Greek Helsinki Monitor / Minority Rights Group - Greece

GREEK HELSINKI MONITOR
MINORITY RIGHTS GROUP-GREECE
P.O.Box 51393, GR-14510 Kifisia, Greece
Tel. 30-1-620.01.20, Fax 30-1-807.57.67
e-mail: office@greekhelsinki.gr  web page: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr

TOPIC: APPEAL FOR DENUNCIATION OF RACIST STATEMENTS BY, AND FOR POSSIBLE POLITICAL ISOLATION OF, THE ZEFYRI MAYOR

The non governmental organizations Doctors of the World, DROM Network for the Roma Social Rights, Greek Helsinki Monitor, and Minority Rights Group-Greece call upon the Greek government, the Central Association of Local Authorities of Greece (KEDKE), the political parties and the municipal factions of Zefyri to denounce yesterday’s racist statements by the Mayor Apostolos Zervas, regarding the Roma residents of the municipality of Zefyri and to politically isolate him, in case he does not retract.

Answering to the allegations by Roma earthquake victims that they are systematically ignored in the aid supply, the Mayor stated: “Gypsy stories [gyftikes/gypsy in Greek is pejorative]. Do not bother me more with the Tsiganoi. Because of them, the aid mechanism is inefficient. They have been robbing the whole world” (daily “Eleftherotypia” 14/9/1999, p. 53).

The statements are racist and constitute “group libel” of a part of the population with cultural specificities. In addition to the unimaginable suffering of all earthquake victims, Roma and non Roma alike, and to the extremely difficult situation in which they are today, these statements constitute “inhuman and degrading treatment”, violating Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The argument that the Roma are guilty of crimes of robbery violates the presumption of innocence of a group of citizens with specific cultural characteristics (article 6.2 combined with article 14 of the same Convention). Coming from a Mayor, such statement also contradicts article 4c of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which commits “the state parties (…) to undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination (…) among others, in order not to permit public authorities or public institutions, national or local, to promote or incite racial discrimination.”

For that reason our organizations call upon:

• the Greek government and the Central Association of Local Authorities of Greece (KEDKE) to unequivocally denounce these statements and to indicate what other measures will they take to implement the aforementioned article 4c.

• all municipal factions of Zefyri and all political parties, in particular those which supported the the Mayor’s recent election, to denounce these statements and ask him to retract and apologize to the Roma, or else to politically isolate him.

On September 12, 1999 the same Mayor made similar statements in the daily “Avgi”. We quote the relevant part which makes even clearer the racist attitude of the Mayor towards the Roma residents of Zefyri.

“I think that we should be particularly satisfied with the mobilization of the municipality of Zefyri. We have all been working round the clock. We only faced problems with the Tsiganoi, who looted tents, made business by selling them, engaged into fights with the citizens of the municipality, walloped municipal employees and created enough problems with the aid distribution. We were forced to bring the Special Police Forces to allow us do our job.”

Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms:

No one shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment of punishment

Article 6.2 of the same Convention:

Everyone charged with a criminal offense shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.

Article 14 of the same Convention:

The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, color, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.

Article 4c of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

States parties condemn all propaganda and all organization which are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons of one color or ethnic origin, or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form, and undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination and, to this end, with due regard to the principles embodied in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the rights expressly set forth in article 5 of this Convention inter alia:

.. shall not permit public authorities or public institutions, national or local, to promote or incite racial discrimination.