Papers Please?

Nationality More Important Than Ethnicity In Burma
(Part of The Darkness Visible series)

(Rohingya Roundup in Burma)

In the 1930's Jews in Nazi occupied Europe were more than accustomed to hearing the call for their "papers". This demand was a way for Gestapo to identify their targets and place the Jews under police scrutiny. In the end this demand would lead to millions of Jews being rounded up and sent off to death camps. For these victims of the Holocaust the call for one's "papers" was a death sentence. 

Today in Burma the military Junta has gone about the call for Rohingya "papers" in a different way. For decades now the Rohingya have not been allowed to claim citizenship in Myanmar. They have however had to go to the local authorities and document their intent to travel, give birth, or even the death of a family member. The paper work that piles up documents the peril of being a Muslim Rohingya in a Buddhist dominated country. It also makes clear that the Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations all the way back to the start of the Burmese government. And for that the Burmese Junta must demand the papers of the Rohingya in a different manner than the Nazi Gestapo did in Germany. 

The official claim of the Myanmar government is that the Rohingya are "invaders" that came from Bangladesh. The proof that lay in the stacks of official Myanmar records tells the story differently. Thus the Burmese military and police have come up with a method to alter that past. Instead of relying upon the official paper work, Burmese officials are now relying upon testimony derived through torture and repressive tactics that put the victim in duress. 

Every since the first roundups in June of this year the Junta have used interrogations of helpless victims to force Rohingya to sign documents stating that they are Bengali. This forced testimony and signed document is then used to justify the deportations or the endless imprisonment that the victims now face. It also helps further the genocidal ambitions of ethnic cleansing that Myanmar is currently engaged in. 

In the last few weeks these methods have been ramped up. The victims are never heard from again. If they do not sign they do not get to see their families again. If they do not sign they are lost to the illegal prisons of the Burmese Junta. And if they do sign... they are deported or thrown back in prison. Their signature is simply used as a tool in the arsenal of the Burmese authorities. Their papers are used to justify the extreme measures taken by the Myanmar government to "end civil unrest". 

There is no way of telling for sure where the Rohingya victims of this tactic end up. Some activist have claimed that the Burmese government is simply exterminating those who will not sign. Though hard to believe, it is plausible when one thinks back and looks at how the Burmese military willingly opened fire upon unarmed Rohingya fleeing the mobs. Others claim that the prisons in which they are held are nothing more than concentration camps in which starvation and disease is meant to kill through attrition. Once again, hard to imagine in this day in age... but very plausible when one looks at Burma's human rights record. 

We can not say with any certainty how many Rohingya have been killed in Burma as of today. We can say, however, that the Rohingya in Myanmar now face total annihilation by the Burmese government. Through tactics like this one mentioned here the Myanmar government is pushing for the removal or complete extermination of the Rohingya. The government of Burma is receiving absolutely no pressure from the outside world to end their campaign of genocide. And without that pressure, the million plus Rohingya face certain death.

Left To The Wolves

Preparing for Porajmos
(Part of The Darkness Visible series)

As attacks on Roma continue to escalate in Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Romania the rest of Europe seems complacent as they ramp up attempts to deport their Romani populations. In France it has become evident that the police are more like the SS than civil servants... no longer enlisted to protect and serve but rather harass and deport. In England the Roma live in constant fear that the government's bipolar disorder might switch for the worse. Yet now we watch the rest of the world begins to turn its back on the Roma once again.

Canada and the United States have both recently begun to take steps to deny entry and to deport Roma within their borders. Canada claims that the Roma who came to Canada to seek refuge from Hungarian pogroms no longer deserve to stay within Canada as refugees. In doing this the Canadians must first ignore the rise of violence against Roma communities throughout Eastern Europe, let alone within Hungary itself. Secondly the Canadian government will have to ignore the fact that the Hungarian government may not be willing to allow the Roma back into Hungary.

We are watching as the most abused and neglected people within Europe are once again facing ethnic cleansing. Pogroms have already begun to take shape in Hungary and the Czech Republic. These violent flash mobs are part of daily life for Roma within Romania, Bulgaria, and other Balkan states. Now we have the other hallmark of ethnic cleansing... deportations.

France has been the leader in this deplorable act of fascism. In France today the police wear jackboots and even strap on red armbands. The "democracy" of France no longer recognizes the civil liberties they claim to uphold as they now pick who has the right to live free and who must leave or die.

The bulldozing of camps, burning of caravans, and beatings of Roma citizens can not be overlooked. The bastions of freedom can not be allowed to operate in a manner that mirrors the crimes of their Nazi past. And with that I know I may be pushing the envelope with some...

