A darker side to Poznan old town square?

Several pubs in Poznan, western Poland, have been practicing what is perceived as being blatant racism against Romani by banning them from their establishments.

“I’m not the only one to have imposed such a ban. The Roma enter in large groups and raise hell. Besides that, they make a mess – their tables often look like they were hit by an earthquake after they leave,” one pub owner told the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.

The manager of another popular Poznan bar says he keeps Romani out by claiming that all his tables are reserved.

Miklosz Deki Czureja, a Romani violinist, who used to play concerts at the Piano Bar, claims he was also asked to leave when he came to the pub as a customer with his partner and a granddaughter.

The blatant discrimination has been reported to the Wielkopolska organization for Roma and to the local ombudsman for minority issues.

Police, however, have yet to open an investigation into the complaints.

Poland’s Interior Ministry has taken up the issue, however, sending mediators to Poznan to open dialogue between Roma and pub owners.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has already announced that it will help the Roma open a case of discrimination against the restaurateurs.

“They have the right to claim damages,” says Dorota Pudzianowska from the Helsinki Foundation.

The Gazeta Wyborcza daily publishes the story on International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27 to coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi German death camp. Over 20,000 Romani perished in the death camp during WW II. (mg/pg)