Dear Sir/Madam,

Please find on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Roma_Francais/files/ a copy of the 2008 report on the situation of the Eastern European Roma people in France, drawn up by the Collectif National Droits de l’Homme Romeurope (National Group on the Human Rights of the European Roma). An introduction summarises all the main points to which we would like to draw your attention.

The Roma people, the majority of whom are originally from Romania, Bulgaria, and, to a lesser extent, ex-Yugoslavia, fled their native countries where discrimination and racism ensured that their existence remained even more precarious. The Roma way of life – having been sedentary for centuries – can in no way be compared to that of French Travelling People.

Similar circumstances for the Roma have been observed throughout France: disgraceful living conditions, mostly in squats or slums, coupled with the permanent threat of eviction, and occasionally surrounded by violence. Such insecurity puts them at risk and results in genuine traumatic experiences, particularly in the case of children whose schooling is chaotic and frequently disrupted by a refusal, more often than not on the part of the local authorities, to enrol them in school.

Chances for the Roma to integrate are slim, as they remain excluded from the job market, particularly as a result of restrictions relating to the transitional period imposed on nationals from new EU member states. France has, moreover, informed the European Commission that it will be keeping these restrictions in place and will not be adopting a more flexible approach from 1st January 2009. The Roma people cannot access the resources and the protection afforded by the social welfare system either, as even more stringent criteria imposed on EU nationals were introduced following the entry of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU. This has resulted in benefits agencies rejecting claims on a virtually systematic basis with no assessment of individual claimant’s circumstances. Some welfare services – state medical aid, child welfare benefits, emergency accommodation, housing, etc. – continue in theory to be open and accessible, but a deplorable number of obstacles and discriminatory procedures continue to exist in these areas too. All these factors combine to give rise to delays in accessing care and treatment and to concerns over the health of the Roma.

The Roma, who are quite unjustifiably presumed to be automatically dependent on state welfare, are regularly served notices of removal. The carrying out of such removals is both absurd and ineffectual given that the Roma have the right to return immediately to France, and indeed do so. Removals rely, in the case of the Roma, on the large-scale implementation of the humanitarian resettlement programme run by ANAEM (Agence National d’Accueil des Etrangers et des Migrations – National Bureau for Settlement of Foreigners and for Migration), which often fails to respect the principle of voluntary participation and fails to incorporate preparation and support into resettlement plans for individuals in their countries of origin.

Whilst it is deplorable that the government and local authorities continue to favour a short-sighted response by evacuating locations where these families reside without offering any alternatives, and thereby merely shifting the problem to neighbouring communities, some in the public sphere have for several years now been behind local moves to provide appropriate housing and to initiate social integration. A sufficiently objective view can now be taken of the experiences detailed in the report for us to confirm that, if the location and precise circumstances of each family is assessed, it is possible to set up appropriate projects. For these projects to succeed, the government must show a positive commitment towards respecting the fundamental rights of the Eastern European Roma who have settled in France.

We trust that you will find this report of interest.

Yours faithfully,

Chloé FAOUZI
Coordinatrice
Collectif National Droits de l'Homme Romeurope

chloe.faouzi@romeurope.org
www.romeurope.org
c/o FNASAT Gens du voyage
59, rue de l'Ourcq
75019 Paris
France.

PICTUREHOUSE PRESENTS THE 2nd LONDON GYPSY FILM FESTIVAL

Picturehouse is pleased to announce the second annual London Gypsy Film Festival at The Ritzy (Nov 2-4) and Greenwich Picture House (Nov 9-11). First held in January, 2006, at Brixton’s Ritzy cinema and Greenwich’s Picturehouse, the Gypsy Film Festival was a huge success that’s since been imitated both in the UK and across the Continent.

Festival curator Garth Cartwright, author of Princes Amongst Men: Journeys With Gypsy Musicians (Serpents Tail), a book hailed as the definite text on Balkan Roma culture, again gathers rarely seen classic European films and contemporary documentaries – most have never had a UK screening.

