Romani people in Poland
[5] Further evidence from the 20th century exhibits the Roma's persecution by occupying forces of Nazi Germany during the Holocaust,[6] and subsequent alienation in the Polish People's Republic.
[11] Compiled evidence from the early 21st century shows that the Roma experience difficulties and successes in acquiring quality housing in Poland.
[13] Roma continue to experience tensions such as high unemployment rates,[12] forced evictions, violence and societal ostracisation.
[12] In the Lesser Poland province, some of the regions settled by Roma include Czarna Góra, Czarny Dunajec-Kamieniec, Koszary and Krośnica.
[15] Linguistic evidence shows the Roma's emigration from Northwestern India to Europe, between the 3rd to 7th century AD,[16] and to Poland at around 1400.
In 1930, the emergence of a nationalist sentiment in Poland encouraged the development of a separate Roma authority,[18] predominantly composed of the Kalderash subgroup.
[19] Following 1934, competing claims to the throne emerged,[20] Janusz Kwiek was the last ruler, who reigned from 1937 until he was subsequently killed during the Porrajmos (WWII).
As per Ian Hancock and Yitzhak Arad, the number of Romani deaths are uncertain due to the concealment of records in 'mass extermination camps' such as "Birkenau, Belzec, Treblinka".
[6] Arad writes that albeit the Roma were racially Aryan, their nomadism was depicted by the Nazis as a threat to European societies.
[23] Additionally, in Polish society, discrimination against Romani people is considered a social, rather than ethnic issue.
[7] According to Talewicz-Kwiatkowska this resulted in problems for the Roma: living in apartments and houses, was incompatible with their nomadic lifestyle, where they could usually engage in activities such as, "make bonfires" without disturbing their neighbours.
Due to cultural and linguistic variances between Roma children and non-Roma educators, they were reportedly placed in separate classes and subject to different curriculums.
[26] In the PRL (Polish People's Republic), the Roma were classified as a "social group" rather than an ethnic one, precluding their involvement in the national census.
[8] Thanks to the collapse of the Soviet-backed government, the Romani people were able to enjoy more cultural freedoms but did not have access to the same level of social services that they previously received in the PRL.
[29] The surge in resentment is exemplified by the "Mława pogrom" that occurred in 1991, in which much Roma property was destroyed and Roma families were forced to hide or flee after a fatal hit-and-run incident sparked a popular outrage that led to the unrest; Mława, where the car accident and subsequent riot took place, was experiencing high levels of unemployment (35%), relative to the national 10%.
In accordance with 'Romanipen', the Roma are discouraged from sharing their cultural values or language with non-Roma (Gadjo) and from resolving disputes externally.
[2] The Roma has historically endorsed traditional gender roles: a woman is expected to bear children, undertake domestic duties and men are the main income earners.
[10] A central stop of the trip is at Szczurowa, where the massacre of ninety-three Romani people by the Nazis on 1943 is commemorated.
[34] According to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, the scarcity of economical accommodation in Poland has contributed to housing difficulties for the Roma.
[36][27] Osuch and Dwojak state that structured education is generally not valued in Romani culture,[1] rather, it is perceived as "forced assimilation".
As a recognised minority group in Poland, the Roma hold constitutional rights to determine their own cultural and traditional values.
[40] While these policies have been adopted, the Polish government has faced criticism for not making greater efforts to stop discrimination against the Romani people.
On 22 July 2016 in Wroclaw, Poland, Amnesty International reported that while Roma people were not home, they were evicted without notice.
[12] Almost half feel ostracised in "cafes, restaurants, bars", 19% claimed to have felt this in employment and 18% by social services.
