As a group of experts in ethnic issues prepares next week to descend on the city of Kosice, the European Capital of Culture 2013, to discuss Roma issues, the timing could not be more ripe after a British tabloid newspaper published an article about the living conditions at the infamous Linuk IX ghetto estate in the city.
The representatives of some 13 countries are meeting as part of the conference entitled European Citizenship and Ethnic Minorities: The Integration of the Roma into Society, with the city of Kosice a prime location for the subject matter. The conference was set up by the religious charity organisation SKCH and funded by the European Union, TASR newswire reports, with the aim being for the experts in Roma issues to interchange their experiences and ideas.
The conference will take place right after the regional elections set for this Saturday, with volunteers at the polls being instructed also to watch out for potential vote-buying, as it is a well-known fact that Roma votes can often be bought, either for money, food or future promises. Due to the extreme poverty that many Roma in the country suffer, these votes come cheap.
In the meantime, The DailyMail in Britain published an article showing the conditions at the neglected housing estate Linuk IX this week, painting a very unflattering picture of the city while grieving that the city had received some GBP 51 million in preparation as Capital of Culture. The photographs used in the article were older from some archives and nobody from Kosice City Hall or the housing estate were apparently approached about any of the details.
Since the original and subsequent TV news items on this issue were broadcast I have been obliged to explain some aspects to my family, friends and neighbours who all sit opened mouthed in stunned silence when I explain what a Community Police Officer is and why they patrol on foot, what a Neighbourhood Watch is and how it works, the role and duties of a Community Liason Worker, a Dispersal Order etc.
They’re even more stunned when I tell them we don’t as a habit deal with problems by sending in the bulldozers, building walls, forced resettlement or riot police who beat ten bells out of all and sundry. Eyes widen and heads shake in disbelief when I inform that over 100 million Euros was spent “training” both SVK State and City police forces in modern community policing techniques. I can’t however, answer another common question – “Why doesn’t it happen here?”
i see my large coherent comment was never accepted. Would someone be kind enough what I said so offended you to post it
Dik, you prob used a wrong word that was considered key `nasty` by the Orac that police`s the comments page and thus your comment was sent to the bin for longer review, before posting . Unfortunately, the Cybog robot that moderates the comments is a lazy shunt and some readers comments are just lost to the viewing world and forever .
I hope this is helpful to you ?
Just thought I would share this little nugget as I sup my coffee and Hobbnobs …
It would appear Socialist David `my son is a drug dealer` Straw and Blind Ben Bunkett now admit their policy of allowing Slowvaks into Britain in 2004 was a huge mistake …read on .
Racial tension and fear of civil unrest is growing, and to make matters worse there are the first signs of vigilante action against the new Roma arrivals.
Some residents with strong views about their unwanted neighbours have begun patrolling the streets at night to ‘gather evidence’ of anti-social behaviour and possible criminal activity.
In addition, the local Pakistani community association is running ‘official’ warden patrols between 8pm and 10pm every weekday with the intention of ‘educating’ the Roma population about ‘how to behave in England’.
Warning: David Blunkett, former Home Secretary, warned that Roma migrants could cause riots
Several volunteers wearing luminous jackets accompany a Slovakian community worker who can speak their language, and politely tell the groups of men, women and children to go back indoors, pick up their litter and stop making a disturbance.
An official ‘dispersal order’ has also been in place in recent months, giving police power to break-up street gatherings in Page Hall if they may cause ‘harassment, alarm or distress.’ But so far there are few signs of the issue being resolved.
Julie Blacker is a ‘community cohesion worker’ employed by the Police Commissioner who set up a new neighbourhood watch scheme this summer. She admitted there had been ‘tension and frustration’ in the community about the Roma issue, with some people becoming ‘very outspoken’ about the authorities’ failure to deal with it.
‘I’m sure people are very cross,’ she said. ‘They see the area has been hit hard by the EU opening its doors and this area has been swamped a bit by Roma . There’s no doubt people are upset about it.’
Perhaps it is time those like James woke up to the fact these Roma are just scum and stopped making excuses for them …and expecting we the Taxpayer to support this chosen dreadful alternative life on the rubbish tip.
Argue with what I actually say, rather than with the poster your imagination seems to have dreamed up.
My previous comment was specifically about people who want to integrate and aren’t being given the chance to, apparently because it’s deliberate policy not to give them the chance.
That’s as reported in Zilinsky Vecernik, a publication which has been known to make the Daily Mail look like the Guardian.