Features will screen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. On Saturday and Sunday afternoon the Ritzy will host screenings of three documentaries from both Serbia (Saturday) and Romania (Sunday). Sunday night (Nov 4) finds The Ritzy launching Roma Decade, an exhibition of Hungarian photographer Zsuzsanna Ardo’s images, then screening a new Hungarian documentary and feature (first UK screening for both). The Ritzy’s upstairs café will also host a feast of Gypsy-themed music across the weekend.

The Romany people’s 1000-year journey from West Asia to freedom continues: the Gypsy Film Festival celebrates their culture and the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015: supported by nine European countries, the European Commission and the UN, this project aims to challenge racial stereotypes and increase tolerance.

RITZY NOVEMBER 2-4th

Friday Nov 2 night: I EVEN MET HAPPY GYPSIES - groundbreaking 1967 Yugoslav film gets a rare UK screening. Won a Cannes award and proved a huge influence on Emir Kusturika. 94 minutes

Saturday 3rd afternoon: SERBlAN SOUL - 4 documentaries by Serbian film makers on Roma communities and music making. THE CHILDREN OF THE BRASS BAND VILLAGE involves Roma kids learning to play brass in a Southern Serbian village; THE CHILDREN OF BLOCK 71 focuses on the kids of a Roma squatter camp in Belgrade; GUCA is a magnificent celebration of Guca brass band festival 2006; ESMA: QUEEN OF THE GYPSIES focuses on Esma Redzepova, celebrated Queen of the Gypsies, and the wedding of her keyboardist, Elvis. First UK cinema screenings for 2 of the documentaries. 95 minutes in total.

Saturday evening: THE WAY THE ROAD BENDS . . . TALES OF A GYPSY CARAVAN: Jasmine Dellal's documentary crosses between 5 different Gypsy artists on tour in the US and their lives back home in India, Spain, Macedonia and Romania. Director hopes to present film. 120 minutes

Sunday 4th afternoon: ROMANIA ROCKS - 3 documentaries from Romania. GYPSY CHILD BRIDES looks at the extremely controversial matter of marrying Roma girls as young as 12 in Romania. GYPSY WITCH looks at the nation's fortune tellers and their clients. IAG BARI/BRASS ON FIRE – celebrated Romanian brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia leave their village to conquer the world. The Romanian director of Child Brides/Gypsy Witch will attend so to answer questions on his challenging documentaries. 110 minutes

Sunday evening: HUNGARIAN HEART double bill THE SOUNDSCAPE OF MIKLOS LUKACS (documentary) & DALLAS AMONGST US (feature). Director of Soundscape hopes to present his 2007 documentary. Dallas is an excellent 2005 feature. Neither film has ever had a UK screening. Pre-screening their will be the official launch of Hungarian photographer Zsuzanna Ardo’s photo exhibition Roma Decade. 140 minutes

GYPSY FILM FESTIVAL: GREENWICH PICTURE HOUSE November 9-11

Friday night: I EVEN MET HAPPY GYPSIES

Saturday night: THE WAY THE ROAD BENDS . . . TALES OF A GYPSY CARAVAN

Sunday night: BALKAN FEVER (a mix of the best documentaries: THE SOUNDSCAPE OF MIKLOS LUKACS, GUCA, THE CHILDREN OF THE BRASS BAND VILLAGE, THE CHILDREN OF BLOCK 71). 115 minutes

Dear all,

The Roma Film Festival "Golden Wheel" will take place from 29-31 October 2008 in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia.

I would like you to remind you once more that the dead line for entering your films in the Festival program is 15 October 2008.

All of you who plan to attend the Festival would you please submit your application for participation and confirm your stay in Skopje no later than 20 October 2008, thus the organizer can arrange for your accommodations.

If you need any additional information do not hesitate to contact the organizer.

