Roma housing destroyed in Belgrade

Source: AP

Three months before the opening of the Universiade, Belgrade's City Secretariat for Inspections decided to destroy the Roma slum settlement located right next to the athlete's village "Belleville". On April the 3rd 2009 all of a sudden a couple of bulldozers showed up at the settlement and demolished 40 houses. As the demolition was carried out without any prior notice to the residents, the people did not even have time to save their belongings from being buried under the ruins. A few of them were practically rescued from their houses in the very moment when the bulldozers were demolishing them.

On June 16th 2009, a metal fence was built around the settlement. The fence is guarded by police and security staff on both sides, inside and outside the settlement. The residents are randomly forbidden to leave the settlement, which does not only limit their freedom of movement but also prevents them from
carrying out their regular daily work on the streets of Belgrade, their only source of income.

Together we demand that the fence around the Roma settlement in Block 67 is removed IMMEDIATELY. We demand that the City of Belgrade finally assumes its
responsibility to improve the unacceptable living conditions of tens of thousands Belgrade citizens who are forced to live in one of the approximately 150 slum settlements all over the city.

No to ghettoization of our neighborhood "for the benefit of the city"!

No to Universiade or any public event if it is at the expense of human dignity!

No to the authorities that value capital over human life and use racist strategies to manage their policies!

Druga Scena and friends

Platform of Belgrade independent cultural and activist scene

www.drugascena.org

Source: http://www.drugascena.org/node/265