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Nationalities Papers
The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity
Volume 31, 2003 - Issue 1
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Original Articles

"No Soft Touch": Romani Migration to the U.K. at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century

Pages 63-79 | Published online: 19 Aug 2010

References

  • Verspaget , Josephine . 1995 . The Situation of Gypsies (Roma and Sinti) in Europe , 13 Strasbourg : Council of Europe .
  • Matras , Yaron . 2000 . "Roma Migrations in the Post-Communist Era: Their Historical and Political Significance" . Cambridge Review of International Affairs , 13 ( 2 ) Spring-Summer : 32 emphasis in original.
  • Guy , Will . 2001 . "Romani Identity and Post-Communist Policy" ” . In Between Past and Future: the Roma of Central and Eastern Europe , Edited by: Guy , Will . 8 29 Hatfield : University of Herts Press .
  • Mark and Braham , Matthew . 2000 . "Romani Migrations and EU Enlargement" . Cambridge Review of International Affairs , 13 ( 2 ) Spring-Summer : 101 For example, the Brahams argue that "there may in fact be a 'cultural script' that underlies the 'root causes' of Roma migrations old and new", which derives from "… their sense of integrity, their belief in their racial purity, and the importance that they attach to their social system". See
  • Mirga and Gheorghe . 1997 . The Roma in the Twenty-First Century: A Policy Paper , 4 Princeton : PER . There is insufficient space to discuss the simplistic equation of exclusion of Roma by majority societies and rejection of such societies by Roma as joint causes of their exclusion and discrimination. However, this stance ignores the sociological insights of Mead, Goffman and Fanon, as well as the view of leading Romani sociologists Andrzej Mirga and Nicolae Gheorghe, who see such self-rejection as a "defensive mechanism". See
  • Kenrick , Donald . 1997 . "Foreign Gypsies and British Immigration Law after 1945" ” . In Gypsy Politics and Traveller Identity , Edited by: Acton , Thomas . 108 – 110 . Hatfield : University of Herts Press .
  • There are great difficulties in measuring the scale of Romani migration in general, and to the U.K. in particular. In published statistics about migration, claimants are not categorised by ethnicity but by country of origin. However, asylum seekers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland can safely be assumed to be Roma. This is more dubious in the case of Romania. A further problem in the case of the U.K. is that Home Office figures show "claims", often for a family group in the case of Roma, rather than individuals. Statistics from whatever source must be viewed with caution and compared with alternative versions in the likelihood that none are wholly accurate. In 1997, a total of 32,500 claims were lodged in the U.K., which UNHCR calculates as amounting to 42,250 persons (Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview, Table V.2 Asylum applications submitted in selected countries, 1990-1999, UNHCR, Geneva, 2000).
  • 1997 . "Gypsies invade Dover, hoping for a handout" . The Independent , 20 October A liberal daily broadsheet carried a front page headline worthy of the more chauvinist tabloids:
  • Clark , Colin and Campbell , Elaine . 2000 . "Gypsy Invasion: A Critical Analysis of Newspaper Reaction to Czech and Slovak Romani Asylum Seekers in Britain, 1997" . Romani Studies , 10 ( 1 ) : 23 – 47 . For a comprehensive discussion of media reaction, see series 5
  • 1997 . "Giro Czechs hit London" . Evening Standard , 13 November an insulting play on words, as U.K. benefit payments are generally paid by Post Office (Giro) cheques.
  • 1997 . Daily Telegraph , 28 November
  • Matras . "Roma Migrations in the Post-Communist Era" ” . 39
  • Braham and Braham . "Romani Migrations" ” . 115 endnote 42 (citing
  • RNC . 1996 . Report on the Situation of Roma in Europe , 19 – 20 . Hamburg : RNC .
