Erfurt (dpa/th) - Thuringia's new Minister of Justice, Doreen Denstädt, is now also responsible for fighting discrimination against Sinti and Roma in the Free State. The Greens politician was appointed by the state government to be the representative against antiziganism and for the life of Sinti and Roma, as she announced on Tuesday after the cabinet meeting. The need for support for Sinti and Roma is very great, said Denstädt. In Thuringia, too, the population group is still struggling with deep-seated prejudices in large parts of the majority society.
Plans to set up such a post became known last fall. A spokesman for the Ministry of Migration was unable to say how many Sinti and Roma live in Thuringia. Fleeing from the Russian war of aggression, Roma had also come to the Free State from Ukraine in the past few months.
Criticism came from the opposition in the state parliament. The CDU parliamentary group accused the red-red-green state government of setting the wrong priorities. "The fight against racism and discrimination against Sinti and Roma is of course an important task," said CDU MP Stefan Schard. "But: In Ms. Denstädt's department, the construction sites are piling up."
The judiciary is suffering from delayed digitization, the wave of retirements among judges and public prosecutors and problems in the penal system. In addition, there are massive deficits in deportations, refugee accommodation and the creation of a state migration office.
