Why Rroma with two Rs? Rroma can actually be written with one or two Rs. In some dialects, this is pronounced differently. And originally, this “Rr” was the Sanskrit retroflex D, which phonetically changed into an R. So, with one or two Rs, both are valid options.
Sinti and Rroma. Especially in German speaking countries, the name of “Sinti and Rroma” has taken hold. This is akin to saying “Parisian and French” or “Londoner and English”, for Sinti are Rroma. Ask a Sinto which language he speaks, he will say “Romanes” in most case, ask him how he calls his wife and he will say “Romni”. In addition, Sinti from Poland call themselves German Rroma (Sasytke Roma). The name Sinti itself is a recent one as in the 19th century, Sinti called themselves Kale (black). This appellation came to be after World War two with the influx of Rroma from Eastern Europe in Germany. The Sinti, the local ones started differentiating them from the others, the “Rroma” in general.
How many Rroma are there? There are between 8 and 12 million Rroma overall. As there are no reliable statistics in many countries, and as many Rroma do not want to declare themselves as such, it is difficult to say with more precision how many there are.
Are Rroma travelers? No. Only a negligible part of the overall Rroma population was ever traveling. In fact, in the Balkan, they settled as soon as they arrived. Only in Western and Northern Europe were Rroma de facto forced to travel, as they were not allowed to settle.
Are Rroma “nomadic”? No, even the few Rroma who travel always have a home base. They traveled because of their jobs (as horse-dealers, as coppersmiths) from villages to villages, but always had a house.
Are all travelers Rroma? No, there are many travelers in Europe who are not Rroma. For example the Irish tinkers, the Germanic Jenische, etc. One always forgets that in Europe, many people traveled from place to place in search of work. These people were the ancestors of some of Europe’s travelers.
All Rroma steal and beg. The classic view in Western Europe! If all Rroma in Europe were only doing that, this would be pretty much visible. Eight to twelve million thieves and beggars… One cannot deny that some steal, some beg. These are the ones one sees most and the ones the press always displays. All Rroma are simply thrown into the same pot, regardless of the truth. This is akin to say “all Germans are Nazis”, “all English are rowdies and drunkards”, “all Italians are Mafiosi” etc… Who would dare to do these analogies?
Rroma are dirty. The usual pictures of ghettoes, of “favellas”, of children running in the dirt etc. have contributed to the general assumption that Rroma are inherently dirty. In fact, the opposite is rather the norm. Cleanliness is one of the foremost rule among Rroma, and even in some of the worst favellas, one can almost eat on the floor in most Rroma houses.
Rroma steal children. This accusation was also levied against Jews in the middle ages. But like Jews, Rroma prefer to do their children themselves. In spite of the obvious, this accusation is still very much present in people’s minds. It may have had its root in that the Rroma population is diverse, and that may a Rroma family have children which are not necessarily dark skinned, with black hair etc.
Rroma have many children. Their population is growing rapidly.The typical Rroma family doesn’t have much more children than the general surrounding population. True, there are still large families, with 5 or 6 children, but they are far from being the norm. In fact, in places such as Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, where one has statistics since the 16th century, the overall proportion of Rroma has not changed at all. They always represented between 10 and 15% of the overall population in these regions. In some places, such as Slovakia, Hungary or Romania, they are a bit behind the curve, i.e. they still have e tendency of having more children than the general population. This has more to do with the social situation than with an actual Rroma trait.
Rroma never integrated or wanted to integrate. False in both cases. All over the Balkan, Rroma were well integrated. So well, in fact, that in some place they were the bourgeoisie and craftsmen. They have had jobs ranging from farmers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, bakers, policeman, judge, and so on ever since records exist in those regions. So wherever they were given the chance, they integrated well, all the while keeping their own culture. Only in places where they were forcefully segregated, like in Western Europe, in Romania (with the slavery), in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, did this integration fail. Not because of Rroma themselves but rather because of the policies that were inflicted on Rroma.
If one is integrated, how can one be a Rrom? Integrated doesn’t necessarily mean one has to loose one’s identity. In Europe, since the 19th century, there has been a tendency to think that a country is equal to a unique culture, language, and even ethnic appurtenance. Europe was never like this before, and there are minorities. One can integrate, live a regular life, all the while keeping a different language at home. Would anybody ask the same question about Jews?
Rroma are uneducated. They cannot read and write. Rroma are so often confronted with the question “can you read and write?” that it is almost embarrassing. Fact is, 10% or so of the Rroma population went to university. This is not sufficient, but already is better than many European countries as such. True, education is one of the most pressing problem that Rroma are faced with. In many countries (mostly in former communist countries), Rroma were and still are sent to special schools, schools for mentally retarded, and as such are being willfully denied a proper education.
Rroma are not European, they are foreign. False! Rroma are of Indian origins, i.e. of non-European roots. But the Slavs came from the Altai in the 5thcentury, the Magyar from central Asia in the 9th, the Germans from the Nordic countries in the 3rd, and so on. Most Europeans have non-European roots. Fact is, Rroma are a trans-national European minority. Rroma are European, and always were. Their identity and culture was created in Europe, and for many centuries, there were no Rroma outside of Europe. After 1200 years in Europe, who can say they are not?
The Rroma problem is a social issue. This is by now the common approach of many countries. Rather than acknowledging a minority and discrimination issue, many governments and alas, also NGOs qualify the Rroma issue as a social one. The justifications are simple: low education, low employment rate, poverty, criminality, etc. Why this is the case, namely rampant discrimination, prejudices etc. is actually being denied by making the issue of Rroma integration a purely social one.
With the opening of the EU borders, there will be a massive influx of Rroma in Western Europe. This is a common theme among populist politicians in Europe. This argument is being heard in Italy, in France, in Switzerland, etc. It is not based on any facts!
Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republics joined the EU a while back, and had a free visa policy much earlier. Between them, these countries have roughly 1.5 to 2 Million Rroma. They never came en masse to Western Europe.
Bulgarians and Romanians can travel to Western Europe without visas since 2002. This means that all Rroma who would have wanted to could have already arrived. Did they? Apart for a few (very few), none actually did.
They have houses in those countries. So most stay. At worst, one or two family members will try to go abroad to work and feed their family back home. Their families are better off in their home countries
These countries are booming. Romania, in particular is in an absolute boom phase. There are more opportunities now there than there will ever be in Western Europe. This can be seen in the numbers of Eastern Europeans moving back to their home countries after several years in countries such as the UK or Ireland.
Rroma are not more “mobile” than the rest of the population. They tend to move in the same patterns thatn the rest of the local population. So if there are 10% of Rroma in a country, among emigrants form that country, one will find no less and no more than 10% of Rroma. This is a pattern that can readily be verified and still proves to be true.
For 3 Million Rroma to come to Western Europe, this would mean that all the Bulgarian and Romanian population have migrated westwards…