But was it not the brown shirts in Washington who lobbied for our government to set on the sidelines while Hitler put Roma in the first concentration camps? Was it not the Vichy regime who helped the SS gather up France's Roma for the first Porajmos? And was it not Germany that gave us the horrors of the Holocaust in the first place?

All these governments have had their failures when it comes to the Roma. Now they are slipping into the darkness of their past failures once again. Over the past decade alone we have become apathetic when dealing with the right wing and their anti-Romani demands. We have watched as groups like Jobbik in Hungary have grown out of control. We have remained silent while French president after president has wrongfully deported French citizens....

Again, for those of you who disagree with me.... France's dragnet approach at rounding up Romani who have illegally immigrated to France has been used to deport Roma who have lived and were born in France. It was an inevitable consequence of actions that originated in the radical right wing of France's government. And it continues even as a left wing socialist rules as president.

None the less the West is setting up all the right conditions for another genocide of the Romani people. When we allow people to be loaded up on planes (or cattle cars) and be sent away we condone the first part of ethnic cleansing. When we allow politicians or political parties (Jobbik for example) to publicly push for violence in any manner against a group of people we condone the final solution.

This post isn't meant to blindly accuse any one government. It is meant to blame all the Western world of once again failing to uphold our pledge of "NEVER AGAIN". It is time to wake up. It is time to uphold the rights of all mankind; regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or livelihoods. It is time to start working to set right all the areas of civil rights in which our parents generation and their parents generation failed.

SS Reborn In Hungary

"You Will Die Here..."

As Western Europe continues to embrace the dead religion of Nazism those in Eastern Europe perfect its jackboot past. It was a dark chapter in Hungarian history that the "white" locals readily backed the invading Nazis. Designing their four point flag, the Hungarian Nazis were just as vicious and rabid as their German counterparts. These Hungarian fascist were ruthless in their attacks on the "undesirables"... the Roma being one of their favorite targets.

Today the Jobbik party has taken back up the cause of the fascist who came before them. Winning 16% of the vote in their last election the party has doubled its presence in the Hungarian government. But none of that matters to the foot soldiers the party puts out on the streets. These are the hired guns the modern Nazi movement relies upon to do its dirty work.

In Hungary these black uniformed scum organize marches through Romani neighborhoods and in front of Jewish houses of worship. The two targets are treated with equal vitriolic hatred. But it is the Roma who are readily attacked when the Hungarian racist get the opportunity to do so. For these animals the front door to a Romani family's home is not much of a barrier to be overcome.

In a recent march through Devecser, Hungary the Jobbik supporters were heard shouting in unison "You will die here..." while tossing stones and bottles at the Romani homes. The small town is barely 5,000 strong so it was blatantly obvious that the 1,000 plus mob was mostly bussed in. Yet this display of blazon racism has received absolutely no condemnation from the European Union or even Hungarian politicians alike.

The Romani community in Devecser were fortunately left without any deaths or reported injuries when the Jobbik thugs left. Damages to their impoverished homes were all that remained when the mob got back on their buses and left town. Damages that the poor Romani community don't have money to repair.

All the while we here at Alder's Ledge remember that Hungary is one of the places that France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, and Austria want to send their Romani populations to. France being the leader as of late in their harsh stances on deportation and expulsions of French born Roma and recent immigrants.

Hungary is a place where the socialist refer to themselves as "the real Hungarians" and the Roma as "invaders". It is a place where Roma have had their homes torched and their children shot while trying to flee attacks. It is a place where Roma women can not trust doctors to give them proper medical attention without the threat of forced sterilization. Yet once again... this is where President Francois Hollande wishes to expel France's Romani population.

May G-d have mercy on the Rom, for it is clear Hungary will not.

Is Europe Dieing?

