Worldnews

Crime and Gypsies In Europe 1 26/11/2010

It's easy to find explanations of authorities blaming Gypsies to be potential criminals on the internet. Explanations from authorities of European states; just like Mayors and government authorities of Italy; the prime minister of Finland, the prime minister of French government; including a discriminative discourse with those kind of sentences "Gypsies break the law are largely visible in any kind of mass media. It is the best way to response this approach with new questions. Why does Gypsies break the law if they do? Crime is a result or a reason?

IIt would be easier to answer those questions if we have a closer look at explanations and applications maden by authorities about the relation of Gypsy and crime. Our first station is Italy.

Year:2008
Country: Italy
Who is responsible for the application: Roberto Maroni, Interior Minister and a member of racist North League Party
Application: Targeting of finger prints of immigrant Gypsies.

Maroni is the minister of country where 160.000 migrant Roma Gypsies from eastern Europe live. It was pronounced that finger prints of migrant Gypsies would be collected. It was also claimed that migrant Gypsies joined to criminal activities and the reason of raising percentage of crime rat was Gypsies. This was the reason why finger print of migrant Gypsies would be targeted and Gypsies would be deported. It wouldn't also be possible for migrant Gypsies to come the country again. This was the way Maroni to stop crime.

Application was started in Rome and Naples. It was written in local newspapers that officials were categorizing migrants according to their age, education level and ethnicity after targeting finger prints. Then, children under 14 age were excluded with explanations and motion of censure, however it didn't have any cohesiveness, accepted with 336 vote against 220 vote in European Parliament. However Maroni insist on that main reason of the application was to protect children from crime.

Gypsies are being accepted as one of the main reasons of raising percentage of crime rate by Italian publicity. That's why there is nobody reacting this application except some NGOs. Application of targeting of finger prints is being implemented for two years and still active.

Gypsies in the country are living in almost 700 camps under hard conditions. Eviction of these camps was started at 2010. Residents of camps evicted until now were not offered anywhere to settle. Gypsies lived in guesthouse of municipality during eviction. It is mostly unknown that where the families evicted from camps live. It is possible either they moved to the camps not evicted yet or they are trying to live in abandoned building illegally. It's also possible that some of them returned to eastern Europe. Children are not able to enroll in a school without a legal housing. Many of them have to beg as a result of having no chance to get education or a formal job. Worse, many of them would be a part of various criminal activities under these conditions. Some of these brothers and sisters are dying in prison. Some others are dying at streets.

Let's ask our questions again in view of the fact that, Italy example! Did anything change about crime rates after starting of the application of targeting finger prints? Are there any Gypsy people, who lived in camps before evictions, being forced to join criminal activities by the recent hard conditions in last two years? Authorities, who accept targeting finger prints and stigmatizing Gypsy as usual suspects is the best way to struggle against crime, have to answer these questions.

Source: Cingeneyiz International