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 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR/NCE FOR MNORDBERG; DRL FOR MDAVIS 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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Podobnik Takes Over Roma Commission, Launches Settlement Group - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Villagers Try to Halt Return, But Some Strojans Back in Ambrus - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶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. LJUBLJANA 00000795 002 OF 003 ¶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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Strojans' Ambrus Home Slated for Demolition by GoS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶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." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Slovenian "Wise Elders" and Public Weigh In On Roma Issues - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PM Jansa: "Risking Political Capital" to Protect Roma - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶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 LJUBLJANA 00000795 003 OF 003 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