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Rise of Fascism in Russia.
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In 2009 it was predicted that over half the worlds known population of Neo-Nazis lived in Russia. To me this is almost to much to believe. After all, it was Adolf Hitler who had used a "scorched Earth" policy while invading the "Mother Land". So how is it that the World War Two stormtroopers are now reappearing in Russia?
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The idea goes that as the collapse of the Soviet Union came about the rise of immigration began. People from the Caucuses and other former colonies of the Soviets began to rush into the falling empire's homeland. These people simply were seeking a better life than what the Soviets had made for them in the old Soviet block puppet states.
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Now days the immigration to Russia is still climbing. With a booming economy, the old communist state is suddenly an attractive destination for the East and its impoverished countries. This has helped bring about the resentment that has fueled the "apocalyptic" view of the skinhead movement in Russia.
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Ideas that focus on the "birth rate" and the replacement of ethnic majorities have lent to the racist motivations that now have a footing in Europe. The Czech Republic has demonized its old communist rulers while leaning back toward Adolf's style of thinking. Romania too has lent itself to the racist ideologies of Hitler's Europe. Russia however... well Russian racist are reforming the agendas of Nazism to fit their nations unique needs.
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Random street fighting, vicious attacks on minorities, terrorist style executions, and racist backed boot camps. These are all the trademarks of Russian Nazism. This is how half of the Nazis in the world today behave.
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It is clear that the movement is still growing. The economy in Russia may be hitting rough patches yet the immigration to Russia is still continuing. And the Nazi movement in Russia is still sucking in the poor and weary in a dim society. All we have left is to see where the movement ends.
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Will Russia be the new Germany?
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Source Document
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Current TV: From Russia With Hate

"France's Roma Still Running From Sarkozy"

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A PressTV World News Video

Hungary Hungry for Pogroms

Fuel for the Fire
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With the rise of the far-right taking Europe like wild fire the eastern parts of Europe are falling fast. Hungary has long been a flirt when it comes to the Nazi style politics spreading westward. Worst yet, Hungary has a long past as a fascist conspirator (hence their arrow flag and arm bands). And that history just doesn't seem to want to go away.
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Hajduhadhaz, a small town of around 13,000 people is just the next battle field for the far-right in Hungary. With the government's recent law linking welfare (a source of income that many Hungarians rely upon) payments to the cleanliness of your home and property. This fascist inspired law was directed by the far-right to target the Romani living in places like Hajduhadhaz.
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One Rom, Balint Bernath claims that the government makes it a habit to come into their homes and check their bathrooms and toilets. He also claims that a neighbor lost his welfare payments because a snooping official found a single spot of dog excrement in his yard. It isn't clear if the government is enforcing this law on all Hungarians or only the Roma minority.
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It is clear however that in places like Hajduhadhaz the far-right political party Jobbik is calling the shots. The parliamentary deputy, 32 year-old Gergely Rubi, for example. People like him claim that the Roma, and the Roma alone, are the cause for all ills that have befallen Hungary. He claims that the Roma are thieves, rapist, violent criminals, and just plain plunderers and pillagers.
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Mr. Rubi does not however admit that the policies his party is pushing have suppressed the local economies by restricting the ability of the common man to start up business or engage in business of his own choosing. Instead his party has sought to restore their mythically pure Magyar race back to its position of authority in Hungary. So like the Nazi's Aryans, the Jobbik party is attempting to divide the races and conquer the minorities.
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One portion of the Jobbik argument claims that the Roma are outsiders in the belief that they are "pagans", "Muslims", or even "witches". However in Hajduhadhaz the Roma are seemingly flocking the new Pentecostal Church. They are "finding religion" in the depths of economic repression. And this in a way feeds the Jobbik belief that the Roma are outsiders. The Jobbik party flocks to the old Calvinist Church.
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As of late the differences between the two not so different ethnic groups (most Roma are not nomadic anymore due the old policies of the Communist Eastern Block). Jobbik has set up programmes through out the Hungarian countryside. Their goal is clear, if only to them, to restore "law and order". To the outsiders (us and the Roma) their goal is even more clear... to defeat and destroy an entire ethnic group... genocide.
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Unlike the good old days of Hungarian socialism and even communism these days at least some of the criminals are being brought to justice (or a version of it). Trials of Hungarian murders are scheduled to begin soon. However these small steps are most likely just to appease the EU and UN. It is unclear as of now if the Hungarian government will actually make any real strides in stopping the Jobbik party and its plans for more pogroms. Or if Hungary will simply respond to the crimes after the fact.
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"They now face sentences between 15 years and life in prison, depending on their degree of culpability. The case greatly exacerbated the atmosphere at the time, Roma people even prepared to emigrate en masse," said Attila Petöfi of the Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation.
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Kill and maim people based on race and hatred for an entire people in Hungary and you might get off with just 15 years. A portion of that might not even be served in prison either. This is why I am sceptical about Hungarian commitment to stopping the Jobbik fascist and their demented minions.
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Source Documents
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BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9435803.stm
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Romea.cz
http://www.romea.cz/english/index.php?id=detail&detail=2007_2290
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AP
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gCz5qY2k_d0HERoJBBkszj0UwlGQ?docId=c3e91b5a8d184e48a1b45bf69d1d5a89
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Caboodle.Hu
http://www.caboodle.hu/nc/news/news_archive/single_page/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=8899

Rise and Fall... And Rise Again.