  • Tebbutt , Susan . "Germany and Austria: the 'Mauer im Kopf or virtual wall" ” . In Between Past and Future Edited by: Guy , Will . 275 – 276 . Germany's previously liberal policy on refugees was revoked in the early 1990s. See
  • Lee , Ronald . 2000 . "Post-Communism Romani Migration to Canada" . Cambridge Review of International Affairs , 13 ( 2 ) Spring-Summer : 51 – 70 . Among these migrants were also Roma who were citizens of the Slovak Republic. For a full discussion, see
  • Lee . "Romani Migration to Canada" ” . 55 However, Renata Weinerová points out that the term "middle class" is misleading when applied to CEE Roma since it refers to "the former 'socialist' middle class … literate but unqualified people" who, "in relation to overall stratification in society … still formed part of the lower class"
  • Weinerová , Renata . "Slovakia and Romani Migration after 1989" . paper delivered at international roundtable, Roma Migration in Europe: Trends, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Ethnology . November 24-25 , Prague . pp. 5 and endnote 7. See also Imrich and Michal Va?ecka, "Recent Romani Migration from Slovakia to EU Member States: Romani Reaction to Discrimination or Romani Ethno-Tourism?" in this issue of Nationalities Papers.
  • 27 May 1999 . Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1998 , 27 May , Home Office . In 1998, there were 70 asylum claims by Slovak Roma in Ireland but none the following year (Refugees and Others of Concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview, Table VI.8 Asylum applications submitted in Ireland, 1996-1999, UNHCR).
  • 29 July 1999 . CTK , 29 July , Czech Press Agency .
  • 1999 . "Romani Migrations" ” . 98 Asylum Statistics: August 1999, United Kingdom, Home Office. Braham and Braham report that "255 Czechs and Slovaks… applied for asylum in the UK in August" but the Home Office lists them all as Czechs.
  • 1999 . Refugees and Others of Concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview , UNHCR . Table VI.1 Origin of asylum applicants,
  • 2000 . Provisional Statistics on Refugees and Others of Concern to UNHCR for the Year 2000 , Geneva : UNHCR .
  • Guy , Will . 2000 . "Recent Roma Migration to the United Kingdom" . paper delivered at international roundtable, Roma Migration in Europe: Trends, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Ethnology . November 24-25 2000 , Prague . For fuller discussion of this research, see
  • January . Report from Dover January , 3
  • Braham and Braham . "Romani Migrations" ” . 98
  • Matras's analysis ("Roma Migrations in the Post-Communist Era", pp. 37-39) is based on various reports by UNHCR, NGOs, etc.
  • Schools for children with learning disabilities (previously referred to as mentally handicapped). For more information about this phenomenon, see various articles on the European Roma Rights Center website, www.errc.org (www.errc.org)
  • January 2000 . Report from Dover January , 6
  • April 2000 . Report from Dover April , 4 Expressed as "jen maliCkosti" (only small matters) in Czech
  • Cahn , Claude and Vermeersch , Peter . 2000 . "The Group Expulsion of Slovak Roma by the Belgian Government" . Cambridge Review of International Affairs , 13 ( 2 ) Spring-Summer : 71 – 82 . All European states, even in supposedly more liberal Scandinavia, showed comparable determination in expelling Romani asylum seekers. For the example of Belgium, see
  • Lee . "Romani Migration to Canada" ” . 61
  • Lee . "Romani Migration to Canada" ” . 61 – 64 . Nevertheless, the success rate of below 12 for claims by Hungarian Roma was still far higher than elsewhere in the West.
  • 1999 . Lidové noviny , 8 JuIy
  • 12 October 2000 . Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1999 , 12 October , 1 Home Office . "7,800 people (36 of decisions made under normal procedures) were recognised as refugees and granted asylum in 1999",
  • 25 September 2001 . Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2000 , 25 September , Home Office . However, this was a high point as the corresponding figure for the previous year (1998) was 19 and in the following year, perhaps related to heightened sensitivity about the issue of asylum seekers, it plunged to only 10, Table 1.2.
