PISA THE CITY OF CULTURE?

So Pisa, in Italy, is offering Roma people 500 Euros to leave for Romania. What generous people the Pisan authorities are! Kindness such as this is not seen often in the 21^st century,

Although, are the Pisa authorities in the 21^st century? It seems highly unlikely, and the plan is just short of ethnic cleansing.

Harsh words? No, not if you read about the living conditions of Roma in Romania.

Fotis Filippou, EU Team Campaigner for Amnesty International has investigated their plight, and it does not make for happy reading,

http://livewire.amnesty.org/2010/10/18/roma-community-in-romania-still-treated-like-waste-six-years-on/

The symbol at the top is that of Pisa. Now I assume it is a Christian cross, which would suggest Pisa is a Christian-friendly city, (most of the citizens are Roman Catholic I am sure); and yet, their actions remind one more of Nazi techniques.

And this leads us to a very important question.

Why is the Holy See so quiet on the what is happening? Their silence suggests indifference, if not complicity by default. Does not the Pope have an obligation to speak out? To condemn? The Vatican is quick enough to prosecute a Vatican official for minor offences, and yet keep its head down on serious, urgent matters.

Guilt by default, but I fear the Pope is far more concerned about nuns in the USA than the persecution of Roma people.

Might "Let them eat cake" as per Marie Antoinette not be appropriate?

THE DARK PART OF EUROPE

When we talk of the Black Death, the plague, we think of the Middle Ages and the havoc reeked by the disease across the face of Europe.

And yet, a similar situation exists today – not in the depths of Africa – not in some far away place only read about in books. It is happening in Italy at personal, local, and administration levels.

The hatred and loathing aimed at Roma people – the persecution of, and indifference to, them is a plague of the 21^st century, and right in the middle of the EU – a body that has protection of human rights amongst its most important tenets.

Everyone Group, plus its supporters, fights this modern-day disease vigorously, in spite of tremendous opposition from authorities and individuals.

Nothing new I know, but time has seen little change in their situation. The same people who persecute and harass them are the very ones who throw their hands up in horror when asked for their opinion n the treatment of minorities in other countries.

I think we must assume that Roma people are not looked upon as citizens of this world. One has only to look at what happened when that little Roma girl drowned a few years ago. You forget? Families on the beach were taking photos on their mobiles, and the body was on the beach in public view for some time before authorities took action. She was treated, in death, as no more important than a piece of litter.

Easiest thing to is to turn our backs - “not my problem” does not absolve anyone. Guilty by default is the verdict on those who walk by on the other side of the road.

Hamdy Al Azazy has been helping refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa in the Sinai peninsula as they try to reach Israel and has been working, (often using his own money), for 7 years on this mercy mission; these refugees are passed from one trafficker to another until they reach the Sinai, where Hamzy has been working to protect them from the groups that hold them for ransom. It has been said that those whose familes cannot, or will not, pay are used as organ donors.
Hamzy, who runs a language institute in Al Arish, North Sinai, has, and does, work hard to help these people - even taking time to search for bodies of those murdered so thay can now have a decent burial.
Many remain in camps in the Sinai on the hope of crossing the border.
Hamzt now is sure his life is in danger, and Everyone group have said for him to go to the Italian Embassy, but Egyptian police will not help him reach there.
Below is a message received by Roberto Mallini about 14:00 hours British time.
Dear Roberto Malini, dear John Stauffer,
this moment, i can't move from my place; I am 40 Km from Arish, if i feel the way to Cairo safety i will escape fast there and after call or go direct to Italian Embassy. I repeat again police told me, we can not do any thing for you, why you put yourself in this position? That is all. I am afraid, the traffickers may be find me or catch me in this case, they will torture me before kill me as they promised and told me.
Pray for me please until be out of Sinai. Hamdy
We ca n only hope and pray he will reach Cairo. What ever the outcome, once again, our Everyone Group has done everything in its power to help him

EVERYONE GROUP

Everyone Group, which I am proud to support, continues its work to fight suppression and prejudice, whether from private or state institutions.

One big problem that never seems to go away is the persecution of the Roma people. It happens in many countries, especially in some parts of Italy. It is beyond imagination to think such persecution happens in the 21st century, and in an EU country, but it does and continues.
Only recently a young Roma couple were attacked in the park in Bologna. After hospital treatment,, (the wife was pregnant), the police issued the husband with a deportation order, in spite of his having being born in Italy. 
This is just the most recent in a long line of abuse carried out by Italian authorities with little regard to human rights and EU laws.
I have supported Everyone Group for a number of years, and will continue to do so proudly and happily.
I only wish more EU citizens would support the work of this unique group which is part of our EU community.

