Roma protest references to "Gypsies" in official documents

01/12/2010

BUCHAREST, Romania -- About 100 members of the Roma community gathered in Bucharest on Tuesday (November 30th) to protest a proposal to use the term "Gypsy" to refer to their ethnic group. Parliament member Silviu Prigoana says "Gypsy" would be a more appropriate term to use in official documents, because the term "Roma" is too close to Romanian, which sometimes causes confusion. The Roma community, however, fears using the term would lead to repression. In addition, the word "Gypsy" has negative connotations in Romania, which has a large Roma community. (AP, Evenimentul Zilei, Gandul, Antena 3 - 30/11/10)

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