  • Matras . "Roma Migrations in the Post-Communist Era" ” . 35 Matras wrote of Roma feeling "lack of confidence in the social structure and institutions of their countries of residence, and a consequent loose attachment to those countries"
  • April 2000 . Report from Dover April , 5
  • April 2000 . Report from Dover April , 4
  • Lee . "Romani Migration to Canada" ” . 60 – 61 . For Canadian examples
  • April 2000 . Report from Dover April , 5
  • April 2000 . Report from Dover April , 5 The main reason for poor school attendance was "mostly from lack of places"
  • Va?ecka , Michal . 2001 . "Roma" ” . In Slovakia 2000: A Global Report on the State of Society , Edited by: Mese?nikov , Grigorij , Ivanty?yn , Michal and Nicholson , Tom . 186 Bratislava : Institute for Public Affairs . More serious researchers have linked some migration from Slovakia to debt repayment. See
  • Weinerová , Renata . 2000 . "Slovakia and Roma Migration after 1989" . both papers delivered at international roundtable, Roma Migration in Europe: Trends, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Ethnology . November 24-25 2000 , Prague . Zdenk Uherek, 'The Czech Republic and Roma Migration after 1989"; and
  • Naegele , Jolyon . 1999 . "Slovak Authorities Suspect 'Plot' behind Romany Exodus to Finland" . Radio Free Europe , 14 July It was even suggested by Vincent Danihel, the Slovak government's Commissioner for the Solution of the Problems of the Romani Minority, that the party of the former Slovak premier, Vladimir Meuiar, may have been involved in organising the mass arrival of Slovak Roma in Helsinki on Finland's accession to the EU presidency, following Meclar's recent defeat in the Slovakian presidential elections.
  • Va?ecka . "Roma" ” . 185
  • 8 November 2000 . Regular Report on Slovakia's Progress towards [EU] Accession , 8 November , 21 Brussels : European Commission .
  • Travis , Alan . 2000 . "British tag is 'coded racism'" . The Guardian , 11 October See furious media and politicians' reactions to the suggestion that the term "British" can carry racist connotations, made in the Runnymede Trust Report on the future of multi-cultural Britain. See
  • Fenton , Steve . 1996 . "Counting Ethnicity" ” . In Interpreting Official Statistics , Edited by: Levitas , Ruth and Guy , Will . 148 London : Routledge .
  • 1990-1999 . Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview , UNHCR . Table VI.7 Original of asylum applicants by year of application,
  • Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview, Table VI. 1 Origin of asylum applicants, 1999, and Table VI.8 Asylum applications submitted in Ireland, 1996-1999, UNHCR.
  • Asylum applications submitted in Europe, 1998 and 1999, Figures 2 and 3, Distribution of asylum applicants, UNHCR.
  • 1999 . Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview , UNHCR . Table VI.1 Origin of asylum applicants,
  • Asylum applications in Europe in 1999, Table 5 Origin of asylum applicants in Europe, 1999 (Top 20 and by region), UNHCR. The situation in Ireland was rather different, for although the total numbers were comparable with those for the U.K., the proportion represented by Romanian asylum seekers was far higher (29 in 1999), displacing Nigerians from first place in that year (Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview, Table VI.8 Asylum applications submitted in Ireland, 1996-1999, UNHCR).
  • Asylum applications submitted in Europe, January-July 2000, Table 3 Main origin of asylum applicants in Europe, UNHCR.
  • Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview, Table V.2 Asylum applications submitted in selected countries, 1990-1999, UNHCR.
  • Asylum applications submitted in Europe, January-July 2000, Table 3 Main origin of asylum applicants in Europe, UNHCR.
  • Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR, 1999 Statistical Overview, Table V.2 Asylum applications submitted in selected countries, 1990-1999, UNHCR.
  • 2001 . The Guardian , 21 May : G2 7 Monthly Asylum Applications Submitted in Europe (all nationalities) Table 1, UNHCR. According to UNHCR figures for 2000-2001, the U.K. remained the main destination for refugees in Europe. See
  • 2001 . The Guardian , 26 May However, in April 2001, U.K. asylum claims fell to a two-year low, see
  • 2001 . The Guardian , 30 May while asylum seekers as an election issue dropped to ninth place, see
  • 1997 . The Guardian , 22 October Claude Moraes, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, in
  • Clark and Campbell . "Gypsy Invasion" ” . 28 – 29 .
