RomaandCross-BorderMigra1oninEuropefromthe18thCenturyun1la<ertheSecond

WorldWar

HolocaustCenter,Oslo,2016,September22th

ThomasHuonker:ThePaIernsofExpulsionand

Discrimina1onofRomainSwitzerland,1911–1972

Time-LineSwitzerland,partI

•  1471-1798GeneralexpulsionoftheRoma,named"Zeginer":Warning,branding,hanging•  1798-1802Toleranceoffrench"Colporteurs"•  1802-1848"Landjäger"(Police)against"Heimatlose“(sanspapiers)InternmentofYenishChildren,named„Gaunerkinder“in

industrialschools.Someofthemwererenamed,names asp.ex.„Freund“(friend),„Demuth“(humbleness), „Wohlfahrt“(welfare)

•  1850-1888The„liberalphase“withacertainambiguity:CiZzenRightsforYenishPeople,andonesingleRomaFamilyBut:SeparaZonoffamilies,forcedemigraZonforpartners

andchildrenwhodidnotgetSwissciZzenshipFreeentranceforforeignRoma,SinZandothernomadsin

possessionofpassportsToleranceofambulantprofessions

TimelineSwitzerland,partII

•  1888-1972GeneralexpulsionofforeignRoma,called"Zigeuner"or "tsiganes",evenduringWWII

•  Repressionofambulantprofessions.SeparaZonsofsome SinZfamilies

•  SomefewSinZandRomaFamiliesmanagedallthesameto stayinSwitzerland

•  InaboutthesameZme:

•  1927-1972SystemaZcdestrucZonofYenishfamilieswithswiss ciZzenship(byprivateorganizaZonsasp.ex.FoundaZon ProJuventute,orSeraphischesLiebeswerkSolothurn,both helpedbytheauthoriZes.Totallyatleast900children isolatedfromparents,brothersandsistersbyadopZon,in fosterhomes,inresidentschoolsandinpenitenZary insZtuZons

PolicePhotographsandRegistraZon

PhotographbyCarlDurheim1853,madefortheGeneralProcuratorofSwitzerland,ofYenishwomanElisabethNobel

DactyloscopicRegistraZonCard,CantonalPoliceBern,1906,ofRomniKatharinaFlorian

SchweizerischesZigeuner-Register(instaured1911,inuseunZl1972)

RegistraZonCardofSintoCarloMinster,borninCoire,Grisons,Switzerland,butstateless

OnlythenextgeneraZonoffamilyMinstergotSwissciZzenship,intheyear1993(phototaken2004)

AfruitoftheracistSwissadempttoexpulseallRomaexcepttheYenishwithSwissciZzenship(1888-1972):NoaccesstoSwisstrainsandsteamboatsforRoma.

Since1911:“internmentforidenZficaZon”inthepenitenZaryofWitzwil,Berne:Forcedlabourformonthsandevenyears

“Leupold’sprocedure”,partI

Dr.EduardLeupoldfromtheSwissDepartmentofJusZceinventedintheyear1911thispracZce:“InternmentforidenZficaZon”,withouttrial,butduringmonthsandinsomecasesyears,oftheadultmalemembersofRomafamiliesenteringSwissterritory.ThewomenandchildrenwereseparatelybroughttoinsZtuZonsoftheSalvaZonArmyorsimilarcaritaZveorganizaZons.

“Leupold’sprocedure”,partII

AllpersonsdefinedbytheSwisspolicetobe“Zigeuner”arephotographedandregisteredinthedactyloscopic“Zigeuner-Register”.TheSwissregistryofgypsieschecksitscontentwiththeRegistryoftheGerman“Zigeuner-Zentrale”inMunichandwithAlfredDillmanns“Zigeunerbuch”,published1905.Thisdone(sucharegistraZonscanlastmonthandevenmorethenayear),theseparatedRomaFamilieswillbereunited–whilebeingbroughttotheSwissbordertoleavethecountry,ojeninthenight,farawayfromnormalborderprocedures.

IsolatedChildren

“LeupoldsProcedure”hadtheopenlyoutspokenintenZontoscareawayandtorepelSinZ,RomaandforeignYenishfromSwitzerland.Theaimwastokeep“clean”theterritoryofSwitzerlandofthisgroupofhumanpersons.AcollateraldamageweresomeSinZchildrenseparatedfortherestoftheirlivesfromtheirfamiliesandculture,isolatedinapermanentinternment.Therewasnotrialagainstthem,butthesentencewastobeagypsy.

JosefAntonR.

JosefAntonR.(1907-1972)isanexampleofsuchachild.1916hefledintotheforestwhenpolicecaughttherestofhisfamily,belongingtothegroupoftheSinZandseekingshelterfromWWIinpeacefulSwitzerland.Somemonthslater,hewascaughttoo,gotillandwasputintoahospital.Hewasnotyetcured,whenhisfamily,interned“foridenZficaZon”duringfouryears,wasexpelledandbanishedfromSwitzerland.TheyoungSintoneverfoundbacktothemandmadethetypicallySwisscareerofaworkingfosterchildbeingplacedlateroninpenitenZaryinsZtuZons,workhousesandpsychiatricclinics.

