Istvan Forgacs is a prominent Roma-Hungarian expert on the subject of Roma inclusion in Hungary and Central Europe. After graduating in Budapest, he has studied at Columbia University and has managed and advised Roma inclusion programs for more than a decade, including at the Open Society Foundation and the Council of Europe. Mr. Forgacs claims two mother tongues: Hungarian and Lovari (a Roma dialect).
Last month, an article by a well-known Hungarian journalist, Zsolt Bayer, caused a significant stir in Hungary and was covered widely in international media. Prompted by a report of a violent crime allegedly involving Roma, Bayer’s commentary, in which he says a “significant number of Gypsies are unfit for coexistence,” was roundly condemned by the opposition and ruling parties, some even called for the writer to be prosecuted under hate speech laws. While much of the reaction focused on the extremism of the article, some responses also raised the problem of public security in certain parts of the country and the question of coexistence among certain groups. Hungarian Globe asked Istvan Forgacs to address the subject. The following is his contribution.
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The people of the 21st century are eager to sort out complex issues of the world, to make judgments, pick sides and label individuals as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘moral’ or ‘immoral.’ In the Balkans, Kosovo has always been, for many, the land of the freedom fighters. Bosnians were considered heroes while the Serbs were stereotyped as war criminals. The Kurds are seen as victims wherever they go, just like the Roma. They are a people without a country, never able to find a society that is open enough to accept and include them. Some issues are always fashionable at tables in Brussels, London, New York and Washington due to their seeming lack of any moral ambiguity. Pick the right side and you can expect welcoming smiles, sympathy, and strong handshakes for your righteous display of tolerance and solidarity.
The issue of ethnic groups (or nations) without a country is blue-chip on the political and sociological stock exchange of the western world. Regarding the situation of European Roma communities (or the European Roma nation) it’s easy to form a meaningless opinion, separate good from evil and side with them – those who suffer, who have difficulty and are often targets of discrimination. No one knows who they (we) are exactly, but one feels that society should be open, tolerant and positive in this matter. So let me tell you a little about who we are.