series of recommendations to the EU, European States, international agencies and NGOs to ensure that routes to protection for stateless people from Ukraine

We are compiling a list of organisations providing advice to stateless people fleeing Ukraine and we have created a special page on our website which we intend to update with resources as the situation develops. Please share this and get in touch if you would like us to add additional information.

The briefing draws on information from ENS members and partners working on the ground to provide assistance to people fleeing Ukraine in neighbouring countries as well as the

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Stateless people and people at risk of statelessness forcibly displaced from Ukraine

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Other sources suggest there could be many thousands more including a significant proportion of the Roma population as well as children born in Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk since 2014. People fleeing the conflict in Ukraine who are stateless or at risk of statelessness may face significant extra barriers when seeking safety abroad because of their lack of nationality or lack of civil documentation.

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French article: Ces Ukraniens que l’on oublie : journal de bord rom (EN: These Ukranians that we forget: Roma logbook)

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French article: Ces Ukraniens que l’on oublie : journal de bord rom (EN: These Ukranians that we forget: Roma logbook)

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translate via www.deepl.com

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Depuis le 24 février 2022, les cachettes dans les sous-terrains font partie du quotidien de plusieurs Ukrainiens. La guerre sévit, mais elle n'est pas vécue de la même manière par tous. Comment affecte-t-elle la population la plus vulnérable du pays : les Roms ? Ces Ukrainiens que l'on oublie nous racontent.

Nous sommes vendredi. Il est minuit en Ukraine. Jour 2 de la guerre. Julian Kondur a quitté sa maison de Kyiv pour se cacher dans un petit village non loin de la ville, où les bombardements sont moins fréquents, mais toujours présents. Il prend quelques minutes pour nous parler, il souhaite que le monde sache ce qui s'y passe. " Je peux te parler, mais si quelque chose arrive, je vais devoir lâcher le téléphone et retourner dans ma cachette ", dit-il d'emblée. " En ce jour, la réalité des Roms n'est pas différente de celle des Ukrainiens, rapporte le coordonnateur de l'organisme rom ukrainien Chirikli. Nous voulons tous rester avec nos familles et défendre nos maisons. "

Samedi après-midi, jour 3. Sasha (nom fictif) a passé une longue nuit. Quelques jours avant l'invasion de l'Ukraine, il se trouvait en Angleterre, où il rendait visite à sa sœur. Au lieu de rentrer au pays, le journaliste s'est réfugié en Slovaquie chez sa belle-mère. Vendredi soir, sa femme et sa fille sont venues le rejoindre depuis l'Ukraine, sous le bruit des bombes. Elles ont réussi à passer la frontière slovaque.

Sasha insiste sur le fait que les Roms d'Ukraine aident la résistance ukrainienne et que cette aide est visible dans le pays. Il nous envoie des photos de soldats roms ukrainiens. Malgré le racisme et la discrimination que subit la communauté, Sasha espère que la guerre suscite un sentiment de patriotisme et d'unité à tout le pays. Il ne craint pas que la communauté soit doublement victime de la guerre, comme ce fut le cas durant la guerre au Kosovo, où elle a été persécutée par les deux côtés.

" Les Roms aussi sont des soldats, nous sommes à notre place en Ukraine, nous ne voulons pas aller dans un autre pays, nous voulons rester en Ukraine, où nous avons été élevés et avons élevé nos enfants. "

Jour 4. Nataliia Tomenko n'a plus la notion du temps. Il est difficile pour elle de nous dire quel jour de la semaine on est. Elle sait seulement que c'est le quatrième de la guerre. Nataliia et sa famille se trouvent dans la partie centrale de l'Ukraine. Avec ses proches, elle est relativement en sécurité, nous dit-elle. Mais elle passe ses nuits dans une cave, réveillée par le son des sirènes d'alerte qui annoncent les bombes. Sa détresse est manifeste. " Hier, je ne parvenais pas à expliquer à ma nièce d'un an et demi pourquoi nous devions rapidement nous barricader dans cette cave froide et sombre et nous y asseoir pendant des heures parce que l'alarme qui signale les bombes avait commencé à sonner. J'ai essayé de transformer ça en jeu de cache-cache, mais elle pouvait sentir la peur, une peur que je peux également voir dans les yeux de chaque membre de ma famille ", dit-elle à la caméra, les yeux remplis de larmes. Pour pouvoir dormir, la jeune femme prend des somnifères. " J'ai commencé à apprécier les simples mots comme bonjour et bonne nuit. Ce sentiment spécial lorsque tu vas dormir et que tu souhaites une nuit sereine et silencieuse, et que tu espères te réveiller en vie et être capable de dire bonjour à ta famille le matin. J'espère que nous serons en mesure de survivre ", raconte-t-elle.

Dans les rues, les Roms et les non-Roms ukrainiens défendent ensemble leur pays contre les forces russes. Nataliia Tomenko demande l'unité : " Les Roms sont aussi des Ukrainiens. Les gens doivent rester unis maintenant, car c'est le moment de s'entraider. Dans la rue, les Ukrainiens roms et non-roms se battent côte à côte pour leur pays. " Mais malgré le patriotisme et la bravoure de cette minorité visible, celle-ci est encore victime de discrimination. Nataliia décrit comment des camarades ont dit à sa sœur de 12 ans : " Ta gueule, toi, la ", alors qu'elle partageait ses craintes dans un groupe de discussion mis en ligne par son école pour soutenir les élèves durant la guerre. " Même dans ces moments-là, les enfants roms sont exposés à la haine. J'ai répondu aux enfants en leur disant : "C'est maintenant le temps de s'unir, nous devons rester ensemble" ", rapporte-t-elle. " Nous avons peur, pour chaque membre de ma famille, pour chaque personne en Ukraine, pour chaque membre de la communauté rom - tous, aidez-nous ! " implore l'artiste et chercheuse, la voix nouée par l'émotion.

La situation des Roms en Ukraine

Il y aurait de 250 000 à 400 000 Roms ukrainiens qui vivent en Ukraine. Près de 40 000 d'entre eux sont sans papiers d'identité . Plusieurs vivent dans des quartiers roms isolés, dans une pauvreté extrême. Il s'agit de la minorité la plus vulnérable d'Ukraine, où persiste une longue histoire de violence anti-rom. Encore aujourd'hui, le racisme anti-rom est largement répandu et accepté par la population ukrainienne et les politiciens. Depuis quelques années, une vague de pogroms déferle sur la communauté. Des Roms sont chassés de leurs maisons et assassinés devant des policiers locaux qui, parfois, participent à ces crimes. L'automne dernier, près de 50 membres de l'extrême droite ont ciblé la communauté lors d'une manifestation dans la v ille d'Irpin. Les néonazis du groupe C14 scandaient des slogans haineux, appelant à la violence contre les Roms de la ville.

Le groupe a aussi peint des propos haineux sur la clôture de la maison d'une famille rom. En 2018 à Lviv, les paramilitaires de C14 ont attaqué des femmes et de jeunes enfants roms avec du poivre de Cayenne dans un campement après avoir brûlé leurs maisons. Un homme de 24 ans, David Pap, est mort, et plusieurs personnes ont été gravement blessées. Les auteurs de cette attaque n'ont toujours pas été condamnés.

