In a conference of Romani and non-Romani civil society groups from throughout Europe and the world, held in Bucharest last week, participants criticized Western European governments for pursuing anti-immigration and expulsion policies. The conference declaration condemned actions taken by Germany, France, the United Kingdom and other nations to expel or otherwise “repatriate” Roma to central and eastern European countries, where anti-Romani sentiment is widespread. The participants called on governments to disavow “anti-migrant Fortress Europe policies” and implement policies to “integrate Roma into the societies in which they live.”
