By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

ATHENS, Greece – Across Europe, Roma faced scrutiny amidst the finding of “Maria.” Some have compared notions of “baby snatching” to anti-Semitic stories from before World War II.

During the week of 14 October 2013, authorities searching the Farsala Roma community for drugs and weapons found five-year-old “Maria.” The couple claiming to be her parents had none of her physical characteristics. DNA tests revealed that Maria is not either adult’s biological daughter.

The couple, Christos Salis and Eleftheria Dimopoulou, were charged with abducting Maria and falsifying documents. In speaking with police, the couple conveyed that a fair-skinned Bulgarian Roma woman gave them Maria because she could no longer care for her. However, police also report that both adults provided conflicting accounts of the child’s origin.

A fair-skinned Bulgarian woman has come forward as Maria’s biological mother to corroborate the couple’s story. A DNA test will be conducted.

“It is a racist presumption on behalf of the Greek authorities… to charge her family with abduction just because they are Roma and because it was proven that [she] is not their own natural child,” says Panayote Dimitras, spokesperson from the Greek Helsinki Monitor.

In Farsala, dozens who knew the family contended that the couple cared for Maria deeply and looked after her well. Currently, Maria—who speaks little Greek—is in a Greek charity hospital undergoing tests to determine her real age. Thousands of parents around the world have called and emailed authorities, hoping that Maria is their lost child.

While the global interest has centered on finding Maria’s biological parents, local interests center on the great divide between the Roma and other Greeks. Indeed, the European Court of Human Rights has found that Greece, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Hungary have segregated their Roma communities.

Originally of India, the Roma are considered a subgroup of the Romani people. For centuries, the Roma have lived nomadically across Europe. Integration becomes difficult due to the Roma’s strong attachment to their culture, language, and habits.

Some media outlets have shown footage of Maria dancing to music with the implication that her parents forced her to dance for money. Enraged by the suggestion, the Roma community explained that the footage was taken after a baptism and religious celebration.

Admitting to some settlements known to have illegal activities, many Roma protest that criminality is a very small portion of their community.

In this case, Salis and Dimopoulou are an illiterate couple who registered their family in several towns, often claiming fourteen children—ten of whom are unaccounted for. Police stated that the couple received approximately €2500 ($3420) per month in child welfare subsidies from three different cities. However, among all Greeks, it is not uncommon to see such papers falsified.

In Ireland, authorities began taking for DNA testing Roma children, all of whom were confirmed as the biological children of their alleged parents.

Three score and ten years ago, the world saw what racism does, and the world said, “Never again.” Europe must remember that never means never.

For further information, please see:

CNN International – Bulgarian Woman Claims She’s Maria’s Mom: ‘We Gifted Her’ to Roma Family – October 25, 2013

Independent – Old Attitudes Resurface in Greece: Inside the Roma Camp Where Maria the ‘Blonde Angel’ Lived – October 25, 2013

BBC News – ‘Parents’ of Greek Roma Girl Maria Give DNA to Police – October 24, 2013

Huffington Post UK – Do Roma ‘Gypsies’ Really Abduct Children? — October 24, 2013

Irish Times – Shatter Seeks Report as Roma Children Returned to Families – October 24, 2013