discrimination of the Roma people

[Amandistan]

I love Romania and the people but I have learned that the Roma people are regarded as inferior and treated as 2nd class citizens.  It seems to be the norm.
It's disgusting the way they treat them. Even the kids. Yes, some are thieves but it doesn't entitle them to be subjected to the judgement they are subjected to sometimes even hate crimes.

Hitchhiking is the norm in Northern Romania but they have a  system where gypsies can never get a lift. However westerners and Romanians have no issue.
In my village a group of Roma live on top of a hill. The kids come down to beg for food. They then carry massive baskets of vegetables and food and are expected to carry it 20 Km up hill. Not one Romanian stops for them. Therefore and the English couple who relocated were the only ones with a bit of compassion.

It's really gets my blood boiling. You are going to discriminate agains 8 year old children based on some ancient belief of hatred. Even after these people were killed in the nazi death camps, they have not learned.

W

[Pol]

Sadly these people do have a bad reputation and are stereotyped because of it  . Now whilst I believe that most of them are good hard working people and I've never been to that part of world to judge probably. Sadly the ones that I do see and hear about mainly in Glasgow are on the streets begging. I'm all for people coming to this country but in the main they need to work and contribute back. I'm sure there is plenty that I don't see who are doing so that I don't hear about

[lotus]

@ amandistan
That`s what I wanted to describe in my posting some days ago - Roma and Sinti often try to find a better country than Rumania (other balkan country) for themselves and their children 

[Master Ray]

I have a Roma couple living in the flat below me right now and they're lovely people...

[Amandistan]

I get it know Lotus.

It's takes seeing it to realize just how horrible it is.

An english expat that I know is trying to prove them wrong. He went into a gypsy village and asked if he could bring in tourist as he runs a hotel. He buys hand mad horse shoes each time. Never has anyone been robbed in this village are harmed. Much to some of the Romanians disbelief.

Also every time something is lost or stolen around here point fingers at the Roma. When the fact is that I know of some Romanians that steal wood and building materials each night, then sell them. 
While they blame the Roma, they are guilty of their own corruption. 

I am in Breb a small village in Maramures so maybe somewhere like Cluj or Bucharest it's different. I hope.

The ones I have met seemed very nice and harmless.

[BlackCountryMaggiD]

It's amazing the bad reputation the Roma people have got. A friend of mine lost her wallet in Greece and even though there was no proof that it had been stolen they blamed Romanian gypsies.

They certainly appear to be the scapegoats of Europe at the moment. A friend also told me that they are responsible for a lot of robberies on farms  in the Republic of Ireland although I'm inclined to believe that it's probably local people but as in the place you are, its easy to blame the Roma.
Good luck to your friend with his reeducation project.