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National Democratic Party of Germany... Real Life Nazis
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Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Jamel... walk through this village and you might think that time has stopped. Stopped somewhere between 1930 and 1940.
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Locals salute one another... in the Hitler fashion. They might not all be wearing jackboots, but most do prefer that sorta footwear. And most might not own a rifle, but most practice shooting in the woods near by.
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Now here at Alder's Ledge we believe in the right to bear arms... then again, we are American. The peoples of Jamel are not. They believe in the right to bear arms only if you are "Arian"... a fantasy race of people to whom Hitler didn't even belong.
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The part that is most disturbing however is the fact that places like Paris and Berlin are but a short drive down the road (as is most anything in Europe compared to us here in the Americas). And this fascist fixation upon the far right is spreading much faster than their cars can travel... autobahn or not.
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The National Democratic Party of Germany (note that Democrat is part of their name) has fostered the rise of neo-Nazi sentiment in the region in which Jamel lay. The infamous Sven Krüger, high ranking NDP member, lives near Jamel. And as such, the NPD has now sought out to purchase their way to prosperity in the region.
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Much like the old Third Reich, the Nationalist attempt to squeeze out those who don't agree with their totalitarian methods. They use business and pleasure as weapons to isolate their opponents. And in the end... if you don't join the party, well the party will just have to come and get you.
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Since 2006 the NPD have been in local government in Pomerania. Since then they have elicited responses from the more liberal fascist (the Social Democratic Party) such as; they are a "form of terror". And this much might just be true seeing as how the NPD uses organized crime to bully their opponents into submission.
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However, despite the opinions of the European press and other domestic sources, the rise of the far right in Europe is not limited at all. Groups across Europe, from England to Hungary, are pushing for the "tolerance" of more "progressive" thinking parties. Groups such as the National Democratic Party in Germany are not rare anymore. They are growing in number and are becoming more and more bold with each passing election cycle.
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With this rise in Nazi style politics comes the threat to minorities that Europe has already proven incapable or uninterested in protecting. Groups like the Roma are just the common punching bags of the European "police states". In the years to come we may be seeing the Judenrein of Hitler's dreams come to pass.
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In the Netherlands if you go to see a "football" match you might get to hear the infamous antisemitic chants of the local "infidels".
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“Hamas! Hamas! All Jews into the gas!”
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Local Muslims, and the other Feyenoord Rotterdam fans, chant this wretched hymn every time they play Amsterdam Ajax. Hitler would have been proud.
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But this mind numbingly stupid chant is not limited to the football fields of the Netherlands. Like many other parts of Europe, Holland is witnessing the rise of Nazi style political parties in its own elections. Norway, Finland, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, France, Austria, England, Ireland, and Scotland are all being overrun by the fascist rats.
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So once again we must wonder, what will happen when they first come for the Roma? Do we not know where that poem ends? Or shall we forget once more when the jackboots start marching and the sounds of Nazi hymns start echoing once more? The night of broken glass is coming... the question is, this time will be ready?
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If we have learned nothing from the fall of the Third Reich we have learned but this... evil needs nothing to succeed but for good men to stand by and do nothing. We must fight them in the streets... we must fight them in realm of reason and ration... and if of these they will have none... we must fight them with both tooth and nail.
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Looking for more politically based articles? Please visit us at the Devil's Looking Glass; http://devilslookingglass.blogspot.com/. For more articles relating to the subject above please feel free to continue reading Alder's Ledge. And please leave any questions or comments you might have.
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Source Documents for this article.
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http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,737471,00.html
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http://frontpagemag.com/2010/12/17/the-netherlands-europe%E2%80%99s-first-%E2%80%9Cjudenrein%E2%80%9D-state/

First They Came for the Gypsy...

