Two new factsheets expose how antigypsyism endures in Italy and the Czech Republic
Antigypsyism in Europe is neither incidental nor confined to the past. Two new ERGO Network factsheets examine how it remains embedded in public policy, institutions and everyday life in the Czech Republic and Italy — and how local actors are attempting to counter it.
The reports, Antigypsyism in the Czech Republic and Best Practices to Combat Antigypsyism in Italy, document structural discrimination alongside examples of resistance and reform.
Czech Republic: history, mistrust and structural segregation
In the Czech Republic, antigypsyism is rooted in historical persecution, including the near-total extermination of Czech Roma and Sinti during the Holocaust. Post-war migration, state-led integration policies during communism and the socio-economic transition after 1989 have shaped contemporary patterns of exclusion.
Official estimates indicate that around 250,000 Roma and Sinti live in the country. Yet only 21,691 people declared Romani nationality in the 2021 census. The gap reflects persistent discrimination, fear of stigmatisation and mistrust of public institutions.
According to the FRA Roma Survey (2021), 34% of Roma respondents in the Czech Republic reported experiencing verbal or physical harassment because of their ethnicity.
The factsheet documents entrenched segregation in housing and education. Roma are disproportionately affected by residential segregation and exploitative rental arrangements. In education, the legacy of the 2007 European Court of Human Rights ruling in D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic — which found that Roma children had been unlawfully placed in special schools — remains unresolved, with segregation persisting despite reforms.
While a formal institutional framework for Roma inclusion exists, including a Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs and regional coordinators, implementation varies widely depending on political will and resources.
The report also highlights local initiatives: municipal–NGO cooperation in cities such as Krnov and Velké Hamry to reduce school segregation; civil society organisations supporting inclusive education; and the 2024 opening of a memorial at Lety u Písku, on the site of a former Roma concentration camp, following decades of advocacy.
Italy: segregation by policy and fragile reform
In Italy, antigypsyism is visible both in public discourse and in policy design. An estimated 130,000 to 180,000 Roma, Sinti and Caminanti live in the country, more than 60% of whom are Italian citizens. Yet Italy ranks among the EU countries with the highest perceived levels of antigypsyism, according to recent Eurobarometer data cited in the report.
The persistence of segregated “nomad camps” — often located on city outskirts and lacking adequate services — remains a defining feature of spatial exclusion. Residents face forced evictions, surveillance and barriers to housing, education, employment and healthcare.
Italy adopted its first national Roma inclusion strategy in 2012, updated in 2022 to align with the EU Roma Strategic Framework. The National Office against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) coordinates policy. Yet gaps in enforcement and political commitment continue to undermine progress.
The factsheet focuses on examples of local action. The EU-funded “MOVING On” project uses sport to promote inclusion and counter stereotypes, particularly among Roma youth. Another initiative, remag/porrajmos.it, documents the Nazi-Fascist persecution of Roma and Sinti and revitalises the Italian Virtual Museum of the Porrajmos, integrating remembrance into education and professional training.
The report argues that memory and policy are linked: denial or marginalisation of Roma history sustains contemporary discrimination.
Structural problem, local responses
Across both countries, the pattern is consistent: antigypsyism operates through institutional practice, spatial segregation and public narrative, while formal strategies coexist with uneven implementation.
Both factsheets stress that local cooperation, Roma-led initiatives and sustained political commitment are critical to lasting change. Without enforcement, funding and meaningful participation, national commitments risk remaining declaratory.
