Pride of Turkey, the little ones are banned with fake documents…
It was revealed that a conspiracy was set up with fake documents so that the Roma and Dom Association team, which numbers 15 thousand and has been Turkey’s champion twice in children’s folklore, could participate in the next games. It was alleged that Celal Tanış, the former provincial representative of the Folk Dance Federation, arranged for the jury members to sign blank papers in order to close the association and prevent them from participating in the competitions. Dom Association President Demir, who presented the claim with documents, said, “There were those who could not digest our success because we were Turkey’s champion twice. They complained about us, claiming that we attacked the jury members. If we beat the jury members, why don’t any of them have a report and why didn’t the police take our statements? They wanted to ban us from the games with a fake petition. We have filed our objections to the necessary places, I hope this mistake will be corrected.”
The Roma and Dom children’s folklore team, which numbers 15 thousand in Diyarbakır, has become Türkiye’s champion twice. Educators working under the Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Policies discovered the little ones living in the poor areas of Sur district by going door to door. After working regularly for three years, the children made their mark in the folklore competitions held in Istanbul. The children from Diyarbakır became the first in Turkey in the category of little ones. The folklore team, in which the association president Mehmet Demir serves as the ‘zurna player’, has many successes in the city and the region. However, it turned out that some people wanted to prevent these successes.
‘They were banned from the games with a fake document’
Demir, who stated that they became the target of some groups because they were the Turkish champions twice, said, “Those who have not been able to prevent our success for a long time want to prevent us from our path in a different way. Last year, we became the first in Turkey again in the folklore competition we entered on behalf of the association. While we were expecting appreciation and congratulations, some people reacted by saying, ‘How can these Gypsies represent Diyarbakır?’ In order to prevent these successes, first of all, the former provincial representative of the Folk Dance Federation, Celal Tanış, and the national regional referee, Hanefi Altunboğa, have been trying every way to prevent our success for a long time. We competed with the team supported by Tanış and Altunboğa in this year's regional competitions. They gave the same votes to both teams. We made a difference in the competition in Malatya and qualified to go to the Turkish final. On our return, we were subjected to the same discrimination again, they insulted us by saying how gypsies could be first. Unable to tolerate this, Celal Tanış took a blank piece of paper and signed the jury members, and claimed that we had attacked the jury members and requested that we be banned from the games. Due to these slanders, they gave the club a 1-year sentence, me a 1-year sentence and the young players a 9-month sentence from participating in the games. This document was prepared imaginarily. If what is written in this document is true and we attacked and swore at the referees, why didn't they file a lawsuit against us? Why didn't the police file a report and take our statements? They set this up to prevent us. We made the necessary objections to the Youth Services and Sports Directorate. I hope that we are proven right and the prejudices against us will end,” he said.
‘He moved the association to his home’
Association President Demir, who moved the association to his home in Yeniköy Neighborhood because he could not pay the rent of the place where the association is located, emphasized that they were deprived of the support given to ethnic groups throughout the city and said that Dom members were victimized due to both Europe and the Turkish government’s discrimination policies. Mentioning that they had received the only moral support until today from the Zero Discrimination Association headquartered in Istanbul, Demir argued that they had not received a single penny of financial support from the Governor’s Office, the Municipality or other organizations and on the contrary, not a single young person had been placed in a job.
‘Promises were not kept’
Reminding that they founded the association in 2007 to save DOM youth, children and widows from bad paths and to provide them with humane lives, Demir said, “When we first opened the association, we received great demand and interest. A delegation from Europe in particular came and we toured the Dom tribe with them. In addition, members of the Dom tribe also wanted the association to be established. We established it. The delegations coming from Europe probably talked too much. They told us, “Keep this association alive for 3 months, leave the rest to us. We will give you the necessary support. We have been keeping the association alive for 8 years, but the promises made so far have not been kept.”
‘I am taking care of my 40 grandchildren and their mother’
Demir, who stated that he was taking care of the family, said, “I am taking care of my 40 grandchildren and their mother. I have run out of money now. I am a temporary master instructor at the Public Education Center. I was unemployed again with the closure of schools. I can only work for 5 months a year. I am trying to keep the association alive and provide for my family with my own means. Two-thirds of the tribe’s population are in prisons. They have been involved in all kinds of negative events. They are miserable and victimized. They do all kinds of bad things. However, when I was establishing the association, I wanted to ensure that the tribe members lived more humanely.
I wanted the youth and children not to do bad things. So I founded the association. During the establishment of the association, many tribal members came to the association and stated that they would support it. They were expecting help from Europe and Turkey. However, when the requested support and aid did not come, I was left alone. Those who came to the association do not come again. Tribal members go to the hoe, to collect cotton, hazelnuts and sugar beets. They go to work in the Western Provinces as seasonal workers,” he said.
‘Syrian refugees took our jobs’
Demir, who noted that they became more miserable with the refugees coming from Syria, said, “They took all the rest of our jobs from us. They are almost like traffic police, blocking the way of cars on the streets and asking for money. Syrian refugees are now preferred because of the cheap labor. Doms working in daily jobs have become unable to work because of the refugees. Our citizens prefer refugees because they work for 10-15 liras. They do not give the Doms who work their rights. 90 percent of the refugees coming from Syria are Doms. As if our troubles were not enough, they are also 13+1. When they do this, the Doms of Diyarbakır cannot find work and thus cannot support their families. They beg in mosques, streets and markets. We are sitting at home completely helpless. No one calls or asks about us. Neither the Governorate nor the Municipality supports us. They did not place even one of our young people in a job through İşkur.”
Mehmet ENGİN
26.08.2014
