Who are Bulgaria's Roma?

In recent months there has been much debate and controversy surrounding the predicted Romanian and Bulgarian influx. Fuelled by right wing politicians and newspapers, concern has been mounting over the strain this will have upon a supposedly overburdened Britain. It is expected that many of these migrants will be from Bulgaria’s Roma community and the right have arguably used this to their benefit - inflaming and encouraging panic and debates about a supposed Gypsy invasion. This has not gone unnoticed by Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, who recently stated that he “would not be surprised if populist politicians started to label them with stars as they did to the Jews during World War II…the European Union will not suffer greatly because of the Roma, but because of those who are afraid of them”. So who are Bulgaria’s Roma – a group to be feared or a group desperately in need of equality?

According to the 2011 Census, there are around 325,000 Roma living in Bulgaria. This makes them Bulgaria’s third biggest ethnic minority – around 5% of the total population. Nonetheless, these figures have been disputed and it has been argued that the Roma population is much larger (700,000 to 900,000). Due to the stigma attached to their ethnicity, Roma are often reluctant to reveal their ethnic group, and instead identify as Bulgarian or Turkish etc. 

The exact origins of the Romani people are unknown but genetic and linguistic research suggests that their roots lie in Northern India. It is thought the Roma fled during the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni and moved west through the Byzantine Empire, arriving in Bulgaria around the 12th century. A second wave of Roma migration began under Ottoman rule in the 14th century. Within the Ottoman Empire, Roma held a relatively higher position than Roma in other parts of Europe who were subjected to slavery. This led many Roma to seek refuge within the Ottoman Empire, with many settling in Bulgaria. A third wave of Roma migration to Bulgaria, known as the great Kelderara invasion, came after the abolition of slavery in Wallachia (a region of Romania) and Moldova.

Though Bulgaria’s Roma share a common ethnicity, history and culture, there is not one single Roma ethnic identity. Rather, there are many Roma subgroups living within Bulgaria:

• ·    Миллет/ Millet: Descendants of the Roma who settled in Bulgaria during the Ottoman Empire who mainly identify as, and speak, Turkish.

• Рудари/ Miners: Settled in Bulgaria during the great Kelderara invasion and speak the   Vlax Romani dialect.

• Калдараши/ Kalderash: Known as ‘Serbian Gypsies’ who also settled in Bulgaria after the great Kelderara invasion. Speakers of Kalderash Romani which is a Vlax dialect. 

• Йерлии / Yerlii: Descendants of the first wave of Roma migrants to Bulgaria and are split into two groups.

1.       Хорахане рома/ Xoraxane Roma: Known as ‘Turkish Gypsies’ and are predominantly Muslim. They are speakers of Romani and Turkish.

2.       Дасикане рома/ Daskane Roma: Known as ‘Bulgarian Gypsies’ and are predominantly Orthodox Christians. They are speakers of Romani and Bulgarian.

Since their arrival in Europe the Roma have been subjected to high levels of persecution but it arguably peaked during World War II. Nazi Germany considered the Roma as an unclean and primitive ethnic group and they were subjected to sterilization and prohibited from marrying outside of the Roma community. An estimated 500,000 Roma were exterminated in Nazi concentration camps, mainly deported from Nazi conquered countries. Though Bulgaria had a period of alliance with Nazi Germany, the situation for Bulgaria’s Roma during WWII was much different to that of the rest of Europe. Nazi Germany demanded that Bulgaria deport its Jewish and Roma population to Nazi concentration camps. Tsar Boris III, then King of Bulgaria, refused, thus saving the lives of Bulgaria’s Roma and Jewish communities. 

Nonetheless, Bulgaria’s Roma still suffer from extreme discrimination, prejudice and inequality which have a detrimental effect on their education, employment, living conditions and health.

Education:

• 11.8% of Bulgaria’s Roma are illiterate, compared to just 1.5% of the wider               population.

• 23.2% of Roma children do not attend school, compared to just 5.6% of the wider population.

• The majority of Roma children are educated in segregated Roma schools or at Special Educational Needs schools despite the fact very few have an actual disability.

