Romani Ukrainian activist: Russia is deceptively accusing Ukraine of Nazism, Romani people from Russia should at least stay neutral

Russia is deceptively accusing Ukraine of Nazism and exploiting Romani-related subjects to do so. Natali Tomenko, a Romani activist from Ukraine, gave that assessment at a meeting on 30 March held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Coooperation in Europe (OSCE).
"Today, Russian propaganda is actively speculating on the topic of the Roma, trying to justify the bloodshed, their crimes and genocide against the Ukrainian people. They are making outright lies to accuse Ukrainians of Nazism," Tomenko said, expressing disappointment over several remarks made by Romani people from Russia.
"If, for fear of your own life and for some other reason, you are unable to protest against the war, at least maintain neutrality instead of calling for assassinations and supporting the criminal actions of the Russian authorities. Do not condemn Ukrainian Roma for protecting their country, their homes and their families. In this regard, the social media from the Russian Roma in relation to the Ukrainian Roma is a stream of hatred. It is better for you then to maintain neutrality than to kill us with your lack of understanding and any morality," Tomenko said in her speech, which news server Romea.cz is publishing in full transcription below.
VIDEO
Speech by Natali Tomenko, Romani activist from Ukraine
I am a daughter, sister and aunt that fled from Ukraine a few weeks ago. I am a Roma woman and I am Ukrainian.
I am an artist, activist, cultural heritage expert and human rights defender. I consider myself a part of European society and fully share all its values.
I have a dream, that one day my small sister will stop seeing in her dreams episodes of horror and that my 1.5-year-old niece finally will be able to hug her father.
I will not overwhelm you today with statistics that already were covered perfectly by our partners from ERRC, ERGO, and Chiricli yesterday, but unfortunately, the statistic is hiding human suffering and personal experiences. What happened with my friends and relatives are real cases of survival and history that will be told to my future children.
The majority of my team, ARCA, were forced to evacuate from their homes, lost almost everything and has no resources for living. Some still remain in the territories of the active hostilities, while working from underground spaces and shelters.
Every day we are losing more and more friends, relatives and neighbors. We have no assurance of what will give us the next day. but we have a dream, which is Peace!
In the current circumstances of the war in Ukraine, the ARCA team is working in several areas:
- we are providing financial support to Roma and non-Roma families who find themselves in difficult situations due to hostilities in different parts of Ukraine for the purchase of food, medicines and basic hygiene products;
- we are coordinating, financing and organizing the evacuation process for civilians, in particular for women and children and those elderlies who survived the Roma genocide;
- we are collecting, purchasing humanitarian aid for frontline cities and sending packages to hot spots.
All this we are documenting as testimonies in a format of video and photos on our official social media page. This all is happening due to the help of the huge network of our partners and colleagues from different parts of the world.
And now I would like to attract the attention of the European leaders. History is cyclical, now we are witnessing a repetition of the terrible scenarios of World War II. Europe must remember the consequences of indecision then and prevent them today. You are still able to prevent the catastrophe of 1941, when almost all of Europe was occupied by Nazi troops. Today's realities in Ukraine looks more like the most horrific movies about genocide. We have studied the testimonies and history of genocide for decades, and only now do we realize that we still know nothing about those terrible events. Anyone who has not personally experienced the horrors of war will never know what is hidden between the lines.
Today, Russian propaganda is actively speculating on the topic of the Roma, trying to justify the bloodshed, their crimes and genocide against the Ukrainian people. They are making outright lies to accuse Ukrainians of Nazism. On behalf of the Roma Council of Ukraine and the Roma Youth Council of Ukraine - I’m sorry, as a victim I have right to speak for a few more minutes - which includes more than 60 Roma NGOs, individual activists and public figures, I personally want to reproach our Roma brothers and sisters in Russia. We understand that you are also patriots of your country, but we are embarrassed and disappointed by the position and some statements of Russian Roma public figures. If, for fear of your own life and for some other reason, you are unable to protest against the war, at least maintain neutrality instead of calling for assassinations and supporting the criminal actions of the Russian authorities. Do not condemn Ukrainian Roma for protecting their country, their homes and their families. In this regard, the social media from the Russian Roma in relation to the Ukrainian Roma is a stream of hatred. It is better for you then to maintain neutrality than to kill us with your lack of understanding and any morality.