On behalf of the organizer,

Safet Kamber, Festival coordinator
TV BTR Nacional
Ul. Lazar Licenovski 31-b
1000 Skopje, Macedonia
Tel./fax: + 389 (0)2 321 6000
E-mail: tvbtr@tvbtr.com.mk

Kedves Barátunk, kedves Kollégánk!

A Roma Kutatási Hálózat néhány résztvevője az alábbi nyílt levelet szövegezte Sólyom Lászlónak, a Magyar Köztársaság Elnökének. Örülnénk, ha az alábbi levélben megfogalmazott kezdeményezésünkhöz csatlakozna. A levelet a Köztársasági Elnöknek, az MTI-nek, az országos napilapoknak és a mérvadó elektronikus hírportáloknak, továbbá televíziós társaságoknak kívánjuk eljuttatni.

Köszönettel,

Feischmidt Margit, Fleck Gábor, Kóczé Angéla, Kovács Éva, Messing Vera, Michael Stewart, Neményi Mária, Szalai Júlia, Szuhay Péter, Vidra Zsuzsanna, Virág Tünde és Zentai Viola
__________

Tisztelt Köztársasági Elnök Úr!

Az elmúlt hetekben - különösen a miskolci és a veszprémi események után - elszabadult indulatok veszélyeztetik az amúgy is sok nehézséggel terhelt együttélést Magyarország nem roma és roma népessége között. Úgy látjuk, hogy a mérvadó politikai személyiségek és a média ezen indulatok csillapításában erőtlennek mutatkoznak. Ezért kérjük Önt, hogy - amiként hasonló esetben a francia, német, brit közméltóságok - tegye nyilvánvalóvá, hogy aki a romák ellen fordul, az egyszersmind a magyar nemzet ellen fordul.

Bibó István szavait idézve: „A magyar demokrácia válságban van. Válságban van, mert félelemben él.” Hogy ezt a félelmet roma és nem roma honfitársaink legyőzzék, kérjük Önt mint a nemzet egységét megjelenítő legfőbb állami méltóságot, hogy foglaljon állást azokról a társadalmi és gazdasági dezintegrációs folyamatokról, amelyek magyar állampolgárokat fosztottak meg a méltó emberi élet, közösségeiket pedig a normális együttélés lehetőségétől. Szociológiai kutatások igazolják, hogy ezen kirekesztődött csoportokban a romák felülreprezentáltak. Az oktatásból, szociális ellátásból, legális munkaerő-piacról kiszoruló, társadalmilag megbélyegzett romák nem egyszerűen a legális megélhetés lehetőségeitől, hanem társadalmi tagságuk, állampolgárságuk legitimációs alapjaitól is megfosztatnak. A politikai elit nem hagyhatja, hogy e legkiszolgáltatottabb, legvédtelenebb roma csoportok a társadalmi erőszak prédáivá váljanak.

E levél aláírói több évtizede a romák és más magyarországi kisebbségek problémáit vizsgáló kutatók, valamint a kisebbségek megbecsülése és társadalmi integrációja iránt elkötelezett civilek. Így azt is látjuk, hogy nemcsak romák találhatók az egyre mélyülő gazdasági és társadalmi válság áldozatai között, hanem nagyon sok nem roma él félelemben egzisztenciáját, biztonságát, gyermekei jövőjét illetően. Mindannyiunk felelőssége, hogy ezek a félelmek ne erősítsék tovább a bűnbakképzési mechanizmusokat, és ezzel ne váljanak még súlyosabb társadalmi konfliktusok kiváltójává. Közös feladatunk, hogy honfitársainkat egymásrautaltságunkra emlékeztessük. De ezért Ön teheti a legtöbbet, Elnök Úr.

Ezért nyomatékkal kérjük, hogy szólaljon meg az együttélés és a társadalmi szolidaritás szükségességéről. Erre nagyszerű alkalomnak kínálkozik közelgő nemzeti ünnepünk, március 15-e, mely megérdemli, hogy újra a haladó nemzeti eszmék melletti hitünket fejezze ki, s ne váljék szélsőséges csoportok játékszerévé.

