Persecution in the Past
Preserving their culture is of great importance to the Romani, however, it is this desire to keep their customs intact that has led to prejudice directed at them, for the voluntary isolation often employed by Romani wherever they have settled resulted in stereotypes quickly being developed as there was little interaction and hence, little understanding regarding them.
Right from the 13th century, the Romani were often subject to slavery no matter what rulers they were under, even up till the mid-19th century. As if slavery were not bad enough, those who escaped the fate of enslavement were usually expelled in accordance to a variety of laws enacted by numerous countries at the time, with some persecutions even going so far as to make lawful the murder of a Romani (one particular meeting of the Roman empire decreeing that "whosoever kills a Gypsy, will be guilty of no murder.")
Right from the 13th century, the Romani were often subject to slavery no matter what rulers they were under, even up till the mid-19th century. As if slavery were not bad enough, those who escaped the fate of enslavement were usually expelled in accordance to a variety of laws enacted by numerous countries at the time, with some persecutions even going so far as to make lawful the murder of a Romani (one particular meeting of the Roman empire decreeing that "whosoever kills a Gypsy, will be guilty of no murder.")
The situation only worsened in the 1700s – 1800s, with countries all over Europe enacting laws that resulted in countless atrocities being committed. Disfigurement such as the cutting off of ears and branding made up some of the inhumane treatment the Romani were subject to in an attempt to convenience the identification of gypsies, making it increasingly easy to heap cruelty upon them. Marriages between Romani people were outlawed, the discrimination so deep that even non-Romani who were found aiding Romani were forced into hard labour for months. Gypsy children were not spared either, their ‘punishment’ usually taking the form of enforced separation from their parents. In other countries, decrees set out to strip the Romani of their identity as a people, with prohibitions such as the forbidding of the wearing of traditional Romani clothing or speaking the language put in place. In many instances, the concept of a nomadic lifestyle was banned altogether, with even wagon ownership disallowed, severely repressing the Romani’s traditional way of life.
If you thought things could not possibly get worse from here, be prepared, as we enter the horrors of the holocaust!
If you thought things could not possibly get worse from here, be prepared, as we enter the horrors of the holocaust!