Concerns have been raised by the European Roma Rights Centre that the COVID-19 pandemic is being used as an excuse by police across Europe to harass and intimidate Roma. There have been reports about the use of excessive force and violent threats against Roma by the police to enforce ‘lockdown’ rules. While anti-gypsyism in European criminal justice systems is by no means a new challenge, increased policing powers and the inability by civil society to detect and monitor incidences of police violence against Romani communities could be worsening the problems.  

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