Fleeing Persecution

Hard to believe that there are people fleeing persecution, living in the Czech Republic. Seeking asylum in other countries that will have them. They are the Roma, traditionally shunned throughout the world, for their free-wheeling, casual lifestyles, with a code of ethics all their own, we're led to believe, not averse to lifting anything not nailed down and claiming them as their own. These nomads, occasionally thought of as exotic tribal people, at other times as parasites on the societies they skirt, have always been persecuted.

One would imagine, however, in our present age, that this would no longer be the case. Roma are really not all that unlike anyone else, and many assume their places in conventional society. Yet others cleave to the ways of their ancestors, and in so doing remain outside the normal stream of societal convention. Canada, a country of fairly easy entry in comparison to most others in the world - accepting up to a quarter-million new immigrants on a yearly basis - has seen a rash of refugee claims from among Roma from the Czech Republic.

And, one supposes, because they are streaming out of the Czech Republic, a respected European Union member, a country with a modern economy, a liberal democracy, it's difficult to imagine that any segment of the population might face difficulties based on social oppression and racist discrimination. Canada's Minister of Immigration spoke of the phenomenon of "unscrupulous operators" urging citizens of the Czech Republic to claim refugee status in Canada; in effect doubting the legitimacy of the claims.

In response to which a coalition of human rights group have been expressing criticism of Canada's response to the surge of asylum seekers from the Czech Republic. The Minister's point was that those claims of persecution by Roma leaving the Czech Republic are spurious, that they are not a persecuted minority. Coming from a first-world country it seems hardly likely that such human-rights abuses are institutionalized, yet perhaps they have been, on a casual, societally-accepted basis.

Which makes it likely that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will take steps, meeting with Czech and EU officials - on an entirely different matter; that of a potential trade agreement between Canada and the EU - to impress on the Czech government the need to pass an anti-discrimination law which the European Union in any event requires of its members.

Simply difficult to fathom that Roma living in the Czech Republic would be so troubled by systemic discrimination that they would feel the need to uproot themselves to seek a better place for themselves and their children.