COPENHAGEN, 13 July 2015 – The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions today called for an immediate end to evictions in Roma communities in Bulgaria and criticized political leaders for incidents of hate speech.

“The targeting of Roma communities in the hopes of political gain has echoes of truly dark times in Europe’s history. At a time when European politicians should be encouraging diversity to rejuvenate our continent, some have unfortunately chosen to exploit divisions” said Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal).

Roma families in the south-western Bulgarian village of Garmen were forcibly evicted from their homes on 29 June, with reports of further evictions expected in coming days. The evictions have taken place in the context of a series of anti-Roma protests in Garmen and elsewhere, and in an atmosphere of strong anti-Roma rhetoric by some political parties.

“I call for an immediate halt to evictions of Roma communities. It is incumbent upon political leaders to work on behalf of all of their constituents, not just some,” continued Santos.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has long emphasized the responsibility that politicians have in combating intolerance, calling on “parliamentarians and other elected officials to public speak out against discrimination, violence and other manifestations against Roma, Sinti, Jews and other ethnic or religious groups” (see the OSCE PA Kyiv Declaration, 2007 ).