Vocabulary

 

 
 
 
 
 

Video Xenophobia in Romania

 
 
 
 

Transcript

 

Bucharest, the capital of EU member state Romania, in 2025. A delivery worker from Bangladesh is brutally attacked in the middle of the road.

The scene is filmed by the aggressor himself.

Aggressor: “Go back to your country! That’s the problem. N***er!”
Ismail Hossain, Delivery Worker: “Why?”
Aggressor: “Because you’re an invader!”
Ismail Hossain, Delivery Worker: “Please come help! Here . . . He attacked me!”

Ismail Hossain, Delivery Worker: “I had an order, next to this store.

Then a person — he is Romanian. I don’t know him; I’ve never seen him before.

He came . . . then he touched me, here. I looked at him — then he . . . I don’t know why he attacked me. He punched me here; he punched my nose. Then he punched me here, then another punch.

I asked him, ‘Why did you attack me, why did you hit me?’
He said, ‘Go back to your country!’

I don’t know why. I asked him, ‘Why are you saying, ‘Go back to your country’?”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

The attacked was arrested.

The incident could have ended tragically, if Andrei Jianu, a police officer who was off duty, and just happened to be there, hadn’t intervened.

Andrei Jianu, Police Officer: “The only thing I thought about was the protection of an assaulted victim, regardless of the nationality of a person who is in danger.

We act in the same way.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Just days before the attack on the Bangladeshi delivery worker, Dan Tanasa, MP of the far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), urged in a social media post, that people refuse deliveries if they were not delivered by a Romanian citizen.

Alin Banu, director of the NGO Roma for Democracy, has raised the alarm.

Alin Banu, Director Roma for Democracy: “What these extremist parties are doing is just as we saw in the 1930s and 1940s when Romania was under fascist rule. It’s to fuel people’s disappointment, saturation and hatred.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Omtajur Rahman also originates from Bangladesh. Over the last four months, he has also been delivering food in Bucharest, like hundreds of thousands of Asians who have come to Romania in search of a better life.

Rahman says that he is left with about six-hundred euros (€600) a month, after taxes and after he pays his rent.

He saw the assault on his compatriot and hopes it won’t happen to him.

Omtajur Rahman, Delivery Worker: “A few days ago, a Bangladeshi man had a problem . . . Somewhere there was a problem, but so far, I haven’t had any problems.

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

The Center for Legal Resources is an NGO that promotes a legal and institutional framework to guarantee human rights, equal opportunities and free access to fair justice.

Georgiana Badescu carried out a study called, “A Day in the Life of a Migrant Worker.”

Georgiana Badescu, Center for Legal Resources: “In our research, we conducted twelve interviews with migrant workers. Not a single one of them said they were not discriminated against.

One of the workers, from Pakistan, was about to deliver a food order. He had been called by a Romanian client who told him that if he was a Muslim, he should leave the food on the stairs because the client did not want to touch him.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

NGOs in Romania point out that such racist incidents cannot be regarded as isolated cases anymore.

Alin Banu is seriously worried.

Alin Banu, Director Roma for Democracy: “But the peak hasn’t been reached yet, because it needs to be fed a little. We will see how everyone, all the unions, the majority of people — will take to the streets.

We will see violence, we will see Romania in total crisis.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Omtajur Rahman, Delivery Worker: “When I go to take the food from the restaurant, the people don’t like to take us as humans.

For example, if a Romanian goes to collect food, they talk to him nicely, they deliver the food very fast . . .

But if a foreigner goes to collect the food, they don’t want to talk like this. They don’t want to talk, they don’t want to listen. We ask, ‘Hello, hi. Is my food ready or not?’ They just ignore us.

That is the main problem I am facing.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

In 2024, roughly 24% of Romanians — that is about 4.6 million people — were living and, or working abroad.

That’s why Cristian Ganea, president of the Association of Foreign Employees in Romania, says that Romanians should know what life is like working abroad.

Cristian Ganea, President, Association of Foreign Employees: “Romanians left for other European countries for the exact same reasons: because the citizens of those countries no longer accepted certain types of work.

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Despite the violent attack against him, Ismail Hossain wants to continue working in Romania.

Ismail Hossain, Delivery Worker: “I’ll respect the Romanian citizens. As a Bangladeshi I love Romania. I love the Romanian people.”

About a 140,000 foreign citizens work and pay taxes in Romania, contributing to the local economy.

Like Ismail, they send most of their hard earned money to their families back home.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

Questions

 

Walk, Go on Foot. In Bucharest, a delivery worker was robbed and his money was stolen. True or false?

Bicycle, e-Bike. Did the two men know each other? Were they enemies? What happened to the assailant?

Scooter, Moped. Did a representative of an ultra-nationalist party encourage people to assault foreigners?

Motorcycle, Motorbike. Is discrimination and persecution new to Romania? Is it a recent phenomenon?

Car, Automobile. Migrant food deliverers earn peanuts. Is this right or wrong? Do they earn slave-wages? Do they spend all their money on parties, drinks, and good food?

Van, Pickup Truck. Do the migrant food deliverers (only) experience physical attacks and verbal harassment, or do they encounter microaggressions?

Semi-Truck. Are migrants and locals treated the same or differently?

Tram, Trolley. Might Romanians be accused of hypocrisy?

City Bus, Intercity Bus. Ismail Hossain plans to move to Qatar or Saudi Arabia. Is this correct or incorrect?
 
 
 
Train, Railway. Immigrants live and work in my city, region and country. Yes or no? If yes, where do they come from? What do they do?

Helicopter. Do some or many people from your nation live and work abroad?

Airplane. Is there racial, ethnic, or national conflict or tensions?

Boat, Canoe, Kayak. What might happen in the future?

Ship. What could or should people, businesses and governments do?