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NEU Senior Regional Support Officer
International Romani Day and our shared struggle
From the struggle against the destruction of affordable housing to the fight for decent jobs, victory for Gypsy, Romani and Traveller people strengthens the whole working class, writes VICTORIA HOLMES

THE struggle for Roma rights and working-class liberation in Britain aren’t separate fights — they’re different fronts in the same war against a system that thrives on class division and exploitation.

On April 8, as we mark International Romani Day 2025, we must recognise a fundamental truth: when the powerful want to crush collective resistance, they will first teach us to fear each other.
 
However, the Romani struggle in Britain mirrors the struggle of working-class families across Britain. Take for instance the devastating housing crisis that continues to ravage working-class communities and how it parallels the systemic displacement of Romani (and traveller) families throughout the country.

Council estates are demolished for luxury faux-affordable developments while Romani sites increasingly face forced evictions and hostile local opposition — these are two different manifestations of the same profit-driven offensive on our collective right to a safe, stable and dignified home.
 
In education, Romani children face staggeringly disproportionate exclusion rates across all age groups while working-class students navigate chronically underfunded schools and increasingly narrow opportunities for advancement.

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