Roma discrimination must end, Green MEP says ahead of International Roma Day

“All EU governments must adopt specific policies to promote the welfare of all their Roma citizens” and devote sufficient resources to make this happen says Green MEP Jean Lambert, to put an end to the “state-sponsored discrimination” of Roma people.

Romani Flag

International Roma Day takes place tomorrow on the 8th April, above is the flag of the Romani people.

Euro-MP Jean Lambert has called for an end to the state-sponsored discrimination which means more than ten million Roma people in the EU remain second-class citizens.

Speaking ahead of International Roma Day, which is marked around the world tomorrow, April 8th, the London Green MEP said Roma people remain Europe’s most discriminated minority.

“We need to get serious about promoting the human rights of all – and stamping out racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism– if we are to realise full equality for Europe’s Roma minority,” she said.

“The EU has made significant efforts to do just this – but they haven’t really taken root yet.

“It remains acceptable for politicians to make racist remarks about Roma, and this in turn leads to an increase in state-sponsored discrimination, mistrust and even violence.

“The French government, for example, continues to force Roma families into homelessness and even deportation after evicting them from ‘illegal’ settlements, while children with blue eyes were forcibly taken from their Roma guardians, amid false claims of child abduction, in Ireland and Greece last year.

“And the anti-Roma rhetoric and intimidation is getting worse in some places: just this week the racist Jobbik party polled 21% in a national election in Hungary.

“All EU governments must adopt specific policies to promote the welfare of all their Roma citizens and put the necessary resources into making this happen.”

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