Employment:

• 59% of Bulgaria’s Roma are unemployed.

• Roma workers earn 31% less than the wider population of Bulgaria.

• 87% of Bulgaria’s Roma are living under the poverty line.

Living Conditions:

• Bulgaria’s Roma are spatially segregated with many living in Roma ghettos.

• Much of the housing accommodating Roma has been built illegally and seldom provides  adequate living conditions. Many families are living without adequate sanitation, electricity, or clean drinking water.

• Bulgaria’s Roma are subjected to frequent evictions.

• Very few are able to access public services.

Health:

• Only 1% of Bulgaria’s Roma live to the age of 70.

• Infant mortality is 2 times higher than that of the wider population.

• Malnutrition is a common problem within the Roma community.

• Bulgaria’s Roma are hit with high rates of diseases, such as, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and HIV. 

     These inequalities are undeniably unacceptable, and are mimicked across Europe. Discrimination against the Roma is widespread and has historically remained unchallenged. It is easy for us to sit back and forget the suffering of other people. Often we will watch the news and witness the most awful of scenes – war zones, famines, disease, murder – it is though we have become somewhat desensitised to it and these images simply slip from our minds. These scenes, stories and images of suffering seem so remote to us in a country in which we take our rights for granted, and while we may feel great sympathy for these people it is though we feel we can’t change their situation. 

Amnesty International have recently launched a campaign – ‘Human Rights Here, Roma Rights Now’ – which calls on the EU “to step in to end the discrimination the Roma face on a daily basis”. This petition gives us the opportunity to challenge inequality and discrimination against Roma in EU countries. Indeed, there are no guarantees that a campaign or petition will end the persecution of the Roma, but it is through consensus and collective action that improvement to the situation of the Roma might occur. One minute of your time could potentially be enough to convince the EU to take action. This Gypsy Roma and Traveller History month, I urge you to give your support, sign your name and stand up against inequality.

                                                

Human Rights Here, Roma Rights Now.

Why are Britain’s Romani not at the forefront of International Romani Day action?

The 8^th April marks International Romani Day – a day that not only celebrates Romani culture but raises consciousness of the discrimination that penetrates the daily lives of Romani people across the globe. 

Who are the Romani people?

The Romani are Europe’s largest ethnic minority with an estimated population of 10 to 12 million. The exact origins of the Romani people are unknown but genetic and linguistic research suggests that their roots lie in Northern India. It is estimated that Romani people have been living in Europe around 1500 years but the first records of Romani in the UK were made over 500 years ago in Scotland. It is from these early records that the word ‘Gypsy’ originates, for the word ‘Egyptian’ was used to describe these new exotic strangers. 

Since their arrival in Europe, the Romani people have been met with extreme hostility and discrimination. They are arguably the most ostracised and marginalised ethnic minority in Europe and have been inexcusably deprived of their rights to education, health care, accommodation, employment and civic participation.  In spite of this, the Romani people have upheld a robust culture and identity that has survived not only attempts of forced assimilation but a Nazi extermination attempt. 

Romani in the UK:

There is an estimated 90,000 Romani people living in the UK who can be separated into three main groups: Romanichals (English Romani); Kale (Welsh Romani) and Roma (European Romani). British Romani are usually included under the blanket term ‘Gypsies and Travellers’ which encompasses a huge range of travelling communities, such as Irish Travellers and New Travellers.  While intermarriage, cultural similarities, and government policy have undoubtedly created bonds between Romani and other travelling communities, the Romani people remain a unique and distinct ethnic group with their own cultures, history, ancestry and languages. 

Romani people are considered one of the most socially excluded ethnic groups in the UK and faced with a great deal of discrimination, intolerance and misunderstanding. Given that the fascinating cultures and histories of the Romani people are mostly neglected by the British education system, the perception of the wider population is instead informed by antagonistic tabloid journalism and politicians and misleading documentaries, such as ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’.  That said, there is a great deal of ignorance surrounding Romani communities in the UK and, thus, very little public concern towards their marginalisation. 

