Roma expelled from Spanish municipality

07 November 1997

A group of thirty-six Romanian Roma was expelled from the municipality of Mondragón-Arrasate, reported Nevipens Romani in May 1996. The article, entitled "Mondragón police expel a group of Romanian Gypsies," stated that the group in question had settled in the municipality for about a month and a half on a previous occasion. Then, on March 5, 1996 the group returned to Mondragón-Arrasate and set up camp in the same place. Within a matter of hours the group was expelled by the Urban Guard which had been informed of the Gypsies' presence by local residents. Locals were also responsible for disseminating a circular entitled, "Gypsies? No, thank you."

On the same day that the group arrived in Mondragón-Arrasate, agents of the Arrasate local police allegedly approached individuals of the group with the intention of intimidating them into packing up and leaving the municipality. According to a police officer, the individuals were told that begging, in addition to selling magazines on the Street, was prohibited. Furthermore, the same police officer allegedly stated that, "rather than actually expelling them, we made it 'convenient for them to leave, and, by noon they had left." Observers familiar with the situation of Roma in Spain report that Romanian Roma there are commonly subjected to expulsion from municipalities.

(Nevipens Romani)