Budapest, 2009. február 19.

Kérjük, hogy írja alá Ön is:
Csatlakozni lehet a www.meltosag.net oldalon vagy az info@meltosag.net emailen.

A message to the European institutions concerning the need to urgently modify the policies on the Roma ethnic group

Rome, October 15, 2008

The European Union has demonstrated over the last few years that it possesses neither the experience nor adequate means for facing the "racism emergency". The situation in Italy, where every EU directive (starting from the 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000) and every international charter for the rights of minorities have been systematically violated by the institutions in their policies involving the Roma and immigrants, is symbolic of how resolutions and warnings are not sufficient for obtaining results on a civil level.

The EU Parliament, Commission and Council of Europe have expressed themselves several times, through every political means; warning first the Prodi Government and then the Berlusconi Government to abandon the repressive actions and "de facto" expulsion of thousands of EU citizens belonging to the Roma ethnic group.

The camp clearances without the offer of alternative humanitarian solutions; the violence used, and threats from the institutions; the practise of taking children from families living in hardship and the denial of any socio-medical assistance for Roma citizens, has led to a mass exodus of Roma (particularly Romanian Roma) from Italy to Spain, France or back to Romania. Over the last few years, in spite of the Decade of Roma Inclusion (which began in 2005) and all the European directives and resolutions against racism and in favour of a policy for the Roma, the situation of the so-called "nomads" has gradually deteriorated and no projects for social integration, no local ordinances and no emergency laws have been initiated to protect this ethnic group. If in 2005 there were between 180 - 210,000 Roma in Italy, today there are – as confirmed by the census – only about 70,000 remaining, living in disastrous social and sanitary conditions. The exodus, the infant mortality, illnesses and acts of violence have drastically reduced the number of Roma in Italy and a new humanitarian tragedy is expected with the onset of the cold weather. We have already had the first victims, but unfortunately it is only the beginning of a terrible period for these troubled people, whose average life span has fallen to around 40, with an appalling infant mortality rate.

What could the European institutions have done to prevent and counteract this tragedy in an effective way? First of all, they could have listened to the witnesses and all those who possess great experience in the field, experts who are in contact with the reality of the Roma, and who are studying the spread of anti-Roma sentiments in Italy: Marcel Courthiade; Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia and Union Romani; Saimir Mile and La Voix des Rroms; Roberto Malini and EveryOne Group; Nico Grancea and "The Red Wheel"; Santino Spinelli and the Coordinamento Nazionale Antirazzista (National Anti-Discrimination Coordination) "Sa Phrala"; the MEPs Viktoria Mohacsi and Els de Groen, to mention just a few.

It is also necessary to realise that it is impossible to solve such an important problem by simply setting aside funds and waiting for the Member States to dip into these resources. First of all, it is necessary to lay down solid foundations for integration, starting with the countries where the Roma population is the most numerous and where the problems to be solved are particularly complex: Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Macedonia, the Czech Republic etc. In Romania, for example, there are about two million Roma: a generation that is the child of endless persecution, six centuries of slavery, the Holocaust and deep-rooted discrimination.

Centuries of precarious living conditions and hardship have undermined the health of this ethnic group, which reveals a high percentage of serious congenital diseases and illnesses connected to poverty. We have to urgently set up a social assistance programme for these people, who make up at least 20% of the Roma population in Romania. We cannot speak (for human beings suffering from serious illnesses) of an integration based solely on integration into the workforce. We will be able to do that for the next generation if the tragedy of this precarious lifestyle is overcome by contemporary Europe. Another crucial point is the education of Roma children. It is not possible to think of integrating them into the school system if we don't first remove from society the racism that marginalizes them and puts them at a disadvantage before their peers. Schools should make a special effort to offer Roma children (especially those born into families living in extreme poverty) an "oasis" where they can find the tranquillity necessary for private study. Support groups, made up of teachers, but also parents, should be present to guarantee educational and psychological support.

