Fokus ROMI.HR

Juan de Dios je važan primjer kako Romi mogu uspjeti u društvu, nezaboravljajući pritom svoje podrijetlo i zalažući se za prava svoje zajednice.

Juan de Dios rođen je 1944. godine u Puerto Realu u Cadizu u Španjolskoj. Bio je prvi romski zastupnik u španjolskoj povijesti. Za zastupnika je izabran 1977. godine, u Barceloni, s liste Stranke demokratskog centra (Unión de Centro Democrático). Nakon prvog mandata reizabran je još dva puta, u periodima od 1979. godine do 1982. godine, i od 1982. godine do 1986. godine, oba puta u gradu Almeriji.

Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia je bio i prvi romski zastupnik u Europskom parlamentu, izabran 10. prosinca 1985. godine, na prvim španjolskim izborima za Europski parlament. U Europskom parlamentu je djelovao kao dio grupe socijalista.

Tokom svog mandata u Europskom parlamentu, borio se protiv svih oblika rasizma i diskriminacije, zbog čega se nekoliko puta sukobio s pripadnicima grupe okupljene oko Le Pena.

Jedan od tih sukoba bio je s zastupnikom Brunom Gollnischom, koji je 2010. godine javno kritizirao Vatikan zbog protivljenja deportiranja Roma iz Francuske. Grupa ljudi okupljena oko Bruna Gollnischa napisala je na zidove Europskog parlamenta poruke o takozvanom "europskom identitetu" koji su sadržavale mnoge rasističke elemente. Kada su ti natpisi uklonjeni i zamijenjeni drugim natpisima, Gollnisch je prosvjedovao jer je smatrao kako je povređeno njegovo pravo na slobodu govora.

Juan de Dios je na to odgovorio: „Osobno sam, svojim rukama, stavio te nove natpise (…) i ako su poruke koji su prvobitno ispisane uklonjene, to je zato što zidovi ove časne kuće ne mogu nositi takve natpise, već naprotiv, one koji se bore protiv rasizma i netolerancije."

Juan de Dios imao je još jedan sukob s grupom oko Le Pena 1993. godine, kada je u Europskom parlamentu održana rasprava o Piccolijevom izvještaju. Izvještaj je sastavljen od strane Odbora za građanske i unutarnje poslove o desničarskom ekstremizmu i porastu rasizma i ksenofobije.

U svom govoru, Dios je podržao izvještaj i rekao: „Slučajnost je da su mnoge političke snage ovog Parlamenta glasale za ovaj izvještaj. Ideološki drugačije političke snage ujedinjene su u borbi protiv rasizma i nasilja. I kažem vam [obraćajući se ekstremnim desničarima], dokle god postoje pravi kršćanski demokrati, bit će pravih antirasista, dokle god postoje pravi liberali, bit će pravih antirasista, dokle god postoje pravi ekolozi [zeleni], postojat će pravi antirasisti, i sve dok mi socijalisti postojimo, borba protiv rasizma je zajamčena. (...) Pravi demokrati glasat će za ovaj izvještaj.”

Iako više nije član španjolskog parlamenta, kao ni zastupnik u Europskom parlamentu, Juan de Dios je i dalje se aktivno bavi pitanjima Roma. Suosnivač je i član predsjedništva Međunarodne unije Roma (IRU), osnovane 1971. godine, i predsjednik Romske španjolske unije od njenog osnivanja, 1986. godine. Također, predsjednik je Romskog instituta za društvene i kulturne usluge od njegovog osnivanja 1988. godine, i promoter Romskog europskog centra za istraživanje i dokumentaciju anti-rasizma (the Romani European Center for Research and Documentation Anti-Racism, CREIDA). Sudjelovao je i na Prvom svjetskom kongresu Roma, organiziranom 1971. godine u Orpingtonu, u blizini Londona, u Engleskoj, jednim dijelom financiranim od strane Svjetskog vijeće crkava i Vlada Indije.

On je ujedno i prvi Rom kojem je Sveučilište Cádiz (Universidad de Cádiz) dodjelilo ‘honoris causa’, a uz to je imao sjajnu karijeru političara, aktivista, učitelja i novinara.