  • Asylum Applications in Europe, First Quarter 2000, Table 4: Top 20 nationalities by country of asylum in Europe, January-March 2000, UNHCR. The U.K. figure for January 2000 was 280, for February 305 and for March 255; for Ireland the figures for these three months were 286, 199 and 328 respectively (Asylum Seekers in Europe, Tables 3 and 4 Origin of asylum applicants in 14 main European asylum countries, January and February 2000 ("Top 20"), UNHCR).
  • 2000 . "Town that lives off London's beggars" . Evening Standard , 29 March
  • 2000 . "Romanians send home 20K a day" . Sunday World , 14 May
  • The only exceptions were more liberal newspapers such as The Guardian which in 2000 published articles on myths about refugees (17 February), the need of the West for immigrant labour (22 March) and the positive contribution of immigrants to British life (19 April). Also see endnote 69 below.
  • Moller . 2000 . "Are we a tolerant nation?" . Reader's Digest UK , September http://www. readersdigest.co.uk/magazine/tolerant.htm, accessed 19 June 2001.
  • Moller, "Are we a tolerant nation?"
  • Moller, "Are we a tolerant nation?"
  • April 2000 . Report from Dover April , 6
  • Clark and Campbell . "Gypsy Invasion" ” . 41 – 42 .
  • April 2000 . Report from Dover April , 6 – 7 .
  • Katz , Ian . 2001 . "Leave the back door ajar" . The Guardian , 12 June This series was called
  • 2001 . "Welcome to Britain" . The Guardian , 21-23 May
  • Buirski , Jeanette . 1999 . "The Rom [sic] and U.K. Immigration and Asylum Law" . The Legal Protection of Rom in Contemporary Europe, conference at European Information Centre . June 28-29 1999 , Prague . pp. 9 – 10 . Charles University . Those countries thought to have laws in place to protect the rights of individuals were regarded as "safe" and were consequently placed on what is termed the "white list". However, although this list was technically abolished in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, this procedure still remains in practice as a procedural matter at the discretion of the government rather than existing in law. Jeanette Buirski reports, "[a]n unofficial White List seems to be in operation, and Roma asylum seekers appear to be singled out for deportation regardless of any official or unofficial White List"
  • 1997 . Daily Telegraph , 28 November
  • Black , Fan . 2001 . "U.K. 'most racist' in Europe on refugees" . The Guardian , 3 April
  • Young , Hugo . 2001 . "Labour's law of ethnic punishment shames us all" . The Guardian , 8 May
  • 1998 . "Gypsy rulings put pressure on ministers" . The Guardian , 1 December
  • 2000 . "Lords dismiss Roma asylum test case" . The Guardian , 7 July
  • 26 June 2001 . Beneath the Veil , Channel 4 26 June , Young, "Labour's law of ethnic punishment shames us all". There is not space in this article to describe the human rights situation in each of these countries but the situation of women in Afghanistan, as documented by the Afghan feminist movement (RAWA), is one example
  • 13 November 2001 . "British Officials Resume Checks at Prague Airport" ” . In Radio Free Europe report 13 November ,
  • 2001 . The Guardian , 21 May Yet Roma keep arriving in the U.K. Home Office statistics showed a total of 75,680 applications for asylum in 2000, of which 1,815 (2.4) were from Romania, 1,000 (1.3) from the Czech Republic and 790 (1.0) from Poland. Most from Romania and all from the Czech Republic and Poland can be assumed to be Roma (see note 10).
  • Harding , Jeremy . 2001 . "On the Move" . The Guardian , 23 May
  • Don Hill, East: Poor Conditions for Roma Harm all Citizens, reporting statement by J. Verspaget, head of the Council of Europe Specialist Group on Roma, Prague: RFE/RL, 27 January 2000. Also see Guy, "Romani Identity and Post-Communist Policy".
  • Braham and Braham . "Romani Migrations" ” . 107 – 109 .
  • Braham and Braham . "Romani Migrations" ” . 112
  • Martin Kovats, "The Emergence of European Roma Policy".

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