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13 March 2007
BRUSSELS – Supporters of the Roma gypsies in Ghent, who have had nowhere to go for weeks, are camped out in front of the doors of the OCMW (Public Centre for Social Welfare) in Ghent until Tuesday evening. The demonstrators are sleeping in tents to put pressure on the vote tomorrow on a proposal from the Groen! Party.
The agenda contains a proposal that urges for concrete measures to improve the situation of Roma families. The Roma are homeless and have moved several times since October 2006. They are now squatting in buildings.
The former OCMW council already rejected the proposal from council member Dirk Holemans (Groen!) to give the 50 Roma gypsies a rent guarantee and a reference address. The demonstrators now hope the council will approve the proposal on the agenda for tomorrow.
The Roma were evicted from the buildings where they were squatting in mid October to make way for an urban renewal project and have not had any permanent place to stay since.
[Copyright Expatica News 2007]
Subject: Belgian news