The government programmes which sought to offer the Roma community fundamental assistance between 1990 and 2010 proved to be ineffective, however, in 2010 a new era began also in Roma policy, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office stated on Monday on the International Romani Day in Budapest.

At the event Together, in freedom of the Public Foundation for the Research of Central and East European History and Society, Gergely Gulyás highlighted that while there had been good initiatives also earlier, they were unable to lead to a significant improvement in the situation of the Roma.

In the past decade, however, the government has achieved remarkable results: they have reduced unemployment among the Roma to an unprecedented degree after declaring that the State is to offer not benefits, but chances, the Minister stressed.

In his words, today there are paths for returning from the public works schemes to the labour market.

Mr Gulyás mentioned as a conclusion of the past decade that the principle of subsidiarity is particularly important in Roma communities. Those programmes have worked well which have had “local legs to stand on”.

The government is seeking partners who see opportunities in the utilisation of funds, Mr Gulyás said, and further mentioned the network of colleges for Christian Roma as an outstanding achievement.

A great many more steps have yet to be taken in order to ensure that the Roma in Hungary have the same opportunities as non-Roma Hungarians, but if we live to see another similar decade, we have reason to hope that the Roma will also be among the winners of the country’s economic integration, he stressed.

Mr Gulyás highlighted that according to the Fundamental Law, minorities are constituent parts of the State. The Roma community is not an alien community: “they have lived with us for centuries,” and there is a wide range of achievements with which they have enriched Hungarian culture, he said.

He pointed out that in the great freedom struggles the Roma were always on the Hungarians’ side. In World War I they were respected not only for their fiddle-playing, but also for their bravery, and in 1956 they were among the last to lay down their arms, he said, observing that during the 1990 anti-Hungarian pogrom in Marosvásárhely (Targu Mures), too, they stood up to defend Hungarians.

Also for the Roma the 20th century was a time of dictatorships and physical annihilation, he pointed out, observing that in communism organising communities qualified as an act against the regime. The Roma proved to be the greatest losers of the change of regime; in addition to the problems of unemployment, they were also affected by the anomalies of the benefit system, the Minister said.

Mária Schmidt, Director General of the House of Terror Museum said despite all reports to the contrary, the Kádár regime collapsed thirty years ago primarily due to the actions and will of ordinary people. Hundreds of thousands acted with integrity and courage by leading Hungary towards freedom and democracy.

She said they are launching a campaign to pay tribute to Roma people, “the freedom fighters” of the path that led to the fall of communism, whose example will always be there for the Roma in Hungary.

During their time, it was not natural for a Roma to be a painter or a teacher. The regime “offered” the Roma activities such as daub mixing or house clearing-out, she added.

The director general said she would bow before the best of the Hungarian Roma community who showed that if everyone’s will is united, there is no dictatorship that could stand its ground against them.

Mrs Schmidt called upon the attendees to be proud of the Roma heroes of the change of regime.

At the event short films of the campaign were shown. Gábor Bernáth, one of the authors of the works said they processed the stories of people who attempted to do something for the community by rebelling against the regime.

Another author, János Joka Daróczi said “we Roma in Hungary are also Hungarians, and we have no trouble whatsoever accommodating this dual identity”.

The press document released for the event highlights that in the campaign they seek to introduce the stories of Hungarian Roma who set an example for the entire nation with their brave or exemplary actions.

One of the most harmful effects of the communist dictatorship was that it extinguished the feeling of individual responsibility in many. However, against the central party leadership that ignored local initiatives, there were Roma who believed that they are able to take control of their community’s fate, they point out.

During the public foundation’s campaign launched as part of the memorial year 30 Years in Freedom – which was commissioned by the government – portrait films, street hoardings and contents published on social media seek to draw attention to the brave or exemplary actions of Hungarian Roma.

They introduce, among others, János Bogdán who, together with three associates, established the world’s first Roma secondary school, literary translator József Choli Daróczi, painter Tamás Péli, education expert Judit Berki, nursery school teacher Mrs Lina Rézműves, physician Zoltán Szirtesi, journalist Kálmán Farkas and poet Károly Bari, the press material reads.

The International Romani Day is held on 8 April every year in memory of the fact that it was on this day in 1971 that the first World Romani Congress was held in London where they adopted the flag and anthem of the Roma people.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)