By Jaya Ramachadran
IDN-InDepth NewsReport
STRASBOURG (IDN) -The 47-nation Council of Europe has faulted Italy for “the presence of racist and xenophobic political discourse” targeting Roma and Sinti, and the protection of the human rights of migrants, including asylum seekers.
The Council’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, says a racist and xenophobic “type of discourse is a powerful vector of anti-Gypsyism in Italian society and as a result, it also offsets the benefits of social inclusion work for Roma and Sinti carried out around the country.”