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DE RUEHWR #0383/01 1001154
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101154Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8146
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 000383 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR DRL/AE DAN NADEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: APER PHUM KPAO PL
SUBJECT: Mission Poland and International Roma Day 
 
REFS: A) 09 STATE 020359, B) 08 KRAKOW 109 
 
¶1. (U) Mission Poland maintains regular contact with the various 
Romani and government leaders on Roma issues.  We celebrated 
International Roma Day at the largest known event taking place in 
the country on April 8.  We also posted Secretary Clinton's video 
clip and message on our website with a Polish translation. 
 
Mission Poland on April 8 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) PolCouns spoke at the largest known event in Poland, which 
took place on April 8 in the city of Radom.  Co-organized by the 
Radom-based Roma association "Pomocna Dlon" (Helpful Hand) and the 
Bialystok Central Romani Council, the program included the viewing 
of the film "Roma Culture" (produced by the Tarnow Regional Museum) 
and a panel discussion on "Roma: Challenges in the 21st Century" 
with Stanislaw Stankiewicz (President of the International Romani 
Union and Chairman of the Bialystok Central Romani Council), Jacek 
Milewski (Director of the first Roma school in Suwalkach), and 
Polish ethnographer Pawel Lechowski.  Local government officials who 
took part in the event expressed support for a project to seek EU 
funding to build a local Roma Center.  Embassy Warsaw and Consulate 
Krakow posted Secretary Clinton's video message for International 
Roma Day at the top of its homepage on April 8 as well as a Polish 
translation of the text. 
 
The Roma in Poland 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Roma population in Poland is estimated to be somewhere 
between 10,000 to 50,000 and divided into a few primary groups, 
according to IOM.  The "Polish" Roma is the largest group, which 
maintains more traditional customs but normally have Polish last 
names; they have a king who lives outside of Warsaw but the Polska 
Roma live throughout many regions of Poland.  The Bergitka Roma, 
also sometimes known as the "Carpathian" or "mountain" Roma, are 
concentrated in southern Poland, are more settled and modern, but 
are considered the poorest of the Roma communities.  There are also 
small numbers of Kalderash, Lovari, Sasytka and Chaladytka Roma. 
The primary Roma groups in the Krakow District (where the majority 
of the Roma live) include the Andraszes of Tarnow, the Gabors of 
Limanowa/Nowy Sacz, and the Gils of Nowa Huta (Krakow).  As reported 
in the Country Report on Human Rights Practices on Poland and Ref B, 
societal discrimination against Roma and problems with integration 
continued, but there were no reports in recent years of violence 
targeted against Roma. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The media interviewed Adam Bartosz, the well-respected 
Director of the Tarnow Regional Museum and Roma Museum, in 
connection with International Roma Day.  Bartosz highlighted the 
dichotomy of Polish public opinion regarding Roma as symbols of 
romanticism/freedom and thieves/misfits.  Bartosz also spoke of 
cultural barriers to integration which affect "mountain" and 
"wandering" Roma in distinct but parallel ways.  For example, 
although more settled, the "mountain" Roma do not traditionally 
value education, while the "wandering" Roma, for their part, are 
more traditional and girls who are married by the age of 14 or 15 do 
not attend school. Bartosz commented on the dual-sided nature of 
challenges, noting that expanding public school opportunities also 
expose the Roma children to possible harassment by Polish children. 
Bartosz opined that barriers to improving the Roma's situation in 
Poland come from both Polish stereotypes and Roma customs, and that 
the success of any initiatives depends upon taking the Roma cultural 
context into consideration. 
 
Mission Engagement 
------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Mission Poland maintains regular contact with the various 
Romani leaders and remains engaged in Roma affairs and supportive of 
Roma initiatives.  Due to the cultural emphasis of clan and family 
membership, the Roma community does not have a unified national 
organization in Poland and suffers from divisions and disputes among 
the many groups and associations.  Pol-Econ Krakow periodically 
meets with the Malopolska Governor's Plenipotentiary for Roma, the 
Tarnow Regional Museum and Roma Museum Director, and the Poland Roma 
Association Director. ConGen Krakow also monitors the implementation 
of special Polish government programs providing material assistance, 
establishing educational standards, and facilitating cultural 
activities for Roma populations, as well as any allegations of 
anti-Roma discrimination. The Embassy is engaged on Roma issues with 
various Roma associations as well as the Ministry of the Interior 
Office which administers the National Roma Program, the Prime 
Minister's Chancellery's Office for International Dialogue, and the 
International Organization of Migration (IOM).   The Mission also 
maintains close contact with the OSCE/ODIHR Senior Advisor for Roma 
Issues, who is based out of Warsaw. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Mission Poland participates in the major Roma events in 
 
WARSAW 00000383  002 OF 002 
 
 
Poland throughout the year.  In preparation for International Roma 
Day, the Embassy and Consulate Krakow pro-actively reached out to 
key contacts in the government, international organizations, and 
Roma associations throughout Poland.  Most Roma activities will take 
place during the late-spring or summer, when the weather is more 
conducive to cultural events. Consulate Krakow regularly 
participates in the August 2 Roma Holocaust memorial events at 
Birkenau, perhaps Poland's most important symbolic annual Roma 
event. 
 
ASHE