HATRED TAKES A TRIP TO DENMARK

The English Defence League is hoping to gain strength by uniting with other European groups today, Saturday 31^st March, (it is called a European Counter-Jihad meeting on their web site). They are holding a rally in Aarhus Denmark. The voice of the EDL as a group is frightening enough, and one can only wonder about the future situation in Europe, (and elsewhere), as they fan the flames of bigotry and hatred. It's hard to understand their mindset, but one cannot argue with their strategy – the economic crisis is resulting in job losses and unemployment everywhere; that, plus the resulting hardship, gives groups like the EDL and its ilk fertile ground on which to sow the seeds of discontent – an easy target for their warped, ideological principles . Scapegoats have been used throughout history, and European Muslims make an ideal target at this time for no logical reason whatsoever. They play on peoples' fear of extremist Muslims to spread fear of all Muslims, most of whom lead honest decent lives.

Another worrying factor is, this is the first time an English, right wing, extremist group is attempting to develop a European-wide opposition to Islaam. Numbers attending the rally are not expected to be high, but numbers count for nothing when these ultra-extremists seem so determined to bring about unity on such a scale.

They claim the meeting will be a protest; no mention of the word "peaceful", and, even if it is, no sort of peace i know will come from it. Once this type of fire is lit, it is hard, if not impossible, to extinguish it

The EDL is not the only such extreme group in Europe, ( you will find many such groups across Europe just by searching on the web), but adapting to a group that crosses borders has the potential to be a larger ticking time bomb than previously.

BED BUDDIES

Hamza Kashgari, a Saudi journalist made some tweets on twitter suggesting he both loved and hated the Prophet Muhammed. This is blasphemy in Saudi Arabia, but their laws on blasphemy are somewhat different to anywhere else.

Religious authorities have decided he should be punished, and the order went out to Malaysia to return him, which they have. Now, the relationship between Saudi and Malaysia is two-pronged. First, they are both Muslim countries and, secondly, Malaysia earns a lot of money via Malaysians working in the Kingdom, and who send their money home. No way do the Malaysian authorities want to upset the Kingdom for fear of losing all that income. The fact too that many Malaysians working in Saudi are mistreated seems of little consequence, and that is based on my own observations having worked in Saudi Arabia and seen what can happen in the way of ill treatment, especially of female servants. I guess you call it kissing arse - the worst form of a somewhat dubious habit at the best of times.

Hence, Hamza has been deported back and could face execution, (possibly preceded by torture). There is no such thing as religious freedom in Saudi for Saudi citizens, and you can hardly expect a fair trial in a country that executes people for being witches - in the 21st century!

Sign the petition here:-

http://www.change.org/petitions/king-abdullah-immediately-release-journalist-hamza-kashgari?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=autopublish

And visit the Everyone Group, (link on the right).

IMPARTIAL OBSERVERS?

So the Arab League team have begun their task in Syria. In the group is General Mustafa
al-Dabi – a man who has been accused of human rights abuses in the Sudan, a country that does not have a good reputation on human rights itself. Al-Dabi is reported to have said he saw nothing frightening on his visit to Homs – maybe he should take a look at photos taken by Mani, (a pseudonym), a French photojournalist. Having heard an interview with him on BBC Radio 4 programme, PM, it is obvious Mani's work has affected him greatly.
Opposition members in Syria have complained it is impossible to speak to any league members without the authorities knowing. One wonders how balanced the Arab League's representatives will be in their report; after all this is a political game with a fellow member of the Arab League, and doing the right thing politically is, I believe, far more important than concerns about individual groups of citizens.
Meanwhile the UN stands by, as did the crowds at games in the Colosseum in Rome. How many more people need to die before action is taken? Obviously détente is more important than human lives. The reports of torture and killing, even of patients in hospitals, beggars belief.
I worked with a Syrian in Saudi Arabia, and we would meet for coffee in my flat because he was afraid to speak to me outside in case a Syrian government agent was listening, (he feared for the safety of his family should he be heard to make an adverse comment about Bashar Al-Assad or his secret service).
I guess many people are immune to violence and human rights abuses outside their own sphere of experience. How do you arouse them? Empower them to act in what ever way they can? I have no answer to this. All I can do is keep writing and hope someone is spurred in to action as a result. I keep hoping.