THE ROMA AND SECURITY, AN APPEAL FROM EVERYONE GROUP, DOCTORS AND HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS: “HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY IN ITALY NEXT WINTER FOR 70,000 PEOPLE”

JOINING THE ACTIVISTS’ APPEAL ARE, AMONG OTHERS, HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS NEDO FIANO AND GOFFREDO BEZZECCHI, A JEW AND A ROMA. AN INTERNATIONAL TASK FORCE OF DOCTORS AND EXPERTS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES ARE DUE TO ARRIVE IN ITALY TO COMPILE A REPORT FOR EUROPE.

29 May, 2008. “A humanitarian emergency looms for next winter involving 70,000 Roma citizens in Italy who are presently homeless and constantly being sent away from abandoned buildings, or shelters under bridges, parks and rubbish dumps. EveryOne Group is sounding the alarm of a possible genocide flanked by Holocaust survivors Nedo Fiano (who was deported to Auschwitz) and Goffredo Bezzecchi, a survivor of the “Samudaripen” - the extermination by the Nazis of a million Roma citizens. Amnesty International also expressed its deep concern in its 2008 Report on the situation of human rights throughout the world by emphasizing the climate of discrimination, segregation and persecution underway in Italy towards the Roma community. “The Italian Government and local and regional authorities must cease the clearance of Roma families from their makeshift shelters immediately and provide them with socio-medical treatment. The clearances of the small settlements being carried out on a daily basis by the police force are throwing people out into the street and endangering the lives of thousands of innocent people, most of them children” say the leaders of EveryOne, Roberto Malini, Matteo Pegoraro and Dario Picciau. The president of the Rome organization Drom, Giorgio Bezzecchi, emphasizes the gravity of the situation the Roma people now find themselves in: “The number of clearances of micro-settlements has increased tenfold compared to last year, and I don’t see how tens of thousands of Roma children, women and men can survive without food and medicines when the temperature drops below zero. “While the larger Roma camps are monitored by associations and human rights committees”, add the leaders of EveryOne, “the clearance of the micro-settlements made up of single families or small groups are leading to a diaspora of tens of thousands of Roma citizens. After clearance operations and “deportations” over the borders to other local authorities and regions, all trace is lost of them.” Altogether, EveryOne estimates that there are presently 70,000 Roma citizens exposed to serious risks caused by extreme poverty, health problems and actions by racist groups - approx 40,000 of them are children, pregnant women, and people with serious heart problems and infections.
It was confirmed yesterday by the Foreign Secretary Franco Frattini that the Italian Government has applied for the EU funds set aside by Bruxelles for the integration of the Roma people, funds which amount to tens of millions of Euros. “All the more reason”, say the representatives of EveryOne “for the politicians governing this country to interrupt as of now their persecutory campaign against the Roma community - a community which is at present experiencing dramatic moments for its survival. It must also be pointed out that the application for funds was not accompanied by any projects for aid to and integration of the Roma - just promises of new operations of camp clearances and the expulsion of Roma citizens living in Italy. We wish to remind them that the expulsion of Romanian Roma (whose breadwinners are in Italy to look for work) is forbidden by articles 16 and 27 of Directive 2004/38/CE and that camp clearances and “deportations to the border” are also forbidden (in that they are acts of discrimination and a violation of human rights) by Directive 2004/43/CE and the European Parliament’s strategy for Roma citizens. The European Union has judged favourably projects of integration like the one known as 'Romanesia', developed by experts of EveryOne, whose members include internationally famous scholars in Roma society and culture; from Marcel Courthiade to Saimir Mile, from Jeanne Gamonet to Jean (Pipo) Sarguera. ‘Romanesia’ is based on the concession of land to local Roma, with building permission granted to Roma businesses and labour under the protection of the European Union and human rights associations. The project will include health care and the creation of projects of integration and employment for adults and schooling for children”. EveryOne also points out that an international task force of doctors and experts in infectious diseases are at work and will soon present a joint report to the European Commission and European Council, (along with other exponents of the group) warning of the imminent risk of a huge and tragic loss of human lives.


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