Vezi raport EN

VI Discrimination-related issues in Romania reflected in international reports

2021 | ACTIVITY REPORT

                         Recent national surveys regarding the attitudes of           The media reports which treated the Roma as the
                         the public towards Roma confirms the high levels             scapegoats for the spread of the virus also emerged
                         of intolerance emphasized by the FRA survey. In              in a number of media outlets. In Romania, for
                         Romania, 7 out of 10 persons do not trust the Roma,          example, the town of Tandarei was quarantined in
                         while 2 out of 3 Romanian think that Roma are dan-           2020 as a precautionary measure. A press agency
                         gerous. At the same time, 7 out of 10 respondents feel       reported this issue in racial terms, claiming that 800
                         that the Government should invest in high quality            Roma had just returned from abroad, brought the
                         education in order to support Roma inclusion.                illness and refused to be isolated. The same nar-
                                                                                      rative was presented also by the news TV stations,
                         In terms of positive developments, the fact that,            during prime time.
                         on 15 December 2020, Romania adopted a legisla-
                         tion specifically combating anti-Gypsy attitudes is          As an answer to such attitudes, the National Council

                         underlined. It was the first EU country doing so.            for Combating Discrimination issued sanctions
                                                                                      against a local newspaper, against a government
                         Depicting Roma and nomadic people as                         official, against a former President of Romania and
                         scapegoats during the pandemic crisis                        against a university teacher.
                         Bias towards Roma and nomadic people, levels of
                         discrimination and harassment against them in-               Alleged police violence-related incidents were also
                         creased in certain EU countries during the COVID-19          reported in Romania. The NGOs reported a dis-
                         pandemic. This became especially visible during the          proportionate use of force by the police when they
                         first wave, when the anti-Roma rhetoric in certain           enforced the quarantine measures. A video recording
                         countries, among which Romania was included,                 shows police officers handcuffing and beating 8 men      76
                         presented the Roma as a general threat to the overall        in Bolintin-Vale. The Prosecutor’s Office opened an
                         population.                                                  investigation.