Također je diplomirao i informacijske znanosti na Autonomnom sveučilištu u Baraceloni, gdje je završio i doktorske studije. Bio je profesor na Sveučilištu Cádiz i direktor Škole za profesionalnu prilagodbu "San Juan Bosco" namijenjenu osobama s invaliditetom, u Barceloni, u period od 1970. godine do 1990.godine.

Njegov život je primjer potencijala romske zajednice, strastvene borbe protiv rasizma i netolerancije prema Romima, ali i borbe za prava manjina i ljudska prava općenito, pokazujući neumornu volju suočavanja s onima koji podržavaju diskriminaciju, rasizam i netrpeljivost.

25 years ago, in 1985, a historic event took place: the first election of Spanish europarlamentarians. However, this was not the only relevant thing happening, but the extraordinary fact was that in that election, one of the elected members of the European parliament was a Roma: Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia.

Juan de Dios is an important example of Roma people being capable to succeed in society without forgetting their origins and while advocating for their own community rights.

Juan de Dios was born in Puerto Real, in Cadiz, Spain in 1942. He was the first Roma Member of Parliament in Spanish history, being elected as such in the city of Barcelona in 1977 on the list of the Unión de Centro Democrático Party. He was reelected twice, from 1979 to 1982 and from 1982 to 1986, both times in the city of Almeria.

Not only that, but he was also the first Roma member of the European Parliament, being elected through the Socialist group on December 10th 1985 in the first election of Spanish Europarlamentarians.

During his mandate as a European Parliamentarian, he always fought racism and discrimination in all its forms, which led to him having several clashes with the Le Pen group.

One of these clashes was with the Parliamentarian Bruno Gollnisch, who in 2010 publicly criticised the Vatican for opposing the deportation of Roma people in France. His group had put signs on the walls of the European Parliament featuring a so-called “European Identity” which contained many racist elements. He was protesting that they were taken down and were replaced with other signs, considering this as a violation of his freedom of speech.

Juan de Dios replied saying: “It was me personally who, with my hands, put those new signs up… and if the signs hung by the group that spoke before fell, it is because the walls of this honorable house cannot stand for them but do stand for signs which fight against racism and intolerance.” 

In the debate in the European Parliament regarding the Piccoli Report in 1993, which was made by The Civil and Internal Affairs Committee on right-wing extremism and the rise of racism and xenophobia, Juan de Dios had another clash with the Le Pen group.

In his speech, he supported the report and said: “It is such a coincidence that to vote in favor of this Report, many political forces of this Parliament are ideologically different but unite in the fight against racism and violence. And I tell you (referring to extreme right-wingers) that as long as there are real Christian democrats, there will be real antiracists, as long as there are real liberals, there will be real antiracists, as long as there are real ecologists, there will be real antiracists, and as long as we socialists exist, the fight against racism is guaranteed. (…) Real democrats will vote in favor of the report. “

Even though he is no longer a Member of Parliament for Spain or of the European Parliament from Spain, he is still very active regarding the Roma cause. He is Co-Founder and Member of the Presidium of the International Romani Union (1971) and President of the Spanish Romani Union since its foundation, in 1986. He is also President of the Romani Institute of Social and Cultural Services since its founding in 1988, and Promoter of the Romani European Center for Research and Documentation Anti-Racism (CREIDA). He has also participated of the First World Romani Congress, organized in 1971 in Orpington near London, England, United Kingdom, funded in part by the World Council of Churches and the Government of India.

He is also the first Roma to have been awarded the honoris causa distinction by the Universidad de Cadiz in Law, having had a great career as a politician, an activist, a teacher, and a journalist.

He also graduated in Information Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​where he completed the doctoral studies cycle. He has been a teacher in Cádiz and the Director of the School of Professional Readaptation "San Juan Bosco" for the physically handicapped, in Barcelona, ​​between 1970 and 1990

His life has been an example of the potential of the Roma community, a fight against racism and intolerance, and a passion not only for Roma rights but also for Human Rights and Minority rights in general, with an untiring will to face those who support discrimination, racism and intolerance.