A wall in the Eastern town of Košice built within the Lunik IX borough was strongly criticized by EU officials for segregating the city's Roma community from the non-Roma. In her letter to the Košice mayor Richard Raši, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou voiced strong criticism and disappointment over the wall, asking for its immediate removal.
“I strongly believe that the construction of physical barriers represents a breach of values on which our European Union is founded, notably respect for human dignity and human rights. The European Commission is always ready to take action, within its competencies, to reaffirm the principle of non-discrimination,” stated Commissioner Vassiliou in her letter. She also highlighted the status of the city this year. A wall segregating the minority from the majority population is strongly at odds with the idea and the message of the European Capital of Culture which the town of Kosice is for the year 2013.
In his reply to the Commissioner, the Mayor of Košice Richard Raši informed of the fact that that the wall had been initiated and then constructed by the authorities of the suburb of Kosice West. It was constructed illegally, without the permit of the town. Representatives of the Košice West borough claim the wall is not an anti-Roma construction. One of its local deputies Andrej Sitkár reasoned the building of the wall with complaints of people from the Lunik VIII area about the frequent break ins into their cars and fear for their safety. Allegedly the people asked repeatedly for a solution to this. The mayor of Košice Richard Raši claims legal steps will be taken against the construction, brings the Korzár, a Košice regional daily.