En 2017, un chef de la communauté a été abattu par des membres de groupes d'extrême droite à Kharkiv. À ce jour, personne n'a été inculpé pour ce meurtre. D'après un rapport de Human Rights Watch, les enquêtes officielles donnent rarement des résultats.

Selon un rapport de 2019 de Minority Rights Group sur la situation des Roms en Ukraine, leur marginalisation dans le pays est jugée comme un problème secondaire par les autorités ukrainiennes locales et nationales, par rapport aux questions de sécurité et de gouvernance auxquelles l'Ukraine est confrontée dans le contexte de l'agression russe, des difficultés économiques et des réformes radicales.

Plusieurs organismes roms en Ukraine travaillent pour sensibiliser leurs gouvernements et institutions. Mais depuis l'invasion, ils craignent que leurs souffrances soient instrumentalisées par les forces russes, qui veulent officiellement " dénazifier l'Ukraine ".

Un racisme qui s'aggrave

Avec le racisme anti-rom qui est fort répandu en Europe, des organismes roms craignent que la minorité ne reçoive pas la même aide que les autres citoyens ukrainiens.

Natalia Tomenko dit craindre que l'antitziganisme en Ukraine s'aggrave avec la guerre. " Comme on le sait, dans plusieurs pays, lorsque les guerres commencent, les communautés roms sont parmi les plus vulnérables et peuvent être attaquées et prises pour cibles de plusieurs côtés. J'ai très peur pour les membres de notre communauté ", affirme la militante.

Jour 5. Les témoignages commencent à rentrer. Les Roms ukrainiens sont victimes de discrimination aux frontières en Europe de l'Est. Dans certains cas, on leur refuse des services de base, signalent des militants roms avec qui nous parlons et qui sont sur le terrain en Europe.

À Chisinau, en Moldavie, je joins Nicolae Radita. À la demande de la ville, il oriente les réfugiés qui arrivent d'Ukraine et leur porte assistance. " Au début, les gens ne prêtaient pas attention aux différences de classes sociales et aux différences économiques. Mais maintenant que le nombre de réfugiés augmente, les places se font plus rares. L'État moldave a donc commencé à être plus sélectif ", raconte l'avocat rom, qui œuvre au Conseil de l'Europe à des projets liés aux crimes haineux.

À MoldExpo, un centre d'exposition transformé en centre d'accueil pour les réfugiés, les biens comme la nourriture, les vêtements, les couches et les dons sont triés. " Parfois, il y a des cas de maltraitance. Certains disent ouvertement : " , taisez-vous !" " D'après M e Radita, plusieurs Roms ont peur de demander de l'aide. " Les Roms, qui sont eux aussi des réfugiés, sont allés demander de la nourriture et des couches pour leurs enfants. Mais le personnel a commencé à refuser, il ne refusait leur aide qu'aux Roms ", nous explique M e Radita, qui en a aussi fait la remarque aux responsables locaux. Ces derniers lui ont répondu que les Roms devaient fournir une preuve de statut de réfugié pour obtenir des biens. Mais selon l'avocat, ce n'est qu'aux Roms qu'on demande cette preuve.

L'intervenant estime que les autorités moldaves utilisent des méthodes aléatoires pour rendre le soutien des réfugiés roms d'Ukraine beaucoup plus difficile.

Il cite en exemple le cas de Roms de Moldavie qui habitent en Ukraine depuis plusieurs années et qui n'ont toujours pas obtenu la citoyenneté ukrainienne. En arrivant à Chisinau, fuyant la guerre, certains se retrouvent face à des gens qui refusent de les prendre en charge sous prétexte que l'aide serait réservée aux citoyens ukrainiens. " C'est contre la loi, l'État moldave a dit que n'importe quel individu qui arrive d'Ukraine a le droit d'être pris en charge ", rapporte l'avocat.

D'après un rapport du Centre européen des droits roms , les réfugiés roms ukrainiens sont ségrégués dans les centres de refuge en Moldavie. Ceux qui n'ont pas de papiers d'identité sont souvent coincés dans ces centres, incapables d'aller retrouver leurs familles ou amis dans d'autres pays ou de retourner en Ukraine. Face à cette situation, plusieurs personnes cherchent à quitter les centres de réfugiés, pensant qu'elles trouveront de meilleures conditions ailleurs. Mais elles se butent au racisme de la population locale.

Nicolae Radita nous raconte le périple d'un groupe de réfugiés roms à Chisinau. " Ils ont vu que les autorités commençaient à prioriser certaines personnes et que les conditions n'étaient pas très bonnes. Ils ont donc commencé à chercher des refuges eux-mêmes. Je leur ai fait part d'offres qui circulaient dans la population. Ils ont appelé les gens qui proposaient des refuges. Au téléphone, on leur a dit qu'il y avait de la place ", rapporte-t-il. L'expérience fut tout autre sur place. " Lorsque les propriétaires du refuge ont vu que le groupe était composé de Roms, ils leur ont dit qu'il n'y avait plus de place. " Le scénario s'est répété ailleurs. Après plusieurs essais, une résidence étudiante a accepté d'accueillir le groupe. Un autre incident est survenu le jour de notre appel. " Aujourd'hui, les gens d'une famille sont venus. On leur a offert un refuge au téléphone. Mais lorsque le propriétaire les a vus, il leur a dit : "Je ne veux pas de Roms, les Roms sont mauvais, ils ne savent pas s'organiser, je ne veux pas les accueillir ici." "

Les étudiants étrangers noirs, indiens, arabes et asiatiques vivent des situations d'exclusion similaires depuis le début de la guerre, comme l'ont rapporté plusieurs médias et étudiants sur les réseaux sociaux. En Moldavie, Nicolae Radita pense que le traitement réservé aux Roms est différent. " Je ne dirais pas que les étudiants étrangers sont mieux traités, c'est différent ; les gens comprennent qu'ils ne resteront que quelques jours. Avec les Roms, il y a la crainte qu'ils restent. " Évoquant des siècles de racisme anti-rom normalisé en Europe de l'Est, M e Radita explique que, si plusieurs activistes de la société civile pensent que les réfugiés roms doivent dénoncer ces situations sur les réseaux sociaux, les plus vulnérables n'ont simplement pas cette intention. " Ils ne demandent pas justice ; pour eux, ce n'est pas tant une question de principe, c'est un besoin. "

La nuit tombée, on discute avec Gregori Rota, qui a quitté Odessa, en Ukraine, le 25 février, avec 27 membres de sa famille. Il estime qu'en arrivant à Chisinau, il a fait l'objet d'un traitement différentiel. " Les gens nous évitent, ils ne s'approchent pas de nous ", dit-il. Sa famille a donc cherché refuge dans des hébergements privés. Gregori raconte comment des places leur ont été refusées. Après trois essais, il a réussi à trouver refuge chez des familles roms moldaves. Sa famille a dû se séparer pour se mettre à l'abri dans quatre maisons différentes.

