ANTI-ROMA VIOLENCE IN ITALY: ARE WE BACK TO 1930?

[lu-sa at clio.it]

ANTI-ROMA VIOLENCE IN ITALY: 
ARE WE BACK TO 1930? 

May
the 19th 2008 / Strasbourg 


Today, in a letter addressed
to the European Union and the European Parliament the European Roma and
Travellers Forum expressed concern over the violent attack on the informal
settlements in Italy in which hundreds of Roma have been forced to run off
for fear of their life. 

"The recent event in Italy remind
us of the Nazi and Fascist periods in the early 1930s, when Roma/Sinty and
Jews were singled out for discrimination and persecution leading finally
to the genocide of millions of innocent people" said Mr. Kawczynski,
President of the European Roma and Travellers Forum. 

The
European Roma and Travellers Forum calls upon the European Union and the
European Parliament to take immediate and concrete actions for the
protection and equal treatment of all EU citizen. 

Italian
politicians and the media are blaming immigrants of Roma origin for the
increase of criminality act in the country. Mr. Kawczynski maintains that
"Criminal elements can be found in every sector of the population
irrespective of ethnicity and social class. This does not mean that the
whole sector - in this case the Roma - are criminals. Singling out the
Roma community as main reason for the increase of criminality in Italy can
only contribute toward increasing the tension and higher number of violent
attacks". 

* * * 

The European Roma and
Travellers Forum (ERTF), which has a partnership agreement with the
Council of Europe and a special status with this institution, is Europe's
largest and most inclusive Roma organisation. It brings together Europe's
main international Roma-NGOs and more than 1,500 national Roma
organisations from most of the Council of Europe member states. 



For further information please contact: 
European Roma
and Travellers Forum 
c/o Council of Europe 
F - 67 075
Strasbourg 
Tel.: 00 33 3 90 21 53 50 
Email: ertf at ertf.org or
ertf at coe.int 

http://ertf.org/en/index.html

Violence against Roma in Rome/Italy 

May the 16th 2008
/ Strasbourg