MP Silviu Prigoana promotes a legislative proposal of changing the name of Roma to Gypsy.

Alert DateMarch 18, 2009 Country: Romania General Type: Discrimination Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-roma/zinghanophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Roma & Travelers Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: Political Discourse

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According to the newspaper in question, Democrat-Liberal Party deputy Silviu Prigoana took over the initiative of a national newspaper, Jurnalul National, which came up in March 2009 with the idea of a legislative proposal (gathering signatures for it) to change the name  of Roma to Gypsy and promoted it in Parliament. [1] Various institutions had diverse reactions, some supporting the initiative, others opposing it, other opposing them by explaining it would not solve the problem it addresses. Of these institutions, the Romanian Academy considered that the term “Gypsy” is the correct one. [2] Finally, in 2011, the initiative (not the first one of its kind in Romania) was rejected by the Parliament (in February by the Senate and in April by the Chamber of Deputies). [3] Romani CRISS NGO filed a petition with the equality body against the deputy and the Romanian Academy claiming discriminatory treatment. [4] No update on the case was publicly available.

Sources:

[1] Dana Piciu, “Silviu Prigoana takes over the initiative of the National Journal” in Jurnalul National, 18.03.2009, available at: http://www.jurnalul.ro/tigan-in-loc-de-rom/silviu-prigoana-preia-initiativa-jurnalului-national-146429.htm (Date of access: 06.03.2012)

[2] Mediafax.ro, The Government agrees with the changing of the name Roma to Gypsy, 02.12.2010, available at: http://www.mediafax.ro/social/guvernul-este-de-acord-cu-schimbarea-denumirii-de-rom-in-tigan-7773030 (Date of access: 06.03.2012)

[3] Romanian Parliament website, information on the Legal Initiative Pl. Nr. 731/2010 Legal proposal on the terminology used for the ethnicity of gypsies, available at: http://www.cdep.ro/pls/proiecte/upl_pck.proiect?idp=15412&cam=1 (Date of access: 06.03.2012)

[4] Romani CRISS, Press release. The Romanian Academy and Silviu Pirgoana at hearings with the National Council for Combating Discrimination, 01.03.2011, available at: http://www.romanicriss.org/comunicat%20CRISS%20plangere%20Prigoana.pdf (Date of access: 06.03.2012)