Romani people in Canada

Last updated
Romani people in Canada
Total population
6,545
(by ancestry, 2021 Census ) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba
Languages
Canadian English, Canadian French, Romani, various Para-Romani languages
Religion
Christianity, Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Romani, Roma in the United States, South Asian Canadians

The Romani people in Canada are citizens of Canada who are of Romani descent. According to the 2021 Canadian census there were 6,545 Canadians who claimed Romani ancestry. [1] They are sometimes referred as "gypsies", but that is considered to be a racial slur. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

Origin

The Romani people originate from the Northern India, [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] presumably from the northwestern Indian states Rajasthan [9] [10] and Punjab. [9]

The linguistic evidence has indisputably shown that roots of Romani language lie in India: the language has grammatical characteristics of Indian languages and shares with them a big part of the basic lexicon, for example, body parts or daily routines. [11]

More exactly, Romani shares the basic lexicon with Hindi and Punjabi. It shares many phonetic features with Marwari, while its grammar is closest to Bengali. [12]

Genetic findings in 2012 suggest the Romani originated in northwestern India and migrated as a group. [6] [7] [13] According to a genetic study in 2012, the ancestors of present scheduled tribes and scheduled caste populations of Northern India, traditionally referred to collectively as the Ḍoma, are the likely ancestral populations of modern European Roma. [14]

In February 2016, during the International Roma Conference, the Indian Minister of External Affairs stated that the people of the Roma community were children of India. The conference ended with a recommendation to the Government of India to recognize the Roma community spread across 30 countries as a part of the Indian diaspora. [15]

Migration to Canada during the 1990s

When Romani refugees were allowed into Canada in 1997, a protest was staged by 25 people, including neo-Nazis, in front of the motel where the refugees were staying. The protesters held signs that said, for examples, "Honk if you hate Gypsies," "Canada is not a Trash Can," and "GST — Gypsies Suck Tax." (The last is a reference to Canada's Goods and Services Tax, also known as GST.) The protesters were charged with promoting hatred, and the case, R. v. Krymowski , reached the Supreme Court of Canada in 2005. [16]

Following the influx of over 3,000 Czech Romani refugees to Canada in 1997 a community center was opened in Toronto, Ontario. The Roma Community Centre is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing community support to the Romani people in Canada. The organization was founded in 1997. The centre has also provided assistance to Romani refugees from the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Slovenia, Kosovo), Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Ukraine, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, Bulgaria, and other countries with Roma populations. These refugees claimed to be fleeing discrimination and persecution against Romani in Europe. The centre has also denounced pejorative statements about Romani people in the Canadian media [17] and has denounced antisemitism and racism. [18] Canadian government reacted on the influx of Roma population by imposing visa requirements on all Czech citizens in 1997. Ever since then, the Romani asylum seekers' arrival to Canada virtually stopped, since they were not issued visas. [19]

Recent

Starting in 2008, Romani immigration from Hungary began to increase. [20] That year, Hungary fell into recession, and violence and discrimination against Roma increased. [20] Many Roma in Hungary live in squalor. In 2011, Roma asylum seekers from Hungary numbered 4,400, but most of these claims were either rejected or withdrawn. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was quoted as saying in 2012 "If they subsequently withdraw their own claim, they’re telling us that in fact they don’t need Canada’s protection, that they’re not victims of persecution, and that’s… a bogus claim. It’s a fake claim." [20]

The government has since pushed to reduce Hungarian Roma immigration. In December 2012, Hungary was added to a list of "Safe Countries", which would make refugee claims harder. [21]

On September 5, 2012, prominent Canadian commentator Ezra Levant broadcast a commentary "The Jew vs. the Gypsies" on The Source in which he accused the Romani people of being a group of criminals saying:

These are gypsies, a culture synonymous with swindlers. The phrase gypsy and cheater have been so interchangeable historically that the word has entered the English language as a verb: he gypped me. Well the gypsies have gypped us. Too many have come here as false refugees. And they come here to gyp us again and rob us blind as they have done in Europe for centuries … They’re gypsies. And one of the central characteristics of that culture is that their chief economy is theft and begging. [22]

