Antiziganism is a word akin to anti-Semitism, but denotes hostility, prejudice, discrimination or racism directed at the Romani people, otherwise known as gypsies. Sweden's commission on fighting antiziganism believes that if this word becomes widely known, it will draw attention to the vulnerable situation of the Roma minority in Swedish society.
In a letter to the Swedish Academy, the commission said that " antiziganism is a negative stereotype of the Roma as a group; in other words, it is a form of racism."
The commission expressed hope that the word antiziganism will be as widely known as the term anti-Semitism.
"We must do away with generalizations about the Roma and concentrate on eliminating barriers that still affect their access to basic human rights," the letter said.
According to commission head Heidi Pikkarainen, "the inclusion of the word antiziganism in the dictionary will become just one step in spreading information on the vulnerable situation of the Roma minority".
Created in 2014, the commission specifically deals with collecting facts and spreading knowledge of how to reduce racism in relation to the Roma minority in Sweden.
