No. 07-00-241/2017-02   Date: 12 October 2017

OPINION

The present opinion was issued following a complaint procedure initiated upon a complaint lodged by “D.” and “B.” Associations from B. against P., weekly newspaper E., its Managing Director and Editor-in-chief, on account of a newspaper article entitled “Diary of an Inmate – Gender Insult and Hot Gypsy Mama”, published on 2 June 2017 in E. weekly newspaper. The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality has pursued a procedure reviewing allegations contained in the complaints as well as statements made in the declaration responding to allegations contained in the complaints, the newspaper article itself entitled “Diary of an Inmate – Gender Insult and Hot Gypsy Mama”, including messages which transpire from the article, all the while taking into consideration space and time context. In the course of the procedure it has been ascertained that the author of the mentioned article, among other things, had said: “ . . . So with faggots there is no violence. The only risk is contracting the AIDS.” In addition, the author stated in his article: “But, if there can be no sexual intercourse with a person of the same sex, I strongly recommend a Pikey, because who has done a Gypsy woman, man! Everything after that is plain sailing (. . .). And when a Pikey loves you, she loves you to death. When you bash her face and someone interferes to protect her, she jumps right at that persons saying “that is no business of yours, let him beat me up, he is my man”. Those are the real women, not this sorry lot claiming you are insulting their gender dignity.” The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality is of the opinion that ideas and views expressed in the newspaper article “Diary of an Inmate – Gender Insult and Hot Gypsy Mama” published on 2 June 2017, are disturbing and degrading  and represent a violation of dignity of the members of the LGBT population and members of the Roma national minority, thus creating a degrading and insulting environment for the members of these social groups and violating provisions of Article 12 of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination. For this reason, a recommendation was issued to E. weekly newspaper and its Editor-in-chief to publish an apology in E. weekly newspaper to Roma women and members of the LGBT community for views expressed in article “Diary of an Inmate – Gender Insult and Hot Gypsy Mama”, within a period of 15 days from receiving this opinion containing recommendation, as well as to refrain in the future from publishing texts and articles which are insulting to the dignity of Roma women and members of the LGBT population and which strengthen stereotypes against marginalized social groups, but rather to use their newspaper articles and reporting to alter patterns, mores and practices which result in stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination of these social groups.