Fokus ROMI.HR

Koja bi mogla biti veza između pojedinačnog incidenta i 'hitnog' rušenja kuća, od kojih su neke sagrađene prije više od dvadeset pet godina? Kako to da su vlasti odjednom postale zabrinute za zdravlje i sigurnost života lokalnih stanovnika, a istovremeno ih ostavljale bez skloništa usred zime? Postoji paralelni slijed događaja koji daje prilično jasan odgovor:

U satima nakon incidenta u Vojvodinovu, stanovnici sela su se počeli okupljati i prosvjedovati. Kako mediji izvještavaju, neki od njih su se željeli osvetiti za povrijeđenog vojnika koji je iz tog sela, ali ih je policija zaustavila. U međuvremenu, gotovo svi nacionalni i lokalni mediji izvještavali su o incidentu, naglašavajući činjenicu kako je žrtva vojnik, njegovu nacionalnu pripadnost, kao i dob tada osumnjičenih – dva mlada  Roma stara 17 i 21 godinu.

Sljedećeg dana, potpredsjednik Vlade i ministar odbrane iz krajnje desne VRMO-BNM posjetili su Vojvodinovo u pratnji zapovjednika posebnih snaga bugarske vojske i velikog broja novinara. Tamo je dao nekoliko zapanjujućih izjava:

„Cigani u Bugarskoj postali su izuzetno drski i strpljenje bugarskog društva bliži se kraju.“

„Bugarska mora prestati udovoljavati svim birokratima iz Brusselsa i braniteljima ljudskih prava.“

„Imamo dio društva koji  je potpuno izgubljen i ne želi se integrirati, ne želi raditi, ne želi uvažavati interese drugih, ne poštuju njihove živote, zdravlje i imovinu, i radi što god želi. To je tako, jer ovaj dio populacije, veći dio ove ciganske populacije, živi u getima, ilegalno troši struju, računajući kako se ne mora usuglasiti ni sa kim drugim, ne žele raditi ili studirati i u praksi su postali marginalizirana zajednica […] koja živi po svojim pravilima džungle.“

Na pitanje novinara kuda će svi ti ljudi otići obzirom na zimske uvjete, Karakachanov je odgovorio: „Odvedi ih u svoju kuću.“

U narednim danima, dok su kuće uništavane tokom dana, u večernjim satima organizirani su prosvjedi. Prosvjede su podržali nogometni navijači iz Plovdiva i vojnici, a bilo je i vojnika koji su na prosvjedima nosili vojne uniforme. Antiromske parole, rasističke izjave i omalovažavanje, dominirali su u govorima tokom nereda. Romske obitelji, iz straha da će svi Romi biti žrtve osvete, počele su bježati iz sela već prvog dana nakon incidenta. U stvari, upravo im je gradonačelnik Vojvodinova, Dimitar Tošev, osobito naložio da odmah napuste svoje domove, zbog njihove 'osobne sigurnosti'.

Romsko naselje u Vojvodinovu ostalo je na kraju potpuno prazno. Mjesec kasnije, 9. veljače, neke su se obitelji pokušale vratiti svojim domovima. Iscrpljeni od spavanja na podovima kuća svojih rođaka u Plovdivu, prognani Romi željeli su nastaviti svoj svakodnevni život. Bilo je trudnica i žena s malom djecom, ljudi kojima je onemogućeno da idu na posao i u školu, starih i bolesnih, kao i osoba kojima je potrebna skrb. Obitelji su se vratile iz Plovdiva u Vojvodinovo znajući da bez službene odluke vlasti ne mogu biti protjerani iz mjesta u kojem su registrirani kao stanovnici. Međutim, policija i sam gradonačelnik spriječili su povratak Roma bez ikakvog zakonskog osnova. Jedino obrazloženje za ovakvo postupanje bilo je da „selo ne želi“ povratak Roma i kako će se pobuniti ako se to dogodi. U međuvremenu, prekinuta je opskrba vodom i strujom u onim dijelovima naselja u kojima su živjeli Romi. Samo deset dana kasnije, gradonačelnik je i formalno zabranio povratak Roma izdavši naredbe kojima se njihove kuće proglašavaju opasnim. Međutim, sud će donijeti konačnu odluku o zakonitosti građevina.

