She said that because there was no Greek government agency designated to deal with gypsies, virtually no help was given to organizations trying to offer them medical treatment. Paiteris, who remembers hanging from his mother's skirt as she begged for coins outside churches, said the state has not only failed to help gypsies but its policies have perpetuated discrimination. They should be given oral tests, not arrested and put in jail. Poverty makes people steal and stereotypes of dirty, thieving gypsies will not go away as long as they continue to go hungry, he said. Paiteris, who heads a gypsy rights group, is revolted by suggestions that gypsies are by choice nomadic, convention-free people living on the fringes of modern society.
Nobody wants their family to shit in the streets, do without water, electricity and school.
The picture of gypsy children begging at street lights should be an embarrassment for Greece. With the eclipsing of traditional gypsy crafts, such as blacksmiths and dancing bear musicians, gypsies have turned to street peddling and farming jobs, where they face intense competition from immigrants from Eastern Europe, EKKE said. Since the mid-80s the state has made some efforts to provide education but with families moving around the country in constant search of work, children are rarely schooled long enough to learn how to read and write, the study added. Education is the most important thing. Asked if they were disappointed that the show's architect Romeo did not marry his dark-haired Juliet, they nodded and sighed.