Their position as a ‘folk devil’, combined with the enormous barriers to education, has left Britain’s Romani population as politically weak. Not only are populist politicians hesitant to support the fight for Romani rights, but there is a lack of a united, organised, Romani voice. Consequently, campaigning and lobbying has mostly been left to activists, supporters and small Gypsy and Traveller organisations.

Whose Fight?

In recent years there has been an increase in Gypsy and Traveller led organisations and activism in the UK. One only needs to look at the backlash against Channel 4’s ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’ to see that there is a multitude of Gypsies and Travellers who are willing to speak on behalf of their communities and challenge misconceptions and racism.  A growing amount of young Gypsies and Travellers are staying in education resulting in an emerging political voice, but still the fight for Romani rights is being led by non-Romani supporters.

It is indisputable that the political and civic organisation of Britain’s Romani population is not developed enough to stage strong and effective collective action and the support from experienced and politically aware outsiders is much needed. Nonetheless, the action organised for this year’s International Romani Day is unresponsive to the concerns of Britain’s Romani population and has instead been shaped by the perceived concerns of an outsider faction of Romani activism. 

Perhaps one of the most pressing issues for Romani in the UK is the recent antagonism surrounding the predicted influx of Bulgarian and Romanian Roma expected in 2014. This issue has captured the attention of all prominent political parties, not only in the UK, but across Europe. On top of this, it has received an enormous deal of attention from predominantly right leaning newspapers and it has become a contentious and heated area of concern for the British public. The ramifications for both the present and future Romani population of the UK are huge. Restrictions to employment, health care, housing and welfare are already being proposed which will have serious consequences for Roma migrants. What is more, the debate is fuelling a wave of intolerance, hatred and racism against Europe’s Romani population but in spite of this there has been no mention of this issue in the planned International Romani Day events.

Instead, non-Romani activist have turned the focus away from the issues effecting Britain’s Romani population and have instead placed attention on the eviction of Dale Farm. While the Dale Farm Travellers have undoubtedly been treated unacceptably, is it appropriate to hijack a day meant for the celebration and defence of Romani culture with the struggles of an entirely different ethnic minority? While Irish Travellers and the Romani are faced with similar social exclusion and discrimination, they are ultimately two very separate and somewhat incomparable ethnic groups, especially in terms of heritage, history, size and distribution. It is unacceptable for non-Romani activists to make assumptions and decisions over the unity of these two separate minorities especially on the one day of the year where attention should be placed firmly on issues distinct to Europe’s Romani population. 

There is an increasing network of Gypsy and Traveller organisations that have the capacity to reach thousands of members of Britain’s Romani population. It is inexcusable that this network has not been used to establish what issues are important to Romani communities when it offers an indispensable platform for representation. Romani and non-Romani activists alike should be working together to assist and promote the community development and political voice of Britain’s Romani. Action without consensus and numbers is meaningless and is unlikely to be beneficial to the Romani people and will quickly transform International Romani Day into a farcical, unwelcomed, and futile event.  It is time for outsiders to drop the ‘Roma Nation Day’ rhetoric, swallow their pride and consider the shortcomings of their current approach. International Romani Day should bring a global Romani family together in consensus, not alienate them with elitism and ignorance. 

Beware the Bulgarian Invasion

I never thought anyone could knock Nick Griffin off my most hated politician spot until I realised Nigel Farage wasn’t just a nasty man in my nightmares, but actually existed. While Nick Griffin is essentially a big ball of lard, bigot and racist, the chances of the BNP pushing the Old Etonians out of Number 10 are relatively small. Farage, on the other hand, is not just a bigoted xenophobe but the living, breathing, human embodiment of the Daily Mail and this concerns me greatly. Like the Daily Mail, Farage and the UK Independence Party appeal to society’s most gullible. By gullible I mean the type of people who occasionally appear out of nowhere on your Facebook and Twitter timeline spouting some nonsense about how their friend’s, mum’s, cousin’s, friend’s, brother-in-law’s, sister’s daughter was banned from saying Christmas at school because it is offensive to Muslims.  Or “99% of people won’t have the balls to repost this, share if you agree!!!” Yeah, those people.