Certains de ses amis roms sont restés au centre MoldExpo. Gregori essaie de leur venir en aide. " Ils nous ont appelés pour nous dire qu'on ne leur donnait pas à manger. J'y suis allé avec ma femme, mais les gens qui travaillent là-bas ne nous ont pas permis de leur apporter de la nourriture. Ils ne laissaient pas non plus les familles sortir pour prendre la nourriture qu'on voulait leur donner. Ils ont dit qu'ils allaient appeler la police ", rapporte le réfugié.

Ségrégation dans les autobus

Jour 6. À Prague, Jaroslav Miko, qui est moitié Tchèque, moitié Rom, est chauffeur d'autobus. Il est bénévole pour l'organisation Češi pomáhají (aide tchèque) et va chercher des réfugiés ukrainiens en Slovaquie. Lors de sa première visite à la frontière slovaco-ukrainienne, il constate que les autobus n'accueillent que des Ukrainiens blancs. Jaroslav décide de faire des allers-retours pour transporter ceux qui sont délaissés, comme les Roms. " Hier, j'ai vu un groupe de Roms qui n'avaient pas de transport. Il y avait parmi eux des femmes enceintes et des personnes handicapées. Les chauffeurs ont déclaré que leurs autobus étaient trop neufs et propres, que les Roms étaient sales, qu'ils ne méritaient pas de s'y asseoir. Ils disaient avoir peur qu'ils détruisent leur autobus ", raconte-t-il.

Pour contrer les conséquences de cette discrimination, le chauffeur fait tous les jours la navette entre la République tchèque et la Slovaquie. Avec l'organisme tchèque pour lequel il est bénévole, il a réussi à obtenir l'appui du gouvernement tchèque afin de venir en aide aux réfugiés roms. Récemment, il a transporté un groupe de 150 femmes et enfants roms qui avaient cherché un chauffeur pendant trois jours - personne ne voulait les accueillir. Jusqu'à présent, il a aidé un peu plus de 500 réfugiés roms ukrainiens à quitter la Slovaquie pour se rendre en République tchèque. Derrière son volant, il observe les différences. À ses dires, les Ukrainiens blancs sont conduits dans divers refuges de Slovaquie, alors que les Roms se retrouvent dans des tentes au camp de réfugiés de Humenné. Une situation qu'évoquent également d'autres personnes.

En Slovaquie, le colonel Mariàn Pouchan s'est attaqué aux familles roms en disant qu'elles profitaient de l'aide humanitaire offerte par le pays et qu'elles ne devraient pas avoir le droit de passer la frontière. Peter Bucka, un travailleur social d'origine rom qui vit à Prague, déplore que les réfugiés de la communauté ne puissent compter que sur d'autres Roms en Europe pour les soutenir. " Les Roms en République tchèque et en Slovaquie se sont organisés pour aider notre communauté. C'est comme si les pays d'Europe de l'Est ne veulent pas plus de Roms venus d'ailleurs. Il y a déjà des Roms de Slovaquie qui y habitent, et ils n'en veulent pas plus. " Il rapporte que la situation est pire en Pologne, où il y a moins d'organismes roms qui peuvent se mobiliser pour aider la communauté.

Lors de notre appel, les transports sont suspendus pour une période de 24 heures. Jaroslav Miko veut poursuivre son travail pour aider les réfugiés roms d'Ukraine. Son engagement ne s'arrête pas là, il veut aussi s'adresser au ministre de l'Intérieur et aux directeurs des refuges pour qu'ils s'assurent que les Roms ne se retrouvent pas à la rue et soient pris en charge par l'État tchèque. " Je me sens redevable envers les gens. Ce n'est pas possible, au 21 e siècle, que des familles se retrouvent bloquées dans la rue. C'est indécent, surtout pour les enfants. D'une certaine manière, c'est un échec de l'État ", déclare-t-il.

De retour en Ukraine

Jour 7. Sasha nous donne des nouvelles. " Please call me ", écrit-il. Il craint de signer des reportages de son nom. Une semaine s'est écoulée depuis notre première entrevue. Le journaliste se trouve toujours en Slovaquie avec sa famille. Il est en contact avec plusieurs Roms ukrainiens en Europe de l'Est et nous fait part de ses observations. " Maintenant tout a changé, il y a beaucoup, beaucoup de discrimination envers les Roms partout ", nous dit-il d'emblée par vidéoconférence. " Dans les trains en Ukraine, les Roms, même lorsqu'ils montrent leur passeport, on leur dit : "Dégage, dégage, va chez , ils vont t'aider" ", cite-t-il en exemple.

Il ajoute que certaines femmes roms retournent en Ukraine avec leurs enfants, malgré la guerre. " Elles préfèrent vivre dans la peur aux côtés de leur mari, plutôt que dans la ségrégation et l'insécurité ", explique le journaliste. En Ukraine, la guerre n'atténue pas les discriminations raciales. Sasha nous raconte l'histoire de sa sœur, qui a elle aussi décidé de retourner en Ukraine, alors qu'elle se trouvait à la frontière. " Il y avait un jeune garçon rom qui a demandé de l'eau, et un soldat lui a dit : "Ouvre ta bouche, et je vais pisser dedans" ", rapporte timidement Sasha.

Lors de son passage à la frontière ukrainienne, la sœur de Sasha remarque que beaucoup de Roms font la file pour aller en Slovaquie. Mais les douaniers ukrainiens les font attendre. Ils seront les derniers à passer. La mère de Sasha l'a appelé d'Ukraine. Elle était sous le choc. " C'est vraiment partout, même dans les services essentiels, dans la solidarité : la priorité, c'est les Ukrainiens blancs. Si tu as la peau foncée, c'est un désastre ", dit-il, comme c'est souvent le cas pour la communauté rom d'Europe de l'Est.

À Uzhhorod, dans l'est de l'Ukraine, les bombardements sont moins fréquents. Plusieurs Ukrainiens roms et non-roms de Kharkiv et d'autres régions plus attaqués par les Russes y migrent. La minorité rom n'y reçoit pas le même accueil. " Des résidants disent aux réfugiés roms : "Partez, partez chez les *, ils vous aideront." ", explique Sasha. Dans le quartier de Telmana, où on trouve une population rom, il y avait déjà des tensions entre Ukrainiens et Roms avant la guerre. Mais depuis le début du conflit, elles se sont aggravées. Le 26 février dernier, des citoyens roms ont été attaqués, et cinq personnes ont été atteintes par balle. Deux d'entre elles sont en réanimation, une autre est dans le coma. Depuis cet incident, la police locale patrouille dans le quartier.

On revient à la conversation qu'on avait quelques jours avant, alors qu'on parlait de soldats roms. Sasha disait ne pas craindre que la communauté rom d'Ukraine vive le même sort que les Roms au Kosovo durant la guerre. Il a changé d'avis. " Tout a changé ; nous avons vraiment peur de ce qui va se passer. Plusieurs Roms restent pour protéger l'Ukraine , mais c'est difficile, quand tu restes pour protéger ton pays, de ressentir ce racisme. "

Pour Sasha et tant d'autres, la guerre n'a pas de couleur, mais les obstacles sont différents pour les plus vulnérables.

