The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, travelled to Thessaloniki, Greece, on 28 and 29 June to participate in the EuroPride 2024 Human Rights Conference and engage with local Roma communities who live on the outskirts of the city.
At the EuroPride Conference (read the speech), the Commissioner was alarmed by accounts of discrimination, harassment by judicial and administrative means, violent attacks, disinformation, and gender identity denial. These left him concerned by the stakes and the ground already lost in terms of human rights protection for LGBTI people, human rights defenders, and civil society in Europe. “I heard testimonials about the chilling effect of so-called foreign funding laws that are being adopted in far too many countries and LGBTI organisations being the first ones that the state comes after”.
He nonetheless urged all to remain hopeful, drawing on the courage, tenacity, integrity, and perseverance of the LGBTI community. “We must push back. As Stéphane Hessel put it, we need to “get indignant” and channel the outrage into action based on human rights and evidence-based claims”, he stressed. He also underlined the importance of European regional strategies in countering the current backsliding that is the result of joined up and very well-resourced anti-rights strategies. In this context, he welcomed the commitment in the Council of Europe to developing an LGBTI strategy and called on the EU to renew the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy.
While in Thessaloniki, the Commissioner engaged with Greek Roma communities in ‘Agia Sofia’ and Dendropotamos. “As Commissioner, I must seize every occasion to stand up for the human rights of the most marginalised people in our societies – those pushed to the edges and often overlooked. Visiting Roma communities, what I have been reminded of today is that I can do nothing for the human rights of Roma without them. I pledge to work with them in a partnership to contribute to fixing the great challenges they face. In fact, it is imperative that we all champion the rights of our continent’s largest minority”.
In ‘Agia Sofia’, he visited the local kindergarten, where he met the principal and a group of Roma women and girls living in the settlement. The principal shared the difficulties in providing an adequate learning environment. “She told me how important it was to give all Roma children, especially Roma girls, access to education, so that they develop the skills to make their own choices in life. I could not agree more. The responsibility to ensure that Roma youth can thrive lies with us”, the Commissioner noted.
He also listened to the relatives of 16-year-old Kostas Frangoulis, who died in December 2022 following a police shooting. They shared their grief and informed him about the status of the investigations.
In the Dendropotamos neighbourhood, inhabited exclusively by Greek Roma, he spoke with members of the community including young girls and boys who shared their aspirations and concerns, particularly about access to education and employment, and about discrimination and antigypsyism. He also listened to representatives of the Roma Women's Association of Dendropotamos. Through various initiatives, they help to empower women and youth and raise awareness about arts and culture to combat stereotypes and discrimination. In this context, the Commissioner was informed about the imminent opening of a restaurant in the centre of Thessaloniki serving traditional Roma food. “This is a fantastic project. I pledge to celebrate Roma arts and culture throughout my mandate.”
In addition, his team visited Greek Roma families in the Tsairia informal settlement, who live in dire conditions, without direct access to the water and electricity grid, to public transportation or access roads. They live in constant fear of eviction, without the provision of alternative accommodation.
As he left Thessaloniki, the Commissioner observed: "I asked the group of Roma children I met what they wanted to be when they grew up. One said a pilot, another a beautician, another a mechanic, another a lawyer. I hope they achieve their dreams, but it will be so difficult if we don't honour their human rights. This is our responsibility.”
During his mission to Thessaloniki, the Commissioner met with:
at EuroPride:
- Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission; Marc Angel, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-President of the European Parliament, co-president of the European Parliament LGBTI Intergroup; Lenny Emson, President of the Board of the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA), and with LGBTIQ activists: Xheni Karaj Co-Founder & Executive Director of Aleanca LGBT (Albania); Simeon Vasilev of the GLAS Foundation and Chair and member of the Sofia Pride’ Organizing Committee (Bugaria); Antonis Papageorgiou, Accept LGBTI and Dervish Erol, Queer Cyprus Association(Cyprus); Mariami Kvaratskhelia Co-Founder & Activist, Tbilisi Pride (Georgia); Apostolis Karabairis, Director of the Thessaloniki Pride (Greece); Blert Morina, and Rina Braimim respectively Executive Director Programme Director of CEL Kosova (Kosovo*); Marija Jovanović, Co-Founder and Transgender rights activist, Association Spektra (Montenegro); Kristian Ranđelović, Founder & Director of XY Spectrum, Intersex rights activist (Serbia); Richard Stevens, Chairperson of the Pride in Gloucestershire (United Kingdom); Dragana Todorović Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Euro Central Asian Lesbian* Community (EL*C).
Visiting Roma settlements:
- Georgios Tsiakalos, human rights lawyer and Executive Director of the NGO Pro Bono Publico; the relatives of the late Kostas Frangoulis; members of the Greek Roma community; and the principal of the local kindergarten, Ms. Rodi Kavouni. In ‘Agia Sofia’, members of the Greek Roma communities of the Dendropotamos area; and representatives of the Roma Women's Association of Dendropotamos.