Tošev je, 25. travnja, za Darik Radio izjavio:

„Kako god sud presudio, na mještanima je da odluče, a oni ne žele povratak Roma, te će u budućnosti biti dosta problema ako se dijelovi naselja u kojima su bili Romi nekako obnove. […] Do sada su živjeli o trošku društva. Sada je vrijeme da ih se Bugarska otarasi i da odu. Da, patiće, ali će ići u pravom smjeru. Ako im se to ne sviđa, mogu naći drugo mjesto za život. Rekao sam da ću im platiti prijevoz iz Bugarske za koje god se mjesto odluče“.

Bugarska vladajuća stranka GERB je na lokalnim izborima u listopadu podržala Dimitara Toševa, koji je pobijedio i dobio još jedan mandat gradonačelnika Vojvodinova.

Obiteljima iz romskog naselja u Vojvodinovu formalno je ponuđen alternativni smještaj tek nakon pokušaja da se vrate svojim kućama. No, ponuđeni smještaj nije bio prikladan i predviđao je odvajanje roditelja od svoje djece.

Događaji u Vojvodinovu su primjer socijalne napetosti u Bugarskoj i mnogim drugim europskim zemljama. Siromaštvo i drastične nejednakosti, nefunkcionalne institucije i političari koji potiču strah, ksenofobiju, netoleranciju i gubitak solidarnosti. Romi su, kao manjinska skupina, posljednjih godina sve češće žrtva ovih strukturalnih problema.

Ono što se dogodilo u Vojvodinovu nije problem koji se tiče samo nekoliko obitelji. To je poruka svima na vlasti i svim marginaliziranim i podčinjenim ljudima. Kolektivno kažnjavanje Roma za djelo dvojice, uključivanje aktivnog vojnog osoblja u javne političke događaje, poticanje mržnje prema određenoj skupini i to s najviših izvršnih pozicija, naknadno pravno opravdavanje etničkog čišćenja je skandalozno. Ipak, za sada nema posljedica zbog ovih akcija, osim odluke Europskog suda za ljudska prava o privremenim mjerama prema kojima je bugarska vlast dužna osigurati alternativni smještaj za obitelji koje su ostale bez doma.

Iznenadno protjerivanje Roma iz Vojvodinova i sprječavanje njihovog povratka bez bilo kakvog zakonskog osnova i pod pritiskom prosvjednika koji su uzvikivali rasističke parole, očito je kršenje temeljnih ljudskih prava. Ostavljene bez odgovora, akcije bugarskih vlasti imat će ozbiljne posljedice ne samo u zemlji već i mnogo širem.

We demolish Roma houses for their safety

On January 8th this year, the mayor of the municipality of Maritsa, a municipality near the second biggest Bulgarian city - Plovdiv, orders an “urgent check” of the safety and legality of a group of buildings in а village in his jurisdiction. The “urgency” occurs in less than two days after an incident in the village – a 33-years old local resident, a commando from the Special Forces of the Bulgarian Army, got injured in a fight with two youngsters, also locals. The rapid check of the authorities concludes that a number of the buildings in Voivodinovo are “dangerous for their residents and the passers-by”.

On January 9th, several baggers enter the village accompanied by police forces and destroy five houses. More homes are demolished in the coming days. As a result several families, including children, elderly and sick people, are left without shelter in the middle of winter without alternative accommodation provided.

What could be the link between an individual incident and an “urgent” destruction of houses, some of which were built more than 25 years ago? How come the authorities were suddenly concerned about the health and life of local residents, but practically left them without shelter in the middle of winter? There is a parallel sequence of events that gives a rather clear answer:

Within hours after the incident in Voivodinovo, fellow villagers of the injured man started to gather outdoors in form of public demonstration. Reportedly, some of them sought revenge but were stopped by police. Meanwhile, national and local media widely covered the incident, emphasising on the military background of the victim and the ethnic belonging and age of the then-suspects – two Roma boys, 17 and 21 years old. On the following day, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence from the far-right VMRO-BNM visited Voivodinovo, accompanied by the Special Forces Commander of the Bulgarian Army and a crowd of journalists. There, he made several remarkable statements: 

“The Gypsies in Bulgaria became exceptionally impudent and the patience of the Bulgarian society is coming to an end.”

