Romanian anti-discrimination watchdog fines president for Roma comments

The Romanian anti discrimination watchdog, the National Council for Combatting Discrimination, has fined Romanian President Traian Băsescu for comments he made on separate occasions about Roma people. The agency initially refused to take the case against the President. Following a Supreme Court ruling, the Council took on the case and ultimately fined the President 600 Romanian lei (approximately €130).

The agency fined President Băsescu for having said “very few of them (Roma) want to work” and “traditionally many of them live off stealing”, during a 2010 news conference in Slovenia. More recently during a January 2014 speaking engagement in Berlin, while defending the right of Roma to move freely around the European Union, he said Roma irritate people by begging and are “perhaps more troublesome than a banker who makes tens of billions disappear from a bank”.

Click here to read an article on the BBC website about Mr Băsescu’s comments.

The complaint was brought by Roma rights group Romani Criss. Speaking following the Council’s decision, Executive Director Marian Mandache heralded the Council’s decision as “very important ... [I]t is the first time a Romanian president has to pay a fine because of discriminatory remarks against the Roma . . . [t]he fine is low but it sends a clear message: even if you are president, when you make discriminatory comments you will get a sanction”. Click here to read an article in the Daily Times. 

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