26/09/2018
FSG
This will give visibility to the cases of hate speech against Roma people and will allow to gather statistical and objective data on this reality that affects Roma people and that has up to now remained invisible behind the category of “racism” or “on grounds of their ethnic origin”.
Brussels, 26 September 2018. The EU High Level Group on combating racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance has today accepted the formal request made at its meeting yesterday by Fundación Secretariado Gitano to include “Anti-Gypsyism” as a separate category in the collection and analysis of data on hate speech.
FSG takes part in the meetings of the EU High Level group as a “trusted flagger”.
As an entity that participates in monitoring the implementation of the Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online, signed by Google, Facebook and Twitter with the European Commission to fight against illegal incitement to hatred on the Internet, we have detected that many of the cases reported by the entities that participate in this process refer to cases of hate speech against Roma people. However, this reality remains invisible in the results that are published since the cases of anti-Gypsy are included in the category of "ethnic origin" or "race".
According to different studies and reports[1], the Roma community is the most discriminated ethnic minority in Europe. Anti-Gypsyism, as defined by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe (ECRI) in its Recommendation No. 13, is a serious and specific problem in almost all countries of the European Union, including Spain, and yet, we have little information and data.
For this reason, Fundación Secretariado Gitano believes it is crucial to have objective and statistical data on hate speech/crime and discrimination against Roma people in order to give visibility to this reality and understand the scope of the problem, take preventive measures and combat it in an effective way.
In most of the studies and reports carried out at European level on discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes, the cases of Anti-Gypsyism are included in the generic category of "racism" or "ethnic minorities”, and this makes these cases that directly and specifically affect Roma people less visible.
In the same way that there are specific categories, such as anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, thanks to which the cases of discrimination against Jewish or Muslim people are clearly visible, from the Fundación Secretariado Gitano we understand that it is necessary and urgent that the studies Reports on hate crime, hate speech and discrimination incorporate a specific category of anti-Gypsyism.
[1] EU MIDIS II, FRA, Minorities and discrimination survey
European Parliament resolution of 25 October 2017 on fundamental rights aspects in Roma integration in the EU: fighting anti-Gypsyism (2017/2038(INI))
Council of Europa. Commissioner for Human Rights. Human Rights of Roma and Travellers in Europa
Amnesty International - DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ROMA
OSCE-ODIHR - ODIHR mandate on Roma and Sinti issues: Key documents
Fundación Secretariado Gitano. Annual reports on Discrimination_and_the_Roma_community