In March 2013, Levant apologized for his remarks, stating that "I attacked a particular group, and painted them all with the same brush. And to those I hurt, I'm sorry" and expressed hope that this "will serve as an example of what not to do when commenting on social issues." [23] [24] [25] The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) subsequently ruled, in September 2013, that Levant's broadcast was “in violation of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code,” and that his comments about the Roma were "abusive and unduly discriminatory against an ethnic group, and violated other provisions of the [code] regarding negative portrayal, stereotyping, stigmatization and degradation." The council noted that Levant had already issued two on-air apologies, and as such, he would not be ordered to issue another. [26] [27]

Prominent Romani Canadians

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people</span> Indo-Aryan ethnic group

The Romani, also spelled Romany or Rromani, colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who traditionally lived a nomadic, itinerant lifestyle. Linguistic and genetic evidence suggests that the Romani originated in the Indian subcontinent; in particular, the region of present-day Rajasthan. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is now believed by historians to have occurred around 1000 CE. Their original name is from the Sanskrit word डोम (doma) and means a member of a Dalit caste of travelling musicians and dancers. The Roma population moved west into the Persian Ghaznavid Empire and later into the Byzantine Empire. The Roma arrived in Europe around the 13th to 14th century. Although they are dispersed, their most concentrated populations are located in Europe, especially central, eastern, and southern Europe, as well as western Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinti</span> Indo-Aryan ethnic group

The Sinti are a subgroup of Romani people. They are found mostly in Germany, France and Italy and Central Europe, numbering some 200,000 people. They were traditionally itinerant, but today only a small percentage of Sinti remain unsettled. In earlier times, they frequently lived on the outskirts of communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ezra Levant</span> Canadian media personality and conservative activist

Ezra Isaac Levant is a Canadian conservative media personality, political activist, writer, broadcaster, and former lawyer. Levant is the founder and former publisher of the conservative magazine, The Western Standard. He is also the co-founder, owner, and CEO of the far-right media website Rebel News. Levant has also worked as a columnist for Sun Media, and he hosted a daily program on the Sun News Network from the channel's inception in 2011 until its demise in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Hancock</span> Romani linguist

Ian Francis Hancock is a linguist, Romani scholar and political advocate. He was born and raised in England and is one of the main contributors in the field of Romani studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Romani Culture</span> Institution in Brno, Czech Republic

The Museum of Romani Culture is an institution dedicated to the history and culture of the Romani people (Gypsies). It is situated in Brno, Czech Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in Romania</span> Ethnic group

Roma, traditionally Țigani, constitute one of Romania's largest minorities. According to the 2011 census, their number was 621,573 people or 3.3% of the total population, being the second-largest ethnic minority in Romania after Hungarians. There are different estimates about the size of the total population of people with Romani ancestry in Romania, varying from 4.6 per cent to over 10 percent of the population, because many people of Romani descent do not declare themselves Roma. For example, in 2007 the Council of Europe estimated that approximately 1.85 million Roma lived in Romania, based on an average between the lowest estimate and the highest estimate available at the time. This figure is equivalent to 8.32% of the population.

The Romani people, also referred to as Roma, Sinti, or Kale, depending on the subgroup, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group that primarily lives in Europe. The Romani may have migrated from what is the modern Indian state of Rajasthan, migrating to the northwest around 250 BC. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is now believed to have occurred beginning in about 500 AD. It has also been suggested that emigration from India may have taken place in the context of the raids by Mahmud of Ghazni. As these soldiers were defeated, they were moved west with their families into the Byzantine Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani society and culture</span> Culture and customs of the Romani people

