Madonna has said she was “compelled” to comment on the discrimination of Romany Gypsies while on stage in Romania, despite being booed by fans.
The 51-year-old was jeered by the audience in Bucharest after saying the discrimination “made me feel very sad”.
Publicist Liz Rosenberg said Madonna made the comments after being made aware of the prejudice towards Romany people in eastern Europe.
The star uses a group of Roma musicians on her Sticky and Sweet tour.
Madonna paused during her two-hour show to say: “It has been brought to my attention, that there is a lot of discrimination against Romanies and Gypsies in general in Eastern Europe – it made me feel very sad.”
“We don’t believe in discrimination, we believe in freedom and equal rights for everyone.”
The star then received more boos when she mentioned prejudice against homosexuals and others.
Rosenberg said Madonna had told her there were cheers as well as jeers from the 60,000-strong crowd.
“Madonna has been touring with a phenomenal troupe of Roma musicians who made her aware of the discrimination toward them in several countries so she felt compelled to make a brief statement,” she added.
Concert goer Ionut Dinu, 23, said: “I jeered her because it seemed false what she was telling us. What business does she have telling us these things?”
Romania has the largest number of Roma in eastern Europe.
Nearly half of Europe’s estimated 12 million Roma claimed to have suffered an act of discrimination over the past 12 months, according to a recent report by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.
The agency says Roma face “overt discrimination” in housing, health care and education.
source: bbc
Sticky & Sweet 
Tom Munro 
Revolver 
Hope For Haiti 
Sticky & Sweet 
Madonna - Celebration 
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration 
I Am Because We Are 
Filth and Wisdom 
I Am Because We Are 
Miles Away 
Sticky & Sweet 
Madonna Confessions 
Madonna 2009 
Give It 2 Me 
Give It 2 Me 
Hard Candy 
Hard Candy 
4 Minutes 
4 Minutes 
…MADONNA IS THE QUEEN…
O.M.G………………………………………….MDONNA IS THE QUEEN…
Gypsies are like pests!!! Madonna was very bad informed! they are not only in eastern europe…they are all over the world! Few weeks ago i heard somne news: in London they were living in hovels..and the brittish goverment tried to help them and built them houses and given to them…and them robbed the houses and left….in Italy they were payed to return home; In Romania, again people tried too help them but they refuse education and civilization….a personal example: my fother asked a gipsy to help him in a workshop for a good pay! hearing of that he started swearing at my fother!! In Hungary a romanian athlete was killed by a gipsy…just because…nobody knows the real reason…..they would rather beg and steal instead of working…so why shouldn’t they be discriminated if they make us feel unsecure?! i would really wish that madonna would read this and come to help them if only she could… :))
Anca, nobody should be discriminated, no matter what they do. The problem is that they are not discriminated. Every Gypsy has the chance of living a normal life, just like every other citizen. The state supports them, and in many ways. I, for instance, had to pass an exam in order to enter the University, and pay for my studies. They can enter without exams, and without paying. The problem is that these associations for human rights only ask them “why are you begging on the streets?”. Of course they answer “I’m discriminated”, even is this is not true.
What Madonna tried to do was a very nice thing, because she cannot know these things. But also, the reaction of the public in Bucharest is understandable, as they also know the other side of the story
Sure! Madonna was trying to do something very very nice..undoubtly! but every single comment on this website is avoiding the truth….the truth is the gypsies are a real problem! otherwise, why romanian people are called gypsies and hated in Italy, France etc..?!;)
Just because of their good deeds? we were all put in the same spot,..and it’s not fair
I hate those fucking gypsies
Since obviously I have been misunderstood yesterday, please take 1 minute of your time to watch a Gypsy village from Romania, inhabited only by “discriminated” people. How many of you can afford to build houses this big if you don’t work?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UEKI59Itk8
I am Romanian, not Gypsy, and I am totally ashamed of the reaction my “compatriots” had… discrimination only breeds violence, but i guess we really enjoy that nowadays… Yes, i have been robbed by them, but should i go all my life complaining and hanging to this moment?
If your writing is to go by, you are a good example, by not holding grudges, not discriminating and moving on with your life.
Law should punish criminality. Discrimination is considered a crime in most civilized countries and that too should be punished more severely than now.
I FULLY AGREE WITH MADONNA,WHO THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE THAT DISCRIMINATE, RICH ARE NUMBER ONE– BETTER THAN EVERY BODY ALIVE ON THIS PLANET,AS THEY THINK,— THESE PEOPLE ARE THE REAL THIEVES, AND LIARS, AND THINK ITS ALRIGH TO STICK THEIR NOSE UP AT OTHERS, GOOD ON MADONNA
You are right. I agree.
lets face it very few outside the gypsy community actually like them and the discrimination has been earned by their disrespectful behaviour and thievery all over europe , if gypsies want good press then earn it
I can’t believe Madonna is being put in the position of actually defending her stance against discrimination. Is this for real? Yes, we’ve all seen gypsies, roma, etc., throughout Europe. Like all people, some are good and some are up to no-good. Protectings oneself does not mean it’s acceptable to discriminate against the entire group. In my opinion, Madonna is usually a self-loving bore who expects people to jump on whatever bandwagon she happens to be atronizing at the moment, BUT I’m glad she spoke out against discrimination of all kinds.
Thank you Madonna, for once again standing up for equal rights of ALL people.
Discrimination against any person is WRONG and yes Madonna was 100 per cent right to say what she thought. If the authorities do not manage the criminals well, there should be no excuse to discimniate against the whole communities when only a few are conducting these criminal acts. Learn to engage and get friendly with each other it can lead to beautiful friendships and better lives.
