Europe News
Roma group relocated after spate of attacks in Turkey
Jan 8, 2010, 13:08 GMT
Istanbul - A group of 74 Roma in western Turkey have been relocated by local authorities after a series of violent attacks, Turkish media reported Friday.
An apparent dispute between a Roma man and the owner of a cafe in the town of Selendi led to the man and his relatives returning and smashing the windows of the establishment.
That led to a violent response, with some 1,000 locals attacking a Roma neighborhood, setting homes on fire and damaging vehicles.
Police initially failed to intervene, according to reports.
Unable to stem the violence, local authorities have now moved 74 of Selendi's Roma to a neighboring town.
There are officially some 500,000 Roma in Turkey, although community activists say that number is based on an outdated census count and that their numbers could reach over two million.
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