Srđan Shain: At SNS meetings, Roma attend because of fear of the authorities

The case was that while the organizers are in Vrbas of the progressive rally on November 5 in Ćaciland separated Roma from non-Roma, during that time he was the Minister of Culture Nikola Selakovic in the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade, on the occasion of the Day of the Roma Language, he spoke about the unity of the Roma and other peoples in Serbia.

Vrbas

Thanks to the recording of Luka Madžar, councilor of the Free Vrbas citizens' group, the unacceptable behavior of the progressives towards the Roma in Vrbas was recorded. In the parking lot near the market, the progressive organizers of bus transportation to the meeting in Ćaciland grouped the passengers into two groups: one bus was loaded with Roma, and the other with non-Roma.

Then: both received daily wages, but the daily wages of Roma were lower than those distributed to non-Roma people.

Beograd

Almost at the same time, the Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković pointed out in the Ethnographic Museum that "Serbia will remain a support, partner and home for the Roma language and the Roma people", as well as that "Roma in Serbia shared the fate of this country for generations and, we must never forget that, for centuries they perceived Serbia as their true home that they built and defended."

Roma are exposed to humiliation

Srdjan Šajn, President Roma parties tells "Vreme" that "Roma attend SNS meetings out of fear of the authorities. They are reluctant to travel on the same bus with other rally participants because they are often exposed to humiliation in their environment. When they do find themselves on the same bus, as a rule, the back seats and exit through the back door are reserved for Roma and the poor."

Photo: FoNet

"This is not a new phenomenon for the SNS government, but it has now been noticed because society is slowly realizing that Roma make up about 10% of the electorate, that is, they directly influence the election of about 25 members of parliament."

Shain reminds that "since 2014, the SNS is not a natural environment for the Roma community. That year, the progressive government lost its democratic potential and adopted kleptocratic-violent elements. That is why the Roma do not perceive the SNS as their political refuge."

He says that "Roma's trust in the current government is measured by single-digit percentages", and that "Roma have realized that they can have neither friends nor partners in the current regime."

That's why, says Srđan Šain, "in order to take advantage of this anti-SNS sentiment on election day, all opposition factors must address these citizens, as well as strategically enter the socially vulnerable and those with a lower level of education. There is no shame in going to the countryside, the neighborhood and the outskirts of the city."

Privileged group

He also states that "there is a privileged group of Roma and Roma women, the so-called transmission force, which numbers only about a hundred people, whose real influence in the community is almost non-existent. When the National Council of the Roma National Minority, which has 35 members and essentially acts as a branch of the SNS, publishes on social networks a joint photo with Miloš Vučević or ministers Tatijana Matsura, Demo Berisha, Nikola Selaković, they receive between 2 and 70 reactions. This best shows how much the 400.000 members of the Roma community in Serbia have little confidence in the SNS and their political representatives, without the application of pressure and corruption."

The obligation of the Roma Party, which he leads, says Srđan Shain, is to "constantly remind the holders of judicial positions of the crimes of the regime. Each report is a new challenge for prosecutors and judges. Each report is like a beam of light that should illuminate the new social environment in which we want to live."

The organizers of Ćaciland will have to answer

With that goal, yesterday, November 6, they filed a criminal complaint against Miloš Pavlović and the other organizers of the months-long public gathering in Pionirski Park in Belgrade.

"In the long term, I believe that the organizers of the rally in Pionirski Park will have to answer. It is possible that the proceedings will not proceed at lightning speed, but it will certainly have its epilogue in court, sooner or later. If the actors of the disintegration of the state do not answer, there is no salvation for this country. If the organizers of the meeting answer, the message will be clear: it is worth fighting and Serbia has the perspective of an orderly democratic society. If, however, they grant amnesty, the message will be that crime pays," says Srđan Šajin.

He announces that "if the Ćaciland issue is not resolved in the country, it will also be referred to the International Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. We are planning an action that will bring the state authorities responsible for approving and monitoring public meetings in Belgrade into a situation where they recognize unconstitutional actions. We are going step by step. Patience is on our side, while nervousness has gone to the side of the regime," said Srdjan Shain, president of the Roma Party.

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