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    No, the Roma are not from Romania

    July 3, 2017

    Many people have heard of the Roma people. They are often referred to as gypsies.

    I have found during my travels of Europe that the perception of the Roma Gypsies is that they are a criminals looking to con you out of your money. While I find this stereotype unfortunate, I can’t say whether it is true or not, because I have not have much experience with the so-called Roma.

    But I wanted to clarify another unfortunate misunderstanding that is very prevalent in the Western World, as well as in Europe…

    ROMANIANS are not ROMA.

    The Roma people are mostly of Northern Indian (majority Punjabi descent). They are quite populous and have a wide diaspora and are characterized by their nomadic lifestyles. They came to Europe starting a few centuries back. At present, it is like that any darker skinned immigrant who causes a crime would be label a Roma.

    The Romanian people come from an area in the Eastern Balkans just north of Bulgaria. There is no relationship.

    At this point, the Roma are still considered an ethnic group, but shouldn’t be considered a race. They should also be considered as Europeans, despite nationalist opposition to their inclusion.

    …………

    Hopefully, this cleared some misunderstanding up. Any questions or perspectives, I’d love to hear in the comments. I always respond to all comments.