ABSTRACT

Gypsies, Travellers and Roma experience more bias-motivated crime and discrimination in Europe than any other minority communities (Council of Europe, 2011). This chapter will explore how and why hate crimes have manifested against Gypsies, Travellers and Roma in Europe in the twenty-first century. In order to do this, the chapter will initially consider the context within which hate crime has arisen and in doing so will address some of the histories of Gypsies, Travellers and Roma in Europe. It will then go on to examine the extent of contemporary hate crimes against Gypsies, Travellers and Roma. The chapter will therefore identify the range of hate crime experiences of Gypsies, Travellers and Roma in Europe that range from extreme violence and murder, through serious harassment to hate speech and minor hate incidents inflicted upon them. Importantly, the chapter will consider how hate incidents have been conflated with the experiences of discrimination and prejudice that Gypsies, Travellers and Roma experience as ‘hate crime’.