Those terrible Gypsies!

This is my first reply to ant article in the Daily Express and I expect that many readers will be suprised at my reaction to the article headed 'Children shipped in to milk our benefits'.
In the first place let me explain that I am a UK citisen but have lived in Romania since 1994 doing voluntary work in childcare.
Though there are large numbers of Roma in Romania and have been for generations they are not the largest group of Roma in Eastern Europe by any means in numbers. They are a people who have been left with their noses on the ground after the many years of communist repression in up to 1990 and in amny areas have not been understood.
The UK press has recently had a field day over the raids in Slough which netted it claimed amny young Roma criminals one a baby in fact and hardly likley to be the avearge mugger!
The reality is that after investigation the children were not found to have been trafficked in to the UK and all but one of the children was returned to their parents living in the Slough area!
I do not doubt that there are criminal elements amongst the Roma but no more so than in the rest of the population, plus its the same in Romania here were there are no more crimes comitted by Roma than by Romanians.
If we look at italy and Spain then yes there are Roma who have travelled there and I might add have a perfect right to as are EU citizens like it or not, but they are not the largest of numbers in real terms as in both countries the actual Roimanians show the largest numbers and they go there to work. In Spain and Italy they can find work in the main so their crimerate is low by comparison to the UK were the Government by placing a restriction on Bulgarian and Romanian workers created the very sceneario for these foreign citizens to come and stay illegal. The UK since I was a child took india and pakistani peoples, plus from African nations and more recently from Poland and the czech republic, so should not have disciminated on the Bulgarian and Romanian workers wanting to look for jobs. As for the Roma it is clear that the Irish Roma have over many years caused more problems in the UK than have the last years influx of Bulgarian or Romanian Roma, so here one has to get things in perspective. Furthermore here in Romania I actually do a lot of work in education of Roma children and have never in the last 14 years here been attacked, robbed or mugged by any of them!
Like all peoples if given a chance they are ready to work and have better standards for their families, but far to many are not interested in giving that chance to a people who still are not understood because of their different culture. I find it strange that everyone hates these Roma and gives them such a bad name, but here when ever there is a wedding, Special event, Christmas party or large social gathering the Roma are then sought with affection as they are the best musicians and their music is admired all over Europe.
There are good and not so good shall we say in all races and we need to appreciate this.

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