Serbia:Condemnations of protest against Roma moving to Sirca

BELGRADE - The Serbian Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy condemned on Saturday in the strongest terms the protest that residents of the village of Sirca near Kraljevo held because they are against two Roma families moving into their neighborhood.

Around 50 residents of the village of Sirca near Kraljevo held a protest on Thursday and blocked the road in that village as they do not want the Roma families to move into the house that they bought from their fellow resident.

Residents blocked the access road to the property because, as they put it, they do not want to mix with Roma people.

The Serbian ministry said that it is impermissible to infringe on the basic human rights and treat members of the Roma national minority as second-class citizens.

The ministry underlined in a release that all citizens of Serbia, including members of national minorities, are guaranteed the right to education, work, healthcare and social protection, housing.

The ministry noted that members of the Roma national minority are one of the groups of citizens in this country that are most often discriminated against, and that the state is tackling the issue by enforcing the law on the prohibition of discrimination, implementing the strategy for prevention and protection from discrimination, and through institutions of the system.

“There is no tolerance of differences in the system of values held by residents of the village of Sirca, and when there is no tolerance, this void is filled by prejudice, hatred and intolerance, which are not typical of our people,” the ministry warned, stressing that the awareness must be raised in relation to the issue.

Commissioner for the Protection of Equality...