Romania plans absurd renaming of Roma

Roma associations demonstrated on Tuesday against a draft law which would see the word "Roma" replaced with the word "Gypsy" in Romania's official language. The move is aimed at preventing associations with the word "Romanian" or the Italian city of Rome. This is nonsense, the daily Adevărul argues: "Ordaining the use of certain words by law is an authoritarian approach. In the times of fascism Mussolini tried to ordain the use of certain expressions. Ceauşescu did the same when he decreed that we should call each other 'comrade'. … Nothing came of it. People went on talking the way they always had. But Mussolini and Ceauşescu were the leaders of dictatorial regimes. Mr Prigoană [of the Democratic Liberal Party] is a member of parliament in a democracy. His law farce may find many supporters - and this is the problem. But it is our problem and not that of Mr Silviu Prigoană."

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