Psychiatricexper1seforcastra1on

Beingrebellious,hegotapsychiatricexpertopinionbytopsychiatrists.TheonewasProf.JakobKlaesi,directorofthepsychiatricclinicWaldauandProfessorattheUniversityofBerne.TheotherwasHerbertJancke(1898–1993),atthisZme(1934)afanaZcNazi,butworkinginSwitzerland.TheyhadtoanswerthequesZonofJosefAntonR.‘slegalguardianRobertSchneider,Zurich,ifitwouldbetherightthingtocastratetheyoungman.Theyagreedtodecide:Yes.SotheoperaZonwasexecutedintheyear1934.

“ThequesZontoanswerisifR.hastobecastratedbecauseofhissexualabnormity”

“Hisbehaviourcanbeunderstoodinsomewaybeingaware,thatheisnotaSwiss,butagypsy.”

“ItmustbepreventedthatR.couldestablishalinewithsuchbadgenes,thathisoffspringwouldbeaburdenfor

themselvesandthestate.”

JosefAntonR.(1905-1972)

intheyear1970,inhislastinsZtuZonofinternmentandforcedlabour

(KappelamAlbis,nearZurich)

Noasylum,butrepulsionofSin1andRomaattheSwissborderduringtheHolocaust

ItsknownthatSwitzerlandgaveasylumtoacertainnumberofgermandissidentsanddisertersandraciallypersecutedJews.Butitsalsoknown,thatSwissborderpatrols,miltaryandpoliceforcesrepelledaboutthesamenumberofrefugeesintotheHolocaust.WhileSwissauthoriZesstoppedthispracZceinJuly1944forJews,theyconZnuedtodosowithSinZandRomaunZltheendofWWII.

AtragicexampleisAntonReinhardt(1927-1945)WhileabignumberofhisrelaZvesweremurderedinAuschwitzandothercamps,theGermanPolicebroughthim,seventeenyearsold,tohospitalforsterilizaZon.Hefled,swamovertheRhineundseekedshelterinSwitzerland.Swisspolice,ajerhavingdetectedthathewasagypsy,broughthimtothebordernearBasle.Caughtagain,theGermansdeportedhimintothecampNatzweiler-Struthof.Hefledagain,wasarrestedoncemoreandshotdeadbytheSS-ChargeKarlHaugeronMarch31th,1945,shortlybeforeFrenchforcesliberatedthispartofGermany.

AntonReinhardt(1927-1945)

(SwissPolicephoto)

SwisspolicechiefscooperatedwiththeIKPK(later:Interpol),p.ex.

concerningtheregistraZonofRoma.TheyconZnuedthiscooperaZonevenajertheheadquarterofIKPKwastransferred,inconsequenceofthe“Einmarsch”inAustria1938,fromViennatoBerlin.TheSwissdelegatescontributedtothe

elecZonofSS-ObergruppenführerReinhardHeydrichforPresidentoftheIKPKin1940.SothebrutalcriminalHeydrichbecamethe

worldshighest-rankingpolicemanfrom1940to1942.The

internaZonalregisterofRomamaintainedbyInterpolwasusedtodeportRomaandSinZfrommany

EuropeancountrysintothecampsofexterminaZon.

ConZnuiZes

•  AjerthedeclineoftheThirdReich,SwissdelegateshelpedtoguaranteetheconZnuityoftheInsZtuZonIKPK,nowcalledInterpolandtransferredtoLyon,France.

•  AndSwisspolicechiefsconZnuedtoexchangeinformaZonsaboutSinZandRomawiththeformer“Zigeuner-Zentrale”,nowcalled“Landfahrerstelle”,inMunich,andwiththeBKAinWiesbaden,thenewGermanPoliceHeadquarter,dominatedbyformerSS-MenlikePaulDickopf(1910-1973),whobecamePresidentofInterpolin1968.

ThecooperaZonbetweenSwisspolice,Interpol,BKAand“Landfahrerstelle”helpedSwissAuthoriZestokeepontheirofficialpolicyagainstRomaintheyearsfrom1950-1972.WhilemoreandmoreSwissplantsinindustryandgastronomyrecruitedRomaworkersfromYugoslavia,SwisspoliceconZnuedtoarrest,registerandbanishSinZandRomawhodrovewiththeircaravansintoSwitzerland.

“Repellingofgypsiesattheborders”

ThisgeneralanddiscriminatoryinterdicZonspecifically

againstRomatotravelintoor

throughSwitzerlandwasmaintainedunZl

1972.

“Radgenossen-schajder

Landstrasse”TheFirstMeeZng:

Bern,May1975Photo:RobGnant

LegalOrganizaZonofYenish,RomaandSinZwasimpossibleinSwitzerlandbefore1972

It’sanironyofhistorythatthemostimportant

RomaOrganisaZon,theInternaZonalRomaniUnion,

haditsheadquarterin

Switzerlandintheyears1978-1981

Dr.med.JanCibula(1932-2013),refugeeformCzechoslovakia,PresidentofIRU(InternaZonalRomaniUnion)1978-1981

TimelineSwitzerland,partIII

•  1955-1990ArrivalofRomaasforeignworkersandrefugeesfrom Yugoslavia,Hungary,Czechoslovakia

•  1993SwissciZzenshipforthefewSinZfamilieslivingin Switzerland

•  1997/98 RecogniZonof"Travellingpeople“(„Fahrende“)asa

naZonalminorityandofYenishlanguageasa„non- territoriallanguageofaminority"

•  2016 RecogniZonofYenish(esZmated40‘000)andSinZ

(esZmated2500),butnotofRoma(esZmated80‘000),asSwissnaZonalminoriZes