Foreign Ministry: UK Romanians' reaction to Channel4 documentary a proof of community solidarity

The first episode of a documentary broadcast by the British Channel 4 on February 17 was not representative for the Romanian community of the United Kingdom, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) declared in a release to AGERPRES on Sunday.

Photo credit: (c) CRISTIAN NISTOR / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

'Following the release of the documentary's trailer and upon instructions of the MAE heads, the Romanian ambassador in London immediately wrote to the producer of this broadcast at this private TV Channel, Katie Buchanan, expressing the surprise and disappointment caused by the content of the promotion message, which did not reflect the correct image of the Romanian community in the United Kingdom,' the quoted document reads.

MAE's media release was a response to the interpellation of Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu by the independent MP Bogdan Diaconu on Sunday.

According to the ministry, Ambassador Ion Jinga's letter underlines that the vast majority of Romanian citizens is well integrated in the British society, and noted at their workplaces for their professionalism, thus being appreciated by British employers. The embassy asked for the situation to be remedied and hoped the content of the documentary will be objective, and not a distorted image of the whole Romanian community in the UK.

'In her answer to the Romanian ambassador, the producer of the series pointed out the documentaries do not intend to be discriminatory in any way; on the contrary, they aim at reflecting the very diverse experiences of Romanian citizens with different backgrounds who come to earn money in the United Kingdom,' MAE' release asserts.

As regards the first episode of the series, MAE underscored it was not representative for the Romanian community in the...