Lessons from ChatGPT: underreported anti-Roma racism

Looking at ChatGPT's lesson, the status quo can be summed up succinctly. Systemic mistrust causes impunity.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) that follows written commands and provides high quality written answers in seconds - ChatGPT is everywhere. How would ChatGPT fare with some deeper questions? I tested out the AI's capabilities with regards to one such question that I am regularly asked. If so prevalent, why is anti-Roma racism underreported? There are a plethora of historical, sociological, psychological and many other reasons. But, what would the AI throw out? Fully acknowledging that the answer is not my own work, please see below ChatGPT's response, followed by some of my own commentary.

ChatGPT's Answer

Anti-Roma Racism Underreported: A Cause for Concern

The Roma community, one of the largest minority groups in Europe, continues to face discrimination, prejudice and hate crimes. Despite the widespread nature of these incidents, anti-Roma racism remains underreported, with many cases going unnoticed and unacknowledged.

One of the main reasons for the underreporting of anti-Roma racism is the mistrust that many members of the Roma community have towards law enforcement and government authorities. Due to past experiences of institutionalized discrimination and marginalization, many Roma people are hesitant to report incidents to the police, who they view as part of the problem.

Additionally, there is a lack of proper data collection and monitoring mechanisms to accurately record the number of hate crimes committed against the Roma community. As a result, many incidents go unrecorded, leading to a significant undercount of the true extent of anti-Roma racism.

The underreporting of anti-Roma racism also contributes to a broader societal problem, as it perpetuates the notion that such incidents are not taken seriously. This, in turn, creates a culture of impunity, where perpetrators feel free to continue committing hate crimes with no fear of consequences.

It is essential that steps are taken to address the underreporting of anti-Roma racism and to ensure that the Roma community is protected from hate crimes. This includes improving the relationship between law enforcement and the Roma community, as well as implementing proper data collection and monitoring mechanisms to accurately track the extent of anti-Roma racism.

In conclusion, the underreporting of anti-Roma racism is a cause for concern and must be addressed in order to ensure that the Roma community is protected from hate crimes and discrimination. Only by acknowledging the problem can we work towards finding a solution and creating a more inclusive and just society for all.

Talking points

Wow. Admittedly sceptical at what ChatGPT could achieve, I am impressed and pleased that the AI threw out some nuanced points. Clear themes in the above article include the relationship between the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community and the law (including the police), and a lack of hate-crime monitoring specific to GRT racism.

ChatGPT is correct that the relationship between the GRT community and the law is characterised by mistrust. Focusing on the UK, a stark example of this mistrust is the highly controversial Police Bill, largely seen by GRT charities as an attempt to forcibly settle communities who continue a traditional nomadic lifestyle. The Police Bill allows for the prosecution of GRT people stopping at unauthorised encampments. Instead of tackling the decline of authorised encampments, council-provided stopping places for GRT people; the police now have the power to confiscate caravans on mere suspicion of trespass. By turning the civil offence of trespass into a criminal one, there now comes the additional threat of three months imprisonment. It is no wonder that the law is still seen by many in the GRT community as something inflicted upon them, rather than working for the them.

(Photo: T.Pierce, CC BY 3.0)

Furthermore, the AI made the comment that many in the community see the police as "part of the problem". When the main crime-reporting body has a history of discrimination against your community, it is daunting for victims of hate-crime to come forward. It can seem that there is no-one to help. As the Steven Lawrence enquiry and later the BLM movement have shown, our police forces have a long way to go in confronting systemic racism in the ranks. Only last year, a serving Romani police office, Christopher Baughurst, shared his experiences of a culture of GRT prejudice in the police; hiding his identity and then confronting normalised racism in the workplace. I worry. If the anti-GRT sentiment within the police continues without challenge from the very top, incidents similar to the George Floyd-like killing of Stanislav Tomáš in Czechia could also become a reality in the UK.

Lastly, the AI correctly identifies a lack of proper data collection regarding anti-GRT hate crimes. In a 2022 shadow report by a group of GRT charities including Friends, Families and Travellers and Roma Support Group, research uncovered that 91% of GRT people surveyed had experienced discrimination and that, out of all the protected characteristic groups; the general public expressed most negative feelings towards people of a GRT background. However, due to a lack of disaggregated data based on 2021 census categories - which includes GRT peoples - the extent of anti-GRT racism is nearly invisible to law enforcement. Invisibility precursors impunity and, if law enforcement cannot change its relationship with the GRT community, incidents will continue to be underreported.

Only by acknowledging the problem can we work towards finding a solution and creating a more inclusive and just sociert for all

Chat GPT

Looking at ChatGPT's lesson, the status quo can be summed up succinctly. Systemic mistrust causes impunity. Despite good work from charities and some groups within the police, the historic and present mistrust between the law and the GRT community needs to be addressed. For me, and seemingly the AI, this has to start with a culture-change within the police. If systemic mistrust continues, hate crimes against GRT peoples will continue to be invisible, not reported by the victims and thus not treat with the correct antidote. Leaving you with words from the AI itself, "only by acknowledging the problem can we work towards finding a solution and creating a more inclusive and just society for all". That would be at least a start.