The National Roma Center demands that politician Renato Usatyi should publicly apologize for his insulting expressions to the Roma community. Renato Usatyi is accused of using racist, xenophobe and discriminatory language in a news conference on September 15, where he named the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Vlad Filat as dirty and stinking Romany, IPN reports.

If no public apologies are offered, the National Roma Center will file a lawsuit and will demand that Renato Usatyi pay damages.

In a press statement, the leader of the National Roma Center Nicolae Radita says the use of such expressions by public figures offends and insults the Roma community and the whole society that shares the European values of equality and non-discrimination, inclusion and cohesion in society. “Renato Usatyi expresses his racist prejudice, presenting himself as a person who does not tolerate the Romanies because, according to him, they are dirty and stinky,” he stated.

Nicolae Radita reminded that there are between 100,000 to 200,000 Romanies in Moldova, who represent a well-organized electorate. By such statements, Renato Usatyi distances them a lot.