For this part of the programme, we would ask you to read the Frame Statute for Romani People in the European Union*, a document which is the result of many years of experience and knowledge, a document that should be studied in depth by the European institutions and maybe adopted in their policies for the Roma people. And then, jobs. Silvio Berlusconi, who does not know the reality of the Roma in depth and who is the promoter of repressive policies towards them, recently stated during talks with the Romanian Prime Minister Cãlin Popescu Tãriceanu, that "the Roma entering Italy from Romania have no professional skills and are therefore forced to resort to criminal activities". This is not true, because Italian companies, after years of propaganda from politicians and the press filled with racial hatred refuse to offer Roma citizens jobs, even when they possess all the requirements, as they forejudge them as being unreliable.

EveryOne Group has begun a programme of integration for Roma workers with Italian companies, but with poor results due to this widespread prejudice. It is true, however, that not even in Romania do Roma citizens have equal opportunities compared to other citizens, and if finding a steady job is difficult for everyone there, it is even more difficult for the Roma, who are subjected to discrimination and hostility. It is therefore necessary that the European Union becomes the promoter and sponsor of professional integration programmes reserved for Roma citizens living in Romania (and other countries with large numbers of Roma and where integration programmes are few and far between) both in the usual factory jobs, in commerce, agriculture and handicrafts; and in the traditional Roma activities: cattle-farming, biological agriculture, metalwork, and the recycling of materials etc. At the same time it will be necessary to encourage access to all forms of study for Roma students.

In short, seeing the failure of the majority of projects - which remain only on paper – created for the integration of Roma citizens within the Member States (badly organized by some states and not even attempted by others, Italy among them) it is probably time to "reset" the programme where the EU's policies for the Roma are concerned and concentrate on improving their conditions and their ability to grow socially in Europe by carrying out projects at the source - in the countries they have lived in for centuries. It will probably be much easier for the Member States of the EU to overcome their racist, xenophobic qualms when their borders are crossed by people from the Roma ethnic group who are in possession of significant qualifications and skills, instead of families coming from situations of great hardship and in precarious health. In order to tackle all the points in this letter with a full knowledge of the facts, we repeat the invitation to read the Frame Statute of the Roma People in the European Union* very carefully as it contains answers to many of the questions that cause anguish, when it comes to the subject of the Roma people, in the countries of modern Europe.

Yours Sincerely,

Roberto Malini, Matteo Pegoraro, Dario Picciau – EveryOne Group.

* Frame Statute of the Roma People in the European Union: www.rroma-europa.eu

For further information:

Gruppo EveryOne
Tel: (+ 39) 334-8429527 - (+ 39) 331-3585406
www.everyonegroup.com
info@everyonegroup.com

Dear friends and colleagues,

Please note that Amnesty International is looking for a Hungarian-speaking volunteer to assist the EU team at the International Secretariat in London with the work primarily, but not exclusively, regarding human rights violations against Roma in Hungary and Romania.

Romani and Romanian languages are desirable.

If you know somebody who may be interested please forward them the advert.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/jobs/volunteer-opportunities/europe-and-central-asia-programme-eu-team-hu-ro-20091019

Best regards,

Barbora Cernusakova

Dear Sir, we ask you to immediately act against the dramatic eviction of one thousand Travellers at Dale Farm (Essex) to avoid a true humanitarian tragedy. Thank you for your attention and support, Roberto Malini, Mateo Pegoraro, Dario Picciau, Glenys Robinson - Gruppo EveryOne

Dale Farm, Essex (United Kingdom): a dramatic appeal against the persecutions of the Travellers (English Gypsies) and the eviction from their own land

