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Cases of discrimination in the media
11.
The photo accompanying the story is supposedly of the family and it shows their faces (but not the children
or the police officers who had their backs to the camera) with the following caption: “National Police officers
speaking with the squatters and residents of the nearby shanty town.”
We believe that identifying these alleged squatters as Roma and residents of a shanty town, and stressing the
fear that neighbours had of possible reprisals and the fact that the entire village was present at the scene, only
serves to further entrench the negative stereotype of Roma (crime, danger, slums...); in short, we feel that the
tone of the article is discriminatory.
8.
Galicia.
Press.
Direct discrimination.
The newspaper La Voz de Ferrol ran an article under the following head-
line: “14-year-old boy arrested when he crashed the stolen car he was driving in the town of O Burgo.”
The article describes the event of the stolen car driven by two minors (age 14 and 15), both “Gypsies”.
Our Department wrote a letter of complaint to this media outlet drawing attention to the language used through-
out the article and the fact that personal details such as ethnic group add nothing to the story and only serve
to tarnish the image of the Roma community by associating it with crime.
9.
Galicia.
Press.
Direct discrimination.
An article was published in the newspaper La Voz de Galicia under the
following headline: “Two people arrested in a fight between two families of the town of Meicende.”
The article reports on a criminal event in Arteixo from the previous weekend where two victims were allegedly
stabbed and the perpetrator arrested. According to the article, two families were involved: “... The assailant and
his victims are members of two Gypsy families and the facts indicate that the fight had to do with drugs.” This
is considered discriminatory because an ethnic group is identified (those involved were identified as Roma even
though this is irrelevant information) and, before facts could even be verified, a connection was made with “drug
issues”, stressing the stereotype linking Roma with drug-related crime.
10.
Lugo.
Press.
Direct discrimination.
El Progreso, a local newspaper from Lugo, published an article about a
series of robberies affecting the local population. The article links these robberies with a neighbourhood (O
Carquexia) where the population is mostly Roma. The article created fear among the families who linked the
thefts to groups of Roma living nearby.
11.
Galicia.
Press.
Direct discrimination.
El Progreso, a local newspaper from Lugo, published a story which di-
rectly links “gorillas” with Roma.
The news story links this activity with aggressive and violent situations faced by car owners who refuse to give
in to the “gorillas” who allegedly ask for “voluntary payment” in exchange for taking care of the cars parked in
that area. The story also mentions that these people have had numerous run-ins with the local Lugo police for
“serious disregard for authority and for being a major personal and road safety hazard”. The newspaper added:
“The two gorillas, both Gypsies, paid no heed to police warnings.”
Again, the mention of “ethnic background” in a news story fails to add any relevant information and only reiter-
ates negative prejudices and stereotypes towards the Roma community.