" Cette guerre, c'est une guerre entre l'Ukraine et la Russie. Ce n'est pas comme la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, où c'était une guerre raciale contre les juifs et les Roms. Mais maintenant, on commence à traiter les gens différemment selon la couleur de leur peau, leur ethnicité. " Que fait alors la communauté devant cette injustice ? " Rien, on commence à s'aider entre nous, on ne se sent pas protégés ", répond le journaliste, une semaine après l'invasion russe. Sasha nous laisse en nous donnant un message pour les personnes qui souffrent de cette guerre et celles qui les accueillent : " Soyez prudents, aven manusha, soyez humains, même dans la différence. "

Ne laisser personne derrière

Lors de la rencontre d'urgence du Conseil des droits de l'Homme des Nations unies, le 4 mars dernier, Julian Kondur a lancé un appel à la solidarité et à l'action dans une lettre ouverte signée par plus de 400 organismes et individus roms et non-roms. Le collectif a exprimé ses inquiétudes au sujet de la guerre en Ukraine et a décidé de se mobiliser pour qu'on ne laisse personne derrière. " Depuis la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, et jusqu'aux guerres des Balkans à la fin des années 1990, l'histoire nous a montré qu'en temps de guerre ou de conflit, le sort de la communauté rom et d'autres minorités est continuellement ignoré ", peut-on y lire.

Voici les demandes du collectif :

On demande aux autorités et aux intervenants humanitaires de veiller à ce que les Roms, les minorités et les personnes marginalisées, y compris celles qui n'ont pas de documents d'identité, bénéficient d'un accès égal à la protection et à la sécurité quand elles cherchent un refuge.

On demande aux gouvernements, dirigeants mondiaux, institutions et organisations internationales, régionales et européennes d'examiner les violations des droits de la personne et les violences subies par les Roms et d'autres communautés vulnérables, et d'enquêter sur les allégations de discrimination à l'encontre de ces derniers par les autorités ukrainiennes et/ou européennes lorsqu'ils demandent protection et asile aux frontières.

On demande aux médias de ne pas exploiter la guerre contre l'Ukraine pour promouvoir des représentations incendiaires et racistes des groupes marginalisés, ce qui les stigmatiserait davantage et favoriserait le risque de violence contre eux.

On demande aux instances des Nations unies de mettre en place une commission d'enquête capable de surveiller les violations des droits humains et les violences subies par les Roms et les autres minorités qui ont souvent été doublement victimes de la guerre.

*Tzigane, gitan : En Europe de l'Est, le mot " tzigane " a une connotation péjorative. Il constitue une insulte raciale. Le mot a été utilisé durant l'esclavage des Roms. Il vient du mot grec athinganos , qui signifie " intouchable " ou " impur ". Lorsqu'on désigne une personne rom comme étant tzigane dans un contexte européen, surtout dans l'est, c'est condescendant. Le terme " gitan " est aussi considéré comme une insulte raciale. Le bon terme à utiliser pour désigner ce peuple est le mot " Rom ". Avec les informations de Dikko Magasin.

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Ces Ukraniens que l'on oublie : journal de bord rom

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Depuis le 24 février 2022, les cachettes dans les sous-terrains font partie du quotidien de plusieurs Ukrainiens. La guerre sévit, mais elle n'est pas vécue de la même manière par tous. Comment affecte-t-elle la population la plus vulnérable du pays : les Roms ? Ces Ukrainiens que l'on oublie nous racontent.

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Romani refugee from Ukraine: My husband is defending the nuclear plant in Zaporozhzhia

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Romani refugee from Ukraine: My husband is defending the nuclear plant in Zaporozhzhia

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Refugees from Ukraine have found shelter in a residential hotel in the Czech town of Mladá Boleslav, and among them are Romani women with their children. As soon as the war ends, the Romani refugees say they want to return to Ukraine.

Aid in the residential hotel is being provided to them for now by the Romodrom organization. The refugees described to ROMEA TV what their escape from Ukraine was like (click on the gear icon above for English subtitles).

"We walked on foot to the border with Slovakia," one of them told ROMEA TV. "From there they brought us to a church in Slovakia and from the church they brought us here," she described, adding that non-Romani people in Ukraine did not provide them with much aid, unlike those in Slovakia.

"We were standing at the front of the line at the border and the non-Roma pushed us to the back, the non-Roma wanted people originally from Africa to cross the border first." one of the Romani refugees told ROMEA TV. "Thank God we walked across and once we were on the Slovak side, it was much better."

"The children got hot meals and blankets," she described their arrival in Slovakia. "During the journey our children were terribly frozen."

"The Slovaks gave us aid," the Romani refugee Ukrainian described. Both praised their stay at the residential hotel in Mladá Boleslav and said they want to begin working as soon as possible.

"Here it's very good," one of the women told ROMEA TV. "There are social workers aiding us, bringing us food."

"We want to begin working here," she said. "We don't just want to draw welfare, we want to work," the young Romani woman added and then spoke of her husband, who is fighting in the Army of Ukraine at Zaporozhzhia.

"Putin wants to let the nuclear power plant blow up and my man is guarding it, as a soldier," she told ROMEA TV. The Russians have said they have already taken control of that power plant.

The Romani refugee Ukrainian told ROMEA TV she believes her husband is all right although he is not writing to her much now and they are unable to call one another. As of 12 March, 78 093 refugees from Ukraine have been registered with the Alien Police or at assistance centers in the Czech Republic.

On Friday, 11 March, 4 949 more refugees were registered, roughly 130 more than had been registered on Thursday, 10 March. The Czech Interior Ministry has issued 132 995 special visas for people affected by the invasion of the Russian Federation, 11 484 of which were issued on Friday.

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Romani refugee from Ukraine: My husband is defending the nuclear plant in Zaporozhzhia

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Refugees from Ukraine have found shelter in a residential hotel in the Czech town of Mladá Boleslav, and among them are Romani women with their children. As soon as the war ends, the Romani refugees say they want to return to Ukraine. Aid in the residential hotel is being provided to them for now by the Romodrom organization.

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photo of Roma & queer support & solidarity from Bucharest 

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photo of Roma & queer support & solidarity from Bucharest 

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amazing photo of Roma & queer support & solidarity from Bucharest by @EuroLesbianCon ✊🏽 ☸️🏳️‍🌈

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🇺🇦𝕕𝕣 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕒🇺🇦

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amazing photo of Roma & queer support & solidarity from Bucharest by @EuroLesbianCon ✊🏽 ☸️🏳️‍🌈 https://t.co/8bR4GQMfTf

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𝕕𝕣 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕒💙💛

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𝕕𝕣 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕒💙💛

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amazing photo of Roma & queer support & solidarity from Bucharest by @EuroLesbianCon ✊🏽 ☸️🏳️‍🌈 https://t.co/8bR4GQMfTf

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𝕕𝕣 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕒💙💛

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
amazing photo of Roma & queer support & solidarity from Bucharest by @EuroLesbianCon ✊🏽 ☸️🏳️‍🌈 https://t.co/8bR4GQMfTf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
amazing photo of Roma & queer support & solidarity from Bucharest by @EuroLesbianCon ✊🏽 ☸️🏳️‍🌈

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.author.name
𝕕𝕣 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕒💙💛

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Pomoc Romom z Ukrainy💙Help Roma from Ukraine💛Допомога для ромів з України

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Grupa została utworzona, aby wesprzeć romskich uchodźców z Ukrainy, którzy zostali zmuszeni do ucieczki i szukania bezpiecznego schronienia poza granicami swojego kraju. Znajdziecie tu ogłoszenia...

