Statements Conner Rousseau target one of our country's most vulnerable populations

Racist statements contribute to the trivialisation of racism, especially when they are made by people with a lot of social visibility, and even more so when those people join the cart in the fight against racism.

Racism is a social problem with major consequences for the people it affects. According to the most recent EU survey conducted in 2020, 16% of Roma said they had been victims of hate-motivated harassment. The stereotypes suffered by the Roma population, reported by Unia, create difficulties in accessing housing, healthcare and education. This is not without consequences. In Belgium, for example, people from the Roma community live on average 14 years less.

Of all the countries surveyed, Belgium shows the largest gap between the life expectancy of people from the Roma community and that of other populations as a whole. In response to these findings, Belgium adopted a national strategy for the integration of people from the Roma community to complement federal measures against racism.

The strategy focuses on equal rights and combating stereotypes. These action plans are essential. But to achieve their goal of equality among all Belgians, they require the full commitment of everyone and clear, unambiguous statements.

After all, words are the breeding ground for actions, all the more so when they are spoken by people of influence.