Antiziganism - Antiziganism in Popular Culture

Antiziganism in Popular Culture

• The European Center for Antiziganism Research officially filed a complaint against Sacha Baron Cohen — who plays Borat in the eponymous mockumentary film Borat — for inciting violence and violating Germany's anti-discrimination laws. One part of the satirical film, which purportedly portrays Borat's impoverished native village in Kazakhstan, actually shows a Romani village in Romania. Note that neither Mr. Cohen himself, his character, nor the plot bear any relation whatsoever to either Kazakhstan or Romania (or their people - be they Romani, Kazakh, Romanian, Russian, etc.), and the attribution of this generic "barbaric foreigner from an unpleasant backwards country" to specific cultures or locales was widely seen as inflammatory and met with outrage by a variety of organizations from almost all parties thus involved. Several countries banned the film for specific or general insults to the dignities of countries and cultures mentioned, alluded to, or used in the film.

• The Tintin book The Castafiore Emerald heavily criticises antiziganism, as the Romanis who move onto Captain Haddock's property are falsely accused of stealing Bianca Castafiore's priceless emerald, though they are innocent.

• Claude Frollo, the antagonist of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was portrayed as having a strong, genocidal hatred of gypsies in Disney's animated adaptation of the story.