Fingerprinting Roma echoes Nazi persecution

4.03.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 9th Jul 2008

Sarah with ALDE Liberal group MEP colleagues, Viktoria Mohacsi from Hungary and Marco Cappato from Italy, campaigning against a discriminatory 'census' and fingerprinting of Roma people including children in Italy, as well as against violence and prejudice against Roma throughout Europe."

Ahead of a vote by MEPs on a resolution condemning plans by the Italian government to count and fingerprint all Roma gypsies including children, UK Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP said:

"Singling out Roma people for a census and fingerprinting is illegal discrimination contrary to European law, which was passed precisely to stop Nazi and fascist racial persecution. It beggars belief that the government of Silvio Berlusconi can be so dismissive of history as to launch this misguided plan."

"It's a disgrace both that the EU's other 26 member states are keeping their silence, and that Italy's foreign minister, until recently the EU justice Commissioner, has endorsed the human rights-abusing scheme. The fingerprinting of children is particularly abhorrent."

"There needs to be a European Roma strategy with funds attached to improve the status, education and integration of Roma people, rather than marginalising and stigmatising them."

Note to editors

Recording ethnicity is not illegal if it is done as part of a general census of the whole population, as in the UK, which the Italian scheme is not.