Ahhh almost too easy ….seems I have my MoJo back after all . I was starting to worry there for a while …..Thanks Jinbo !
DC, I was being ironical in my news piece post on the UK Roma.
Christ, if we start all beliveing the `Holy`Daily Mail, then we all may as well give up and start a nuke war . Their smack in the face headlines and biased spin are to sell Newprint…errrr perhaps rather like my own comments, no> .
The trouble with people like James is that he was clearly born a pompous ass and lives in his own Socialist-Liberal world in a huge toilet of a grey town called Zilina . Great all round writer he thinks he is and is not and I get the impression even if his mate Dan R, told him to jump, he would ask how high do you want ?
How much credit do you want to get a guy like Jim or Roma affairs . Sadly he come from my birthplace of Shropshire …he must have been an import .
George – The article you quote, whilst being truthfull, is not the “full picture”. Roma communities in Peterborough and Nottingham are described as law abiding, hardworking, and are integrating into the general population well. Their kids are doing well at school and there is little if any reported crime/problems. I think painting all Roma with the same brush is a tad biased. If Roma elements are abusing British hospitality then ship them back here – I’m all for that, BUT the conditions of the Roma here must be improved. We the taxpayer are already footing the bill for the Roma but all the evidence so far indicates that the millions poured into the problem have been “misspent” and have failed to provide any noticable improvement – that is clearly not the fault of the Roma.
‘We have got to be tough and robust in saying to people, “you are not living in a downtrodden village or woodland” – because many of them don’t live in areas where there are toilets or refuse collection facilities.’
David Blunkett and Jack Straw have both clearly indentified the root of the problem – the conditions under which these people lived in their homeland. The article also mentions that anti-social / unacceptable behaviour is the norm in the countries they originate from, which is a damning indictment of the state of the police, law and order in those places.
BTW – having been woken in the early hours, yet again, by a crowd of drunken, lilywhite, Slowvaks hanging around, making a noise and dropping rubbish all over, I can’t wait for the Slowvak police to start applying dispersal orders – fat chance!
Lunik IX is a product of ghettoisation. And the Daily Mail isn’t necessary to tell us this is still going on. The Slovak press can do it themselves.
Zilinsky Vecernik recently had a report on some Roma families angry that, against their specific wishes, the local authority had allocated them housing in Bratislavska, Zilina’s version of Lunik IX. No matter that these were working families or that they wanted to integrate into society. No, ‘there were more deserving cases’ for Zilina’s other estates, according to authority spokespeople. In other words, there were white cases.
But, you know Ian, don’t let facts stop you spouting clichés.
Daaaa ?? Just a little OTT Jimbo, don`t you think ?? Been stiffin the hooch ?
Ian is telling it how it really is, these people in Lunic XXI are basically scum , but how they got there is another matter, who is to blame, again is another matter and how how it solved … any new suggestions there old son ??? . …although I do disagree with Ian and his all the other `honest` Slowvaks funding the getto people . Sometime you can get people out of the slum, but not the slum out of the people …..no ?
This is a old picture but things have not changed. When they try to help these people they take advantage. They are given new houses they destroy them stripping them for wire copper and other materials to make a few euros. Then honest Slovaks have to clean the mess left behind and foot the bill and still we throw money at them. Selling votes, stealing and lying all they know. Hold a conference what a waste of time.
Honest Slowvaks Macca , are you nuts !!! This country is reaping what it sows and ends bunch of tea leaves and crooks .
A picture paints a thousand words and though the pictures were taken from “archive” sources I hope no one is going to try and suggest the situation on Lunix IX is any better today.
Didn’t ask anyone – No reasonable person from a civilised country would want to talk to those responsible for such conditions prevailing. Also the Slovak habit of playing pass the parcel with blame may have finally come back and bitten with nobody believing a damn word said anyway!
As for the conference, WTF! – a library full of UN,EU,NGO reports, even the Slovak Ombudsman’s recent damning rulings, the last thing needed is another talking shop unless the delegates are coming to talk to the Roma and ignore the off-pat drivel that the authorities will no doubt be preparing to spout. The conference only need address two issues after the millions the EU have handed over to date – Why are the Roma STILL living like this? and What exactly have you done with the money?
Reality is that this well meaning group will make recommendations, publish a report, all of which will be ignored like all the previous efforts.
It’s time everyone understands that all the talking, offering advice and endless reports have not, and probably never will, have any effect. Time for the big stick!