Commissioner for Human Rights

Posters displayed in Milan during the recent municipal election campaign warned against the risk of the city turning into a “Gypsy town”. Though this was an extreme display of xenophobia, anti-Roma statements by politicians are in fact commonplace in several countries in Europe. Until this stops, no efforts to promote the inclusion of Roma in society can be expected to bear fruit – instead, discrimination and violence will continue to be a part of the daily lives of many Roma.

Politicians have a special responsibility for combating discrimination and building bridges across different parts of society. They should avoid using stigmatising speech against the Roma and should not feed the age-old prejudices against this minority. An unfortunate example of this was when the expulsions of Roma EU citizens from France last summer were accompanied by sweeping generalisations by high-ranking officials about Roma and Travellers, in particular concerning their involvement in crime.

Racist comments have also appeared in official written documents by public leaders. In a letter posted on the municipal website in November 2010, the Mayor of Nový Bydžov in the Czech Republic held the Roma collectively responsible for the rape of a girl and announced a series of repressive measures against the local Roma community.

Not just words

The consequences of anti-Roma rhetoric by leading politicians should not be underestimated. Their words can be understood as encouraging violent action against the Roma, such as mob violence and pogroms. Following the Nový Bydžov Mayor’s public statements on Roma, neo-Nazi groups attacked Roma during a demonstration organised in March 2011.

Another example comes from Hungary, where comments of the Mayor of Tiszasarion about what he called “Gypsy crime” triggered the setting up of a special “gendarmerie”. Even in other places in Hungary such vigilante groups have been operating. They have some similarities with the gendarmes operating against Jews in the country during the Second World War.

A vicious circle of prejudice and exclusion

Our experience is that anti-Roma political discourse perpetuates anti-Gypsyism. By setting the example for prejudice and discrimination in society, politicians effectively prevent Roma and Travellers from enjoying their rights on an equal footing with others. In the context of Italy’s declared intention to expel Romanian Roma back to Romania in 2008, the then Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister stated that he had considered “buying a piece of land in the Egyptian desert to send there all the people who tarnish the country’s image”. In such a hostile context, all efforts made by the Roma communities themselves to break out of their marginalisation and relate positively to the rest of society can only remain vain.

Responsible leadership

Public leaders, including politicians and opinion leaders, are not above the law. Anti-Roma speech, including during electoral campaigns, must be strongly condemned in all cases and punished when it breaks laws against incitement to hatred.

Politicians must be aware of the severe consequences their discourse can have. Political parties should adopt self-regulatory measures to exclude racist language.

As a general human rights principle, generalisations and the stigmatisation of entire groups must be avoided. In the case of the Roma, this principle is even more important as they are the target of deep-rooted prejudices, which have led to repression of the most severe kind in European history. Reviving age-old stereotypes about the Roma is playing with fire. Instead, public leaders should contribute to raising awareness of Roma history and culture among the general public.

Pope Benedict XVI gave an excellent contribution on June 11 when he received two thousand European Roma in the Vatican and stated that “Your people should never again be the object of abuse, rejection or disdain”. One would hope that all politicians in Italy and elsewhere were listening.

Thomas Hammarberg