The 2008 European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS) found that the Roma — Gypsies — identified as the most discriminated against minority group in Europe. The significance of this report is reflected in a recent New York Times article titled “As Economic Turmoil Mounts, So Do Attacks on Hungary’s Gypsies.”

As Times reporter Nicholas Kulish suggests, there’s a correlation between the faltering world economy and the violence against the Roma. Kulish states that seven Roma in Hungary were murdered in the past year, and at least 30 attacks have been launched against Roma homes. Some acts of violence have been attributed to local police and the military; some violence is being waged by right-wing political parties who claim the Roma are a social and economic burden.

This is a persistent stereotype that typifies discriminatory attitudes toward the Roma. But why does it persist? Perhaps due to the history of the Roma culture. According to the Smithsonian Institution, many diverse groups of Gypsies who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century (including some from Hungary) supported themselves with smithery trades, baking, crafting handmade furniture and baskets; still others ran menagerie, entertained as musicians and told fortunes.