Attacks on Roma hint at Europe’s last taboo

Political thuggery will, of course, always seek out the point of least resistance, and the unfortunate Roma in Belfast last week were fit for the purpose

The racist attacks on the Roma community in the Village area of Belfast will come as no surprise to those who know the place.

For years, it has been synonymous with the most extreme loyalist elements and, throughout the Troubles, was dominated by loyalist paramilitarism. During the worst days of the sectarian killings in Belfast, the Village was the headquarters for some of loyalism’s bloodiest gangs.

Situated as it is just below the ...