That’s funny “Gypsies need to be educated not killed” (lol). Obviously you’ve read news about Romanian people killing Gypsies. It’s strange enough, since I, being a Romanian, have heard news about Gypsies committing lots of murders (and stealing, and raping) in Romania, and in Europe generally speaking. Yes, they need to be educated. Would you be kind to educate them? Note that you will have to bring them to school by force, and keep a close watch for them not to run away (or sell the books and the schoolbags the school gives them). Note that you will have to enter their villages with a whole army unit, in order to come out alive.
Gypsies discriminated? Loled again. They have palaces with golden lions at the gates!!! Who’s discriminating them? Probably the police for not arresting them as they should. What happened in Bucharest at the concert it’s normal. We, Romanian people are tired to be told that we are Gypsies, because of a minority living all over the world. They are not “Roma”. Rome (or Roma) is the capital of Italy. They are not “Romani” either. Romania is a country with 22 million Romanians (Romanians are of Caucasian race, have white skin, many of them are blond), of which only 1.5 million are Gypsies.
YES, it’s wrong to discriminate. But Gypsies ARE NOT discriminated in Romania. There are Gypsy mayors (how is that for discrimination???), members of the Parliament, successful businessmen, and so on. Believe me, most of the Romanian Gypsies are richer than the average Romanian. Which it’s strange enough considering that most of them are also supported by the state.
Finally, you should be very well informed when you talk about things like that. Did you know that a Gypsy community in Italy have sued the City Hall of Milano, because they dared taking away the tents and the barracks from around the city. That’s what discrimination is for them. So, if you want them not to be discriminated, offer them a place for the tents in your own yard, maybe they’ll like it.
Madonna did not generalize the Romanians. She did not say that all Romanians discriminate. She merely said that discrimination against anyone including discrimination against gypsies should stop.
Discrimination against one group or other exists everywhere on this planet. Discrimination is a crime, should be taken seriously by all governments, and should be punishable by better laws.
I live in the Netherlands, a so-called tolerant land. However, all kind of discrimination exists here too. In fact here the anti discrimination laws are very mild and often not implemented properly. I am proud of being a Dutch national and we do have many good things here, but discrimination here is very wide spread and I find this aspect of my country very shameful. If you ask most Dutch people, they will tell you that they do not discriminate, while in practice they do it every day.
So to good Romanians who don’t discriminate, I would like to say take a good look around, acknowledge the fact that gypsies as a group do get discriminated, stand up against discrimination. In other words fight crimes with laws and with prevention.
Iulia thank’s for your comment…you said everything right:))))
Iulia (a Romanian) DESERVES TO DIE!!!!!!!!
BIGOTTED PIG!!!!!!!!!
actually, what i said is a sarcastic joke about how this has all been blown out of proportion. of course i don’t think anyone deserves to die. although i do smell hatred and dicrimination throughout the post of Iulia.
“What business does she have telling us these things?”
artists like madonna, whose affect so many other people have to tell these things, to express the ideas of freedom, non prejudice and equality!
madonna did a good job.
*who
Ok…. now… these gypsies, we have em in London too.
They hang around Oxford street… always on the look out for someones wallet…
Discrimation is not the solution. I live in Slovakia, a country in Eastern Europe. There is a large population of the Roma people here and I have never ever had any problem with any of them.
“Our lives are mirrors of ourselves”. So when you have a “problem” with someone, what you really have is problem with yourself.
PEACE OUT!
You are right to the point.
People tend to criticize the effect, but fail to see the cause.
Discrimination against any group of people is NOT the answer to criminal acts that are committed by some people. Discrimination only adds fuel to resentment and fire.
Criminality should be prevented in the first place and when it does happen, it should be punished with laws in consistent manner. Criminality is no excuse to label and discriminate a group.
I am Glad Madonna said what she said.
Discrimination against any group of people is NOT the answer to criminal acts that are committed by some people. Discrimination only adds fuel to resentment and fire.
EXACTLY!
There’s a big discriminaton toward gypsies in Hungary, but sometimes it makes sense. 2 of my friends have been robbed and beaten by gypsies, and I lived near to them and believe me, sometimes I can understand people hwo discriminates them, because some of them is really dangerous.
I understand that Madonna try to teach us, that dscrimnation is a bad thing, but this time, I think she just dont know enough about the situation… :(
I agree with you Kani
You really should think this through again. Perhaps you should consider why they behave like that. Maybe because they cant find normal jobs, maybe because they face discrimination everywhere they go and are even murdered in broad daylight(check google news on that)? I’m pretty sure if you would live like that there would be some anger building up…
I live in western Europe, where a lot of people have cut and dried opinons about east european people in general. Like being lazy, violent Thieves and the like…
If I would think like you, I really should vote for partys trying to stop the east expansion of the EU and trying to expel any country east of Austria and Germany. And certainly treat Hungarins and other east europeans who live in our small part of the world as second class humans.
Gladly I don’t think that way…
one of my friends was beaten and robbed by Gypsies and HE would never ever make any racist comment on Sinti and Roma…
i was robbed and spanked by a black guy last week…should i discriminate all black people…..
spanked? do tell!
A Caucasian man stole my wallet once, should I hate all white men and think they are all thieves and criminals?
There are bad people in every group/race/ethnicity/culture, but that doesn’t mean every member of that group is like that and should be treated like scum.
How can people who are living in the margins of society and struggling to survive progress if they are never given a chance?
Well done Madonna, all discrimination is wrong x
Concert goer Ionut Dinu, 23, said: “I jeered her because it seemed false what she was telling us. What business does she have telling us these things?”
Ummm….so it’s okay to discriminate? Madonna is wrong? What a MORON. She should have been declined admission at the entrance to the venue for retardation! How’s that for discrimination, Ionut?????????