ROMA SITUATION CALMS DESPITE THE RETURN OF SOME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LJUBLJANA 000795

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SI
SUBJECT: ROMA SITUATION CALMS DESPITE THE RETURN OF SOME
FAMILY MEMBERS TO AMBRUS

REF: A. LJUBLJANA 763


B. LJUBLJANA 747

C. LJUBLJANA 719

Classified By: COM for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Summary. Week six of the Roma family Strojan story
saw Minister of Environment Janez Podobnik named as the new
government lead on Roma issues, the Environmental
Inspectorate condemn the Strojans, home and recommend its
demolition, and the Slovenian people giving their government
mixed reviews on the handling of the Roma. While vigilante
villagers managed to stop a police convoy in the Ambrus area
on November 30 to check for hidden Roma, some members of the
Strojan family returned to their home in Ambrus on December

1. In response to continuing protests Slovenian Special
Forces police are protecting the family members in Ambrus,
while others remain in Postojna. All the while the GoS
continues to search for a location for the Strojan family
that is acceptable to all parties. End Summary.

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Podobnik Takes Over Roma Commission, Launches Settlement
Group
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2. (U) On November 30th, the GoS nominated Janez Podobnik,
the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, to be the
new President of the Commission for the Protection of the
Roma Ethnic Community. Podobnik replaced Milan Zver, the
Minister of Education, who recently resigned from the
Commission for failing to meet the government's deadline for
finding a permanent solution to the issue of the Roma family
Strojan. Zver recommended Podobnik as his replacement and
will stay engaged on the issue of the Strojan family.
Podobnik announced that the Roma Commission would find a
temporary solution for the Strojans before the winter (by
December 21) and then work on a permanent solution for the
family by springtime. Podobnik has already met with the
Strojan family several times.


3. (U) A day earlier on November 29, Podobnik announced the
establishment of a special group in the Ministry of
Environment and Spatial Planning that will deal with the
legalization of Roma settlements throughout Slovenia. It
will include Podobnik, several experts from the Ministry of
Environment and Spatial Planning, outside experts, and
representatives of the Roma community. The first meeting is
scheduled for December 6. According to government estimates,
roughly 70% of the 100 Roma settlements in Slovenia are not
legal. The expert group will work to address property rights
and public utilities in respect to Roma settlements.

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Villagers Try to Halt Return, But Some Strojans Back in Ambrus
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4. (U) On November 30, Slovenia's leading commercial
television station Pop TV reported that locals from the
village of Grcarice (close to Ribnica in the region of
Dolenjska) were blocking a street and stopping vehicles to
check for Roma who might be trying to return to the village
of Ambrus. Surprisingly the villagers also stopped a convoy
of police vehicles headed for regular training in nearby
Gotenica. Television footage showed villagers blocking
police vehicles and peering into vehicle windows allegedly to
establish that there were no Roma occupants before allowing
them to continue. General Police Director Joze Romsek denied
the allegations that the police vehicles were "under
inspection" saying that the vehicles were stopped because
locals were simply crossing the road. He said that it was
not a situation of locals taking the law into their own hands
but confirmed that an investigation into the incident was in
progress.


5. (U) On Friday, December 1 seven members of the Strojan
family (though some reports say eight) returned to their home
in Ambrus though Mirko Strojan, the chief family
representative throughout the imbroglio, as well as the
majority of the male family members, remained in Postojna.
In contrast to the large, angry demonstrations that resulted
from the Strojans, attempts to return home the previous
weekend, there were no roadblocks and the family arrived
safely. Although the situation remained calm, several
hundred local residents reportedly gathered near the Roma
home later Saturday night and did not disband until early
Sunday morning. Special Forces Police were sent to guard the
home and the seven that were present there. After government
overtures, family leaders in Postojna said they would attempt
to persuade the seven to rejoin them in Postojna.

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6. (U) On the evening of December 5 another part of the
Strojan family attempted to return to Ambrus but was turned
away by police as they neared the village and returned to
Postojna. At the same time, Mirko Strojan told media outlets
that he could no longer stay in Postojna and was staying with
relatives at an undisclosed location. At this point seven of
the 30 members of the Strojan family are in Ambrus, 12 are
still residing at the center in Postojna, and the others are
unaccounted for.