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But I Said Nothing.
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If you look deep enough into the events unfolding in Europe right now, if you are brave enough, you will find the echo of jackboots. The war of races is clearly being revived as the European "naturals" are feeling the threat of "outsiders" creeping up on them. Unlike Hitler's Europe, these Europeans consider these "outsiders" to be rather new invaders to their old continent.
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The Jews of Europe had lived amongst the white fascist of Europe for centuries prior to the rise of Nazi fascist. They had suffered the pogroms of Russia and other major players in the European scene. And in spite of these racist "mini-Holocaust" the Jews had risen to the same socioeconomic levels of their oppressors (for the most part).
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Today we see the Roma being targeted by violence, rape, and plunder at the hands of their oppressors. This last summer the bigoted governments of Europe started all out deportations of the Roma. And yet, like the Jews, the Roma have lived among the Europeans for centuries. They, given the opportunity, have shown that they can and would acclimate to the society as much as possible. And yet here we are again... in the 1930s all over again.
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France is now being allowed to "avoid" European Union condemnation due to Germany's own deportations of Romas. No charges or even complaints will be made against the fascist regime in Paris due to Hitler's homeland's actions. In short, Germany was basically annexed into the new Axis.
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Italy has long been a hotbed for the slaughter and oppression of Roma and other Gypsy groups. The youth of the Roma have been shot by Italian jackboots without provocation or even fair trial. Numerous accounts of rape and attempted rape have been reported only to be dismissed since the guilty are also the judge and jury. Not to mention the way the Italian peoples treat the Roma once they are dead.
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But as far as the neo-Nazi movement goes, we are starting to see it surge in areas where many thought it was long since dead. In Sweden the Swedish Democrats (Nazi inspired Democrats... far stretch I know) recently won an additional 20 seats in Sweden's Parliament. This could very well impact the policies of Sweden toward the Romas as it did in Germany (the Swedish Democrats have already claimed that "immigrants who wish to 'voluntarily' return to their homeland be supported by the government").
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In Hungary (the second part to the old Austria-Hungary empire prior to WW1) is however skipping on the Roma opportunity and instead jumping right back to World War Two policies. Supporters of the now ruling Jobbik (Movement for a Better Hungary) are recorded chanting "Jewish Pigs" and "Back to the Concentration Camps" while having their rallies in Jewish neighborhoods.
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Roma have still been attacked and even killed in Hungary but they are second class even when it comes to the fascist racism.
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The rise of xenophobia may be worse than it was in the 1930s however. For now we are dealing with a people that believe themselves to be "liberal" in their beliefs. They are in effect blind to the policies and actions of their governments because as they believe, "it couldn't happen here" or "it couldn't happen to me".
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In the case of Elvis Berishaj, a Roma teen in Germany, the xenophobia of the nation has somewhat been overlooked by his village. In 1997 Elvis and his family were driven from their home in Istog, Kosovo as Albanian fascist ripped into the nation's Roma and Ashkali populations. He can still remember watching his home, his school, his father's fields burn as the Albanians entered the town. Now Elvis is facing a new form of fascist as the German government proceeds to push its policies of deportation forward.
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"You are subject to an enforceable order to leave the country and do not have the right to residence in the Federal Republic of Germany. For these reasons I have registered you for repatriation to Kosovo. As per section 60a, paragraph 5 of the Residence Act, I hereby advise you to expect deportation in the foreseeable future." -the letter the Ausländerbehörde sent Elvis to clarify that he is not "German".
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And yet, the locals in Elvis's village of Dingelbe, Germany did not agree. They, like Elvis, believe that he is in fact German. He has integrated into their society (like almost all Roma) and even plays on the village's handball team (player #26). That is why the village has rallied around this 18 year old Roma to help keep him in Germany.
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"In danger of deportation -- We're fighting for Elvis."
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Deportation seems to be the first foot in the water for the fascist government officials in Europe. It seems from this point on they will continue to test the water more often and with more dangerous outcomes. Sure, the people close to the victims will do things as extraordinary as those in Dingelbe. But most will "Say nothing".
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The people these government officials will go after will, for the time being, be people the governments consider to be "safe". They will target those they claim are "un-integrated" or "foreign nationals". But after these are gone the old scapegoats will come out. Like in Hungary, the Jews will be targeted again in Germany just as they were in Hitler's reign.
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There is no telling where this will all end. We know that the Serbs were able to erect camps on the European continent during a time of war, but could concentration camps be erected even in peace? We know that the gays were targeted by Hitler during the Holocaust, but could a more liberal society turn their backs on their poster boys?
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It is hard to imagine where this nightmare will lead. However we do know the following to be certain.
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Muslims, Roma, Sinti, and other Gypsy tribes will be amongst the Jews in the coming pogroms. Anybody considered to be an "outsider" will be targeted for some form of persecution at the hands of the new European Nazis. Violence may be more sporadic than it was in the 1930s but it will still go unpunished just as it was under Hitler.
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As for us here at Alder's Ledge, we can only pray for those who the world now appears to neglect.
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Resources Used For this Article
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Asia Times Online
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/LK10Aa01.html
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Spiegel Online
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,727542,00.html