There was once a time when people believed the world to be
flat, a time when people had no knowledge of those they shared the planet with,
a time when it took months, not hours, to reach faraway lands. Yet, here we are
in 2012, living in a globalised society where we are surrounded by cultures
from across the world, where money is the only barrier from reaching the other
side of the planet, and where overseas communication takes only seconds.
Indeed, it would be safe to say that the United Kingdom is a multicultural
state – there has undoubtedly been significant immigration, particularly since
World War II. Yet, perhaps what is remarkable is how well these immigrant
populations have, across generations, retained both cultural and ethnic
identity, and the scope in which the United Kingdom has allowed these
communities to do so.
Indeed, it would be wrong to suggest that the preservation
of minority identities has been achieved without challenge. There has been a historic
and well documented presence of ethnic and racial tensions in post war Britain,
for example - the 1958 Notting Hill Riots, the 1981 Brixton, Toxteth and Moss
Side Riots and the 2001 Bradford Riots. Yet, despite the presence of far right
extremists, such as the British National Party and English Defence League, the
United Kingdom does offer protection to racial and ethnic minorities through
legislation, such as, the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Equality Act 2010.
While it cannot be denied that racial and ethnic discrimination are still
present both institutionally and within society itself, the United Kingdom is a
state not characterised by fascism but by, though I use this term loosely, ‘equality’.
Since the expansion of the EU, and the growth of so-called ‘Islamic
terrorism’, there has been a degree of scare mongering tactics, promoted by the
likes of the Daily Mail, used to bring multicultural policies into dispute. Baa baa WHITE sheep, the nativity is banned,
halal meat in your children’s school dinner, immigrants stealing our jobs and
sponging off our welfare state, social housing filled with foreigners, terrorists have more human rights than us, they can’t speak a
word of English!!! Of course, while these myths seem to be brought up in conversation
increasingly more, it appears the majority of society do not wish any harm upon
our minority communities – take for example- ‘My Tram Experience’ , the Shilpa Shetty race row, or the public
trial of Liam Stacey.
Yet, underneath this veil of racial and ethnic tolerance,
there is something very unsettling – something which tears apart and refutes
every promise of equality legislation, something that disgraces the UK’s claims of
multiculturalism, and something that leaves only devastation, destruction, and
deprivation in its path: Antiziganism.
So what is Antiziganism?
It is defined, on Wikipedia, as “…hostility, prejudice or racismdirected at the Romani people…”, yet as the majority of British people fail to differentiate,
let us include ‘hostility, prejudice or racism’ towards Irish Travellers as
well. But surely, in multicultural Britain, there is no room for these
attitudes? It appears not, indeed one may say what they wish about the Romani and
Travelling people with a simple get out clause: “I’m not Racist, but….”
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hawky01 Program's like big fat gypsy wedding need to be banned , pikeys are the worst scum ever and deserve to be shot -
CuthbertsonLucy Being a gypo is not a religion, it's just an excuse to steal things and be an embarrassment to human life -
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swimmer_ryry We can no longer use the word 'Gypsy' and must instead use "Caravan Utilising Nomadic Travellers" - the initials are easier to use. #LOL -
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gemmaminty_ gypsy's really make me angry. please just fuck off and live in a proper house and pay taxes like you should be doing, dodging thieves. -
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Jessica_Salter Fuck off gypsies with your shitty speakerphones, we don't have any fucking scrap metal for you. #tramps #getawayfrommyhouse -
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JayneeIsobel Can't believe some fucking gypsy scum kicked my dog and had a go at my mam, all gypsys are fucking cretins. -
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laurakatewest 'gypsy' is not a race, it's a lifestyle, if someone calls you a gypsy, it's not racist you complete idiot -
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Official_Craig Sun = Chavs everywhere. And these gypsy kids need to fuck off and get a wash. #SmellyTramps -
Laauraaaaaaaa Just get a fucking house and pay tax like the rest of us!! Ugh, gypsy's anger me so much!! -
AlJahom How come these pikey cunts get access to the state's levers of victimhood without paying any fucking tax or abiding by the fucking law? -
ArroganceDAP “@Skip_Licker: http://t.co/qOwcqueo” if they don't want to be called pikeys, then they shouldn't be dirty thieving criminal gypsy bastards!! -
- this quote was generated by twtQuote
If we replace the words ‘gypsy’, ‘gypo, ‘pikey’ etc. with racial slurs such as ‘nigger’, ‘paki’, ‘wog’, ‘coon’ and ‘chink’, can it really be argued that these attitudes are not racist? The ethnic minority status of Romani and Irish Travellers is neither recognised nor accepted by the British public. Instead, there are still widespread misconceptions that Gypsies and Travellers are merely a white underclass – ‘chavs’ in caravans – there by choice and thus somewhat deserving of discrimination. However, both Romani Gypsies and Irish Travellers have been granted legal protection under the Race Relations Act and thus have legally recognised ethnic minority status. Still, prejudice and discrimination against the Romani and Irish Traveller communities has remained unchallenged, tolerated and unpunished.