Tuesday 13, 2009. A dramatic and urgent appeal for help, like a cry for freedom, has reached EveryOne Group from the United Kingdom: “Dear EveryOne, we have just read your appeal to the European Union reporting the situation of the new “untouchables” - the Roma people - both in Italy and in the EU, and asking the international institutions to intervene as soon as possible to stop the persecution. Here in Great Britain, thousands of Roma people, also called “Gypsies” and “Travellers”, have been evicted from their own land. The institutions of my country have acted on what they call “the planning laws” which are really just a form of ethnic-cleansing. The authorities are asking for a clearance of the area which will leave entire families without a home, rights and a future. At Dale Farm, here in Essex, a thousand people, both Roma and Travellers, live in prefabricated housing, but the Basildon Council wants to bulldoze all our homes. We are fighting back and will resist any attempt at violent eviction by the police and bailiffs. Next week, the Court of Appeal will rule whether Basildon Council can launch its eviction operation - investing in the purge of my people (including many families) three million Euro. This money could be better spent in building homes for the Roma and Travellers instead of razing everything to the ground. We are appealing to your group to come here and monitor and the situation in order to observe and report on what is taking place to the international community. It is necessary to stop this tragic abuse, which would quash the human rights and the lives of hundreds of innocent families.”

EveryOne Group takes up the appeal and will be contacting the local institutions, the British Government, the European Commission, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the European Court of Human Rights. We will bring to their attention the laws that protect the rights of Roma and Travellers in the United Kingdom and the EU, as well as the rights of children and adults to a home, schooling, socio-sanitary assistance and the possibility of taking an active part in society - not to mention the right to live in conditions of safety and dignity. Any attempt to clear the area would be an unacceptable racist pogrom, in sharp contrast with the British Constitution and Laws, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European directives and the charters that protect peoples and individuals. At the same time, we are preparing a dossier on the Roma and Travellers of Dale Farm, on their history and the importance of protecting their presence and ways of life in the United Kingdom. In the event of brutal action being carried out by the police force, members of EveryOne will join the Roma and Traveller families of Dale Farm in their peaceful resistance against this persecution.

The Dale Farm background

by Grattan Puxon, secretary of the Dale Farm Housing Association

Dale Farm is the home of some one thousand Travellers, recognized an ethnic group under UK law. Roma (English Gypsies) began establishing homes in UK in the l960s and were joined by Travellers in the l990s, especially after the l994 Criminal Justice Act increased the powers of police under s62 to “move on” those who, having nowhere else to legally place their caravans, attempted to camp on roadsides and car parks. At the same time, the new Act removed the duty on local councils to provide municipal caravan parks for Gypsies and advised our people to buy their own land. Many families have done so only to be refused planning permission to live on their own properties. Hundreds have since been evicted, often with great brutality, caravans and chalets being bulldozed and burned, property set on fire. Additional land was purchased at Dale Farm, mostly a former scrapmetal yard.

This has been subdivided into 52 plots or yards which are presently occupied by about 90 families. Planning permission has been refused. In May 2005 basildon council decided to take direct action and set aside nearly five million Euro to clear one thousand Travellers from the district. Already 25 “illegally camped” families have been forced to leave and some dozen families on plots at Hovefields Avenue, Wickford, have seen their properties bulldozed. Basildon wish to bulldoze Dale Farm but have been prevented by a High Court ruling. This ruling has been appealed against by the council and a decision by the Court of Appeal is expected shortly.

The decision to “clear” so-called illegal Travellers from the district has been condemned by the Labour party as a racially tainted policy. The Liberal Party is against force being used to evict families from Dale Farm. We experience the their policy as a form of ethnic-cleansing. The eviction operation is likely to meet with resistance as families forced out on the road with nowhere to go face further police harassment under s 62. There is also the danger of vigilante attacks, instigated by the British National Party which is very active in the area. Children will lose their education, the sick proper medical care. At present more than 80 Dale Farm children attend the Crays Hill Primary School. This will close if the eviction takes place. Another 50 children of secondary school age benefit from activities at the Saint Christopher Centre, built at Dale Farm with funding from Essex County Council. The young people have formed the Dale Farm Chaveys Youth Club and plans are in hand by Prof Stephen heppel of Anglia Rauskin University to set up a programme of education for the older children and adults. Basildon have already attempted to remove the Centre and would demolish it if the Appeal Court allows the eviction to go ahead. The community includes many infants, among them newly born triplets. Also a number of severely sick, elderly persons.

