Welcome Pictures, Unwanted Bodies

Abstract

The May 2004 enlargement of the European Union established the Romanies (Gypsies) as “new” Europe’s most sizeable ethnic minority. Even before this coveted date, immigration officials in the West were busily bracing themselves for the anticipated Gypsy influx that was to occur when more internal frontiers were removed within Fortress Europe. One of the preparation measures was the controversial “prescreening” of passengers landing flights to London carried out by British officials at the airport in Prague. As if accidentally, mostly Romanies were singled out and barred from flying to the United Kingdom. Exposed by Romani journalists in the Czech media, this practice became the subject of an embarrassing investigation and was eventually condemned as unlawful in British courts.