The Romani people are a distinct ethnic and cultural group of peoples living all across the globe, who share a family of languages and sometimes a traditional nomadic mode of life. Though their exact origins are unclear, central India is a notable point of origin. Their language shares a common origin with, and is similar to, modern-day Gujarati and Rajasthani, borrowing loan words from other languages as they migrated from India. In Europe, even though their culture has been victimized by other cultures, they have still found a way to maintain their heritage and society. Indian elements in Romani culture are almost non-existent, with the exception of their language. Romani culture focuses heavily on family. The Roma traditionally live according to relatively strict moral codes. The ethnic culture of the Romani people who live in central, eastern and southeastern European countries developed through a long, complex process of continuous active interaction with the culture of their surrounding European population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Romani sentiment</span> Racism against Romani people

Anti-Romani sentiment is a form of bigotry which consists of hostility, prejudice, discrimination, racism and xenophobia which is specifically directed at Romani people. Non-Romani itinerant groups in Europe such as the Yenish, Irish and Highland Travellers are frequently given the name "gypsy" and as a result, they are frequently confused with the Romani people. As a result, sentiments which were originally directed at the Romani people are also directed at other traveler groups and they are frequently referred to as "antigypsy" sentiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in the Czech Republic</span> Ethnic group in the Czech Republic

Romani people are an ethnic minority in the Czech Republic, currently making up 2–3% of the population. Originally migrants from North Western India sometime between the 6th and 11th centuries, they have long had a presence in the region. Since the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the Romani population have experienced considerable hardship, having been a main target of Nazi extermination programs during World War II, and the subject of forced relocation, sterilisation, and other radical social policies during the Communist era. In the successor state, the Czech Republic, challenges remain for the Romani population with respect to education and poverty, and there are frequent tensions with the white majority population over issues including crime and integration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani diaspora</span> Dispersion of the Roma people

The Romani people have several distinct populations, the largest being the Roma and the Calé, who reached Anatolia and the Balkans in the early 12th century, from a migration out of the Indian subcontinent beginning about 1st century – 2nd century AD. They settled in the areas of present-day Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Moldova, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Hungary, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia, by order of volume, and Spain. From the Balkans, they migrated throughout Europe and, in the nineteenth and later centuries, to the Americas. The Roma population in the United States is estimated at more than one million.

The presence of a Romani minority in Ukraine was first documented in the early 15th century. The Romani maintained their social organizations and folkways, shunning non-Romani contacts, education and values, often as a reaction to anti-Romani attitudes and persecution. They adopted the language and faith of the dominant society, being Orthodox in most of Ukraine, Catholic in Western Ukraine and Zakarpattia Oblast, and Muslim in Crimea.

Romani people in Hungary are Hungarian citizens of Romani descent. According to the 2011 census, they comprise 3.18% of the total population, which alone makes them the largest minority in the country, although various estimations have put the number of Romani people as high as 8% of the total population. They are sometimes referred as Hungarian Gypsies, but that is considered to be a racial slur.

