Written declaration No. 667 | Doc. 14813 | 23 January 2019

Upsurge of violence against Roma communities in Europe

Signatories: Ms Gabriela HEINRICH, Germany, SOC ; Lord Donald ANDERSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Petra BAYR, Austria, SOC ; Mr Peter BEYER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Ahmet Ünal ÇEVİKÖZ, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Vernon COAKER, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Yunus EMRE, Turkey, SOC ; Ms Sabina GLASOVAC, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Gyde JENSEN, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Haluk KOÇ, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Konstantin KUHLE, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Víctor NAUDI ZAMORA, Andorra, SOC ; Mr Miroslav NENUTIL, Czech Republic, SOC ; Mr Andreas NICK, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Selin SAYEK BÖKE, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Axel SCHÄFER, Germany, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Predrag SEKULIĆ, Montenegro, SOC ; Ms Tineke STRIK, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Petra De SUTTER, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Dimitri TSKITISHVILI, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Martin WHITFIELD, United Kingdom, SOC

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

Recent violent attacks against Roma communities are a cause for serious concern. In Ukraine, at least two Roma individuals were killed in 2018 during armed attacks on their settlements or villages, and many more Roma lost their homes.

Political leaders, including members of governments of Council of Europe member States, use antigypsyist rhetoric increasingly, and often with impunity. Yet such discourse condones and sometimes even encourages discrimination against Roma.

Most recently, in Bulgaria, the authorities ordered the demolition of a Roma neighbourhood, following an attack on police officers by two members of that community. Yet it is always unacceptable to penalise an entire community for the misdeeds of some of its members.

In view of the escalating violence, anti-Roma prejudice and abuse should be addressed as a matter of urgency in all Council of Europe member States.