A gang member is broken out from a police van. He is brought to a Roma neighbourhood in İzmir by his friends. They made an agreement with a Roma woman to hide the gangster in her home. The gangster gives some money to the woman. Make matters worse he sleeps with the woman at that night. This is the story of a tv serial named "İzmir Çetesi" (İzmir Gang). Kadir İnanır, one of the famous Turkish actors, plays leading role in the serial. The serial is featured in Star Tv channel. The place where the incident happens is a Roma neighbourhood in İzmir. Ethnical origin of the woman in the serial is so open. It's easily understood from her dress and her dialect that she is a Roma.
I, first of all as a human being and a citizen of Turkish Republic, want to examine why the scenarist prefers a Roma Gypsy neighbourhood for these scenes? Why don't scenarist go to other ethnic groups' settlements? No, they can't. They wouldn't dare to go and make these kind of serials in other ethnic groups' settlements. Empires, voyagers, statesmen, entellectuals, authors, scenarists always insulted our people from past to present. They accept us as usual suspects. They created scenarios and stories to stigmatize us. At the end, they succeeded to stigmatize Roma Gypsy as immoral people. They always accepted Roma people as a figue of entertainment. They always force that poor and innocent girl dance for them for a little money. But they never interest cultural, social and economical problems of Roma people.
Saying of a shoeshiner brother is thought-provoking. He says: "I leave punishment of them to god." Yes, we leave punishment of them to god. This society have always been accepted as a scapegoat for centuries. This society have always been exploited. And now, Roma people are stigmatized again as immoral with the tv serial.
They stigmatized us as criminals or people who aid and abet criminals. Human right philosophy depends on the mentality defending all human beings borns free and equal about rights and statue. Human rights give each individuals right of making decisions freely and freedom of improve themselves. These rights are together with obligation of respecting the others' rights.
We censure the tv serial named İzmir Çetesi. To behave people unequally because of their race, nation, ethnicity, gender is defined as DISCRIMINATION.
Honorable scenarist of the tv serial. You distress Roma people with the tv serial you made. You insulted Roma society openlt. You show Roma neighbourhoods as center of prostitution and Roma individiuls as people who aid and abet criminals. You have to apoligize from Roma people.
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