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Old September 23rd, 2010 #40
Dimitar
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Location: Bulgarian NS activist
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A total of 24 Bulgarian children reportedly were pulled out of their school in the town of Pazardzhik because their parents were outraged at the "high number of Roma children" that were enrolled at the start of the school year.

This was an unprecedented case in the Hristo Smirnenski school, and all children involved were first-graders, Bulgarian television channel bTV reported on September 22 2010.

School officials said that the Bulgarian parents reacted angrily when they learned that 12 Roma children were enrolled in the school as first-graders. Then the headmaster decided to create two classes to accommodate the large number of new students. However, those two first-grade classes were "not segregated", with Roma and non-Roma children in the classes together.

This caused outrage among the Bulgarian parents who decided to relocate their children and enroll them in another school.

"I have never seen such a reaction from parents before. It is unacceptable, considering that we are all aiming for integration and globalisation," school headmaster Kiril Dimitrov told bTV.

The Roma families themselves have no concerns about their children being together with their Bulgarian peers, but apparently the feeling was not mutual.

"Some mothers were yelling – they are Roma, they are less cultured than our kids, we don't want them here," according to a Roma mother, whose name was not given in the television coverage.

But some of the Bulgarian parents and students were less concerned about the Roma in their school.

"They are people just like us. When we segregate people, the outcome is worse," a Bulgarian mother said.

"I have no problems whatsoever that Roma kids want to study in this school. There is no need for racism here," a Bulgarian pupil told reporters.
http://sofiaecho.com/2010/09/22/9640...ssmates-report