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Strojans' Ambrus Home Slated for Demolition by GoS
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7. (U) On December 2, the Gos Environmental Inspectorate
announced the planned demolition of the illegally built
Strojan home in Ambrus, based on a 2002 court ruling. The
environmental sensitivity of the Strojan homesite )- it
reportedly sits near a fresh spring that that provides
drinking water for the area -) has been a contentious issue
for years though local or state authorities had failed to
act. Mirko Strojan objected to the buildings being
demolished before a permanent solution was made on where to
relocate the family, warning that if the demolition occurs
before a solution is reached, the whole family will return to
Ambrus, stop dialogue with the government, and stay in sheds
or tents on the site, adding that "there will be trouble."

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Slovenian "Wise Elders" and Public Weigh In On Roma Issues
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8. (U) On December 5, two well-respected former leaders in
Slovenian government, former President Milan Kucan and France
Buhar, the Speaker of the first democratically elected
Slovenian Parliament (1990 to 1992),a drafter of the
Slovenian Constitution, and a Presidential candidate in 2002,
spoke out on the situation. Kucan criticized the current
government's removal of the Strojans from Ambrus questioning
whether it was a voluntary action on their part, and
criticized the government's handling of the situation as it
escalated over the past month. Buhar said the Roma situation
in Ambrus highlighted the weakness of the Slovenian
government for not enforcing its laws, and showcased the lack
of respect and confidence that many Slovenian citizens have
in the state. Buhar's statement was not geared toward one
political party, but at authorities over the course of
Slovenia's history for not taking action against crime or
illegally built settlements. His comments echoed those heard
by many Slovenes who see the root problem as an ineffective
police force, afraid to take action against members of the
Roma community if they break the law, which has led the
locals in Ambrus to take action themselves.


9. (U) A government-commissioned survey by polling firm
Aragon conducted November 21-24 and released November 30
shows that Slovenes are divided on how the government is
handling the situation with 46% supporting the government's
actions while 43% oppose them. In response to the question
of whether it was right to relocate the Roma of Ambrus to
Postojna in the first place, 50% of Slovenes supported the
temporary relocation while 39% opposed it. A slightly larger
majority of Slovenes, 55%, believe that the government should
consider the views of the local population in the decision
about where to relocate the Strojan family while 25% said the
rights of the Roma family should take preference over the
opinions of local residents.

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PM Jansa: "Risking Political Capital" to Protect Roma
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10. (C) During a November 29 meeting with DCM Coleman, Andrej
Rahten, the International Advisor to the Prime Minister,
stressed the difficulty of the problem, reiterated that
Slovenia has a very liberal constitution with regard to
incorporating the Roma community, and noted that Prime
Minister Janez Jansa is very committed to protecting the Roma
from violence, even sending in special police units to
contain protests in areas that had voted overwhelmingly for
Jansa in the last election. Rahten also pointed to the PM's
meeting with Roma leader Horvat Muc as a reflection of his
desire to prevent further escalation. He admitted that
Slovenian law enforcement has not done a good job, suggesting
that the police have been hampered by human rights-related
sensitivities about taking action against Roma individuals.
He was anxious for the USG to know that the GoS takes this
very seriously and that Education Minister Zver and Interior
Minister Mate are doing little else these days than trying to

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resolve the issue.


11. (C) Comment: After the clash between police and
protesters on November 25 and the road blockade that
bizarrely included stopping police vehicles on November 30,
things seem to have calmed down for now in Ambrus, even with
some members of the Strojan family moving back to their home.
With Podobnik chairing the Roma Commission, Roma legislation
approved in the parliament, and a special group working on
addressing illegal Roma settlements, the government appears
to finally be getting some traction on the Roma issue. That
said, the new late December deadline is fast approaching for
a temporary, winter solution for the Strojans and after that,
the government faces the more challenging task of finding
them a permanent home that is agreeable to both the family
and their prospective neighbors.


12. (C) Comment Continued: The reason for the government's
suddenly proactive approach is likely twofold. First,
government leaders are keenly aware of the sensitivity of the
issue, that it is continuing to attract wide attention, and
that this ongoing attention could hurt the reputation and
image of Slovenia in the European Union and internationally.
Second, the issue sheds light on allegations that the
Slovenian police have not effectively enforced the law or
held those in the Roma community accountable for decades.
The protest and blockade reveal the police's tendency towards
passivity and letting sensitive problems (like those
involving the Roma) spiral out of control very quickly all in
an effort not to provoke. In turn, villagers' actions reveal
their lack of faith and trust in the police to enforce the
law. Clearly after the case of the Roma family Strojan is
solved, the government will face the bigger task of
reflecting on the operations of the police and restoring the
trust of its citizens, Roma and non-Roma alike. End Comment.
ROBERTSON