According to human rights activists, local authorities in several European countries with large Roma populations have used discriminatory measures and acted illegally against that minority group under the pretext of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. As the number of people infected with the virus rises again in Europe, some experts fear that repression will return. Roma communities in Bulgaria were sprayed with disinfectant from crop dusting aircraft at the start of a pandemic last spring. Roma villages in Slovakia were the only places where the army conducted tests and patrols armed with automatic rifles. In Roma settlements across Central and Eastern Europe, where police carried out quarantine measures, there were growing reports that police used excessive force against Roma. Activists say the situation is exacerbated by the fact that such discrimination is not often condemned by other Europeans, and Roma are reluctant to talk about it for fear of repercussions. Strict measures have been taken in Roma communities, although there have never been a large number of reported cases among them, showing how some governments have used the pandemic as an excuse for repressive tactics.
In many European countries, the spread of the infection among Roma is not being monitored, but Slovak authorities said at the end of the summer that there were 179 cases of infection in Roma settlements, home to more than 500,000 Roma. In an open letter in May, two UN human rights activists called on the Bulgarian government to end police operations related to the pandemic in Roma settlements and to prevent hate speech against the minority, after the party leader described their communities as "nests of infection". “. Roma have been targeted by officials in other European countries as well.
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