High tensions in Portugal between the far-right leader of Chega political party Andre Ventura and Roma community ahead of Parliamentary elections on 18 May. In some of the cities he visited during his election campaign last week, like Braga, local Roma greeted him with shouts of “fascist” and “racist”. Ventura responded by telling the people – “you are racists” and “better go to work”, which angered them even more. Ventura have repeatedly insulted Portuguese Roma in his statements and contributed to the growth of Anti-Gypsyism in this Western European country. It is not only in Eastern Europe that intolerance is growing. But lately the people working on these issues in the European institutions and international organisations have got used to theatrical performances and PR campaigns that distance them from the reality on the ground, so this reality should be shown to them from time to time.
Now, the far-right Chega party is using this video entitled “Gypsies spit on Andre Ventura” to further motivate and consolidate its electorate before elections, but at the same time the anti-racist, leftist, “progressive” parties and NGOs in Europe are silent, they are not taking a stand, they are not intervening. They are passive observers when it comes to the Roma, otherwise they change their behaviour abruptly and become very noisy when it comes to oppressed groups outside Europe. How to understand this behaviour? Roma, who are EU citizens, are left alone and the message is “your struggle is not our struggle”. Does this mean that the European left is ready to confront the European right on issues outside EU, like Gaza and Ukraine, but on the Roma issue inside EU they have no particular differences? No left, no right, but unity? But then how can the Roma distinguish the left from the right? On foreign policy issues they clearly differentiate, but on domestic issues the differences are fading, a clear example are the big social democratic and socialist parties in Europe at the moment which easily enter coalitions with right-wing parties. The risk is the growing pressure from the European level on the political parties at national level for even greater “cohesion” in the name of foreign policy goals to further blur the boundaries between right and left, and to pave the way for previously unthinkable compromises.
Video:
Welcome! It’s your first time on this post, and we are glad to have you.
Discover more from EU Romapress
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.