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Discrimination and the Roma community, 2015
65.
Aviles.
The media.
Direct discrimination.
The newspapers La Voz de Aviles and El Comercio covered the
presentation of the research study “Roma students in secondary education, a comparative study” conducted by
the Fundación Secretariado Gitano. The presentation took place at the Teacher-Resource Centre in West Aviles.
In addition to the presentation of the study itself, the programme included a panel discussion to introduce the
FSG’s educational programme called Promociona.
The article was accurate. It included the data given in the presentation and was objective, even mentioning the
fact that the Promociona Programme was considered a Best Practice by the Council of Europe.
The problem was the readers’ comments following the publication of the article in the newspaper’s digital edi-
tion (lavozdeaviles.es). There were ten different comments based on all types of stereotypes and prejudices
towards the Roma community. Following are some examples:
What is all this fuss about Gypsies... Listen to me... I have a job, I have a flat (and a mortgage), I pay my
home-owner’s fees, electricity, water, my taxes, fines, my children’s school books, cafeteria fees, the
school bus, I have a car, a driver’s license and car insurance but, if I came back in another life, I would like
to be born Gypsy... YA KNOW WAD I MEAN?
RespondShare2Responses22
Because you would have all of that for free. You wouldn’t have to pay for anything.
I guess that’s the irony.
RespondShare1Responses10
I see that you do ‘know wad I mean’.
Share10
maberais_1392726071357
But when are we going to learn that they do whatever they please; they only wear that sad expression
on their faces when they want something and then they laugh at us behind our backs. They should be
treated equally; if they don’t do their part... no more aid...
RespondShare60
France and Italy solved part of the problem. They’re members of the EU, right? What obligation does
Spain have to let them live here?
RespondShare50
66.
Aviles.
The media.
Direct discrimination.
The Aviles edition of the newspaper El Comercio published a story
about a pony grazing in the garden area of the ‘barrio de luz’ neighbourhood. The article mentions the ethnic
origin of the animal’s owner.
The newspaper El Comercio covered a fight among a group of young boys. The article mentions that the ag-
gressors were Roma and how the arrival on the scene of two local families had caused social alarm. A link is drawn
between the story about the pony and this other one and the article goes on to mix several different events that
are totally unrelated to the aggression.
67.
Aviles.
The media.
Direct discrimination.
At the beginning of April, several stories appeared in the media in
Asturias about statements made by a councillor of the town hall of Siero who expressed his opinion about mu-
nicipal funding of programmes for the Roma community.
These declarations sparked different opinions and tension among the citizens of Siero who identified the Roma
community as beneficiaries of disproportionate amounts of social aid without achieving any positive result.