Roma are also known as Gypsies, Rom, Rroma, Romani, etc.

[Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler]

History of the Roma:

The Roma people originally lived in north west India in what is now southeastern Pakistan. They migrated to Persia between 224 and 642 CE. They lived under Arab rule in the Middle East from 642 to 900 CE, and eventually arrived in Constantinople. 1 Some authorities believe that there may have been additional migrations at a later date. By the 14th and 15th centuries CE, some had drifted into western Europe where they call themselves Sinti (a.k.a. Zigeuner in Germany, Gypsies in the UK, and Zingari in Italy). 2 Some emigrated from Europe to the US and Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Following World War II, and lately the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, there has been an additional westward migration.

Most Roma settle down in a single location. Only about 5% of European Romanies are believed to be nomads.

There are three language groups within the Roma:
the Domari in the Middle East and Eastern Europe,
the Lomarvren in Central Europe,
the Romani of Western Europe.

Within these groups, the Roma are organized into 4 main and about 10 smaller tribes or nations.

Names of the Romani people:

Many names have been used to refer to the Romani people, including: Cigano, Gypsies, Gipsies, Rom, Roma, Romani, Tsigani, Tzigane, Zigeuner, and others. Most Roma identify themselves either by their tribal name or by one of the names beginning with the prefix "Rom". Frequently, a prefix with a double "R" is used, as in "Rrom". "...the Council of Europe has approved the use of "Rroma (Gypsies)" in its official documents (CLRAE Recommendation 11 - June 1995)" 3 Because of centuries of hatred, the name "Gypsy" has become a "derogatory, pejorative and offensive" name. It was invented by Europeans, who incorrectly believed that the Roma originated in Egypt.

Persecution of the Roma:

They have suffered severe persecution throughout their history, particularly in Europe:
Rumors were spread in medieval times that the Roma were descended from a sexual encounter between a Roma woman and Satan. Christians believed that a conspiracy of blacksmiths, wizards and women had been organized to attack the Church. Since many Roma were blacksmiths, the conspiracy theory expanded to involve the Romani. Another belief was that Roma forged the nails used in Christ's crucifixion. The Roma countered with the rumor that a Roma attempted to steal the nails so that Christ could not be crucified, but was only able to grab one.
bullet The Christian genocide against Witches during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance was also directed against the Roma. The courts seized and imprisoned them in Witches' prisons, often without even bothering to record their names.

The Diet of Augsburg ruled that Christians could legally kill Roma. Meanwhile, the courts were closed to Roma who were injured by Christians.

In 1721, Emperor Karl VI of what is now Germany ordered total genocide of the Roma. "Gypsy Hunts" were organized to track down and exterminate them. 4

Roma were rounded up and imprisoned in Spain during 1749. They were considered a danger to society. A pardon was granted in 1763, and the Roma were released in 1765. 5

In 1792, 45 Roma were tortured and executed for the murder of some Hungarians, who were in fact alive and who observed the executions.
bullet It is believed that as much as half of the Roma in Europe were enslaved, from the 14th century until Romani slavery was abolished in the mid-19th century.

During the 1920's, during the Weimar Republic in Germany, the Roma were seriously discriminated against. They were forbidden to use parks or public baths. Roma were required to register with the police. Many were sent to work camps "for reasons of public security." When the Nazis took power, the Roma were further persecuted under the "Nuremberg Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor" In 1937, Heinrich Himmler issued a decree "The Struggle Against the Gypsy Plague," which increased police monitoring of the Roma.

During the Nazi Holocaust, they were declared to be "subhumans". In 1941-JUL, the Einsatzkommandos were instructed to "kill all Jews, Gypsies and mental patients." A few months later, Himmler ordered that all Roma be deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau for extermination. Sybil Milton, a former Senior Historian of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates that 500,000 Roma and Sinti persons were exterminated. This number is supported by the Romas and Sinti Center in Heidelberg. 6 The Roma refer to this genocide as the "porrajamos" -- literally "The Devouring."

