Turkey’s Roma People Fear of Exile

Municipality bulldozers tore down 5 houses belonging to people with Roma background in the northwestern province of Bursa on Tuesday. 

Prior to that, on July 21, a neighborhood argument between Roma people and others suddenly turned into a lynch attempt towards Roma people. 

Roma people rights advocates complain that officials don’t respond their calls on the improvement of Roma people who were recently left homeless or attacked. On the other hand, Roma people around the neighborhood express that they don’t wish to be exiled from their surroundings like it happened in Selendi - another Roma populated neighborhood. 

Even though major political parties and organizations like Republican People’s Party (CHP), Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Mazlumder and Greens and the Left Party of the Future have sent their representatives for investigation, no groups have yet showed up from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

A tension rising from horse feces  

On July 21, the tensions between Roma people and other residents in Güneştepe and Yunuseli neighborhood have originated from an argument on horse feces. A turmoil broke out after a man with Roma background fired in the air and wounded a young woman who was watching out from a nearby balcony. 

In the late evening that day hundreds marched towards Roma people populated shanties, throwing stones, shouting slogans “we don’t want you here” and setting Roma people owned horse carriages on fire.  

In the meanwhile, some protestors also burnt down two shanties and a cab vehicle owned by Roma people in the neighborhood. 

Pieces of clothing, food and cutlery instruments still remain in the arson scene. 

I took my children and ran away from my house, a shanty resident exclaimed, saying that they would be burnt alive if she didn’t rush. 

Police intervened the turmoil, detaining 20 individuals and arresting 4 including the father of the young woman who was injured by gun fire. On the other hand, the shooting suspect has been released pending a trial within Turkey’s new inspected release regulations. 

Municipality confiscated horses of Roma people. 

Roma people speak up as they lose home

In the aftermath of incident, municipality bulldozers tore down 5 shanties on the ground that they were build illegally and on a high voltage zone. 

The first thing you hear from Roma people is that they weren’t wanted in the neighborhood. 

Lost her home after the incident, Gülcan Bozyay claimed that they had acquired necessary land registries prior to building their house in 2006. 

“Officials didn’t notify us on a demolition order. Neither they let us take any stuff before bulldozers came in. It was early in the morning,” she said. 

“Now I am left with my two children with all our belongings in ruins.” 

Governor: “No purpose” 

“We suspended demolitions as it is the holy month of Ramadan and in order to avoid abuses, but we will resume our work later on with 107 shanties,” Bursa governor Şahabettin Harput said. 

“There is no purpose on Roma people.” 

Municipality spokeswoman Gülşah Öncel also said that demolition orders have been planned half a year ago and demolition date was only coincidental.

This is a routine procure, she continued, these shanties are registered as green spots according to the construction plan. 

Roma people surprised, afraid

Estimably 150 people with Roma background are living in the scattered plain territories in Güneştepe and Yunuseli neighborhoods. They live mostly in 2 or 3-story residential houses. While some grew up in Bursa-area, others moved to the city from various places. Most of them make a living by collecting paper or plastic. 

After the lynch attempt, Roma families feel surprised and afraid. Some don’t even want to disclose their names for an interview. They want to continue their life in the neighborhood, they say. Those who lost their house ask the desperate question: “Where shall we go now?” 

"Will the problem be over when they’re gone?" 

* Abdullah Cıstır (left), Efkan Özçimen (middle) 

Efkan Özçimen, chairperson of Bursa Roma Culture Research, Improvement and Help Association, said he was a ruling AKP party deputy candidate in the past elections. 

“Genocide does not only occur when you dig a hole and bury people inside,” he continued. 

“When you tear down their house and burn their car, it may lead to the same direction. There is a strong sense of racism, they want to exile all Roma people here. Will the problem be over when they’re sent to other neighborhoods? 

“Hatred” warning from Abdullah Cıstır

Abdullah Cıstır, chairman of Roma People Association of Izmir, said the latest incident reminded him of a second “Selendi cse”. 

“There, the lynch was orchestrated by people. Here, however, local officials are also involved. But in both cases, we can mention of a hate-based discrimination affecting people’s lives and belongings. 

The non-Roma dwellers of the neighborhood feel also nervous. They don’t want to talk to the press. They say that Roma people commit “theft crimes” and “harassed” other people. 

Families don’t want kids with Roma background at school but they can’t do anything against regulations, a teacher complained. He also went on to say that it wasn’t them that discriminated Roma people but it was Roma people who were unable to adapt to the neighborhood. 

Even headman wants no Roma people 

“People have long time kept their anger,” said Ibrahim Bahar, Yunuseli neighborhood muhtar (headman).

“Theft, drug-dealing...They don’t live like our people. We are being tormented for the past seven years. We are constantly complaining to officials but no measures have been taken.”  

''I was there when the incident happened. There were 1000 to 1500 people. We tried to stop it. We thought it could turn out bad but it as beyond our reach. People were so furious. Those who live in tents should go now. They should trouble other neighborhoods either. The government must find a solution about them. They shouldn’t live among other people. If they are going to live like me, it is OK. Otherwise not.”

Durak: Learning how to coexist

Lütfü Durak whose son was arrested during the incident said he didn’t understand how a small argument turned out this way. I don’t think dwellers of the neighborhood have the intention to kill anybody, he added. 

“I remember helping out a Roma-origin neighbor with installing their furniture. We had no problems. I don’t understand how it turned out this way. We didn’t put anybody’s homes on fire. Where will these people go? The point is not how they will go but how we will learn to coexist.”

Rumors say that Roma people’s houses negatively affected the real estate market in the neighborhood and they could be involved the incident. 

As we were leaving the neighborhood, dozens were preparing to spend the night by the ruins of their houses. (NV/BM)