As a dual national Gypsy, I am often at the receiving end of these people’s ignorance and while I should perhaps pity them, I instead quite despise them. Indeed, it is not their fault that they are the product of the Great British education system which functions only to keep the plebs in their place, but it is their fault that their political standpoints are informed only by the Daily Mail and Facebook memes. Unwilling to exercise their ability to question everything, the gullible instead have become Nigel Farage’s wet dream, with their spongy little brains soaking up every last word he spits from his mouth.  

Worryingly polls are suggesting that UKIP are now firmly in third place after a disastrous few years for the Liberal Democrats. This does not come as a surprise for me for UKIP are a populist party. Research suggests that immigration is one of the public’s greatest concerns and where there is a concern there is a Nigel Farage perpetuating a myth. Farage aims to win the next election based solely on his immigration scaremongering which feeds directly into the hands of the gullible. High unemployment, cuts to services, lower pensions, higher retirement age – the people of Britain are angry, and rightly so. Yet, instead of making any logical assessment of Capitalist society, unscrupulous bankers, and corrupt politicians, the gullible instead look to the Daily Mail, Facebook, and Nigel Farage for answers. So Mr Farage, why are we all poorer, jobless and going nowhere? Because we are about to be invaded by handout hungry Bulgarians and Romanians. 

Forget double dip recessions, the reason you are in the dole queue is because of the previous Polish invasion. Lock up your daughters, draw the curtains, don’t leave the house after dark, there is a Polski Sklep on your street corner selling POLISH food!!! Don’t blame it on the bankers, it was the Polish who caused mass unemployment. Leave poor Thatcher out of it, it was the Polish who caused the social housing shortage, in fact they probably stole your children’s milk as well. I know this to be true because Nigel Farage, the Daily Mail, and Rachel Bull off Question Time told me so and now to make matters worse the Bulgarians and Romanians will soon be coming in their thousands to sponge off the state and steal our most sought after fruit picking jobs. Yet, this is no normal invasion, this invasion comes with an extra dose of terror – it’s a Gypsy invasion. 

On the 1^st January 2014 the restrictions applied to the migration of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens within the EU will be lifted. Despite being members of the EU since 2007, and thus entitled to EU work permits for the past 6 years, UKIP and the Daily Mail have launched a scaremongering campaign about the perils of the Eastern European invasion. Indeed, immigration has always been used as a tactic to distract the masses from Government failure, but what is most worrying in this case is the demonization of the Roma which comes with it. It is not the average Bulgarian and Romanian citizen that is dominating the headlines, but instead the Roma who have been portrayed as organised gangs of child traffickers, pickpockets, pimps and beggars, or as lazy poverty stricken freeloaders desperate to get their parasitic hands on our welfare state. Such misrepresentations are profoundly damaging for the Roma, an already maligned group who will acquire the double deviancy of being both immigrants and gypsies. 

As a second generation Bulgarian Roma immigrant, I am perhaps more able than some to shed light on the true story behind Farage’s lies. My grandmother came to England in the late 1970s with the same romantic view of the UK that many Bulgarian’s have today. To her, England was a golden land full of opportunity, worlds away from the poverty and destitution of her Varna slum. England was a place of equality where her children would be educated, not segregated, and where they would have access to health care which meant they might live past middle age.  My grandmother left her whole world behind, it was not an easy choice to make but she did it to better the life of her family. The conditions for Europe’s Roma are abhorrent. For every visit I make to my family in Bulgaria, the deprivation still shocks me. In a so called developed country, there are neighbourhoods of thousands of impoverished people without homes, sanitation and running water, thus it comes as no surprise that they may be desperate for a better life. It is pure hate, bigotry and racism that have left the Roma so marginalised, yet instead of asking why the discrimination against them goes unchallenged, we instead have the likes of Farage and friends perpetuating the myths that keep them at the bottom. 

