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
16 9 1 26

Date Country Type of incident Source Description
2022 Ireland Threats/Harassment INAR - The Irish Network Against Racism Show info
2022 Ireland Threats/Harassment INAR - The Irish Network Against Racism Show info
2022 Ireland Violent attacks against people INAR - The Irish Network Against Racism Show info
2022-03 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA, OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2022-03 Ukraine Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2022-03 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2022-03 Poland Violent attacks against people "Never Again" Association, Jewish Association CZULENT Show info
2022-05 Spain Violent attacks against people Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) Show info
2022-05 Türkiye Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2022-06 Greece Violent attacks against people Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) Show info
2022-06 Czech Republic Violent attacks against people In IUSTITIA Show info
2022-06 Romania Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2022-07 Serbia Threats/Harassment OSCE Mission to Serbia Show info
2022-07 Spain Threats/Harassment Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) Show info
2022-07 Spain Threats/Harassment European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2022-07 Italy Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), Lunaria Show info
2022-08 Italy Threats/Harassment Lunaria Show info
2022-08 Spain Threats/Harassment Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG), OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2022-08 Moldova Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2022-09 Spain Violent attacks against people Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) Show info
2022-10 Czech Republic Threats/Harassment In IUSTITIA Show info
2022-11 Hungary Threats/Harassment Working Group Against Hate Crimes Show info
2022-12 Hungary Violent attacks against people OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights Show info
2022-12 Greece Violent attacks against people European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) Show info
2022-12 Hungary Violent attacks against people Working Group Against Hate Crimes Show info

International Reports

Croatia

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the combined ninth to fourteenth periodic reports of Croatia".

Portugal

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the combined eighteenth and nineteenth periodic reports of Portugal".