As a Roma representative from Ukraine, I declare that the Roma in Ukraine today are our doctors, our soldiers, our volunteers, lawyers. Roma are Ukrainians that are defending their country. They stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians and fight for their future together.
I have a dream - to rebuild a strong, beautiful Ukraine, where future generations will grow and live without fear. Where all together with friends and colleagues I will be able to build a strong civil society. Where we, the young leaders, can support the youth of all ethnic communities and become a symbol of legal freedoms and humanity for our neighbors that, unfortunately, are blinded today.
Barikane Roma! Khetane ame Zorale! Slava Ukraini!
Don't miss:
- RomanoNet representatives meet with Czech Interior Minister and Labor Minister about the Romani refugees from Ukraine
- Slovak MEP Peter Pollák draws attention to unequal treatment of Romani Ukrainian refugees on the floor of the EP
- Romani mothers and children groundlessly prevented from leaving Ukraine three times before finally crossing into Hungary
- EXCLUSIVE TO ROMEA TV: Interview with Romani soldiers serving in the Army of Ukraine at the front
- Romani Ukrainian refugees leave Czech Republic for Germany, say local teenagers assaulted their children with glass bottles and accommodation manager attacked a little boy
- Czech Interior Ministry: It is unacceptable to evict residential hotel tenants in order to access state support for arrivals from Ukraine
- Civil society members of Czech Govt Roma Council call for solidarity with refugees, 500 Romani children and women have arrived in Czech Republic from Ukraine
- Russia distorting photos for propaganda purposes, Roma nonprofits alert Ukrainian authorities
- DECEPTIVE HOAX: No, Amazon has not fired 400 workers in Czech Republic because of refugees from Ukraine
- Romani refugee from Ukraine: My husband is defending the nuclear plant in Zaporozhzhia
- ERRC: Romani Ukrainians fleeing into Moldova from Russian aggression are discriminated against for lack of personal identification
- Slovak Govt Plenipotentiary for Romani Communities joins aid effort for refugees from Ukraine, monitoring patrols will make sure Romani refugees are assisted too
- Romani woman who fled Ukraine: Bombs and tanks drove us out of Kharkiv, we left everything behind
- Roman Kwiatkowski, chair of the Association of Roma in Poland: We must thank the non-Roma for how they are aiding the Roma fleeing Ukraine
Related articles:
- Commentary: Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner declares her strong opposition to racially-motivated differential treatment of refugees, calls for solidarity
- Czech Senate adopts resolution condemning the Public Defender of Rights for repeatedly making biased, xenophobic remarks
- Czech capital and Government to "investigate" measures to motivate refugees from Ukraine to relocate from "overloaded" places
- Image of a Romani woman allegedly beaten up by Ukrainians is going viral, Czech police say they are investigating a reported robbery
- Czech NGO quarterly newsletter about foreign nationals focuses on the situation in Ukraine and refugees in the Czech Republic
- Czech region asks Central Crisis Team to build refugee camp at the border, Romani children and women who are refugees from Ukraine evicted from private accommodation into refugee facilities
- Czech Consortium of NGOs Working with Migrants: Nonprofits are aiding refugees without financing from the state and are substituting for what the state itself should be doing
- Czech firefighters erect another "tent city" for refugees in the Malešice neighborhood of Prague
- Open Society Foundations pledges to invest in new European Roma Foundation for 2023
- NGO director in Czech Republic says politicians' rhetoric about "inadaptable" Roma is dangerous, some non-Roma refugees from Ukraine are reportedly aggressive toward local Roma here
- Romania: 100 Roma demonstrate in Bucharest in front of Russian Embassy with mockup of the tank that Romani Ukrainians captured from the occupiers
- Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner: Government should collaborate more with experts and offer refugee families in tents dignified aid