Catalan Parliament pays tribute to Roma community

The Roma people first arrived in Catalonia some 600 years ago, and on Monday the Parliament paid tribute to the community to coincide with International Romani Day.

Parliament speaker Roger Torrent led the tribute, saying "it is unacceptable that after 40 years of parliamentary democracy there has not been a Roma MP."

In the same vein, Fagic, the association representing Catalonia's Romani community, called for political parties to reach out to Roma people so that they could become MPs.

After thanking the Catalan chamber for its support, Romani activist and economist, Susana Martínez, called on the authorities to balance the labor market so as to recognize qualified professionals in the Roma community.

Discrimination "alive and well"

Meanwhile, social affairs minister, Chakir El Homrani, called for a "collective" response to those who reject cultural diversity with "uniformity, stigma and stereotyping."

In an event that included young Roma people who had successfully completed university degrees, El Homrani stressed the "key" importance of hard work for achieving a "dignified life."