The overt and unrestrained discrimination towards Europe’s Roma should be Europe’s biggest shame. Instead they have been demonised and become merely a pawn in a political game, sacrificed by politicians desperate for power. Farage himself recognises the desperate situation for many in Bulgaria, stating “if I were Bulgarian I’d be packing my bags now, waiting to come to Britain”, yet it is not enough for Farage to acknowledge the desperate situation of Bulgaria’s Roma if he is unwilling to do anything about it. Whether an EU sceptic or not, surely Europe have a responsibility to address the marginalisation of their biggest ethnic minority. Segregation and media demonization will not make this ‘problem’ disappear, instead the Roma will remain ostracised and desperate to escape. Bulgaria’s Roma are unlikely to see an improvement in their socioeconomic status without intervention. While their life chances remain low, the UK will remain a desirable location.

Roma Memorial: Apology or Hypocrisy?

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, this week unveiled a memorial, in Berlin, for the Romani men, women and children who were murdered by Nazi Germany, during World War II. Almost 70 years since the liberation of Nazi extermination camps, this memorial is long overdue, yet this is hardly surprising when Germany only formally recognised the genocide of the Romani people in 1982. Perhaps it should be a time to celebrate, indeed it could be seen as a sign of progress in the fight for equality, but for me this memorial reflects hypocrisy rather than apology. 

Under the expansion of the European Union, and the protection of ‘human rights’ this alliance provides, it would be true to say that Europe’s Romani population are no longer facing the threat of genocide in the traditional sense of the word, yet behind the façade of equality legislation lies a genocide of another kind – a genocide of culture. 

While Merkel vowed her ‘sadness and shame’ at the extermination of an estimated 500,000 Romani people, it was perhaps convenient that she failed to remember the 10,000 Roma refugees who were deported back to Kosovo in 2010.  Roma children, born and raised in Germany, expelled to a land they did not know. Their parents, returning to a land they fled from, where they had once faced the threat of death; with no hope for employment, and no faith that anything had changed. 

Meanwhile in France, tens of thousands of Roma families have been deported to Romania and Bulgaria since 2009, however while the international community feigned condemnation, they appeared blind to the reality that the Romani people face extreme discrimination all over Europe. Sterilization, segregated education, forced evictions, absolute poverty, unemployment, third world living conditions, exclusion from political participation, forced assimilation – this is the reality for the Romani people, who are not only facing discrimination on a state level, but who are contending with neo-Nazi thought that is increasingly gripping European populations. 

Time and time again, we have politicians and commentators, from across Europe, referring to this deplorable situation as the ‘Roma Problem’, with the likes of François Hollande going as far as proposing forced deportations as a ‘Roma Solution’. It was not from within the Romani community that these inequalities were formed; antizignanism is the product of the non-Romani world, thus it is not a ‘Roma Problem’ but a ‘Racist European Problem’ for which there is only one solution: tolerance. Tolerance, however, is reserved only for the non-Romani, indeed it could be said that Europe are more interested in planning ‘the final solution of the Romani question’.

While genocide is no longer a policy employed by European governments, it is safe to say very little has changed for the Romani people post World War II.  Though antisemitism is still present, the situation for Jewish people has improved significantly. While there are still pockets of archaic attitudes towards Jewish people, such as their political exclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the scale of the atrocities committed against them and the poignant images of their suffering that remain etched into our minds, have lingered as a reminder that this must never happen again. The Jewish population will never forget the Holocaust, yet the change of attitudes towards them has allowed a platform for which they have been able to rebuild their lives, and reinstate their position in society.

This, however, has not been the case for the Romani people. While the memorial opened in Berlin this week makes certain that the Porajmos cannot be airbrushed from the history books, it says very little about the commitment to prevent it happening again. Yes, there should be memorials for those who were murdered, but a water feature in Berlin means very little when Nazi attitudes towards the Romani people are still very much alive in Europe. Germany, and its war time allies, have a responsibility to learn from the horrors of the past and should be at the forefront of any initiatives promoting equality for the Romani people. 

No compensation has ever been rewarded to the survivors of the Porajmos, or to the families of those who were murdered. As a relative of Porajmos victims, I know all too well that no price can be put on the lives of those who were lost, and while justice can never fully be served, the sorrow could be eased if Germany were to compensate the victims through a financial and sincere commitment to exterminating antiziganism, rather than exterminating Romani culture. 

