Hindus and Jews concerned at mounting anti-Roma sentiment in Bulgaria

Nevada (US), May 09 (ANI): Hindus and Jews have expressed concern at the rising anti-Roma sentiment in some quarters of Bulgaria.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA, in a joint statement in Nevada today, asked the Bulgaria government to intervene and protect the human rights and freedoms of Roma in Bulgaria.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich, argued that the demands reportedly circulating in Bulgaria of restricting one child per Roma family and stripping of Roma of their privileges did not belong in a civilized and moral world. All Bulgarians, Roma or non-Roma, should be treated equally and fairly.

Rajan Zed and Jonathan Freirich stressed that Roma upliftment should be the first priority in Bulgaria and Europe as their maltreatment was a dark stain on the face of the continent. It was simply immoral to continue staying apathetic and silent spectator ignoring Roma plight, who reportedly regularly faced social exclusion, racism, substandard education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization, appalling living conditions, prejudice, human rights abuse, etc.

Commissioner for Human Rights of Council of Europe Thomas Hammarberg visited a Roma settlement in the Republika district of Sofia in the past, where he assessed the living conditions as inhumane. "No one should live in these conditions in today's Europe", he declared.

Bulgaria is known for its long sandy Black Sea Coast, multicolored monasteries, footballer Hristo Stoichkov, poet Peyo Yavorov, etc. Georgi Parvanov is President and Boiko Borisov is Prime Minister of Bulgaria, which boasts of nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites.(ANI)