Anti-Roma hate crime

OSCE participating States recognized the danger of ethnic hatred targeting Roma and Sinti as early as 1990. Anti-Roma rhetoric, including that focusing on "Gypsy criminality", can be perpetuated in the media and by political actors. EU enlargement, coupled with Roma marginalization, have led many Roma individuals and families to seek better conditions and opportunities elsewhere through migration, often encountering negative reactions in destination countries or areas. ODIHR's annual reporting on hate crime has presented a range of hate crimes targeting Roma. Assault, property damage and murder, involving the use of explosives, firearms or Molotov cocktails have featured in these reports. Among the particularly worrying incidents reported to ODIHR have been arson attacks against Roma homes.

More recently, Ministerial Council decisions in Maastricht (2003), Athens (2009) and Kiev (2013), as well as the Astana declaration (2010) have reconfirmed the need to combat violence against Roma and Sinti and urged participating States to step up their efforts in this regard.

A number of factors suggest that the reported data provide only a fragment of the overall picture of hate crimes against Roma and Sinti. While some participating States record anti-Roma hate crimes, these may not be disaggregated in their statistics and, instead, be included under the heading of racist and xenophobic hate crimes. In addition excessive force against or ill-treatment of Roma, including, for example, in the course of evictions or during stop-and-search actions by the police, can contribute to a lack of trust in the authorities. This, combined with a lack of means and knowledge on the part of Roma communities to monitor and report hate crimes means that these are likely significantly under-reported.

ODIHR TANDIS

Overview of incidents reported by other sources

Violent attacks against people Threats/Harassment Attacks against property Total
35 16 6 57

Date Country Type of incident Source Description
2021 Serbia Threats/Harassment European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021 Serbia Attacks against property European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021 Serbia Attacks against property European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-02 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-02 Germany Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-02 Serbia Threats/Harassment OSCE Mission to Serbia Show info
2021-03 Czech Republic Threats/Harassment In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-03 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-03 Czech Republic Attacks against property In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-03 North Macedonia Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-03 North Macedonia Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-03 North Macedonia Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-04 Serbia Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-04 Hungary Threats/Harassment Working Group Against Hate Crimes Show info
2021-04 North Macedonia Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-05 Italy Threats/Harassment European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-05 Romania Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-05 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-05 Finland Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-05 Slovakia Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-05 Germany Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-06 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-06 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-06 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-06 Czech Republic Threats/Harassment In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-06 Hungary Threats/Harassment Working Group Against Hate Crimes Show info
2021-06 Moldova Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-06 Spain Violent attacks against people Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) Show info
2021-07 Greece Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-07 Greece Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-07 North Macedonia Threats/Harassment European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-07 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-07 Croatia Threats/Harassment Croatian civil society coalition Show info
2021-07 North Macedonia Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-07 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-07 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-07 Czech Republic Threats/Harassment OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-08 Italy Violent attacks against people Gay Center/Gay Helpline Show info
2021-08 Greece Threats/Harassment Roma Women's Association of Drosero "The Hope" Show info
2021-08 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-08 France Attacks against property OIDAC Show info
2021-08 Serbia Attacks against property Alliance Against Discrimination of Roma (AADR), European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-08 Greece Threats/Harassment OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-08 North Macedonia Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-09 Greece Threats/Harassment Roma Women's Association of Drosero "The Hope" Show info
2021-09 Hungary Threats/Harassment Working Group Against Hate Crimes Show info
2021-09 North Macedonia Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-09 Romania Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2021-10 North Macedonia Threats/Harassment European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2021-10 Czech Republic Threats/Harassment In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-10 Greece Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights, Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) Show info
2021-11 Italy Attacks against property Observatory on anti-Semitism Show info
2021-11 Serbia Violent attacks against people Alliance Against Discrimination of Roma (AADR), OSCE Mission to Serbia Show info
2021-12 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2021-12 Poland Violent attacks against people "Never Again" Association Show info
2021-12 Austria Violent attacks against people ZARA Show info
2021-12 Serbia Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info

International Reports

Bulgaria

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published relevant recommendations in its "ECRI Report on Bulgaria (sixth monitoring cycle)".

France

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published relevant recommendations in its "ECRI report on France (sixth monitoring cycle)".

Poland

The United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) published relevant recommendations in its "Poland Compilation of information by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights".