27/02/2025
FSG
The Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) Awards ceremony was held yesterday at the Espacio Bertelsmann in Madrid, in a ceremony that brought together nearly 200 people from different fields. It was a special gala because it was held in 2025, declared by the government as the Year of the Roma People in Spain to commemorate 600 years of the presence of the Roma on the peninsula.
The winners were the programme La Revuelta, from the Spanish Public Television; the writer Raúl Quinto; the Roma leader Ramón Salazar, Tío Jani; the policeman Jorge Serrano; the organisation European Roma Rights Center (ERRC); and the company Lacera.
The gala was hosted by FSG colleagues Celia Gabarri and Gonzalo Montaño. It opened with a brief performance by actress Coco Reyes, dedicated to the 600 years of the Roma in Spain.
This anniversary also provided food for thought for Sara Giménez, director of the FSG, who recalled the great contributions of the Roma in Spain, but also the challenges that remain in areas such as education, employment and the fight against discrimination.
The president of the FSG, Jesús Loza, spoke about the importance of these awards and the contribution of the winners to the construction of a fairer society.
The first of the categories presented was that of Transformative Company, which in this edition went to the company Grupo Lacera, for its involvement and promotion of the incorporation of Roma into the labour market in Asturias. The award was collected by Marcos Suárez, general manager of Grupo Lacera, and Blanca Fernández, from the HR department.
Policeman Jorge Serrano received the award in the Solidarity with G individual category, for his leadership in the creation of the Diversity Management Unit in the Burgos Police Force and his fight against antigypsyism.
The award Solidarity with G collective category went to the European Roma Rights Centre for defending the rights of Roma in Europe and the impact of its strategic litigation. Vivien Brassó, legal director of ERRC, collected the award.
The writer and professor Raúl Quinto, author of Martinete del rey sombra, received the award in the category Education is the Future, for making known with his literature one of the most shameful episodes against the Roma in Spain, the Great Round-up.
In the category ‘Tío Valentin’, the lifetime achievement of Ramón Salazar, Tío Jani, was recognised for his tireless work in defence of the dignity of the Roma. His grandson collected the award.
The last award of the night, in the category of Communicating with Awareness, went to the television programme La Revuelta, for giving visibility to social causes and the Roma cause in a mass audience medium. The award was collected by Miriam García, director of Entertainment at the Spanish Public Television, and one of the comedians who collaborate on the programme, Sergio Bezos.
The gala closed with music by Jairo de Remache and Antonio Remache, who performed, among other songs, ‘El alma no tiene color’.
Composition of the FSG Awards 2024 Jury
Each edition of the awards has an external jury responsible for awarding the prizes. In the 2024 edition, it was made up of Beatriz Herranz, general manager of Telefónica's Central Territory; Maria Canal, head of Press for the European Commission in Spain; Luis Manuel Fernández Iglesias, director of Spanish Radio Exterior; Lola Cabrillana, teacher and writer; Israel Fernández, flamenco artist; Carles López, president of the Platform of Children's Organisations and, representing the FSG, Antonio Soto, 1st vice-president.
Jesús Loza, president of the FSG
Photo gallery
