Not Allowed To Stay

Banned From Leaving?
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Macedonia appears to be the one and only European country that wants to keep its Roma population. So much so that they have banned their Roma citizens from leaving the country. But not everything is as it seems.
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Marseille, France has recently decided that it would like to force dozens of Roma families out of its city limits and further if allowed. These Roma were recently evicted from homes in the city and are now living on the streets due to Frances failed political leadership. The law in France states that any city over a set population limit is required to make arrangements for its "Gypsy" population or have set camp sites. Marseille is the second largest city in France... it has no camp sites or temporary housing for Roma families. It now has shown that it will also not tolerate them living on the streets... where the Mayor of Marseille had put them.
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So why is Macedonia so willing to keep its Roma population?
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Five families in Serbia were recently evicted from their homes without even a days notice. The Serbian government has been asked several times to stop this practice (partially because the EU doesn't want the evicted families moving West) and yet it continues to attack settled Roma communities. The number of uprooted Roma families is on the rise in Serbia despite the pleas of countless human rights organizations.
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So once again I asked myself why Macedonia of all places is so desperate to keep its Roma?
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It is simple really. Macedonia is a poor and ofter crime riddled nation. Its populace is constantly looking for ways out... and fleeing the country is just the ticket for many. But with the economies of Europe constantly dive bombing these days (Spain and Ireland recently proving that point) the West can't support the Balkan states any longer. And they most certainly aren't willing at all to accept the "excess population" (as Roma are repeatedly referred to) of a poor state like Macedonia.
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Thus Macedonia, holding out hope of becoming a EU welfare state, has placed a travel ban upon all Roma citizens. No excuse will be accepted and no second chances will be given. Macedonia must keep its nose clean if it wants to be accepted into the socialist collaboration that is the EU.
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Meanwhile the EU is taking every opportunity to "export" its population of Roma back out East to areas like the Balkans. Romanian Roma have been hardest hit by France's legalized racism. However those from the Balkans are being "exported" just as well. And those being sent to Macedonia are having their passports confiscated so as to prevent return to the West. Turning Macedonia into one giant ghetto.
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And that brings us to the final point of this post.
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In other areas of the Balkans the idea of Roma Ghettos is in full bloom. Many of the Balkan states have already forced their Romani citizens into select areas segregated from the rest of society. In despicable living conditions, often over crowded and far from common utilities their neighbors enjoy daily, the Balkans Roma population is forced into poverty worse than the rest of society.
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In a growing number of areas the local "civilized" society has gone as far as to erect fences, walls, and concrete barriers to keep the Roma separate or out of view. The result of these actions is the ghetto style that the Nazis used just a couple generations ago. And yet the locals feel it is better to resort to these sorts of openly racist actions than to tolerate their differences with their Roma neighbors.
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But I guess having your neighbors just not wanting to look at you is a tiny bit better than having them throw Molotov cocktails into you home? Possibly? Or is it that "separate but equal" never really works out? And is it that these ghettos are just the first step toward concentration camps?
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Source Documents (Note that not all documents used are shown)
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Public Service Europe
http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/715/macedonia-has-no-legal-basis-for-roma-travel-bans
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RFI English
http://www.eglish.rfi.fr/france/20110810-marseille-evict-90-roma
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IBtimes
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/197269/20110812/roma-gypsie-serbia-eviction.htm
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Romea.cz
http://www.romea.cz/english/index.php?id=detail&detail=2007_2713
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Serbian Swastikas

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"Roma,too, Out of Serbia"
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The odd slogan, neo-Nazi in origin, has begun to be heard around the Serbian town of Pozega. Nazi symbols including the infamous swastika have begun to appear around the town as racist vandals make their mark. Locals have even gone as far as to request the deportations of Roma from Pozega and other Serbian towns and cities.
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This rise of Nazi style racism comes upon the heels of last years attacks on Roma in Jabuka, Serbia. After that attack the Serbian police encouraged Roma to "lock themselves in their homes". This recommendation only led to making the Roma population vulnerable to the dreaded Molotov attacks.
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In neighboring countries Molotovs have been used against the Romani populations and small attacks with rifles and pistols have occurred. This is the threat the Roma now face in Serbia. The Serbian government however is not looking seriously into the crimes, despite their claims to be looking into "banning 14 groups" of extremist.
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In Serbia's break away territory, Kosovo, the Roma still have to worry about state backed terrorism. According to a report for the General Council of Europe the Kosovo Liberation Army leader, now president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci and his boys still use attacks on Roma and other minorities to maintain power. Romani citizens are said to be targeted for their organs which are then sold on the European black market. They are also attacked as "targets of opportunity".
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All this continues to happen as the EU backs majority parties such as the Jobbik Party which hate the Roma and Jews. Yet we are meant to believe that the European Union is seriously going to push for "Roma inclusion" into European society? I do not believe that the European Union has the courage to attack the far right or the far left amongst them. Instead they continue to "fortify Europe" so that only a certain class of European is allowed to live in peace.
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I do however hope that the European Union, ironically led by Hungary (the home of Jobbik and the Nazi Hungarian Guard), will make some form of progress in this somewhat noble cause. If they can at least decrease the number of deportations or attacks they will have made at the very least a small step toward "Never Again".
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Source Documents for this post
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New Kosova Report
http://www.newkosovareport.com/201101172236/Region/racims-in-serbia-deportation-of-roma-requsted.html
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Balkan Insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbia-press-review-january-12-2011
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World Politics Review
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/7488/kosovo-going-rogue