site.btaNearly 80% of Facebook Posts Related to Roma Are Offensive

Nearly 80% of Facebook posts in Bulgarian, related to the Roma, are offensive or biased. The share of positive or neutral posts is 22%, according to a survey carried out between September 1 and October 15, 2023. The findings were announced by Boyan Zahariev of the Open Society Institute here on Thursday during a news conference hosted by the Amalipe Centre. 

Initially the survey assessed 1,252 posts which were analyzed with the aid of AI. The methodology and the automatic analysis algorithms were developed within the framework of the COUCH project. After removing irrelevant posts, Zahariev weeded out the initial posts to 1,100. The posts were divided into nine categories based on direct insults, irony, sarcasm, jokes, stories about animals, biases, etc. Between 4% and 10% of posts contain irony or sarcasm in relation to the Roma. A little over 11% reaffirm stereotypes. Among the reviewed posts are rental and job offers which are discriminatory towards the Roma, explained Zahariev. Direct insults make up to 15% of the posts (152) and are not always easily distinguished from the general insults. 

Also, the news conference discussed the integration of the Roma. “For a long time after Bulgaria joined the EU I thought that the problems are due to the lack of funding.  After we gained access to the EU funds, we found out that the main problem is the lack of public support for the integration policies and of political will for their implementation,” said Amalipe Chairman Deyan Kolev.

“Within the framework of the COUCH project we wanted to see what the public image of the Roma on social media is,” he said. “The project outlined a need for showing good examples, the stories of successful Roma and the richness of Roma culture. But we have to be delicate not to point a finger - “This is a successful Roma, let’s take a photo with him,” said Kolev approached by BTA about attitudes to the successes of the Roma. According to him, the Roma should be encouraged not to hide their identity and not to deny it.