“Bulgaria has to stop complying with all sorts of bureaucrats from Brussels and human rights defenders.“

“We have a segment of society that is totally lost and unwilling to integrate, unwilling to work, unwilling to respect the interests of others, do not respect their life, health and property and do whatever they want. This is so, because this part of the population - the bigger share of this Gypsy population – lives in illegal ghettos, illegally consumes electricity, reckons that they do not have to comply with anyone else, they do not want to work or study and in practice have become a marginalized community […] which lives by its own rules of the jungle.”

When asked by a journalist where all these people are going to go considering the   winter conditions, Karakachanov replied: “Take them in your home.”

In the next days, while houses are being destroyed during the day protests were organised in the evenings, supported by football fans from Plovdiv and military personal, including such in uniforms. Anti-Roma slogans, racist statements, and slurs were dominating the riots rhetoric. Roma families, fearing vengeance against them all, started to flee the village already on the first day following the incident. In fact, it was the mayor of Voivodinovo, Dimitar Tosev, who personally instructed them to leave their homes immediately, for “their own safety”.

The Roma neighbourhood of Voivodinovo went eventually completely empty. A month later, on February 9th, some families tried to return to their homes. Exhausted from sleeping on the floor of their relatives’ houses in Plovdiv, the expulsed Roma wanted to resume their everyday life. Some were pregnant or with small children, others were prevented from going to work and school, third ones were old, sick or in need of care. The families came from Plovdiv to Voivodinovo knowing that without an official decision from the authorities they cannot be expelled from where they are registered residents. However, the police and the mayor of the village himself prevented the return, with no legal basis whatsoever. The sole reasoning for the latter’s actions was that “the village does not want” the Roma to come back and it will revolt if that happens. Meanwhile, the water and electricity supplies to the neighbourhood were cut. The mayor formalised the prevention of return only 10 days later, by issuing orders declaring the Roma houses dangerous and prohibiting their return. It is the Court, however, to take the final decision on the legality of the buildings.

On April 25th the Tosev told Darik Radio:

“Whatever the court decides, it is up to the people of the village, and they do not want them to return, so there will be a lot of trouble in the future if this is somehow restored. […] They have lived so far at the expense of society. Now is the time that Bulgaria shakes them off and they leave. Yes, they will suffer, but they will go in the right direction. If they don't like it, they can find another place to live. I said that I would pay them the transport from Bulgaria to wherever they decide.”

In October, Dimitar Tosev was backed by the ruling party GERB for the local elections and won for the mayoral seat in Voivodinovo for yet another term.

The families from the Roma neighbourhood in Voivodinovo were formally offered alternative accommodation only after their attempt to return to their homes. However, the offered housing was far from suitable and it envisaged separation of parents from their children.

The events in Voivodinovo are a showcase for the social tensions in Bulgaria and in many other European countries. Poverty and drastic inequalities, dysfunctional institutions and politicians instilling fears, xenophobia, intolerance, and loss of solidarity. Romani people, as a minority, have become an increasingly frequent victim of these structural problems in the last years.    

What happened in Voivodinovo is far from being an issue for several families. It sends a message to everyone in power and to everyone marginalised and oppressed. The collective punishment of Roma for the actions of two, the involvement of active military personnel in public political events, the incitement of hatred towards a certain group of people coming from а highest executive level, the post-factum legal justification of what is in practice ethnic cleansing are nothing less but scandalous. Nevertheless, these actions have so far no consequences, except for the European Court of Human Right’s decision for interim measures – Bulgarian authorities to provide alternative accommodation for the families rendered homeless.

The sudden expulsion of Roma from Voivodinovo and the prevention of their return, executed without any legal ground and under pressure from protesters shouting racist slogans, is an obvious violation of fundamental human rights. Left without response, the actions of the Bulgarian authorities will have serious repercussions not only in the country but on a much wider scale.