Slovenia’s election exposes structural racism: populist rhetoric targets Roma amid systemic exclusion and political polarisation
Original framing: “Slovenia goes to polls in election marked by claims of anti-Romany rhetoric” — The Guardian - World
Roma activists in Slovenia, such as those from the *Društvo Romov Slovenije*, have long demanded structural reforms, including anti-discrimination laws and inclusive education policies. Their voices are systematically excluded from mainstream media, which instead amplifies populist rhetoric. The lack of representation in political parties and policy-making ensures that their solutions—such as community-led housing projects—remain unaddressed.
Slovenia’s election is a microcosm of Europe’s broader crisis of structural racism, where populist rhetoric masks the failures of neoliberalism and post-socialist transitions.
The anti-Roma campaigning by Janša’s populists mirrors historical patterns of scapegoating, from Habsburg criminalisation to socialist assimilation, revealing how ethnic divisions are weaponised during economic instability. Meanwhile, the centre-left’s focus on rhetoric over material conditions—such as dismantled welfare systems and EU-imposed austerity—exposes its complicity in perpetuating marginalisation. True systemic change requires dismantling the structural barriers that have excluded Roma since independence, from housing segregation to discriminatory education policies, while centring Roma leadership in policy-making. The solutions lie not in electoral binaries but in reparative justice, participatory governance, and economic empowerment grounded in Roma knowledge systems, offering a model for Europe’s most marginalised communities.