Annual Report Discrimination 2015

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Cases of discrimination in the media
3. Lugo. Press. Direct discrimination. An FSG worker in Lugo reported that:
She had requested information at the primary school called Paradai on behalf of two Roma families to
help them with the enrolment of their daughters. The worker informed us that two days before going
to the school, the Voz de Galicia newspaper ran a story about the director of that school who had
been reprimanded by the school inspectorate of Lugo for stating that he refused to accept enrolment
applications from Roma and immigrant children.
In light of that information, the FSG requested more information and the Lugo FSG office contacted the school’s
parents’ association which informed us that they were considering requesting an interview with the education
inspector who had opened the disciplinary file.
The main negative effect of this news story in the area of influence around Lugo was that Roma families were
reluctant to enrol their children at the school for fear of mistreatment.
A few days later, that same newspaper reported that the director had been relieved of his duties and was sus-
pended without pay for refusing to enrol immigrant and Roma children at the school.
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The FSG’s discrimination department welcomes the sanction of these clearly discriminatory acts on the part of
the school administration and hopes that this serves to prevent similar cases in the future.
4. Galicia. Press. Direct discrimination. An article was published in the newspaper La Voz de Galicia under the
following headline: “A wedding in O Carballino attracts Roma families from all across Galicia.”
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CASE 4