ROMACT Italy Team members physically attacked for their work, President of Puglia Region shows support

Via regioni.it, read full article in Italian here
 
(translation from Italian) The President of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano, expresses full solidarity and closeness to the Italian representative of the Council of Europe on Roma integration policies, Djiana Pavlovic, and her husband Paolo Cagna Ninchi, who was the target of a racially motivated attack. "I condemn firmly the violence suffered by the president of "Upre Roma", always at the forefront for law enforcement purposes to all forms of discrimination and aiming at the inclusion of the Roma community in Italy. What happened is of concern, because we cross undoubtedly a historic moment where those who are fighting for the recognition of civil rights and to build a multiracial society often become victims of smear campaigns and physical as well as psychological violence. The primary task of the institutions is to continue investing in the path of inclusion and multi-ethnic integration, through the adoption of policies that put more and more the interest and dignity of every human being at the centre of their actions. "
 
The leader of the political Section for Migration of the Puglia Region, Stefano Fumarulo, added that "in recent days we have formalized the partnership between the Region of Puglia and the ROMACT Programme of the Council of Europe in order to quickly develop an effective regional strategy for Roma, Sinti and Travellers, requested by the European Commission's strategy since 2011. This episode of racist violence, although it did not take place in Puglia, pushes us to work with greater commitment with Dijana Pavlovic, National Project Officer of ROMACT for Italy. "

As ROMACT Team, we are sending all our support and encouragements to Dijana and her family, as well as to the entire Support Team in Italy.