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Ukraine's Roma activists working to help at-risk community

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Ukraine's Roma activists working to help at-risk community

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Ukraine’s Roma activists working to help at-risk community | DW | 07.03.2022

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Once they worked to ensure equal rights for Ukraine’s Roma minority. Now Roma activists are helping locate food supplies, organizing border crossings and raising funds for the war effort.

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Звернення ромів до міжнародної спільноти

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ERRC: Romani Ukrainians fleeing into Moldova from Russian aggression are discriminated against for lack of personal identification

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ERRC: Romani Ukrainians fleeing into Moldova from Russian aggression are discriminated against for lack of personal identification

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ERRC: Romani Ukrainians fleeing into Moldova from Russian aggression are discriminated against for lack of personal identification - Romea.cz

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Open letter of the Roma Council of Ukraine and the Roma Youth Council to the Ukrainian people, the world community and the Russians

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Open letter of the Roma Council of Ukraine and the Roma Youth Council to the Ukrainian people, the world community and the Russians

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English version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ly-uQWS16FnEjC7iDFDd5BDoW9XvOJoOzfY9H-KHNY0/edit

Response of government (English): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iOKnZBIMmRArdX8efa51ZQiRiEVK8alNLmhdQO66B84/edit

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04/03/2022 15:06

Відкритий лист Ромської ради України та Молодіжної ромської ради до українського народу, світової спільноти та росіян

Ромська рада України та Молодіжна ромська рада України виступила з Відкритим листом до українського народу та світової спільноти, а також звернулися російською до жителів Росії:
Дорогий наш український народ!
Роми проживають на території України понад 600 років, і вважають її своєю Батьківщиною! Все горе та радість, які стаються в нашій державі, роми так само переживають. Ми - є українці ромського походження. Сум України - один на всіх! Радість України - одна на всіх!

В цей непростий час, РОМСЬКА РАДА УКРАЇНИ та МОЛОДІЖНА РОМСЬКА РАДА УКРАЇНИ, які представляє об'єднання ромських громадських організацій та є голосом українських ромів, висловлюють свою підтримку УКРАЇНСЬКІЙ ДЕРЖАВІ, ВЛАДІ ТА ЗБРОЙНИМ СИЛАМ УКРАЇНИ. Ми захоплюємося

відвагою та непохитністю українського народу та пишаємося, тим що ми є його частиною!

Українські роми, як і всі інші громадяни, вносять посильну частку в перемогу нашої держави. Так світом прокотилася новина, як роми в Херсонській області ризикуючи своїм життям, проявили хоробрість та реквізували танк російських окупантів. Але це тільки частина: українські роми з усіма іншими стоять на передовій, вступають до лав територіальної самооборони, лікують хворих, надають волонтерську, фінансову та іншу допомогу аби прискорити перемогу України в цій

війні. Ми закликаємо всіх ромів, продовжувати в тому ж напрямку - до омріяної перемоги!

Ми отримуємо сотні повідомлень кожного дня, від ромів зі всього світу! Вони виходять на демонстрації в підтримку України, приймають у своїх домівках біженців, надають гуманітарну допомогу, вболівають та співпереживають всьому, що відбувається у нас в країні.

РОМСЬКА РАДА УКРАЇНИ засуджує війну та агресію Російської федерації проти України. Стало відомо, про бомбардування Бабиного Яру військами Російської федерації 1 березня 2022 року. Це місце, для ромів є сакральним. Під час Другої Світової Війни там загинули наші близькі та родичі. Країна, яка обстрілює мирних громадян, яка бомбить Бабин Яр, та цим фактом показує свою зневагу не лише до живих людей, а й до пам'яті про померлих, не має права бути в складі цивілізованого світу.

Ми хочемо висловити подяку країнам, які стали на захист та підтримку нашої Батьківщини і прийняли санкції проти агресора.

РОМСЬКА РАДА УКРАЇНИ та МОЛОДІЖНА РОМСЬКА РАДА УКРАЇНИ,

як представницький орган українських ромів, просить посилити тиск на Російську Федерацію та Республіку Білорусь, для повного припинення військових дій та відновлення Українських територій в межах своїх кордонів, визнаних світовою спільнотою. Ми закликаємо Європейський Союз та дружні до України держави, закрити небо над Україною, адже тільки так ми зможемо вберегти життя мирних жителів від загрози, яка чатує на них у небі.

Окремо РОМСЬКА РАДА УКРАЇНИ та МОЛОДІЖНА РОМСЬКА РАДА

УКРАЇНИ хочуть звернутися російською мовою до жителів Росії.

Украина является многонациональным государством. Здесь проживает больше

120 национальных и этнических груп, в том числе и русские. Всем меньшинам предоставляется право разговаривать на родном языке, развивать и сохранять свою культуру.

Ромы (Цыгане) как никто другой знают что такое геноцид. Практически каждая ромская семья пострадала от преследований и террора во время Второй Мировой Войны, поэтому ромы имеют право давать ту или иную оценку событиям и процессам которые происходят в мире в целом и в Украине в частности.

РОМСКИЙ СОВЕТ УКРАИНЫ и РОМСКИЙ МОЛОДЕЖНЫЙ СОВЕТ

УКРАИНЫ со всей ответственностью заявляют - фашизм чужд украинскому государству! Российское правительство дезинформирует свое население! От рук российских солдат умирают мирные люди, среди них и рома Украины. Конечно в

Украине есть свои проблемы, как и в других странах, НО ЭТО НАШ ДОМ, У СЕБЯ ДОМА МЫ РАЗБЕРЕМСЯ САМИ!!!

Мы верим что у российского народа есть разум и совесть, и призываем критически относится к пропаганде, которая ведется у вас на родине и проявлять солидарность и сочувствие к Украине.

ПРОСИМО УКРАЇНСЬКУ ВЛАДУ ТА ЗАСОБИ МАСОВОЇ ІНФОРМАЦІЇ ОПРИЛЮДНИТИ ТА РОЗПОВСЮДИТИ ДАНИЙ ЛИСТ, ЯК ОФІЦІЙНУ ПОЗИЦІЮ РОМІВ УКРАЇНИ.

Пройде час, спільний сум і журба українців, ромів, кримських татар та інших етносів, зміниться спільною радістю від перемоги та миру на землі!

КХЕТАНЕ АМЕ ЗОРАЛЕ! РАЗОМ МИ СИЛА!

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Уповноважений Верховної Ради України з прав людини

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Відкритий лист Ромської ради України та Молодіжної ромської ради до українського народу, світової спільноти та росіян

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04/03/2022 15:06 Ромська рада України та Молодіжна ромська рада України виступила з Відкритим листом до українського народу та світової спільноти, а також звернулися російською до жителів Росії: Дорогий наш український народ! Роми проживають на території України понад 600 років, і вважають її своєю Батьківщиною!

