Romani Online in UK

Up to 100 members of Romania's Roma community who fled their homes in Belfast after attacks and intimidation have begun returning to Romania - and an uncertain future.

As they trickled in small groups towards their destination in western Romania, the media in their home country reflected on their fate in an unusually sympathetic manner.

They were called "Romanians" by most media outlets, as opposed to "Roma" or even "Gypsies" - a reference to their ethnicity which is often used to distinguish them from the Romanian majority.

"Romanians take refuge in a church after being attacked by extremists", "The church which shelters Romanians is vandalised" and "One hundred Romanians determined to return home", are just a few of the headlines on Romanian media websites.

One newspaper, Evenimentul Zilei, published a special report called "The extremists' neighbourhood" in which aggressive youngsters from a Belfast housing estate hinted that attacks were bound to reoccur. But if Romanian journalists displayed sympathy, some of their readers voiced prejudices against the Roma minority - under the anonymity of the internet.

Many objected to the Belfast migrants being called Romanians, and others congratulated those who intimidated the immigrants into leaving Belfast.

"The Irish have won a battle; the Romanians have lost. Congratulations, they did the cleaning," reads one website posting.

"From a Romanian curse, the [Roma] have become a European curse" said another.

But most Romanians have shown little interest in this story.

Andrei Badin, a leading TV talk show host and author of a well known internet blog, said it was unfortunate civic sense in Romania was "much lower" than in developed countries.

He said: "I would like to pay tribute to the Northern Irish people who showed solidarity with the Roma hunted by a fascist group.

"Regrettably, Romanians show little solidarity towards their compatriots, irrespective of their ethnic group."

The president of Roma community group Romanothan, Vasile Ionescu, noticed the change in tone of the Romanian press, but still considers the reaction of the authorities to be ambiguous.

Articol in intregime:  BBC News