User:Coreou/Romani people in Poland

Historical Backdrop
Prior to the Second World War, Poland was considered a relatively diverse and multicultural society composed of a population that included people from different ethnic groups. However, since WWII ended, Poland has become a much more ethnically and culturally homogenous country. Additionally, when thinking about racism within the context of Polish society much of the conversation focuses on Black populations, where conversations about the Romani people are described as a social rather than ethnic issue. However, historically, discrimination against the Romani people has led to increased tensions between them and the ethnic majority. More recently, this discrimination has been expressed through reports of attacks against Romani people by Polish nationalist groups. The policies that the Polish government has implemented when it comes to immigration also have contributed to this tension as well, because of the policy of "on-the-spot" deportation that can be used against Romani immigrants. Another policy that makes immigration difficult for the Roma is the fact that in order to apply to be a citizen of the European Union, applicants must pass a sufficient resources test that requires a proof of address, something that many Romani people who are nomadic do not have. Additionally, the traditional skills that the Romani have are undervalued within the context of the Polish economy, leading to cycles of poverty and for many Romani immigrants to become beggars in Poland. In terms of education, Romani children have lower rates of education within Poland due to a combination of reported discrimination within the education system and hesitation by Romani parents to send their children to school where the dominant culture’s values are taught and upheld. Since becoming a member of the European Union in 2004, Poland has adopted several minority protection policies like the FCNM and the European charter for Regional or Minority Languages. While these policies have been adopted, the Polish government as faced criticism for not making greater efforts to stop discrimination against the Romani people.

Impact of communism
Under the communist period, the Polish United Workers Party created policies like the Forced Settlement Programme for Nomads that attempted to assimilate nomadic cultures, like the Romani people, into the broader identity of Poland as a whole. Instead of classifying the Romani people as an ethnic group during this time, they were classified as a social group which further aggravated the public's perception towards the Roma as they did not receive the same benefits or protections that ethnic minorities would. Assimilation occurred as an attempt to increase positives attitudes toward the Romani people, but it failed to do so as negative perceptions toward the Romani people persisted during this communistic period in Polish history. At the same time, the Romani people did receive some benefits during this time period because of their ability to have access to social services that were funded by the government.

After the end of communism in Eastern Europe, the Romani people were able to enjoy more cultural freedoms but did not have access to the same level of social services that they received under communism in Poland. As a result of this lack of social services, the United Nations criticized the Polish government for failing to provide significant enough support to the Romani people in the 90s. Additionally, as Poland went through the process of democratization, some Romani political parties have been created but they still fail to provide them with sufficient political representation.

Impact of the Holocaust and WWII
World War II has had a considerable impact on the ethnic makeup of Poland, where a previously multinational country was transformed into the largely homogenous country seen today. The Romani people were also specifically targeted during the holocaust, where in Poland the Roma were impacted by the Nazi ideology in a similar way that Jewish populations found within the country were. As a result, it has been estimated that the Holocaust killed around half a million Romani people. However, while both Romani and Jewish populations were persecuted during the holocaust, the Roma have mainly been left out of reparation conversations due to this policies being citizenship based rather than being race based. Because of this, confirming that reparations have been provided to the Romani people in Poland has been difficult.