Poland's Roma population is relatively small in comparison with other East European countries (Transition 29 Mar. 1995, 7; Poland: A Country Study 1994, 75). Population estimates of Poland's Roma community range from approximately 12,000 to over 60,000 (Fonseca 1995, 199; Poland: A Country Study 1994, 75; Transition 29 Mar. 1995, 7; MRGI Oct. 1995, 7; Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights Oct. 1995, 1).

Since 1990 "thousands" of Roma from Romania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia have arrived in Poland; for most of the new arrivals Poland is only a stop-over on their way to the west, usually Germany (Fonseca 1995, 199-200; Revue française des Affaires sociales Jan. -Mar. 1992, 136-37; Chicago Tribune 14 Feb. 1993; The Warsaw Voice 14 Feb. 1993). Many have not been able to enter Germany, however, and continue to live in and around large Polish cities like Warsaw (Fonseca 1995, 199-200; Revue française des Affaires sociales Jan.-Mar. 1992, 136-37). According to Isabel Fonseca, author of the book Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and their Journey, "Polish Gypsies, understandably resentful of the bad image of their poor relations from farther cast, kept clear of them." (1995, 204)

Typical policies and attitudes demonstrated towards Roma populations by various levels of government in Eastern Europe are outlined in a 29 March 1995 Transition article. According to this source,

The presidents of the East European republics are generally sympathetic to the Roma's plight. .. The central governments are generally less sympathetic toward minorities, specifically Roma. The local authorities are generally the least educated and most prejudiced. Although many local officials are genuinely concerned with improving the conditions of the Romany community, good intentions are often warped by poor working conditions, inadequate resources, and low material rewards. In other words, the worth of presidential compassion and progressive policies and directives is largely dependent upon local implementation. While an interior minister might order police to uphold anti-discrimination regulations, it is the local officers who must arrest those who attack Roma, and close down restaurants displaying "No Gypsies Allowed" signs. More often then not, however, the police share the general public's anti-Romany biases. In sum, the overwhelming antipathy toward Roma is strongly reflected in policy implementation, however well intentioned the policy (4).

Several sources report that prejudice against Roma by local government officials and police is prevalent in Poland and throughout Eastern Europe (Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights Oct. 1995, 2; MRGI 1995, 12-14; Country Reports 1995 1996; University of Greenwich 18 Mar. 1996). According to an October 1995 report on the Polish Roma by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, "despite the sympathetic attitude and comparatively well informed familiarity with the issues concerning the Roma on the part of the central authorities, the frequently ill-disposed attitude of the local authorities towards this group presents a problem" (2). Country Reports 1995 reports that "while the national government does not overtly discriminate against Roma, some local officials sometimes do discriminate by not providing services in a timely manner or at all" (1996, np).

The March 1995 Transition article maintains that "in Poland, there are few concentrated Romany communities; colonies of more than 250 Roma in one city or town are extremely rare. Owing to their small numbers and scattered settlements, they have not faced the same level of public hostility displayed in the rest of the region" (29 Mar. 1995, 7). The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights corroborates this information, stating that:

it should be emphasized, however, that, if the present situation of this group in Poland is compared with the situation of the Roma living in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, then... [the situation] is decidedly better in Poland. Although tensions still exist in Poland between the Gypsy community and the Poles, it appears that these tensions are the least in this part of Europe" (Oct. 1995, 5).

According to a Reader in Romani Studies at the University of Greenwich in Great Britain, regional differences in the treatment of Polish Roma do occur. According to the source, "those Rom who report instances of prejudice, discrimination and violence to us are most frequently from smaller towns, ... [in] working class areas, [who are] darker in skin colour, and work in small business'." The source added that "light-skinned Gypsies who assimilate, take factory jobs, wear the drab clothes of ordinary Poles and who keep their identity a secret within larger cities can likewise escape." "Dark-skinned" Roma who continue to wear traditional clothing and those who have taken advantage of post-1989 economic opportunities "are often the target of racist attacks. We have heard terrible stories of beatings, threats, destruction of property, ... bullying and exclusions from school, sometimes supported by teachers, while local police remain indifferent."

For further information on the current situation of the Roma community in Poland, please consult the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights report attached to Response to Information Request POL22002.E of 1 November 1995, as well as Response to Information Request POL22371.E of 1 December 1995.

This Response was prepared alter researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints, This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Chicago Tribune. 14 February 1993. City Edition. Linnet Myers. "Gypsies Seek Refuge, Find Hate; Poland, Germany Squabble Over Romanian Outcasts." (NEXIS)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995. 1996. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. (Electronic version received from Resource Information Center, US Immigration and Naturalization Service)

Fonseca, Isabel. 1996. Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Warsaw. October 1995. Report faxed to the DIRB. (Official translation)

Minority Rights Group International (MRGI). October 1995. No.95/4. Roma/Gypsies: A European Minority. London: Minority Rights Group.

Poland: A Country Study. 1994. Edited by Glenn E. Curtis. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army.

Revue française des Affaires sociales [Paris]. January-March 1992. Vol. 46. Adam Bartosz. "La communauté ROM en Pologne."

Transition: Events and Issue in the Former Soviet Union and East-Central and Southeastern Europe [Prague]. 29 March 1995. Vol. 1, No. 4. Zoltan Barany. "Grim Realities in Eastern Europe."

University of Greenwich, School of Social Science, London. 18 March 1996. E-mail message sent to the DIRB by a Reader in Romani Studies.

The Warsaw Voice. 14 February 1993. Alicja Hendler. "Romanian Gypsies in Poland: The Village by the Tracks." (NEXIS)