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Karl Nerenberg is a Canadian journalist, broadcaster and filmmaker, working in both English and French languages. Since 2011 he has been the parliamentary correspondent, based in Ottawa, for the online, left-of-centre Canadian newsmagazine rabble.ca.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ethnic or cultural origin by gender and age: Canada, provinces and territories, 2021". statcan.gc.ca.
  2. ↑ Randall, Kay. "What's in a Name? Professor take on roles of Romani activist and spokesperson to improve plight of their ethnic group". Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Pickering (2010). "The Romani" (PDF). Northern Michigan University. p. 1. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ Bambauer, Nikki (August 2, 2018). "The Plight of the Romani People-Europe's Most Persecuted Minority". JFCS Holocaust Center. The Romani people are frequently referred to as "gypsies," but many of them consider this exonym a derogatory term.
  5. ↑ Hancock, Ian F. (2005) [2002]. We are the Romani People. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. p. 70. ISBN   978-1-902806-19-8: ‘While a nine century removal from India has diluted Indian biological connection to the extent that for some Romani groups, it may be hardly representative today, Sarren (1976:72) concluded that we still remain together, genetically, Asian rather than European’{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  6. 1 2 Mendizabal, Isabel (6 December 2012). "Reconstructing the Population History of European Romani from Genome-wide Data". Current Biology. 22 (24): 2342–2349. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.10.039 . hdl: 10230/25348 . PMID   23219723.
  7. 1 2 Sindya N. Bhanoo (11 December 2012). "Genomic Study Traces Roma to Northern India". New York Times.
  8. ↑ Current Biology.
  9. 1 2 3 K. Meira Goldberg; Ninotchka Devorah Bennahum; Michelle Heffner Hayes (2015-09-28). Flamenco on the Global Stage: Historical, Critical and Theoretical Perspectives. p. 50. ISBN   9780786494705 . Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  10. 1 2 Simon Broughton; Mark Ellingham; Richard Trillo (1999). World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East . Rough Guides. p.  147. ISBN   9781858286358 . Retrieved 2016-05-21. Roma Rajastan Penjab.
  11. ↑ Šebková, Hana; Žlnayová, Edita (1998), Nástin mluvnice slovenské romštiny (pro pedagogické účely) (PDF), Ústí nad Labem: Pedagogická fakulta Univerzity J. E. Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem, p. 4, ISBN   978-80-7044-205-0, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04
  12. ↑ Hübschmannová, Milena (1995). "Romaňi čhib – romština: Několik základních informací o romském jazyku". Bulletin Muzea Romské Kultury. Brno: Muzeum romské kultury (4/1995). Zatímco romská lexika je bližší hindštině, marvárštině, pandžábštině atd., v gramatické sféře nacházíme mnoho shod s východoindickým jazykem, s bengálštinou.
  13. ↑ "5 Intriguing Facts About the Roma". Live Science. 23 October 2013.
  14. ↑ Rai, N; Chaubey, G; Tamang, R; Pathak, AK; Singh, VK (2012), "The Phylogeography of Y-Chromosome Haplogroup H1a1a-M82 Reveals the Likely Indian Origin of the European Romani Populations", PLOS ONE, 7 (11): e48477, Bibcode:2012PLoSO...748477R, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048477 , PMC   3509117 , PMID   23209554
  15. ↑ "Can Romas be part of Indian diaspora?". khaleejtimes.com. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  16. ↑ R. v. Krymowski [2005] 1 S.C.R. 101.
  17. ↑ "Hating the Jew, hating the 'gypsy'". National Post. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  18. ↑ "Roma centre distances itself from anti-Israel protest". Canadian Jewish News . Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  19. ↑ VALPY, MICHAEL. "Canada reimposing visa controls to stop Roma asylum-seekers, Czech media say". the globe and mail. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 "Hungarian Roma hope for sanctuary in Canada - World - CBC News". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  21. ↑ Valentina Jovanovski. "Ottawa's crackdown on Roma refugees has Hungarians seeking asylum elsewhere". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  22. ↑ "Hate crime investigation launched surrounding Ezra Levant's Roma broadcast". J-source (The Canadian Journalism Foundation ). October 24, 2012. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  23. ↑ Ezra Levant issues on-air apology for Roma comments by Matthew Coutts, Daily Brew, March 19, 2013
  24. ↑ Ezra Levant Apologizes For Roma Comments (VIDEO) by Lauren Strapagiel, The Huffington Post Canada, March 18, 2013.
  25. ↑ Collective judgement is a moral mistake Archived 2013-09-19 at the Wayback Machine by Ezra Levant, Sun News, March 18th, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Ezra Levant's 'Gypsies' Comments Condemned By Broadcast Standards Council". Huffington Post. September 10, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  27. ↑ CANADIAN BROADCAST STANDARDS COUNCIL: Sun News Network re The Source (Theft Ring) (CBSC Decision 12/13-0069+) Archived 2013-09-10 at the Wayback Machine Issued September 9, 2013
  28. ↑ "Paul Wells explains why Canada's policy on Roma refugees hits a flat note". Macleans.ca. 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
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