The Romanian Embassy in Belgrade on Tuesday condemned the hate speech directed against the Romanian national minority in Serbia voiced by a former paramilitary leader on the pro-regime TV Pink.
“The Embassy of Romania in Belgrade sharply condemns the hate speech directed against the Romanian minority in the Republic of Serbia, the media manipulation of membership in that minority in a political context and the propagating of false news about Romanians who are citizens of Serbia, declaring them to be national enemies. Statement like those violate the principle of cohabitation and the contributions of the Romanian minority to the cultural riches and social and economic development of the Serbian state,” the statement said.
The National Organization of Romanians in Serbia said that it regrets the fact that the Romanian national holiday was being observed in an atmosphere marked by the “shameful words against the Romanian national minority”.
It warned that statements like Bokan’s could jeopardize the friendly relations between Romania and Serbia. The embassy also expressed regret that a TV station with national coverage aired the statement without condemning the attack on Tepic over her ethnic background.
