Building a wall to separate a Roma community in Baia Mare city

Alert DateJune 30, 2011 Country: Romania Address: Baia Mare General Type: Discrimination, Institutional discrimination Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-roma/zinghanophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Roma & Travelers

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Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

In the summer of 2011, local authorities of Baia Mare, a city in North West Romania, built a wall separating a series of blocks of flats inhabited mostly by Roma. The decision adopted by the municipal council to build the wall was strongly criticised by human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Romanian NGOs like Romani Criss, Sanse Egale and the Center for Legal Resources. An investigation of the national equality body – the National Council for Combating Discrimination (NCCD) was initiated. On November 15th 2011, the NCCD found that the building of the wall represented discrimination, issued a fine of RON6,000 (approx EUR1,380) and recommended that the wall be pulled down. The Mayor attacked the decision and the Cluj Court of Appeal, according to media accounts, annulled the NCCD decision.

Romani CRISS filed a preliminary administrative complaint for pulling down the wall whose construction has been carried out despite protests. Furthermore, the NGO has also filed another complaint with the equality body for victimization. According to the NGO, the Mayoralty conditioned its own participation in a project initiated by a series of French NGOs on the exclusion from the project of Romani CRISS, which had also been invited to participate as partner.

This is not the only wall separating a Roma community in Romania as has also been reported on by international media.

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