"Gypsy crime" retains negative connotations

The Hungarian extreme right-wing party Jobbik has recently pressed ahead with the plan to make denying "Gypsy crime" a punishable offence, like denying the Holocaust or the crimes of communism. The philosopher Ferenc L. Lendvai explains on the left-wing opinion portal Galamus why the term remains unacceptable: "This party and its sympathisers have long been unhappy that the term 'Gypsy crime' is not socially acceptable. But why isn't it? In and of itself there's nothing to prevent it from being an everyday term ... for describing a certain phenomenon. Basically it has two meanings. First: it refers to crime taking place in the Roma milieu. ... Secondly: it refers to those criminal offences committed largely by the Roma. ... But the problem is that the original meaning of the words is often twisted, or strictly speaking distorted. That's the problem with the term 'Gypsy crime'. It is has become such a racist buzzword that one avoids using it, even if one's motives aren't racist in the least."

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