With around 10 million people, Roma is the largest ethnic minority in Europe. Last Monday, 8 April, the International Roma day, celebrated Roma culture and history across the European continent, apart from, it would seem, in Orihuela.

The PSOE is claiming that the City Council has tried to “make invisible” everything related to the commemoration of the events. The councillor María García said that “we have been of all the problems that the representatives of this group have had for over a month. Today, without going any further, the government has not allowed the Romani flag to be displayed outside Orihuela Town Hall, even though, just 7 days ago, the councillor for Social Welfare, Agustina Rodríguez, told their leaders that they had the council’s full support”.

Garcia said, “this is just another example of the true intentions of a government that continues to try to maintain acts of commitment, but without any feeling”.

The Socialist Group also claims that in addition to changing the date for their commemorative event, which was held last Saturday, the Town Hall, through Social Welfare, did not comply with the commitments it had made to hold the event.

María García added “we know that for some time now the association has been trying, through various meetings, to get to know the government’s intentions with regard to support at the celebratory event, and they have even provided items to insert in the programme.

However, the current councillor, Agustina Rodríguez, refused to tell them of the artist she had booked to perform”. García recalls that “it was only when the Town Hall decided to upload the joint programme on the internet that it became known that the artist was also a well-known anti-Gypsy”.

García said that the hiring of this individual shows a complete lack of interest and knowledge of the community.  It was also a total lack of respect that the performance was allowed to go ahead.

It is clear to us that if we had been more respectful, this would not have happened, and the scandal and anger of the Roma people would have been avoided”.

The PSOE concluded by asking councillor Agustina Rodríguez for “a public apology to the Roma group. It is very serious discrimination that has taken place, preventing the placement of their flag. The excuse that only official flags are allowed is not valid, the truth is that for this government, the term ‘official’ only covers groups and causes that they support and not the whole of Orihuela society”.