– Written by Kinga Csorba
ix) Anti-Semitism
The above mentioned concepts, discrimination, prejudice, xenophobia, intolerance are all manifested against Jews in anti-Semitism. The best example is the Holocaust or the Shoah , during which some six million Jews died in concentration camps.
Anti-Semitism existed in the Middle Ages, when Jews were the largest non-Christian minority in Christian Europe. They were banned from most professions that were carried out by the local population (farming, local trade, crafts). At times they were excluded from the local population, were not allowed to own property and were subject to high taxes. From time to time any conflict that arose was blamed on them. For centuries, the Jews fought against the injustice of the Christians.
The Roma, also known as gypsies, have also lived in Europe for centuries. Although they have not had an independent state, they have largely preserved their language and culture. They led a basically nomadic lifestyle as herders, craftsmen, tinkers, musicians and traders. They were subject to constant discrimination, ranging from assimilation to slavery. During the twentieth century, the Roma, along with the Jews, were victims of Nazi genocide. In Eastern Europe they were the targets of the violent assimilationist policies of the communist regimes.
x) Racism
Racism is based on the belief that the abilities and competences of human beings are determined by the human race, i.e. that there are superior and inferior races. Throughout history, this negative belief has been implemented on several occasions:
– the murder of 400,000 Roma under the Nazi regime
– the massacre of entire communities in the former Yugoslavia under the name of “ethnic cleansing
– reservation of jobs and services for certain groups of society, “Europe for Europeans”, “Russia for Russians”, etc.
– providing aid that does more harm than good
– delivering letter bombs to asylum organisers
Cultural racism is discrimination based on ethnicity and culture, usually affecting minorities, and whereby these cultures are seen as inferior and undesirable. Throughout history, European Jews and Roma have suffered the most from this.