Romani Studies

Abstract:

From the 1990s to the beginning of the twenty-first century, Romani migration from Central and Eastern Europe to Western countries was an important political issue that was regularly communicated in the mass media. Media attention was drawn predominantly to cases where Romani in Western countries applied for asylum. This text deals with one of the most heavily publicised cases; the migration of Romani from the Czech Republic to Canada. The text summarizes the process of these migrations, their basic characteristics, and media response in the Czech Republic. It shows the ambivalence of media exposure when, on one hand, it often struggles to act as an anti-migration element, but on the other, ranks among the triggers of migration. The text also shows that media attention, in addition to the behaviour of Romani in source and destination countries, also caused the governments of the participating countries to intensify their focus on Romani issues. The author shows that during the period when Canada imposed a visa requirement for the Czech Republic due to the number of asylum applications (1997–2013), the method of informing about Romani migrations changed significantly, becoming radicalized, and polarized. In conclusion, the author compares the method of informing about Romani migrations with the data available on Germany, Hungary, Canada, and the United Kingdom.