A race apart  Romanies are little understood either in east or
west. Ian Hancock helps to redress the balance with We Are the
Romani People We are the Romani People by Ian Hancock  We Are
the Romani People by Ian Hancock 208pp, University of
Hertfordshire Press, £9.99  On the day that Jeffrey Archer was
sentenced, the BBC Ten O'Clock News reported with some glee that
he had been driven off to prison in a van containing "a Gypsy
accused of murder". Consider the furore had the newscaster said
"a Jew accused of murder" or "a black". The scriptwriter would
have been sacked.  The level of awareness of Romani issues in
this country is 30 years behind that affecting other races. Many
still fail to understand that "Gypsies", or more accurately Roma
or Romanies, are a race at all. New-age travellers have confused
the issue, leading some to think that being a Gypsy is a matter
of lifestyle. The recent immigration of refugees from central
and eastern Europe and their demonisation by the tabloid press
has only exacerbate