BULGARIA: Parliamentary commission says ban on horse carts in Sofia discriminates against Roma

A Bulgarian parliamentary commission has suggested a ban on horse carts in the Sofia city centre should be lifted, saying it discriminates against the city's Roma population who rely on the carts for their livelihoods. Horse-drawn carts are a common sight on the roads of Bulgarian capital Sofia, despite a ban imposed in 2006 forbidding them access to the city centre. For many of Bulgaria's Roma minority, the carts are the primary means of transport as they make their living shipping scrap and iron to recycling centres. And while many Roma defy the ban, others say they now stay well away from the centre of town. "The police stopped us with our cart in the centre two or three times and said that Boyko Borisov banned the carts from the city centre. After that we do not go there with the cart," said Roma horse cart owner, Simeon Georgiev. Georgiev said the ban has had an impact on the work he does. "It would be much better if we could go to the centre, there is more work for us, cleaning cellars and carrying things," he said. A parliamentary committee has recently said the ban is discriminatory against Roma, and should be partially lifted. Lalo Kamenov, a member of the Commission for Protection Against Discrimination, said carts are listed as vehicles under Bulgarian traffic laws and banning them is a form of segregation. "The Commission conveys the following recommendation to the Sofia municipality: To dismiss partially the instruction number 28 from traffic regulation decree of Sofia municipality on suspicion for racial segregation," Kamenov read from the commission's report. But the Mayor of Sofia, Boyko Borisov, does not want to see the ban lifted. "We do not have the means to determine whether a horse cart belongs to a gypsy or not. Is there a city in the world, where horse drawn carts circulate? There isn't." The commission's recommendation followed a complaint by non-government organisation Romani Baht who said the 2006 ban limited Roma residents in the Fakulteta, Hristo Botev and Filipovtsi districts from leaving their areas on carts. "We are disturbed by the fact that a discriminative decision has been made in Sofia, not allowing the citizens to move freely around public streets in all kinds of vehicles, allowed by law," chairman of the Romani Baht Foundation said. But on the streets of Sofia, some residents are wary about having the carts driving through the city centre of a European Union country. "I think horse carts shouldn't be allowed in Sofia, especially in the central part of town, because Sofia is a European city and such oriental habits wouldn't help the beauty, spirit and standards of our capital," said lawyer and Sofia resident, Alexander Stoyanov. Minyon Kolcheva said she thought using the carts was old-fashioned and out of date. "I see them all the time, they remind me of my grandmother's childhood. And no-one can control them. The mayor should introduce major sanctions against them," she said.

ITN Source | August 15, 2007

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