Annual Report 2014 - Discrimination and the Roma community

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Discrimination and the Roma Community 2014
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27. National. Internet. Direct discrimination. An Internet page lifted posters from one of the Fundación Secre-
tariado Gitano’s educational campaigns and manipulated them in an extremely offensive way as an insult to the
Roma community. The page can be found at:
These manipulated posters were first reported in 2012 by the Fundación Secretariado Gitano (state case nº 35
from the 2013 Discrimination and the Roma Community report) to the Secretariat of State for Telecommunica-
tions, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism and to the Attorney General’s Office for possible transfer to
the Prosecutor for Computer Crime, the result being the dismissal of the proceedings.
After lodging our complaints the website in question, eliminated everything related to the
education campaign and we were grateful for that collaboration in removing material that incited hatred and
racism against the Roma community.
However, this is not the case with this other website which has posted practically the same previously reported
material.
The Equality Department requested the removal of this material but we have not received any positive response.
Unfortunately, this is how these cases tend to go; first of all, it is very difficult to contact the discriminating par-
ty and secondly, we find that there are hardly any resources available to deal with these cases of discrimination
disseminated on the Internet.
28. National. The media. Direct discrimination. La Gazeta, an information and analysis newspaper belonging to
the Intereconomía press group, published an article entitled “The Freaky State” where it is asserted that money
spent on disseminating Roma culture was “money wasted” and made the point that this money comes from
taxpayers’ pockets. Following are some excerpts from the article:
“This huge number of free-loaders who live on the dole, together with our tremendously creative politicians,
inevitably leads to the creation of public agencies whose aims are absurd.
We have agencies involved in selling horse semen, spreading gypsy culture, defending the glass sector, pro-
moting gambling or admiring the Catalan landscape. Following is a just a small sampling of public companies
comprising a really freaky country. “
29. National. The media. Direct discrimination. In the reader comments section of the digital version of the of
the El País newspaper article entitled “750,000 ways to be a Gypsy,” we found a list of racist comments that
are an affront to the Roma community; comments perpetuating stereotypes and prejudices with no regard for
the truth. The following comments were made in response to an article giving a positive portrayal of the Roma
community highlighting its heterogeneous nature:
“The reality that I’ve witnessed is one of families that attack social workers and professional mediators,
that do not send their children to school, that are always involved in shady businesses (small-time drug
pushers, stealing copper ...), that pay no heed at all to “laws made by payos” and that harbour contempt
for and are aggressive towards others. I say congratulations to those who live like the rest of us, who
make their living in outdoor markets and by mobile trading and who seek to improve their standard of
living and educate their children.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more on that count, Pelayo. Three years ago, the Community of Madrid sent
several families of gypsies to live in my building and since then community life here has been absolutely
unbearable. They have no respect for anyone. The filth is indescribable. The community areas now look like
Beirut after a bombing. And they react aggressively when anyone tries to reason with them. What a great
job our government administrations are doing! All the neighbours who can go elsewhere, do, but those of us
who can’t, well we’re being treated with anti-anxiety drugs. And to add insult to injury, with our tax money!”