Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Window on Eurasia: OMON Troops Bulldoze Roma Community in Perm


Paul Goble

 

            Staunton, September 10 – Following a decision of a Perm court, OMON troops yesterday bulldozed 22 of the 40 homes occupied by members of the Roma community, an action whose origins, almost certainly to be found in anti-gypsy attitudes, not only brings Russia in line with its new right-wing backers in Europe but threatens to spark more such actions in Russia as well.  

 

            “Rossiskaya gazeta” reported the action today, noting that the court case which led to it was begun in 2009, that the Roma affected were unable to remove many of their personal effects before the destruction, and that the Roma themselves say that they have been the victims of a “corrupt conspiracy” (rg.ru/2014/09/09/reg-pfo/perm-cigane-anons.html and


 

            For the members of the 400-strong Perm Roma community, this is a tragedy, but it threatens to be a much larger one.  Roma have been attacked elsewhere, and the disparaging way in which their settlement was described by the Moscow paper almost certainly will fuel anti-Roma sentiment and possibly similar actions in the future.

 

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