If I have children, I want them to go to school and read not a line in a text book about the Porajmos, but a chapter. It should not be some second thought, and the deaths of 500,000 Romani people should not have been in vain. Europe should have learnt from these atrocities, but instead have allowed Nazi attitudes to linger and thrive. Memorials are built so that we don’t forget, but it seems Europe do not wish to be reminded of their responsibilities. As for the Romani, how can we ever forget? We suffer the same as our forefathers and while they no longer kill us, they won’t let us live either. 

Na bister 500,000.

Channel 4 or the Jezza Kyle Gypsies: Who is the Real Big Fat Gypsy Threat?

It seems almost a lifetime ago that I first heard the words ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’, yet it was just two years ago when Channel 4, and their Firecracker lackies, imposed a life sentence upon the Gypsy and Traveller communities. I remember the moment well; there I was flicking through Baba’s weekly Closer magazine when I stumbled upon an ‘article’ about the lavish wedding of a sixteen year old bride. Little did I know this was just the prequel to a television series that would dramatically change public perception, of the Gypsy and Traveller communities, for the worse. 

Winning an award for the ‘Most Groundbreaking Show’ at the 2010 (wait for it) Cultural Diversity Awards, the series has been monumental in achieving relentless bullying for Gypsy and Traveller children and new methods in which to ridicule an excluded minority (e.g. fancy dress, though apparently this is not comparable to ‘blacking’ yourself up). What is more, it has paved the way for the Moses of the Gypsy and Traveller world, non-Gypsy Thelma Madine, to spread the word of her people, whilst ensuring awareness that the Gypsy and Traveller people, of the UK and Ireland, are rich, misogynist arseholes. 

Over the past two years, the Gypsy and Traveller communities have expressed their outrage at the misrepresentation of their culture. Indeed, despite following the lives of less than 1% of the Gypsy and Traveller population of the UK, Channel 4 have insisted that their documentaries have “portrayed the community in a positive light and had a positive impact on their [Gypsy and Traveller’s]  lives” and that they “feel confident that nobody has been misrepresented in any way.” 

One may expect that a series which has caused so much controversy and upset, and which has generated such backlash and complaints, would expect to be condemned by official bodies such as Ofcom. Indeed, it does appear that Channel 4 have breached many conditions of the Ofcom Broadcasting code, for example:

1.29 People under eighteen must not be caused unnecessary distress or anxiety by their involvement in programmes or by the broadcast of those programmes

2.2 Factual programmes or items or portrayals of factual matters must not materially mislead the audience.

7.6 When a programme is edited, contributions should be represented fairly.

Yet, the white, British, middle class cog’s of the Ofcom machine, deemed that Big Fat Gypsy Weddings was not in breach of the Broadcasting Code. Indeed, it seems very reasonable for a bunch of desk jockeys, whose only contact with Gypsy culture was most likely posing for a photograph with Esmeralda at Disney World Florida, should judge whether a documentary about a handful of Irish Travellers is representative of all Gypsy and Traveller communities. Surely, this is a question that only the Gypsy and Traveller communities can answer. 

It came to me as a surprise, when I discovered in August that Big Fat Gypsy Weddings was to come to an end in 2013. Perhaps I was arrogant to think that this may be the result of the relentless campaigning of the Gypsy and Traveller people, that perhaps I had played some part in its overdue demise. Indeed, as expected the Goliath Channel 4 cited "creative reasons" for the cancellation of the show, and once again defended their exploitative, racist and money grabbing ways. Yet as the story goes, there was one battle that Goliath could not win.  Last week, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the poster campaign that accompanied the TV shows “depicted a child in a sexualised way and reinforced negative stereotypes.” 

For many this was a time to celebrate, at last the Gypsy and Traveller communities had been listened to, yet for me I saw it as insult. How can we celebrate the condemnation of a poster? It was not a poster that encouraged the bullying of our children. It was not a poster that moulded new stereotypes of our people. It was not a poster that misrepresented our culture with such vulgarities. These were posters of scowling boys, and over-made teenage girls. Without the series they were advertising, I believe they would have done little if any damage to our reputation. The only thing we have to celebrate is that sometimes we are listened to the second time around, as in fact the ASA originally decided not to investigate the poster campaign. 

