Roma in Eastern Europe: the Wall in the Czech Republic
The Conflict
In 1999 a town in the Czech Republic built a wall to separate the white, ethnic Czechs from the Roma, or Gypsies. Roma live all over the world, but particularly in eastern Europe. Tensions between the Roma and the ethnic groups with which they share a country have been around for hundreds of years; in recent years this has taken the form of persecution, discrimination, and, occasionally, violence.
Cultural
- The Czechs view the Roma as dirty, thieving, and disruptive.
- Roma were, historically, nomadic trades people and peddlers of tin.
- Roma have different beliefs about property and behavior than their white, ethnic neighbors.
Political
- Tensions regarding how best to integrate a very different culture—especially one that may want to remain separate.
- Disagreement about how much of the cultural difference is caused by historical laws limiting the education and behavior of Roma.
Religious
• Roma have specific religious practices, which include separation from unclean people, the gadze.
On October 24, 1999, an editorial appeared in the New York Times entitled "Europe's Walls for Gypsies." The article reported recent efforts by the Czech city of Usti nad Labem to erect a wall to separate the city's Gypsies, or Roma (pronounced RO-ma), from white, ethnic Czechs.
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