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Keywords:

1605 Policy and Administration, 1606 Political Science, 4407 Policy and administration, 4408 Political science

Abstract:

The article examines the Belgian government's group expulsion of Romani asylum seekers from Slovakia in October 2000, following press hysteria and racist pronouncements by leading Belgian politicians. The human rights situation in Roma in Slovakia is analysed, and the Belgian government's narrow interpretation of its obligations towards asylum seekers under international law is outlined. It goes on to assess the negative impact of the Belgian case on the attitudes of other western governments towards the Roma. Similar episodes have transpired in other European and North Atlantic countries since the political changes of 1989 where centrist governments have caved in to right-wing pressure; the rule of law has been suspended; anti-Romani sentiments have become widespread among the public which has no easily available access to information about Roma other than sensational articles surrounding their expulsion. © 2000, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.