Background

The Roma people first surfaced in India between 500 and 1000 BC. Since then, they have been persecuted by the people and governments of the areas that they traveled to. Be it hate crimes such as physical assault, forced sterilization, or not even being allowed to enter the country, the Roma have experienced it all. Many Roma are physically assaulted or murdered simply because of their heritage.

Thousands of Roma are rounded up by police for deportation. 

In Nazi Germany, between 200,000 and 800,000 Roma were experimented on or murdered. While not as extreme today, the persecution continues. Italy has a low-tolerance for Roma, as well as many other European countries. Mass evictions have been performed to remove Roma settlements, and some countries have strict immigration policies prohibiting or limiting the immigration of Roma to their country (including the US).
Roma are a people who have been wrongly persecuted for too long, and need equal rights now.

  

A protest against persecution of Roma people. 

A Roma settlement in France is burned down. 

Location

Map depicting the estimated Roma populations in Europe by size of the wheel.

Everywhere that Roma travel, they are persecuted, especially in Italy. Italy is home to the Appennine Mountains, and is bordered to the North by the Alps. Other than the mountains, Italy is relatively flat with no rivers. In Italy, most people are Catholic and speak Italian. Italy and generally Europe are considered to be be cultured by Americans.

Map showing the estimated number of Romani per European country. 

Development

Genetic research has indicated that the Romani people originally originated on the Indian subcontinent. They began moving around 500 Ad and 1000 Ad the peak of their diffusion occurred around 1000 Ad from the Byzantine Empire. in the 14th and 15th century the Ottoman conquest of Byzantine empire only pushed the Romani people further west into Europe and by the 26th century had settled in all parts of Europe.

The Romani people have been being persecuted since they first came into existence between 500 and 1000 AD. They had settled throughout Europe by the sixteenth century, while being prohibited from settling within the borders of many countries. Some laws were passed in various countries permitting the execution of any Romani found within borders. The Austro-Hungarian empire forced Romani children to be raised in non-Romani households, and several countries enslaved all Romanis until the end of the nineteenth century, when immigration laws were passed prohibiting the immigration of Romani people. Nazi Germany attempted genocide of Romani people and killed between 200,000 and 800,000 people. The former Czechoslovakia forced settlements to be on the borders, and sterilized all Romani women after their first child (a process that continued legally until 1990 and illegally until 2003). Today, Romani people face hate crimes and discrimination.

c.1000 C.E   Groups of Roma, originating in Northern India, reach modern Greece and Turkey.

1200s C.E   Many fairs are created by Royal Charter, including Bridlington (1200) and Hull (1299). By the turn of the 13th Century Roma begin to arrive in Western Europe.

1650s  Last known hanging for the crime of being a Gypsy, in Suffolk, England. Gypsies are deported to America.

1830s   Covered horse drawn wagons begin to be used by Gypsies in Britain. Many Gypsies live in the more makeshift bender tents, and continued to use them until the mid-late 20th Century.

1939-45   World War II. Nazis compose lists of English Romanies to be interned. In Britain, the government built caravans camps for the Romanies serving in the forces. These are closed when the war finishes. Roma, Sinti and other Romanies are stripped of all human rights by the Nazis. As many as 600,000 are murdered in camps and gas chambers.

2008   Britain celebrates the first Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month. But in Italy, Roma camps are firebombed by neo-nazis.

Impact

Some international human right organizations have noted that Roma still continue to face discrimination, especially in southeastern Europe. Some of the most prominent forms of discrimination that Roma face are hate crimes, such as attacks by policemen and citizens, and unequal opportunities in education and employment. In January of 2010, Italy began to carry out their plan to relocate all of the Roma that were living illegally, to new, legal campgrounds that offered hot water and electricity. The camp was located on the outskirts of Rome, where many Roma families had lived. However, many objected to moving.
The Roma people have become the focal point in the Italian economy, particularly their immigration, for those who are angry with the country’s economic and social woes. In 2008 Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi announced that before granting the right of residence in Italy, the local officials would have to check  their previous living conditions. This seemed to be targeted toward Roma because most of them tend to live on the outskirts of cities and countries. Many governments still deny citizenship, job opportunities and social services to Roma.

- Discrimination
- Hate crimes (most notably forced sterilization)
- Attacks by policemen and citizens
- Unequal opportunities in education and employment
- Poor legislature regarding immigration

Future

After years of unequal rights, it is time for a change for Roma people. They deserve the rights that they have been denied simply on appearance and ancestor traditions. Moreover, Roma deserve citizenship and equal job opportunities, which have been denied in most countries since the emergence of Roma.
However, some countries, including Germany, are trying to right all the years of wrongdoings. While during WWII, Germany murdered and experimented on between 200,000 and 800,000 Roma, they are currently trying to bury that hatchet by converting apartments into apartments for Roma. Germany is also host to a statue in commemoration of the largely unrecognized horrors committed to Roma during the Holocaust. A Romani man spoke at the Holocaust Remembrance Day for the first time in 2011.
However, not all countries have tried to be as accommodating as Germany is trying to be. In many countries, the persecution worsens, and Roma are still displaced. Hate crimes are increasing in frequency, as many people still have absolutely no respect for Roma people.
In the future, Italy and other European countries will need to accommodate Roma into their policies. Right now, policies regarding the immigration of Roma are discriminatory. Housing and equal opportunities need to be developed. The discrimination against Roma needs to end now.

Prospect Magazine
Roma throughout Europe are prosecuted in various forms, including Italy's demolishing of Roma settlements to force them to leave.
CNN: History leading to the Current Prosecution
In Europe, segregation is economic and prominent in schools. 90% of Roma live in poverty, and only 2/3 are employed. Schools often do not provide the care and attention to Roma children as they do to non Roma children.

Big Picture

Land forms prohibit the travel of Roma people to new settlements. Climate also impacts areas where Roma people can settle, as settlements are typically outdoors in tents.

Culture is the geographic concept that best relates to our topic because Roma have been seen as outcasts for centuries and have always been searched for a place they feel welcome.

Our topic is important in representing culture because the Roma way of life faces extinction in Europe with hate crimes and with laws that discriminate against them. This topic could  help people to better understand people in similar situations because these thing are not only happening to the people of the Roma culture but also those who believe in different things or have different colored skin. with this social issue we are hoping to open people's mind to the idea of accepting different cultures.