On 23 March 1965 according to official documentation the Collegium of the Ministry of Internal Affairs adopted decisions aimed at intensifying the assimilation policy toward itinerant Roma in Poland. The authorities deemed previous efforts insufficient, which led to the expansion of repressive measures: the isolation of Romani community leaders, the conscription of Romani men into the army, and the systematic dispersal of travelling groups and their relocation into apartments all presented as an attempt to “stabilise” their status and bring an end to the nomadic way of life.
Setting the course for settlement
At the meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Collegium on 23 March 1965, the authorities declared the ongoing Roma assimilation campaign a success and decided to expand repressive measures to accelerate the forced settlement of itinerant Romani groups. The policy strengthened the mechanisms of control already introduced in the early 1960s: community leaders were isolated, Romani men were drafted into the army, and entire groups were forcibly dispersed in order to break up travelling bands and ensure their sedentarisation. These measures followed earlier actions of 1964, when the state conducted comprehensive inspections of winter camps, issued new identity documents, and prepared lists of Roma still practising a nomadic lifestyle. The 1965 resolutions intensified these efforts, framing the abandonment of mobility as a political and social imperative. Although the programme was officially presented as “assistance” in obtaining housing, employment, and social stability, the administrative and policing methods used meant that the settlement was, in practice, coercive. The dispersal of communities, the prohibition of wandering, and the threat of sanctions for those who resisted resulted in the dismantling of traditional Romani mobility and social organisation. For many Roma, these policies led to the loss of their customary way of life, cultural rupture, and long-term social consequences associated with forced sedentarisation.