Somewhere between Indifference and Rejection: Sinti and Roma in Germany
29 October 2014
The recent study published by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (ADS) has found that Sinti and Roma face more discrimination than any other minority group in Germany. The head of the Agency, Christine Lüders described the findings as dramatic, stating that "Indifference, ignorance and denial are the fatal mixture that lay the groundwork for discrimination against the Sinti and Roma people.”
In a statement in response to the reports, the Central Council of Sinti and Roma in Germany expressed great concern to the results. Romani Rose, the group's chairman said "The study shows there is a rejection of Sinti and Roma people as well as deep-seated prejudices.”
The study, Between Indifference and Rejection – People’s attitude towards Sinti and Roma, conducted by the Institute for Research into Conflict and Prejudice and the Institute for Research into Anti-Semitism, surveyed 2000 adults in the most extensive survey of opinions and attitudes towards Sinti and Roma in Germany to date.
Beyond taking stock of general attitudes towards Sinti and Roma, the study focused on people’s existing knowledge; sought to understand how prejudice is processed and reproduced - answers to questions that could explain the persistence of discrimination and anti-Gypsyism.
Despite the presence of Sinti and Roma in Germany for more than 600 years, general knowledge in Germany remains low, with most people unable to distinguish between Sinti and Roma. Neither is there much knowledge about the long centuries-old history of persecution, exclusion and rejection in Germany. Despite the high level of general awareness about the Holocaust, one-fifth of those surveyed were unaware of the fact that the Nazis targeted Sinti and Roma for extermination. Despite recent moves at the highest levels in Germany and the EU to commemorate the Porrajmos, it is worrying that ignorance of the Romani Holocaust ranks highest among 25 to 34 year-olds at 32%.
While most of those surveyed was able to accurately guess the size of the Sinti and Roma population in Germany, one in eight of those surveyed was unaware that many are in fact German citizens. As to the importance of the topic in general, 73.6% of those questioned never discussed Roma-related issues at home, with friends or at work; with 15% stating that that there is only very little discussion about these topics in their environment.
Given that 57% claimed not to have noticed Sinti or Roma in public life, it is every interesting to see that most still have a very clear image of Sinti and Roma in their heads. When asked what professions they would ascribe to Sinti and Roma most people replied that showman, musician, dancer, scrap dealer and housekeeper would be typical jobs.
The study showed that majority populations can harbour seemingly contradictory attitudes: in terms of positive attributes, more people consider Sinti and Roma to be ‘decent’, to be child-friendly, intelligent, and importantly a majority of those surveyed considered that Sinti and Roma can be integrated into German society.
When asked for suggestions how to make coexistence better, the most common answers were: active help for integration; free entrance to the job market; fighting benefit-fraud; fighting criminality and intervention of the youth welfare office. Half of the respondents claimed that restrictions on admission could be helpful.
Sinti and Roma face more distrust and prejudice than any other minority groups. One quarter of the interviewed think that the lifestyle of Sinti and Roma is very different from that of ethnic Germans: and one-third claimed they would feel uncomfortable if they knew that Sinti or Roma lived in their neighbourhood. Of those interviewed, 8% openly expressed feeling ‘strong antipathy and social distance.’ Twenty-two percent of respondents supported deportation.
It’s abundantly clear from the report that prejudice is reinforced by a lack of awareness and knowledge. As ADS head Christine Lüders stated: "People don't know anything about the Sinti and Roma. Their image is dominated by what people see on the streets.” There is clearly a need for heightened awareness, but being aware just isn’t enough - beyond more enlightened discussion, there is an urgent need for a pro-active and sustainable inclusion policy.
This report should signal a call for action along the lines called for by the German Greens. As reported in Romea.cz, Green Party spokespersons Volker Beck and Tom Koenigs declared that "It is disgraceful that racist prejudice continues to be so widespread almost 70 years after the genocide of the Sinti and Roma. It is high time for a change in the administration, in the media, in politics and in the schools. We must systematically research the conditions for the creation of anti-Gypsyism, the forms it takes, and raise awareness about Sinti and Roma. A group of experts on both practical and theoretical aspects of this should be entrusted with that work, we will ask for it in the Bundestag. Racist prejudices against Sinti and Roma threaten peaceful coexistence in our society. This mainly is a problem of the majority society accepting them. Health care, language courses, participation in the housing and labor markets, schools’ inclusion of the children obliged to attend - all of this is a call for action."
