The Roma Come to Oslo

The following article about Roma (gypsies) in Oslo is a reminder that cultural enrichment comes in more flavors than Islam.

Our Norwegian correspondent The Observer has translated an article about the depredations of the latest arrivals on Oslo’s criminal scene. The translator includes this note:

This report describes the enormous cultural contributions made by the diligent members of the Romanian Roma population that have decided to make Norway their temporary home away from home during the last few years.

Had they not graced us with their presence, Norwegians would have been blissfully unaware of the joyous wonders of aggressive begging, brutal robberies of our elderly and the ghettoisation of our forests and inner city parks. There is nothing quite like human excrement, tin shacks and rubbish scattered all over the place.

Norway would of course not be able to indulge in this wonderful cultural enrichment experiment had our authorities decided to permanently reintroduce national border patrols, as they did during the recent Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. I’m sure the average Norwegian is deeply grateful for the authorities’ resolute stance on this matter.

The translated article from Dagbladet:

More than 1000 Romanians have been arrested in Oslo so far this year

A doubling since last year. “Something has to be done, we cannot go through another summer like the one we had this year,” says the chief of police.

1,054 Romanian nationals were arrested by the police in Oslo during the first eleven months of 2012 — which is a doubling since last year.

Deputy Police Chief Roger Andresen cannot accurately specify how much of this crime has been committed by members from the Romanian Roma population, but says that this can’t go on anymore.

“Something has to be done we cannot have another summer like this,” Andresen tells Aftenposten.

He acknowledges that it’s difficult to break down the types of crime committed along ethnic lines. The Roma issue in the capital is twofold, according to him. It is both a criminal problem, and an issue of public disturbance.

Although not all members of the Roma are criminals, the police know from experience that petty crime tends to follow in their path.

“Romanians top the arrest statistics for foreign nationals by a large margin. The statistics include all types of petty crime such as shoplifting, burglaries and pick-pocketing,” says Andresen.

“The crime being committed by the Romanians is a mega-problem that demands an unreasonably large proportion of our resources,” says the deputy chief, adding that people who don’t have a place to stay create major headaches for the police.

The Roma, on the other hand, claim that the police treatment they are receiving is starting to look more like harassment, an assertion which Andresen rejects.

For a complete listing of previous enrichment news, see The Cultural Enrichment Archives.