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Some months ago a flood of Czech and Slovak gypsies tried to enter
Southern England, enticed by our liberal history of giving refuge to persecuted minorities
or by television images of an easy life. Like the Jews, gypsies have had a long history of
persecution: many thousands perished in Hitler's gas chambers. Although it is now
recognised that the romanies came from India with a form of Hindi as their language,
common belief was that they originated in Egypt, hence their name.
This is borne out locally, when in the 17th century the Alcester court leet forbids householders to harbour 'Egyptians'. The Court may not have known that Elizabeth Tudor's Parliament had decreed that gypsies could be legally enslaved.
Additional Information
THE ROMA - ORIGINS
AND DIASPORA