There are about 5,000 Roma survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. They did not share in any of the hundreds of millions of dollars given to other survivors. 4

The hatred and physical attacks directed at the Roma within the formerly Communist governments of eastern Europe have intensified in recent years. Roma are heavily discriminated against in matters of education, employment, health care, and social services. They are a prime target of neo-Nazis and skinheads. Often the governments have done little to guarantee them even the most basic of human rights.

The situation in Bulgaria in recent years is probably typical of the fate of the Roma in eastern Europe. During the Communist era, Roma culture was suppressed by the government. Their newspapers and clubs were closed; their language was outlawed. 7 The situation has worsened since the overthrow of Communism. The unemployment rate amongst the Roma is many times the national average. A poll of ethnic Bulgarian adults shows that discrimination and bigotry is widespread: 91% believe that the Roma are predisposed to criminal behavior; 83% that the are "lazy and irresponsible." 59% would not live in the same locale as the Roma; 94% said they would not marry a Roma; 69% would not have a Roma as a friend. The latter two numbers have increased by 5 percentage points since 1992.

The situation is similar in Romania.8

The situation in Serbia is particularly critical. During the 1990's, many Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Muslim religious groups fueled racial and religious hatred as a means of promoting their own status. The Gypsies have no affinity with any of the political-religious groups. They were attacked by all. Starting in mid-1997, neo-Nazi skinhead street gangs became active in the cities. Random beatings and killing of Roma men, women and children became common. Dragan Stankovic, head of the Roma community in Belgrade said:

"The discrimination begins as soon as our children enter school. Gypsy kids are made to sit in the back rows or sent to special-education classes. Many are tossed out of school. They are frequently ostracized and insulted by other children and teachers. Our young people cannot find jobs and our complaints to the police are ignored. We have always lived as second-class citizens, but we are not willing now to die because we are second-class citizens." 9

The Roma in Kosovo may be the most oppressed of all. They appear to be hated by both the Albanian/Muslim majority and the Serbian/Christian minority. A series of articles about the Roma in Kosovo has been published by an anti-cult site. 10,11 This web site claims that the Roma totaled at least 10% of the population of Kosovo. Yet they have been essentially invisible and have not been included in population figures.

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe describe the Roma as "the poorest, least healthy, least educated and most discriminated sector of...society." 7

In 1997-MAY, President Clinton decided to not reappoint a Roma representative to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. In effect, the many hundreds of thousands of Roma exterminated during the Holocaust have been killed twice: once by the Nazis using poison gas; and a second time by subsequent generations in the West, who have allowed the memory of the victims to fade into oblivion.

There are believed to be about 12 million Roma scattered throughout the world. It is impossible to estimate the total population with accuracy since many governments do not record Roma in their census figures. Also, many Roma conceal their ethnic origin out of fear of discrimination.

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay.

1. Donald Kenrick, "Gypsies: from the Ganges to the Thames. (Interface Collection, Volume 3)," University of Hertfordshire Press, (2004). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
2. "Sinti," Wikipedia, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
3. "Sinti," Wikipedia, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
4. Ian Hancoc, "Roma: Genocide of [sic] in the Holocaust". A brief excerpt appears in: http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/genocide.htm
5. Antonio Gomez Alfaro, "The Great Gypsy Roundup. (Interface Collection, Volume 2)," See: http://www.herts.ac.uk/
6. "Sinti & Roma," Pamphlet by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, at: http://www.holocaust-trc.org/
7. Tom Giles, "Gypsies: Tramps and Thieves?", School of International & Public Affairs. An article at: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sipa/PUBS/SLANT/SPRING/
8. Diane Huie Balay of the United Methodist Committee on Relief describes the plight of the Roma in Romania at: http://www.umr.org/
9. Chris Hedges, "Gypsies in Serbia targst of pervasive racism, assaults", New York Times Service, 1997-OCT-22.
10. "Collateral lives: The exile of the Kosovo Roma," at http://www.kelebekler.com/
11. "No third country: Roma - people are fleeing from Kosovo who were never mentioned before," at: http://www.kelebekler.com/