With the Big Fat Gypsy Weddings era coming to an end, what can we say it has really achieved? Apart from aforementioned discrimination and stereotypes, I would suggest it has been very damaging to the communities themselves. It has served to divide us into two camps: those who wish to sell out our cultures for their fifteen minutes of fame, and those who condemn them. 

We cannot lay the blame exclusively with Channel 4 and Firecracker. Exploitative as they may be, they did not hold a gun to the heads of those participating in the documentaries; they made a choice to appear on the show. Those of us from more traditional Romani backgrounds, like myself, would never consider parading our culture in front of money grabbing television producers. Through centuries of discrimination at the hands of the non-Romani population, we have grown to distrust those outside our cultural walls, thus leading us to become very secretive and sheltered about our culture. Indeed, I doubt these producers would at all be interested in the traditional Romani lifestyle anyway. 

The Big Fat Gypsy Weddings series appears to have attracted a certain strand of the Gypsy and Traveller communities- specifically Irish Travellers.  This is somewhat contradicting, as Irish Travellers have no ethnic connection to the Romani (Gypsy) people whatsoever. Indeed, the series seems to reinforce the views of the general public, that the Romani and Irish Travelling communities are not distinct from one another. This is an issue that has repeatedly angered the Romani people. There is a deeply engrained feeling amongst us, that often the Romani people are blamed for the ‘ills’ and ‘wrongdoings’ of the Irish Traveller communities.

Indeed, it is not unc­­ommon for the Romani people to play the ‘blame game’. When faced with accusations (for example, fly tipping) it is often the case that Romani people will use the defence of “it wasn’t us, it was the Irish Traveller’s”, and this has been the case throughout the Big Fat Gypsy Weddings series. An idea has been promoted by our community that we are somewhat more moral and respectable than the Irish Travellers; more traditional, tasteful and ‘classy’. We have played on the nostalgic, romantic notions of the traditional Romani Gypsy as a means to defend ourselves against the tacky and ostentatious portrayal of our culture seen in Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.

I am guilty of this myself; I am eager not to be associated with the vulgar displays of wealth and materialism that this programme has exposed. I am angered by the disregard and ignorance of reality that these Travellers have shown with their garish, flashy attitudes. It plays into the media’s deceptive hands, especially the likes of the Daily Mail, who thrive from exposing the Gypsy and Traveller populations as prosperous, pilfering, fraudsters, with lavish homes in Rathkeale or extravagant mansions in Romania. 

In reality, the Gypsy and Traveller communities are amongst society’s poorest, indeed just next week I will be visiting my family in the Roma slums of Bulgaria, where a house with four walls, sanitation and running water is considered a luxury rather than a right. There are no flamboyant weddings here, with dresses worth more than a 2 bedroom house. There are children who are not refusing education, but who are denied education; parents who are forced to beg to feed their children; young men and woman selling their bodies to earn a living; and certainly no rampant materialistic displays of wealth.

Yet, the blame game is not a helpful game, nor a fair one. Indeed, the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain have been most vocal in their disapproval of the Big Fat Gypsy Weddings series, and were pivotal in overturning the ASA’s original ruling on the poster campaign. It is perhaps time for this culture of blame to come to an end, and is it can no longer be ignored that the cultural similarities between the Romani and Irish Traveller communities form an unbreakable bond that must be utilised to fight back against these misrepresentations and stereotypes of our cultures. 

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings was not representative of the Irish Traveller or Romani communities; instead it was our very own version of the Jeremy Kyle Show. Sadly these types of programmes attract a certain kind of person – the attention seekers, the fame hungry, the show offs - yet they are the easiest people to exploit. It is unfortunate that despite the repercussions of these shows, there are still people queuing up for their fifteen minutes of fame. This leaves the rest of us to pick up the pieces, to defend ourselves against their blatant disregard for the sanctity of our cultures, thus perhaps it is not the bigotry that has arisen from Big fat Gypsy Weddings that has been most detrimental to our lives, but the fact there are people from within our communities that are willing to screw us all for their fifteen minutes. I know who I’m more scared of.