The Romanian president gets abusive

Romania's President Traian Basescu has referred to a female journalist as a "stinking gypsy". She recorded the president's remark on her cell phone while he was travelling in his private car. Now the country's press association plans to bring charges against Basescu. Costi Rogozanu sees this as hypocritical: "Even a president has the right to make silly and rude comments during a private conversation in his own car. What bothers me is the outburst of hypocrisy his remark has caused - as if cultured people and intellectuals never use the word 'gypsy' pejoratively in texts and discussions. As if the word used by Basescu isn't constantly being used in public, in businesses and even in institutions... This hypocrisy is only intensifying the fear that one must constantly behave correctly towards minorities. The correct attitude towards minorities can only be taught through better education in schools."

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