Nueva Canarias commemorated the International Roma Day last April 8th together with the Roma community of Lanzarote. The concentration was held in front of the Arrecife City Hall, where the green and blue flag with a red wheel was raised in representation of the Roma people.
The Secretariat of Multiculturalism of Nueva Canarias Arrecife, led by Diego Santiago Carmona, organized an act "full of symbolism and emotion", according to the press release issued by the Canarian formation.
In the act, Santiago Carmona read the manifesto in which he reminded all those present of the reason for the celebration. The commemoration of the International Roma Day dates back to April 8, 1971, when the First World Romani Congress was held in London. In that event, the flag and the Roma anthem, composed by Jarko Javanovic, were instituted.
From Nueva Canarias, they point out that "the main objective of this action, being Arrecife a city full of different cultures, is to get to know each other better, and politics plays a fundamental role in this".
According to Armando Santana, candidate for mayor of Arrecife on May 28, "we must put an end to some of the prejudices and stigmas that the Roma people still carry today for the mere fact of being Roma. We must put an end to anti-Gypsyism and one way to end it is precisely this, celebrating this day together".