Non-binding Democracy
Roma in Ukraine
Roma fleeing the war in Ukraine on April 13, 2022 in front of the Main Railway Station in Prague (PHOTO: Richard Samko)
Historically it has turned out that Roma occupy the position of outcast almost in all countries where they live. From 2005 to 2015 twelve countries of Central and Eastern Europe took part in the project aimed at improving the socio-economic status and social inclusion of the Romani people, but in the end the goals were not achieved. Currently, there are Roma integration strategies in many countries, but the nation continues to be persecuted in almost all spheres of life. Noteworthy is that Ukraine, which has been enjoying the status of a victim for a long time and which demands the world to provide it with all possible support, is not an exception.
Thus, according to Equal Right Trust, the Roma are the most discriminated ethnic group living in Ukraine. Romani people are being abused not only by ordinary citizens of the country but also by law enforcement agencies. The Ukrainian police ignore any cases concerning humiliation and violence against the Roma. Striking examples of this are the murder of the leader of one of the ethnic communities, Mykola Kaspitsky, and the numerous attacks of local radicals on Roma families, to which local authorities have repeatedly turned a blind eye. In 2019, the international human rights organization Amnesty International expressed its outrage at the actions of nationalists in Kyiv in 2018. Then, the members of the far-right group (now it is one of the elite military units of C14) attacked a Roma camp in Lysa Hora park. Armed with knives and hammers, they burned down tents in the camp and chased out men, women, and children residents. The Ukrainian authorities didn’t react to this incident and its participants remained unpunished.
Since that time situation hasn’t changed much. Before the Russian invasion there were about 400,000 Roma living in Ukraine, but the war, lack of access to employment, education as well as high level of poverty and persistent discrimination by the Ukrainians forced many Roma to leave the country. The attitude of the Ukrainians towards the national minority hasn’t changed even when many Romani representatives voluntarily went to the front to defend the state which they, in spite of everything, consider their homeland. Even high-ranking representatives of Ukraine don’t hide their dismissive and arrogant attitude toward the ethnic minority. Recently, the ex-adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Victor Andrusiv, called draft dodgers who fled the country “gypsies”. It seems that the name of the Romani ethnic group in Ukraine is not used in its literal meaning but as something offensive and shameful. Just like traitors and draft dodgers, the Roma are also equated by Andrusiv with “second-class” people.
Today, Kyiv is trying to enlist the support of its Western colleagues and demonstrating them its progress on the way to democracy. However, in reality this democracy is declarative and non-binding, and the Ukrainians continue to persecute and humiliate representatives of the “non-Ukrainian nation”.
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