(1) ‘Romaphobia in the Age of Populism: Media Discourse and Racism in UK and Sweden’ [book proposal]
Romaphobia in the Age of Populism offers crucial insights into the discursive practices of anti-Roma racism and xenophobia in Europe and how these operate in different political contexts and across various media platforms. The book draws on critical race theory, media and political theory to offer a comprehensive examination of the multiple manifestations of racism impacting the European Roma, an analysis that can be extended to explore different forms of discrimination faced by other marginalized communities. The book will make a substantial contribution to the critical scholarship on discourse, media and racism, by highlighting how Romaphobia is embedded into populist, nativist and nationalist rhetoric, often in ways which are easily denied or dismissed by those seeking to disseminate racist discourses.
(2) Breazu, P., & McGarry, A. (2023) Romaphobia in the UK Right-Wing Press: Racist and Populist Discourse during Brexit Referendum. Social Semiotics, 1-22. Doi: 10.1080/10350330.2023.2165907.
Romaphobia in the UK Right-Wing Press: Racist and Populist Discourse during Brexit Referendum examined the contemporary expressions of racism towards Roma in the UK, particularly during the socio-political crisis surrounding the 2016 Brexit referendum. The study examines how the right-wing media’s subtle yet damaging portrayal of the Roma community contributed to widespread anti-immigration sentiment and fuelled populist rhetoric.
Through an extensive analysis of two influential British newspapers, The Sun and The Daily Mail, the article uncovers how these media outlets subtly disguised their racism as cultural or socio-economic conflicts. Their representation of Roma migrants as lawbreakers, culturally incompatible, and socio-economic threats cleverly circumvented direct allegations of racism while sowing fear and mistrust amongst their readers.
We argue that such discourses, embedded within broader populist rhetoric, played a significant role in stoking resentment against Eastern European immigrants, the EU, and its principle of free movement. By turning the Roma community, an already vulnerable and marginalized group, into symbols of the perceived ills of European integration, these media outlets inadvertently promoted the Brexit cause.
In essence, this article serves as a stark reminder of the power of the media in shaping public opinion, the consequences of unchecked populist rhetoric, and the need for a more responsible, inclusive representation of minority communities.
(3) Entitlement Racism on YouTube: White Injury—the License to Humiliate Roma migrants in the UK.
In a digital era where social media platforms grapple with hate speech regulation, marginalized communities, like the Roma, continue to face intense online discrimination. This research shines a light on the disturbing trend of Romaphobia – the racially charged animosity towards the Roma people – on YouTube, particularly during the 2016 UK Referendum on EU membership. Amidst the divisive political climate, Roma and other Eastern European migrants were scapegoats in the narratives of Brexit proponents, stoking racial prejudice on online platforms.
The study reveals a concerning normalisation of ‘entitlement racism’ – a form of overt and covert racial abuse that evades moderation due to its subtlety. Particularly on YouTube, this form of racism is often embedded in populist rhetoric or disguised as humor, sarcasm, or irony, making it virtually undetectable to both AI technologies and human moderators.
It’s clear that AI systems alone, currently incapable of accurately identifying such covered forms of hate speech, are insufficient. There’s a crucial need for trained human moderators to complement AI efforts in flagging online racism, requiring substantial investment from social media platforms like YouTube in anti-racism training. Additionally, it is mandatory for social media platforms, such as YouTube to establish explicit guidelines outlining what constitutes hate speech and racism, both in terms of content creation and user engagement. The research highlights the valuable role of qualitative researchers and their expertise in text analysis and digital ethnography to assist in training moderators and developing more effective AI detection technologies. As the research underlines, racism veiled as ‘entitlement’ is an escalating threat that requires immediate attention, as it both normalises and amplifies the humiliation.
(4) Humanitarian discourse as racism disclaimer: The representation of the Roma migrants in Swedish press.
The representation of Roma in Swedish media is not as blatantly negative as in other European press. The analysis of Swedish news stories reveals a more subtle form of discrimination hidden behind the nation’s self-proclaimed ‘exceptionalism’, a narrative founded on human rights, equality, and color-blindness. This narrative subtly veils widespread anti-Roma sentiments and endorses government actions criticized by global human rights organizations for targeting Roma migrants.
