Anti-Romani sentiment

Anti-Romani sentiment (also called antigypsyism, anti-Romanyism, antiziganism, ziganophobia, or Romaphobia) is a form of bigotry which consists of hostility, prejudice, discrimination, racism and xenophobia which is specifically directed at Romani people (Roma, Sinti, Iberian Kale, Welsh Kale, Finnish Kale, Horahane Roma, and Romanichal). Non-Romani itinerant groups in Europe such as the Yenish, Irish and Highland Travellers are frequently given the name "gypsy" and as a result, they are frequently confused with the Romani people. As a result, sentiments which were originally directed at the Romani people are also directed at other traveler groups and they are frequently referred to as "antigypsy" sentiments.

Quotes

• Racism did not simply disappear from people’s minds. The suffering of the Sinti and Roma was not recognized after the war. Courts denied survivors compensation. Worse still, they blamed the victims themselves for their persecution. The genocide of the Sinti and Roma was kept secret and denied. Hardly any perpetrators were brought to justice. On the contrary: in offices and authorities, the survivors encountered their former persecutors. The discrimination continued. It is a bitter realization: even in democracy, injustice was long kept quiet and repressed. But in a democracy it was possible to fight against the suppression and silence of crimes. The Sinti and Roma survivors, their children and grandchildren have taken up this fight. They broke the silence and confronted Germany with its crimes. And they insisted on equal rights.
  • Speech by Bundestag President Bärbel Bas on the European Holocaust Remembrance Day for Sinti and Roma in the former German extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on 2 August 2024 [1]