Romanian Foreign Minister Found Guilty Of Discriminatory Statements Against Roma

The sources said the council analyzed a complaint regarding Baconschi's statements about Roma people and crimes committed by Roma and concluded the minister's statements are discriminatory. They also said the council gave the minister a warning, which, they stressed, will turn into fine, if the case may be in the future. Under the law, the minister can appeal the council's decision in court.

Dozens of Romanian non-governmental organizations have called for Baconschi's resignation or dismissal, displeased with his "racist" statements on February 11, 2010 during talks with French Secretary of State for European Affairs Pierre Lellouche. They said they are also displeased with a press release issued by the Romanian Government on the same day, which provided information on talks between Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc and Lellouche.

The NGOs said in a press release in February this year that, during his speech regarding the Romanian community in France, Baconschi said there are some problems involving crimes committed by several Romanian communities, mainly the communities of Romanians of Roma ethnicity. According to the NGOs, the minister directly links crimes to ethnicity, which is more than similar to the explanations given by Nazi Germany to justify the Holocaust. They also said Baconschi "is not aware that «racial profiling» goes against the European laws governing the 21st century.

In September this year, dozens of non-governmental organizations, sociologists and writers in Romania harshly criticized President Traian Basescu for his statements regarding Roma people and called on competent bodies and authorities to take measures and impose sanctions. In his statements, Basescu said moving from place to place is a cultural objective of nomadic Roma and admitted that many Roma people "traditionally make a living from theft."

The NGOs said the racist speech of high-level politicians goes back a long way and it has been partially and inefficiently sanctioned by the competent bodies.

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