Swedish newspapers’ coverage of a controversial law targeting the criminalization of begging, a bill aimed primarily at Eastern European Roma migrants, was thoroughly analyzed. Instead of displaying overt prejudice, the press portrays the Roma presence as subtly problematic without overtly stating so, hence fostering a veiled form of social exclusion. In this, Swedish media’s role mirrors that of other European media, perpetuating the marginalization of Roma migrants. The Roma’s impoverishment and social exclusion are depicted as problems to be solved, largely through ‘legal’ means of repatriation, rather than as an ongoing humanitarian issue. The underlying tension reveals a contradiction between Sweden’s self-perception as a non-racist society and the stark reality of racial and socioeconomic inequalities it faces.
Ultimately, despite its discourse of tolerance and social equality, the Swedish press plays a significant role in perpetuating discriminatory attitudes and actions against Roma migrants, which remain largely unchallenged due to limited racial literacy.
(5) Decontextualizing the Ban on Begging: A Multimodal Critical Analysis of Media and Political Discourse in Sweden.
Decontextualizing the Ban on Begging: A Multimodal Critical Analysis of Media and Political Discourse in Sweden offers an incisive investigation into the often-misrepresented debates surrounding the 2016 begging ban in Sweden. The study explores the media reports and political narratives to uncover how the complexities of this issue are frequently simplified, mischaracterized, or ignored entirely. By revealing three critical strategies – generalization and polarization, victimizing the general public, and concealing the broader context of poverty and marginalization – the study uncovers how media and political discourse gloss over systemic anti-Roma racism and the long history of poverty and social exclusion.
The discourse surrounding the ban on begging is shown to obscure systemic inequalities and socio-economic conditions, choosing instead to paint begging as a public nuisance. This redirection of public attention legitimizes the ban and hampers the formation of more compassionate and effective solutions. The study calls for a greater emphasis on the root causes of begging, urging stakeholders to engage in a robust debate that addresses the systemic problems that lead to begging rather than resorting to a ban.
This ground-breaking research promises to shed new light on how media and political discourse shape public understanding and policy-making, encouraging a more informed approach to tackling the issue of begging in Sweden. It provides an essential read for policymakers, academics, and anyone seeking a more profound understanding of how public narratives can shape social issues.
(6) Do Roma Lives Matter? A Critical Inquiry into European Media Coverage of Violence against Roma. In Monish Bhatia, Scott Poynting and Waqas Tufail (eds). Media and Racial Violence, Palgrave Macmillan.
Drawing upon the critical scholarship in Discourse Studies, Do Roma Lives Matter? A Critical Inquiry into European Media Coverage of violence against Roma unveils the harsh realities of Roma’s representation in European media amidst the current political climate dominated by right-wing politics. This compelling inquiry highlights the media’s role in portraying acts of violence against the Roma as natural and justified. The chapter shows how media discourses reiterate stereotypes about the Roma, painting them as socially disruptive, primitive, and lawless, thereby making their eviction and deportation seem reasonable.
In this chapter the author challenges the media narrative, arguing that it systematically glosses over the long-standing history of racism, discrimination, and social exclusion the Roma community has faced, and instead frames them as the source of societal disruption. The chapter underscores the need for a broader understanding of the media’s influence and calls for a paradigm shift in the portrayal of the Roma, from being seen as societal burdens to recognized victims of structural anti-Roma racism.
(7) Narratives of (non) belonging on social media: The case of European Roma. Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
This chapter explores the narratives of belonging—or the lack thereof—for the European Roma, one of the most marginalized and persecuted groups across Europe. Traversing through the era of right-wing populism and nativism, this chapter highlights the growing intensity of anti-Roma sentiments that contribute to their amplified social exclusion and prejudice. Despite distinct historical experiences across countries like Romania, Sweden, or the UK, the pervasiveness of Romaphobia remains uniform, manifesting in various forms of violence and dehumanizing treatment.
This study examines the narratives about European Roma found on social media, casting light on the contemporary discursive patterns of social exclusion that reinforce the Roma’s marginalized status. The exploration is enriched by examples from the ongoing research on Romaphobia in the UK and Swedish media, revealing how the notion of Roma (non)belonging is subtly articulated through populist and nativist rhetoric. This intricate examination reveals the prevalent issue and delivers insights on a social issue that often goes unnoticed in the mainstream discourse. This study is pivotal for understanding the challenging dynamics faced by the Roma community in today’s European societies.