Dale Farm Housing Association and the Gypsy Council (which has been fighting evictions since l966) have asked senior police officers and the council to permit the evacuation of infants and sick persons before any eviction attempt is allowed to go ahead. They would be cared for in nearby church halls during the first day of what is expected to be a violent confrontation. The DFHA and GC want to ensure that health and safety regulations are fully adhered to in this operation. But it has not been possible to rreach agreement on the erection of safety fencing (as required by EU law) or a part-evacuation before heavy machinery moves in has yet been. A team of Monitors has been formed, which will be led by Joseph Jones (secretary of the Gypsy Council), expert to the UN Advisory Group on Forced Evictions. Those who have expressed a willingness to act as Human Rights Monitors include Lord Avebury and Nick Harvey MP, as well as members of the clergy.

Essex Fire and Rescue have tried to broker such an agreement. On three occasions council officials and more recently the police have turned down opportunities to discuss these matters. Meranwhile, a 26-page dossier on the past conduct of Constant & Co, the bailiff company contracted by Basildon, has been submitted to Justice Minister Jack Straw. This illustrates how bailiffs who lack certification to work with minors have manhandled and even assualted children during past evictions. The UK Children’s Commissioner has asked Basildon council how it will ensure the safety of of children during the eviction and what alternative accommodation is being provided. The answer is none. Basildon has been told that following an assessment of needs it has a duty to provide 71 additional plots or yards. This would just about meet the requirements of Dale Farm families, who only wish to be left where they are in their own homes. However, Basildon council leader Malcolm Buckley insists they cannot stay here as this is zoned as greenbelt and that there is no other place in the district to which they could move. This despite a recommendation by former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott that land be utilized for the purpose at Pitsea. The Gypsy Council has also said that land owned by Travellers in Basildon, and presently used for grazing horses, could be used if planning permission was granted.

See also: http://advocacynet.org/resource/1233 - http://www.echo-news.co.uk/search/3966297.Travellers_told_they_can___t_join_residents__association/

Contact: Gruppo EveryOne Tel: (+ 39) 334-3449180 - (+ 39) 334-8429527 www.everyonegroup.com info@everyonegroup.com

The Equal Rights Trust call on Roma from all over the world, as key stakeholders in the struggle for equality, to sign the Declaration of Principles on Equality (attached in pdf file), which is now the subject of a new campaign for universal recognition. The Declaration defines the right to equality as a basic human right and provides a global expression of equality between discriminated people. More than 120 of the world's leading human rights and equality experts participated in the drafting.

Economic recession and depression can lead to increasing exclusion and, at worst, persecution of the most vulnerable groups within society. That is why the Universal Declaration on Human Rights happened in 1948 and it is why we need to establish universal equality for all human beings today.

Vote for equality! Go to http://www.equalrightstrust.org/endorse/index.htm.

If you wish to sign the Declaration in your individual capacity, please fill in your details and click the 'Endorse' button on given webpage.

If you wish to endorse the Declaration on behalf of an organisation, please state so in an email message sent to info@equalrightstrust.org (Cc to Dimitrina.Petrova@equalrightstrust.org).

