Racist leaflets and graffiti in Romanian towns

07 November 2001

Leaflets with explicitly anti-Romani contents were distributed in two Romanian towns throughout October 2001. On October 19, the local daily newspaper 24 ore muresene reported that in the town of Sighisoara, in the Transylvanian region of Romania, the New Right political party distributed leaflets entitled "Stop the Gypsyisation of Romania." The leaflets appealed to the citizens of Romania to not "passively assist the propagation of the Gypsy phenomenon." The text of the leaflets contained numerous accusations against the Romanian Romani community, presented in inflammatory language. The same party also distributed leaflets in the Transylvanian town of Deva, warning against socialising with Roma and denouncing Roma, homosexuals and religious sects, reported the Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on October 16, 2001.

Earlier, on July 18, 2001, ERRC field research revealed that two members of the New Right party had been arrested under suspicion of having painted anti-Romani slogans in the Romanian town of Sibiu. A day before, Mr Ion Bidia, chairman of the Romani Ethnic Community association, called on the Romanian Prosecutor General to outlaw the New Right party on grounds that the party allegedly promoted racial hatred. Mr Bidia cited as evidence the party's journal, which prints slogans, such as "Death to the Gypsies," reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on July 18.

(24 ore muresene, ERRC, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)