Roma fearful about legal victory

A group of 15 young Roma have won a suit filed in the European Court of Human Rights against discrimination in Croatian schools. Because of their poor knowledge of the Croatian language the pupils were put in classes for the mentally disabled. However the majority of Roma are distinctly unhappy about the victory, writes the daily The Guardian: "Apparently, many of them even signed a petition against taking this case to a court. Why? The answer is simple: fear. Roma are afraid that, after this ruling, they could be discriminated against even more by their non-Roma neighbours. ... It is a paradox that the court ruling in favour of greater tolerance and integration of Roma has provoked their frustration. It only underlines how very insecure they feel. It will take a larger social change in Europe, and not just a judicial decision, to erase that anxiety."

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