The Irish traveller community, will indeed always contend
with the fact that they are a distinct yet Irish
minority, thus the British public view them merely as Irish immigrants,
undeserving of ‘special treatment’. However, unlike Irish Traveller’s, perhaps
what is most detrimental to the recognition of the Romani people’s ethnic
minority status, is the exact opposite- their lack of a motherland. It seems
easier for society to accept one’s minority status, if they can be pinpointed on
the map. Andrzej is from Poland, he is Polish.
Abena is from Ghana, she is Ghanaian. Kamran is from Pakistan, he is
Pakistani. Anna is from England, she is
A GYPSY? It seems if Anna is white, if Anna is British, then Anna should
subscribe to white British ideals and culture. Anna’s motherland is England. Anna is not an ethnic minority.
If we look past skin colour, caravans and scrap metal, there
is a fascinating history to be discovered. It is thought that the origins of
the Romani people lie in India. Linguistic research has revealed links between
the Romani language and Indo- Aryan languages such as Hindi and Marwari. What
is more, similarities have been found between Romani and Indian blood types. Indeed, when the Romani people arrived in Britain
some 500 years ago, their appearance was thought to be Egyptian – hence the creation of the term Gypsy. What is clear is
that Romani people are a separate ethnicity, and that their culture has been
shaped by origins that lay outside of mainstream British and European societies.
Thus, one cannot become Romani, one can only be born Romani.
Perhaps what is perplexing is this preoccupation with choice
versus ethnicity, for even if one could chose to be Romani, would this make
them deserving of such extreme discrimination as the Nazi extermination (Porajmos).
Indeed, the majority of society remains shocked by the Holocaust, the mass extermination
of the Jewish people, yet Judaism is a religion – one may choose to convert and
thus ‘become’ Jewish. Does this make a convert to Judaism deserving of
discrimination? Do they deserve to die? After all, it was their choice. The
simple truth is that hundreds of thousands of Romani people were murdered by
Nazi Germany and still to this day they have not been giving the recognition
that they deserve. Atrocities and discrimination against the Romani people are
erased from the history books, and snubbed by the mainstream media.
June 1st marks Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History
Month. Unlike Black History Month, there will be no celebrations in our schools,
no special broadcasts on BBC Radio, no series of documentaries on TV. Perhaps
if we’re lucky, More4 may play reruns of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, and a far left
blog may write about our heart-rending tale, read only by those with an already
established interest in our community. If you wish to learn more about the
Romani people, you can read about our dirty thieving ways in the Daily Mail, or
watch a documentary about one great big extended Irish family that represent
the thousands of Romani people in the UK, or why not ask your mum’s friend’s
sister’s husband’s colleagues’ daughter’s cousin about that time 3 Romani’s,
out of a possible 300,000, stole her son’s bike. It seems, there is no place to celebrate
Romani culture in the United Kingdom, only a thousand reasons why we should
hide who we are. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History month comes once a year but Gypsy,
Roma and Traveller discrimination is an all year party. Some choice.