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Slovak Govt Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities joins aid effort for refugees from Ukraine, monitoring patrols will make sure Romani refugees are assisted too

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Slovak Govt Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities joins aid effort for refugees from Ukraine, monitoring patrols will make sure Romani refugees are assisted too

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The Office of the Slovak Government Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities (ÚSVRK) is now involved with assisting refugees from Ukraine and representatives of the office are taking part in Crisis Staff meetings, providing assistance to help Romani refugees in particular, and preparing monitoring patrols at the border crossings of Ubľa, Velká Slemence and Vyšné Německé. Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities Ján Hero has posted the news to Facebook.

"Given the current situation on the Slovak-Ukrainian border, the Office of the Slovak Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities is interested in aiding this crisis situation in general and in assisting all residents regardless of their nationality," Hero said, adding that due to reported critical situations and inadequate actions by volunteers helping members of the public, there is a reason for his office to provide assistance. "So far, we have intervened to help 75 refugees at the Catholic Charity House in Dolní Smokovec during their temporary stay."

"At the request of Caritas Slovakia, we directly performed tasks ranging from interpreting, to ensuring the normal operation of the facility, to assisting during the transport of refugees to Munich," Hero posted. "We also provided similar services in the small tent city in Humenné."

According to him, the Office's representatives have regularly attended meetings of the Permanent Crisis Staff twice, where they have informed the staff about the course of their interventions. "In cooperation with the Crime Prevention Department of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, ÚSVRK employees have translated important information materials into the Romanes language," Hero posted to Facebook.

"The ÚSVRK intends to continue this cooperation," the Plenipotentiary said. As one of its activities, the Office also proposes monitoring the situation at the three border crossings of Ubľa, Velká Slemence and Vyšné Německé.

"The intention is to create monitoring patrols that will, in cooperation with all entities operating at the borders, get a hold of this crisis situation," Hero posted to Facebook. Slovak MEP Peter Pollák had previously informed ROMEA TV that Romani coordinators were being introduced at the border crossings.

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Slovak Govt Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities joins aid effort for refugees from Ukraine, monitoring patrols will make sure Romani refugees are assisted too

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The Office of the Slovak Government Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities (ÚSVRK) is now involved with assisting refugees from Ukraine and representatives of the office are taking part in Crisis Staff meetings, providing assistance to help Romani refugees in particular, and preparing monitoring patrols at the border crossings of Ubľa, Velká Slemence and Vyšné Německé.

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Romani woman who fled Ukraine: Bombs and tanks drove us out of Kharkiv, we left everything behind

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Romani woman who fled Ukraine: Bombs and tanks drove us out of Kharkiv, we left everything behind

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In the Polish town of Przemyśl, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border, what was once a Tesco supermarket has now become a refugee detention center, and buses are transporting refugees there from the Medyka border crossing. Among those fleeing the war are Romani people from Ukraine.

One Romani Ukrainian woman in Przemyśl told ROMEA TV: "[We're from] Kharkiv. We escaped from there and left behind everything we had, including our homes."

"Now, for us, it's normal here, we have no problem with food. All we need is something to drink and dry bread, the main thing is for the entire family to be together," she told ROMEA TV, adding that she is waiting for the rest of her family to arrive so that they can all decide where to go next together.

On one issue the refugees are clear: They will never return to Ukraine. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said yesterday that it has documented the deaths of 516 civilians, including 37 children, since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A total of 908 civilians have been documented as injured. According to the UN, the actual number of victims will probably be much higher.

More than two million people have already fled abroad. Most refugees from Ukraine are heading to Poland.

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Romani woman who fled Ukraine: Bombs and tanks drove us out of Kharkiv, we left everything behind

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In the Polish town of Przemyśl, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border, what was once a Tesco supermarket has now become a refugee detention center, and buses are transporting refugees there from the Medyka border crossing. Among those fleeing the war are Romani people from Ukraine.

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More support urgently needed to assist people fleeing the war in Ukraine and countries of arrival, in particular the Republic of Moldova.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/more-support-urgently-needed-to-assist-people-fleeing-the-war-in-ukraine-and-countries-of-arrival-in-particular-the-republic-of-moldova

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Commissioner for Human Rights CHISINAU/STRASBOURG

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At Palanca border crossing, the Commissioner is listening to traumatic experiences of families, women, children, older people and people with disabilities fleeing the war in Ukraine, waiting to reach safety in the Republic of Moldova. 8 March 2022

"Beyond the prompt humanitarian response already provided by European states to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, more support is urgently needed to protect their human rights and to support countries of arrival, in particular the Republic of Moldova", said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, following her three-day mission to the Republic of Moldova.

"I have met and listened to dozens of people who fled the war - in a reception centre in Chisinau, on the Ukrainian side of the border crossing near Palanca, and in other locations across the Republic of Moldova. For many of them, their first night spent in the Republic of Moldova was their first peaceful night in a long time. But confusion, anguish and trauma are clearly visible in their eyes. Their words express anger and distress. Mothers with children are worried about their immediate future. A little boy confided in me his fear of the war. Older people described how their lives have been suddenly uprooted by the shelling. People who travelled for many days and over long distances to bring their families to safety are now waiting in long lines at the border crossing. They are hopeful but weary. All those to whom I spoke are also worried about the safety and welfare of those left behind: their husbands, parents, relatives and friends, unwilling or unable to leave."

As the Commissioner concluded her mission, the number of those who fled Ukraine reached over 2 million people according to UNHCR. Wedged between war-affected Ukraine and the European Union, the Republic of Moldova has been facing an unprecedented situation of coping with large-scale displacement. To this day, over 243,000 people have entered the country, and nearly 100,000 remained in the country at the time of the visit. Many more are waiting, in queues at the border in long lines of cars and on foot, anxious to reach safety.

Press release
More support urgently needed to assist people fleeing the war in Ukraine and countries of arrival, in particular the Republic of Moldova

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More support urgently needed to assist people fleeing the war in Ukraine and countries of arrival, in particular the Republic of Moldova

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Commissioner for Human Rights CHISINAU/STRASBOURG Diminuer la taille du texte Augmenter la taille du texte Imprimer la page Imprimer en PDF At Palanca border crossing, the Commissioner is listening to traumatic experiences of families, women, children, older people and people with disabilities fleeing the war in Ukraine, waiting to reach safety in the Republic of Moldova.

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Sweden: Gothenburg man raises money to help Roma refugees

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Sweden: Gothenburg man raises money to help Roma refugees

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Bagir Kwiek works as a coordinator at the Royal Library with the task of building a Roma resource library. Over the past week, he has spent most of his free time talking to Roma organizations in border areas with Ukraine.

Translate via www.deepl.com

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Göteborgaren samlar in pengar för att hjälpa romer på flykt

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Romska frivilligorganisationer i Europa varnar för diskriminering av romer både i Ukraina och i gränsländerna.

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Letters to EU and United Nations in support of Ukraine Roma

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Letters to EU and United Nations in support of Ukraine Roma

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Information for people fleeing the war in Ukraine

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Information for people fleeing the war in Ukraine

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If you are fleeing the war in Ukraine and coming to the European Union, you will find key information about your rights with regard to crossing the border into an EU country, eligibility for temporary protection and applying for international protection, as well as the rights of travel inside the European Union.

