The fate of the Roma children in Livorno

Four children of Roma origin died on August 11 in a fire at a camp based near the Italian port of Livorno. The Romanian press has voiced suspicions that the fire was the work of extremists. Corina Dragotescu comments: "It's a well-known fact that the Roma are primarily a Romanian export product. But not only are those who set the fire responsible for the tragedy in Italy; the parents of the children and the Romanian authorities are also to blame. Italy is full of Romanian gypsies who go begging: not only adults, but also the children who are forced to do so by their parents... While the West has already invested a lot of money and many years in social programmes aimed at combating this phenomenon, the Romanian authorities have spent their time looking about uselessly."

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