Being Gypsy in Italy
Aug. 18th, 2007 03:57 pmThe Gypsies have aa unique status according to the Italian constitution. They are deprived of any human rights - they are not regarded rightful members of the Italian society, they do not have the right to vote, to have permanent residence, Italian passports, and jobs. They are regarded as nomads.
The recent tragic events have fired up the long-lasting debate on this very sensitive issue, and now EU is pushing Italy to reconsider its attitude towards the Gypsy minority - the first step being, to recognize it as such.
The strange thing is, there aren't big anti-Gypsy sentiments in the Italian society, even after its fascist past. Just, the Italians prefer to pretend that this minority doesn't exist.
The recent tragic events have fired up the long-lasting debate on this very sensitive issue, and now EU is pushing Italy to reconsider its attitude towards the Gypsy minority - the first step being, to recognize it as such.
The strange thing is, there aren't big anti-Gypsy sentiments in the Italian society, even after its fascist past. Just, the Italians prefer to pretend that this minority doesn't exist.