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Additional information from national authorities

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Information for people fleeing the war in Ukraine

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Your rights with regard to crossing the border into an EU country, eligibility for temporary protection and applying for international protection

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Roman Kwiatkowski, chair of the Association of Roma in Poland: We must thank the non-Roma for how they are aiding the Roma fleeing Ukraine

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Roman Kwiatkowski, chair of the Association of Roma in Poland: We must thank the non-Roma for how they are aiding the Roma fleeing Ukraine

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Roman Kwiatkowski, chair of the Association of Roma in Poland: We must thank the non-Roma for how they are aiding the Roma fleeing Ukraine

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The chair of the Association of Roma in Poland, Roman Kwiatkowski, estimates that approximately 500 Romani refugees from Ukraine have fled into Poland ahead of the advances of the Russian Army so far.

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The New York Times: Humanitarian aid workers in Budapest, Hungary are stingy and strict when the refugees are Romani

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The New York Times: Humanitarian aid workers in Budapest, Hungary are stingy and strict when the refugees are Romani

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Among the human beings doing their best to reach safety as Russian soldiers assault Ukraine are refugees of Romani origin who are encountering bias and discrimination from volunteers. News server Romea.cz has already reported on the case of two Romani refugee Ukrainian women with four children who were twice asked to leave accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic for no reason, or Czech bus drivers who refused to pick up Romani refugee Ukrainian mothers, originally from the Kyiv area, and bring them to safety, as well as other cases where volunteers do not want to transport Romani refugee Ukrainian families.

Yesterday The New York Times reported online about the approach being taken toward some Romani refugee Ukrainians in Hungary. At a center offering humanitarian aid in Budapest's Nyugati train station, a family of Romani refugees said the staffers demanded they show their passports before giving them refreshments.

Other citizens of Ukraine were not asked to prove their citizenship by those same staffers. They then gave the children who were Romani one beverage and one sandwich each while offering non-Romani refugees as many refreshments as they wanted.

Dark-skinned students have also encountered racism while fleeing the war. The American television station CNN has gathered their testimonies, including that some of the guards on the border between Poland and Ukraine treated them in a racist way.

Russia escalated its invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, 24 February. According to the UN, the fighting has cost at least 474 civilian lives so far.

Information about hundreds of other victims is still in the process of being verified. More than 2 million people have already fled into neighboring countries.

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The New York Times: Humanitarian aid workers in Budapest, Hungary are stingy and strict when the refugees are Romani

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Among the human beings doing their best to reach safety as Russian soldiers assault Ukraine are refugees of Romani origin who are encountering bias and discrimination from volunteers.

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Slovak MEP Peter Pollák tells ROMEA TV Romani coordinators are working at the Slovak-Ukraine border to forestall discrimination of Romani refugee Ukrainians

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Slovak MEP Peter Pollák tells ROMEA TV Romani coordinators are working at the Slovak-Ukraine border to forestall discrimination of Romani refugee Ukrainians

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Romani coordinators are going to begin operations at the Slovak-Ukrainian border to ensure that all refugees from Ukraine are treated equally and Romani refugees are not discriminated against according to Slovak MEP Peter Pollák who announced the news in an interview given to ROMEA TV yesterday. "I have received more than one report of volunteers arriving at the borders with great enthusiasm to aid the Ukrainians, who are then choosing which refugees to assist and which not," the MEP said in the interview, adding that a survey had been immediately undertaken at border crossings by the Human Rights Committee of the Slovak national legislature and the Office of the Slovak Government Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities.

"[Representatives of the state] have done their best, directly on the spot, to eliminate these problems," Pollák said, adding that if discrimination against Romani people has happened, it was the failure of individual volunteers, not a problem that is systemic. "Under no circumstances will the state support such discrimination."

"Under no circumstances will the state engage in such discriminatory practices," the MEP told ROMEA TV. "That has been communicated during all coordination meetings of the crisis staffs."

Pollák believes measures have been taken to prevent similar excesses and discrimination against Romani Ukrainians fleeing Russian military occupation. "In each coordinating committee in the crisis staffs there will be representatives of the Office of the Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities," he told ROMEA TV.

"We've created a coalition of Romani people comprised of the Office of the Plenipotentiary and NGOs dedicated to Romani-related subjects," he said. "The result is that at each border crossing there will be the constant participation of representatives of the Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities to forestall such problems and actually provide humanitarian aid to people of Romani nationality arriving from Ukraine and fleeing the Russian tanks and rockets."

News server Romea.cz has reported on different cases of discrimination against Romani Ukrainians happening recently. For example, one story involved two Romani refugee Ukrainian women and their four children who have been twice asked to leave accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic for no reason, or Czech bus drivers who refused to go pick up Romani refugee Ukrainian mothers, originally from the Kyiv area, and bring them to safety, as well as other cases where volunteers do not want to transport Romani refugee Ukrainian families further into the Slovak interior.

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Slovak MEP Peter Pollák tells ROMEA TV Romani coordinators are working at the Slovak-Ukraine border to forestall discrimination of Romani refugee Ukrainians

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Romani coordinators are going to begin operations at the Slovak-Ukrainian border to ensure that all refugees from Ukraine are treated equally and Romani refugees are not discriminated against according to Slovak MEP Peter Pollák who announced the news in an interview given to ROMEA TV yesterday.

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Czech Roma activist Patrik Banga: Here we go! Some people even envy the Ukrainians their bombed-out houses!

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Czech Roma activist Patrik Banga: Here we go! Some people even envy the Ukrainians their bombed-out houses!

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If you want to find out anything at all, just ask about it on Facebook - you can ask about anything there. Until recently, Czech-language Facebook was full of wannabe experts on vaccination, evolutionary biology and physicians.

Currently it is full of wannabe experts on the crisis of migration. I kid you not.

After several years of protests against the massive migrations by Muslim refugees, the time for solidarity with refugees has finally arrived. The solidarity being shown is actually extraordinary.

Most of the Czech nation sympathizes with the Ukrainians. However, there are some people here who view this situation absolutely differently.

These believe the Ukrainians are "Fascists", that they are getting everything for free here at our expense, and that because of them, we will all be out of work. I feel the need to quote these forecasters verbatim: "We will pay high rents for them."

Unfortunately, I'm not joking. In recent days I have read a great deal of disinformation on social media, all of which looks like it came from Aeronet or some other ( by now banned) website.

I have to give credit to the diligence of these closed pro-Russian websites whose contributors have actually done a hell of a job getting their stuff out. One reads in their output that the Ukrainians are "Fascists" who murder Romani people (most of the time followed by the allegation that Putin is well-intentioned).

One can also read that the Ukrainians are bombing themselves (!) in order to awaken the pity of the West. Ultimately, one can also learn from this stuff that the Ukrainians have been promised apartments, cars and mobile phones for free and that they will take our jobs.

I tell myself that in the Internet age it should no longer be possible for so many people to parrot disinformation like this. However, just as it was with COVID-19, such propaganda about the current conflict in Ukraine is also working.

Yes, some Ukrainians actually do believe in Fascism, and some murder Romani people. Some Russians are also Fascists, and some murder Romani people.

Some Americans are Fascists too, and some murder Black people. Some Czechs have committed racially motivated murder and done prison time for it here, too.

