A philanthropic fightback is needed as Europe’s far right ‘occupies more space and power’ than ever before, warns Open Society Foundations newly established Roma Foundation.

Speaking to Alliance magazine, head of the Roma Foundation Zeljko Jovanovic warned that the far right’s articulation of their own arguments has endangered the confidence and self-esteem of the Roma community. 

‘Far right thrives in an environment that is polarised between us and them. And what we are trying to redefine is us,’ he says, adding that the Roma people are ‘too small of a player and too hated of a community to be alone in solving these issues.’ 

Jovanovic blames Europe’s politicians for systemic failures and fanning the flames that have led to minority groups being targeted by far-right.  

‘Prejudice has driven politics,’ he says. 

‘The degree of prejudice in politics is making our economies and politics far from optimal. This hurts the majority.’ 

Policymakers at both national and EU level have long dangled anti-Roma votes as ‘incentives for politicians on what to do’, he adds. 

Far right violence erupted in the UK in early August, with racially motivated attacks on minority owned businesses, immigration centres and mosques across England and Northern Ireland. Counter demonstrations mobilised in London and other parts of the country to push the far right back, with quick hit jail sentences handed out by police. 

Elsewhere in Europe, the far right have made strides politically and forced the political agenda to shift their way, taking power in the Netherlands and Italy, as well as inching their way in France, and growing political influence in Spain.   

The Roma Foundation aims to make the argument that with plummeting birth rates and a sharp need for skilled labour, the Roma people – of which there are 12 million across Europe – are an untapped readily available pool of potential of future workers and active voters. 

The Roma people have traditionally been entrepreneurs in the ‘informal economy’, working as self-employed people and ‘not waiting for others to employ us,’ says Jovanovic.

Still, they face marginalisation, discrimination and hatred despite having survived centuries old persecution and the Holocaust. 

He also accused public bodies and policymakers of being risk averse, which has held back progress and allowed the far right to muscle in. Philanthropy, in his eyes, must take risks and show what can be done.  

‘We must engage in the domain of non-profit and philanthropy. We must engage and experiment new solutions that we believe promote equity, justice, fairness and solidarity,’ says the Roma Foundation chief. 

‘Otherwise the far right will continue their politics. Everybody is going to go into anti-establishment, anti-minority, anti LGBT. And public administration will remain frozen in being risk averse.’ 

The Roma Foundation is a continuation of the OSF’s 30 year work with Roma groups across the Western Balkans, Eastern and Central Europe as well as in Spain and Italy.  

Jovanovic, who oversaw OSF’s Roma Initiatives Offices, says the foundation will operate as an independent body with no OSF board members. It will continue to receive financial support from the OSF, to the tune of €100 million until the end of the decade. However, the Roma Foundation will also raise income from other donors.

The foundation will be headquartered in Brussels, with several hubs based in Berlin, Belgrade, Skopje, Bucharest and Sophia. 

OSF founder George Soros started small projects supporting Roma culture in the 1990s, and then gradually moved to supporting Roma rights advocacy, education and public health.  

Shafi Musaddique is the news editor of Alliance Magazine