Sunday, April 26, 2009

As Economic Turmoil Mounts, So Do Deadly Attacks on Hungary’s Gypsies

By Jeremy Shaub

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/europe/27hungary.html?ref=world

It seems when you are a Gypsy in Hungary that is just enough to get you killed now. Over the past year at least 7 Gypsies have been killed in Hungary and 30 plus Molotov cocktail attacks against Roma homes. But lately the focus has been on the latest three attacks because of the stealth and accuracy of the kills could have been done by police officers or military officials. But one of the most recent attacks a 4 year old boy and his father were gunned down after their house was set on fire. This violence is spreading a fear among the people and Roma people are actually afraid to identify themselves in surveys. But these attacks are scaring the Roma people to do anything right now. And with the death of the child it seems that “It proved to us it doesn’t matter whether we are good people or bad people. It only matters that we are Gypsy."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This was a very interesting article to read. I am actually half Hungarian Roma (we don't use the term "gypsy" as it generally has negative connotations) and I know a lot about the antiziganism in Eastern Europe, especially in Hungary. There is a lot of police and government racism and persecution that is widespread, and it's hard to put into words of just how awful it is that the Roma people are still being treated so badly after many centuries of persecution.