Gypsy families threaten to take to the streets

FIFTY-THREE gypsy families from the troubled Quinta da Fonte council estate in Loures say they will again take to the streets and demonstrate if they are forced to live side-by-side with hostile, non-gypsy Portuguese families.

According to their spokesman José Fernandes, the gypsy community, which was ordered back to their apartments last week after camping out in the Loures municipal park, are awaiting a favourable reply from the Lisbon Civil Governor to the effect that they will be re-housed.

The demands come in the wake of violence which erupted a fortnight ago on the council estate between rival families of gypsies and black African-Portuguese in which cars were smashed, shots were fired and people were beaten up.

However, the Câmara Municipal de Loures maintains its position that it will not re-house disgruntled families who will lose their rights to social apartments if they refuse to return to them.

The 53 gypsy families who still refuse to return to the estate are living with friends and relatives, although José Fernandes admitted that “not everyone (had) managed to sort out a roof over their heads.”

“If we don’t get a favourable solution then we will take to the streets in demonstration again, keeping within the law as we always have done,” he added.

Insufficient Housing for the Gypsy Population in Sofia

The problem with the supply of housing for the gypsy population in Sofia is a hard one to solve because Sofia Municipality has no more than 50 apartments available while the applicants for housing are over thirty thousand.

The Secretary of Sofia Municipality Rossen Zheliazkov said at the Municipal Council after being asked what measure will be taken regarding the illegally inhabiting gypsies from the Batolova vodenitza district.

Zheliazkov stressed that the municipality must take the responsibility to provide terrains for gypsy housing while the State must have a national policy towards the minority.

Meanwhile the City Council decided to spend over 2 million on covering the damages in the vicinity around the exploded military storage facility in Chelopechene.