Roma hope to create a new political force
A new political party was officially formed in Greece yesterday with the sole purpose of representing the Roma or Gypsy community, claiming that it could garner more support than the Communist Party, which holds 12 seats in Parliament. Heads of Greece’s Gypsy communities announced the creation of the ASPIDA party at an Athenian hotel, saying that they wanted better representation in Parliament and at the local government level. ASPIDA said that there were around 600,000 Roma in Greece – double the amount of people who voted for the Communists in the last election. The party has chosen a logo which includes the colors of the three main parties in Greece: blue, green and red. Its president and candidates for local and mayoral elections, which are due in October, will be elected at ASPIDA’s next party conference.
