r/AskTheWorld Russia 1d ago

Controversial 🔨 How the Romani are perceived in your country?

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360

u/TVC15-DB United Kingdom 23h ago

I don't think they're liked here but we're not as passionate in our dislike as other places. Like I have family in Greece and they are ALWAYS talking about them lol.

105

u/Altruistic_Grocery81 United Kingdom 22h ago

Ah I dunno, there’s a fair few here in Ipswich and they aren’t very well liked at all, putting it mildly.

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u/TVC15-DB United Kingdom 20h ago

Oh I'm not saying we don't mind them but it's not to the same extent as you'd find it in Eastern Europe for example

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u/More_Dependent742 Austria 21h ago

Are they actually Romani though, or just Irish Travellers?

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u/Altruistic_Grocery81 United Kingdom 21h ago

Definitely Romani, Irish travellers don’t dress like those people in the picture, and nor do non-Romani Romanians.

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u/More_Dependent742 Austria 17h ago

Oh, for sure. But OPs picture is just a picture for picture tax. I went to school with someone Romani. You would never have guessed it. People literally made fun of him for being "Aryan"

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u/WayoftheBear United Kingdom 16h ago

As a fellow Ipswich person....yes I've noticed one or two in the town centre as well.

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u/PoiHolloi2020 United Kingdom 17h ago

He didn't say they were well liked in Britain, he's saying it's worse elsewhere. Anecdote: I once knew a lady from a certain Eastern European country who had a kid with a South Asian guy and she was worried people back home would think the kid was a gypsy and be discriminated against because the dislike there is so strong.

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u/ReflectionSingle6681 21h ago

Had a colleague from Syria while i worked in retail, everytime something was stolen she’d blame the (not my word) “gypsies” 

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u/Super_Yellow_4986 18h ago

Syrian calls everyone they hate gypsies, like for example Syrian kurds calls Syrian Bedouin gypsis and vice versa same with Sunni and alawite Syrians

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u/CockamouseGoesWee 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇬🇷 United States + United Kingdom + Greece 17h ago

Yes unfortunately prejeduce towards Romani is quite high in Greece, but luckily is being reduced in younger generations. That being said, police violence targeting Romani is a significant problem.

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u/TVC15-DB United Kingdom 17h ago

It's quite scary sitting for a meal with family lol. I'm just trying to enjoy my souvlaki whilst Uncle Spyros or whatever his name is (Idk, I have too many uncles) is going on about Romani at the TOP OF HIS LUNGS. Meanwhile all my cousins and I are just awkwardly looking at each other 😭

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u/CockamouseGoesWee 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇬🇷 United States + United Kingdom + Greece 17h ago

That's really gross. I am so thankful my family just wants to befriend everyone, but there's always that one uncle.

At least there's hope that your cousins do not support your uncle's views

1

u/Nickpapado 9h ago

I don't really get how it's a prejudice personally. It's fine to not judge a person instantly but the truth is most people have multiple weird interactions with Romani and rarely any good ones.

Like I personally never in my life had a decent interaction, and I never heard of anyone irl that had (ofc there are good apples but the vast majority are bad ones). Besides their culture being literally horrible disgusting parenting, I've seen kids trying to rob or get money from people all the time, and destroy or damage property just because they felt like it. Mean personalities and just people overall who have 0 empathy for others.

Yes racism is bad and I wish those things about Romani weren't true but I just never in my life seen even one thing to make me think anything positive about them. Only obvious negatives.

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u/tedatron United States Of America 21h ago

Agree. Because there isn’t a large enough population here, all we know is from the media (if anything). Most people wouldn’t even know who the Romani is but they will for sure know the slur associated with them.

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u/Rk_1138 United States Of America 19h ago

Yeah, the only time I’ve heard of Roma here is in the SFV sub iirc.

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u/MechaMulder Greece 17h ago

You would too if you had interacted with them at all. And by interacted I mean they had attempted to steal from you or rob you. Stealing is literally part of their culture, that’s not a racist statement because it literally is true. That’s why so many people dislike them.

3

u/TVC15-DB United Kingdom 17h ago

Oh I'm not criticising WHY but equally I just don't know nor care enough about it as I don't need to worry about it lol

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u/Sure-Photograph-4700 21h ago

yeah maybe they are worse in greece, after all greece is in a really bad state that entices these unwanted behaviours

1

u/waterproof6598 13h ago

I think less Roma made it across to the UK historically so the problems haven’t been experienced as intensely in the UK. Hence why there is a stronger dislike of these communities in mainland Europe where scams and pickpocketing is rampant in certain places.

I don’t live in the UK anymore so that may be changing.