Switzerland’s press watchdog has upheld a complaint against a magazine that
used a picture of a Roma boy waving a gun to illustrate a story about alleged
threats from Gypsy gangs.
The Swiss Press Council said Tuesday that Zurich weekly Weltwoche was guilty
of "distortion" and "discrimination" for publishing the image on its cover above
the headline "The Roma are coming: raids in Switzerland."
The picture taken in 2008 by Italian photographer Livio Mancini actually
depicted a boy playing with a toy gun on a Kosovo garbage dump.
European Roma and Sinti groups condemned the cover as likely to fuel
prejudice against members of the two ethnic minorities, also called Gypsies.
The press watchdog’s decision carries no penalty beyond public censure. The
magazine did not respond to requests for comment.