Dr Dimitrina Petrova
Executive Director
The Equal Rights Trust
One Lyric Square, 5th Floor
London W6 0NB
UK
Tel. +44 (0)20 3178 4113 (reception)
DD +44 (0)20 3178 4118
Fax +44 (0)20 3178 5537
Dimitrina.petrova@equalrightstrust.org
www.equalrightstrust.org

Dear friends and colleagues,

Hereby the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) asks for your interference in a case of possible eviction of Roma inhabitants, living in one of the oldest Roma neighbourhoods of Sofia, Batalova Vodenitsa. Batalova Vodenitsa is located near the city center and is well connected to transport infrastructure, which was why it is a lucrative plot. It has been in existence since 1911 although the houses there are considered “illegal” as they do not comply with the construction standards established by law. At present around 180 inhabitants live in Batalova Vodenitsa, including children and senior citizens, in very poor houses, which are their only homes. In 2005 they were targeted for eviction and the neighbourhood was to be demolished by the Sofia City Mayor, Mr. Boyko Borisov. In 2006 one Bulgarian newspaper wrote that the plot was to be sold to an Italian company. In 2006 the Supreme Administrative Court upheld the order of the Mayor with a very formalistic argument that he has the right to do this since the houses are “illegal” and are built on municipal land. With the assistance of the BHC the inhabitants filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, claiming a number of violations of the ECHR and requesting interim measures under art.39 of the Rules of the Court to stop the execution of the eviction order. The Court refused interim measures but, instead, applied art.40 of the Rules and immediately informed the government about the complaint. Probably because of that measure, along with an appeal of four MEPs in July 2006, the Mayor stopped the eviction in the last moment. Later on, the inhabitants of Batalova Vodenitsa were promised by the municipal authorities that they will be offered alternative accommodation. That offer however remained an empty promise. In the meantime they were allowed to live in Batalova Vodenitsa.

A few days ago, on 27 June, the District Mayor of Vuzrazhdane Region, Mr Eva Seizova (member of Borisov's political party, GERB), acting on the basis of the previous decision, warned the Roma inhabitants of Batalova Vodenitsa to leave their houses by 10 July. If they do not do this, a forcible eviction is scheduled for 11 July with demolition of the houses. Thus the Roma from Batalova Vodenitsa face another danger of eviction from their homes.

The BHC asks for your interference in that case through all means you consider appropriate. The address of the Mayor of Sofia is:

Mr. Boyko Borisov, Mayor of Sofia
Moskovska str., No.33
1000 – Sofia, Bulgaria

You can also send an email to Sofia Municipality from the following web site: http://www.sofia.bg/en/display.asp?ime=contact.

Best regards,

Krassimir Kanev
Chairperson, BHC

Az Élet Menete ismét Budapesten!
2008. április 16, szerdán 18.00
Találkozó: A Dohány utcai Zsinagóga előtt.

Az Élet Menete Alapítvány, a Mazsihisz, a Miniszterelnöki Hivatal, Budapest Főváros Polgármesteri Hivatala, a Páva utcai Holokauszt és Dokumentációs központ, civil szervezetek, zsidó és nem zsidó ifjúsági szervezetek ismét közösen szervezi meg a budapesti Élet Menetét.

A holokauszt áldozatainak emléknapján ismét fáklyás felvonulással emlékezünk az áldozatokra. Zsidókra, romákra, másságukért üldözöttekre, ellenállókra és azokra is, akik bátran szembeszállva a fasisztákkal és a nyilasokkal, mentették az üldözötteket. A 2008. évi megemlékezés a Dohány utcai Zsinagóga előtti téren kezdődik, ahonnan- az elmúlt évhez hasonlóan-fáklyákkal a kezünkben vonulunk végig a "Cipők a Duna-parton"
szobor kompozícióhoz, emlékezni azokra az emberekre, akiket a nyilasok 1944-45-ben a jeges Dunába lőttek.

Kedves Barátaink!

Úgy gondoljuk, hogy Budapesten is hagyományt teremtettünk az Élet Menetével ugyanúgy, mint minden évben, Lengyelországban az Auschwitz- Birkenau haláltáborok területén. Tartson ismét velünk, emlékezzünk és emlékeztessünk közösen! Részvételével, emberi tanúságtételével álljon mellénk a kirekesztéssel és a gyűlöletkeltéssel szemben.

www.eletmenete.hu

http://www.eletmenete.hu/index.php?p=Bp2008