The heart of a racist can shelter so much evil and hatred!

The Board of the Romani Union met today in Madrid, saddened by this terrible news that has spread throughout the world: three gypsy sisters have died in Rome while they were sleeping in a van with their parents and eight siblings, who managed to escape from the vehicle with their lives. The Board would like to express their grief and outrage at the tragedy that this criminal attack constitutes.

The first pieces of information that we have managed to gather do indeed show that this fire was deliberate. Alarmed by the loud noise of the explosion, the occupant of a flat adjacent to the car-park in which the van was sitting was able to film the fire from his window. At the same time, a security camera mounted outside the supermarket where the unfortunate family had parked their vehicle was able to capture terrible footage of the hooded culprit starting the fire, throwing a Molotov cocktail at the van and enveloping it in flames. Once the fire was out, samples were taken of a flammable liquid found near the lid of the bottle that would become the bomb responsible for the terrible fire.

The married couple, poor gypsies of Bosnia origin, managed to flee the vehicle with eight of their eleven children, but were unable to save Elizabeth, a young 20-year-old gypsy in the prime of her life, or her two little sisters, eight-year-old Francesca and little Angelica, who was just four years old.

In this urgent statement, we would like to announce that both the Spanish Romani Union and the International Romani Union will take a series of steps for full clarification of the facts, so that the necessary urgent measures can be taken to arrest both the murderous culprit behind this attack and the group that is collectively instigating these murders.

We know that Italy is deeply saddened by the news – well, possibly not all of Italy, because our dear sister country is widely inhabited by violently racist groups and political organisations who have encouraged violent acts against the gypsies. A range of figures, from the President of the Italian Republic to the Pope, have come out in condemnation of this terrible attack. We are grateful, but we want more. And we are going to demand more. In the face of such barbarity, we must say “enough”. We must stem the tide of Nazi murderers freely circulating throughout Europe. We must legally punish the political groups who see themselves as “pure-blooded” forbearers of a race of super-men and super-women. With all the strength that was taken away from Elisabeth, Francesca, and Angelica, we will cry out that we do not allow racists in our midst. And we must do it now. Not tomorrow, now.

We will appeal, and we will demand. In these times of crisis, in which the supreme values of freedom and fraternity are being attacked throughout the countries of Europe, democrats cannot stay silent. And our leaders, both on the right and the left, must protest with all their courage against the populist inciters of racism who are not welcome here. Get them out! We do not want them! The model for our society is different to theirs. Ours is a society where the values enshrined in the Declaration of Human Rights are at the forefront of our coexistence.

And to make this possible, we are announcing our support for a great demonstration in Rome, in which gypsies and gachés (non-gypsies) of all European nations will come together to flood the Eternal City and say “enough” to racist murderers. Across old Europe, we will demand the gradual rebirth of the values that made this continent an ideal cradle in which to coexist.

And we invite all our fellow citizens to attend this show of solidarity.

From the Board of the Romani Union

Juan de Dios Ramirez Heredia

Vice-President of the International Romani Union

This English translation has been possible thanks to the PerMondo project: Free translation of website and documents for non-profit organisations. A project managed by Mondo Agit. Translator: Reuben Kaufman.