Fire and Fury: Another Roma Settlement Destroyed in Ukraine

11 May 2018 15:36

On May 10, in the town of Rudne, Lviv region, unidentified individuals have burned down a Roma settlement, according to Ukrainian Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denysova.

In the attack, the Roma community was forced to leave as their property have been destroyed.

Photo credit: Iryna Saevych/HROMADSKE RADIO

The Ombudsman has appealed to the leadership of the local police to respond to the attack and ensure public safety and order in Rudne.

“The increasing number of incidents of intolerance towards representatives of the Roma minority is worrying. Such displays of xenophobia require special attention from the law enforcement agencies – in particular, more thorough investigation and taking preventative measures,” the Ombudman’s statement reads.

The witnesses to the pogrom say the raids were made by approximately 30 men in masks.

Photo credit: Iryna Saevych/HROMADSKE RADIO

This is the second time in recent weeks that a Roma settlement has been forcefully dispersed. On April 22, members of the far-right organization C14 destroyed a Roma settlement in Lysa Hora park, Kyiv region. C14 stated that the Roma community were asked to leave the park before April 20.

Head of the Kyiv Police Andriy Kryshchenko stated that it was not the camp itself that was burned, but the trash the Roma community left behind.

The Kyiv police have opened two criminal cases in relation to the destruction of the Roma settlement by far-right activists.

Photo credit: Iryna Saevych/HROMADSKE RADIO

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has called the forced dispersal of the Roma camp in Kyiv “bullying” and “persecution.”

On April 27, around 30 people held a protest against anti-Roma pogroms outside the headquarters of the Kyiv police.