For example, Vlastimil Pechanec, who murdered Ota Absolon, a Romani man - but that didn't stop some other Roma from joining him at a demonstration against the Government's measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Does that mean all Romani people here support this Fascist murderer, though?

Probably not. All the same, some of us are able to apply collective guilt in one fell swoop and label all Ukrainians "Fascists".

There is a war underway right now in Ukraine and people are fleeing who have nowhere to go. If one sees the images of terrified children and women, then one has the tendency to do something for them, to help somehow.

Instead of helping, though, some of us here are sharing messages like this: "I can already see what it will be like here in the Czech Republic. It will be 80 % Ukrainian, and those of us who were born here and live here. We will have no jobs because of them. We will pay rent for them, high electric bills, etc. Slowly but surely they will be kissing the Ukrainians' asses. The Czech Republic is the same as Ukraine, Slovakia, nothing but Fascists and racists."

You would be amazed at how many similar posts I have seen on Czech-language social media - it's as if some people envy the Ukrainians the fact that somebody has shot up their homes and expelled them from their own country. Some primitives have even gone so far as to spread rumors on Facebook that the Ukrainians are getting apartments and cars here for free.

Other primitives are angry that no apartments are being given to them for free. I'd like to say to the authors of such bunk (and I have done so) that they should move to Ukraine and spend a few weeks being bombed there - I can guarantee they would flee, too.

In such a situation, the destination wouldn't matter. What can I say - some of us are media illiterates.

Such people read information and don't know how to assess it. If they read that the Czech state is providing Ukrainians with "accommodation", their assessment is that Ukrainians are being "given apartments".

The truth is something else entirely. What the Ukrainians are being given here is the status of being tolerated.

That means they can remain here for as long as there is a shooting war underway in their home country. Yes, apparently they will be working here - in exactly the same way they have been working for the last 20 years.

All one has to do is look at Czech hospitals. The vast majority of those working there are Ukrainian women.

That's not to mention the Czech construction industry, work that will now be quite difficult to implement if most of the men from Ukraine are fighting in the war. I have no idea who it is that will be "taking jobs away" from the rest of us here.

If a Romani woman here is complaining that a Ukrainian woman will be "taking her job" here, that just seems intrinsically like a joke to me. There should be no need to explain that for any employer it is far easier to hire a Czech Romani woman than a Ukrainian woman.

The Czech citizen will not need a visa or a work permit. The Czech citizen is a member of the European Union and can work in any EU Member State.

The Czech citizen lives in Central European conditions that are stable, nobody is throwing clusterbombs at her here. In other words, any Czech Romani woman here is incomparably better off today than any Ukrainian woman.

Yet our mouths are full of complaints about how the Czech state does not aid Romani people here. The state doesn't help our own citizens who are Roma, and it doesn't help the Roma who are currently crossing the borders.

How many Czech Romani people, though, have gone to the train station to bring a Romani refugee family from Ukraine home like the gadje [non-Roma] are doing right now? Where's all that baloney about paťiv [honor], about how Romani people have to aid each other?

All honor goes to those who are driving to the Ukrainian border to render assistance (and I know there a lot of you). All honor goes to those who are driving the refugees to safety.

Thanks also go to those who are reporting about this situation. However, those who are loudest on Facebook mostly just know how to criticize.

The vast majority of them will never donate even the smallest amount of money so their western living standards won't take a hit. What they're mainly all doing is blabbing about Romani people being refused at the borders or not getting aid at the main train station.

We are Roma in the 21st century. It should be absolutely all the same to us whether a refugee is a gadjo or a Rom.

These are people who need our aid, and God knows whether we won't be needing assistance from strangers ourselves one day. Making distinctions among these refugees just shows we have not yet made progress in our perception of democracy.

Once I make it to a border crossing, it will be all the same to me whether I am bringing back a gadjo or a Rom. I will drive to safety the first children and mothers I see.

If Romani refugees are being ignored (and I know that such things have happened at the borders), then that shows absolutely the same immaturity in those countries as I am now criticizing here in the Czech Republic. On the other hand, all of the loudmouths who speak of nothing but discrimination and racism here are finding even more room for themselves now.

You want paťiv? Get yourself together, take a vehicle to the border, and bring Romani people to safety yourself.

Show what we call Rom Romeha. There are 250 000 of us Roma here in the Czech Republic.

If we each donated CZK 1 000 [EUR 40], we could send enough buses to rescue all the Romani Ukrainians at once. We could do it effectively, quickly, and safely.

I'll be straight with you all, though. That's never going to happen.

I experienced this same situation in 1999. In the Konik refugee camp there were 25 000 Romani refugees from Kosovo who had nothing to eat and whose children were dying in the freezing temperatures.

When I came back to the Czech Republic and began asking for donations of clothing, food and money that we could transport by truck, I attempted to collect donations from Romani people here. The first Romani person to laugh in my face was the head of what was then the best-known media organization focusing on the Roma.

That situation hasn't changed. Instead of considering how to aid people in need, we complain that they will take our jobs.

God forbid we might have to flee to Germany some day. If so, I'd have to hope the Germans would receive us far better than some of us are currently receiving the Ukrainians.

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Patrik Banga: Here we go! Some people even envy the Ukrainians their bombed-out houses!

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If you want to find out anything at all, just ask about it on Facebook - you can ask about anything there. Until recently, Czech-language Facebook was full of wannabe experts on vaccination, evolutionary biology and physicians. Currently it is full of wannabe experts on the crisis of migration.

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Swedish article: Roma refugees discriminated against: 'We have nothing to give to Gypsies'

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Swedish article: Roma refugees discriminated against: 'We have nothing to give to Gypsies'

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Roma in Ukraine tell Sydsvenskan that they do not receive the same help as others and testify to discrimination. Viktor Genger Davidovich is one of them. His family is given priority because they are Roma, he says.

- When we ask for help, they are threatening and say: "We don't have anything to give to gypsies".

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Romer i Ukraina berättar för Sydsvenskan att de inte får samma hjälp som andra och vittnar om diskriminering. Viktor Genger Davidovich är en av dem. Hans familj bortprioriteras på grund av att de är romer, berättar han.

- När vi ber om hjälp är de hotfulla och säger: "Vi har inte något att ge till zigenare".

Den romska familjen består av syskon, barn och barnbarn - nio personer totalt. Vanligtvis försörjer de sig genom hantverksyrken men sedan kriget kom är den möjligheten borta.

Bild: Privat

Annons

De fattigaste och mest invandringskritiska länderna i Europa har öppnat sina armar för ukrainska flyktingar. Lilla Moldavien, med en befolkning på 2,6 miljoner, har till exempel tagit emot 200 000 flyktingar. Det råder konsensus om att man ska hjälpa de som flyr kriget i Ukraina, men solidariteten gäller inte för alla, enligt flera romer som Sydsvenskan pratar med.

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Romska flyktingar vittnar om att de nekas humanitär hjälp

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Romer i Ukraina berättar för Sydsvenskan att de inte får samma hjälp som andra och vittnar om diskriminering. Viktor Genger Davidovich är en av dem. Hans familj bortprioriteras på grund av att de är romer, berättar han. - När vi ber om hjälp är de hotfulla och säger: "Vi har inte något att ge till zigenare".