Mario Bango is a 21-year old Roma from Slovakia, imprisoned since March 2001 for the "crime" of defending his younger brother when they were brutally attacked by a Neo-nazi skinhead. Held for two years without trial Mario has now been sentenced to 12 years in prison. His youth stolen. We will not rest until he is freed.

The nazi who attacked Mario and his brother died from his wounds later in hospital. Mario's family - like many other Roma in Slovakia - has suffered repeated racist abuse and physical attacks by neo-Nazi skinheads. His brother spent a week in hospital last year af-ter an attack by skinheads. The nazis use knives and other wea-pons in their attack - a Roma was stabbed to death less than a month ago in Eastern Bohemia by a nazi gang - Mario like other Roma carried a knife in self-defense, and was forced to use it.

The Roma people are a terribly oppresed minority in Central Europe. As many as a million and a half were murdered in the Holocaust. Since 1989 they have been subject to a wave of racist attacks in Slovakia and the Czech Republic - around 20 have been murdered. Nationalist politicians, the press, and the growing fascist movement have targetted the Roma people, with deadlly results, where racist talk breeds racist attack. Now Mario's case has been turned into a racist cause celebre against the Roma, with a media campaign against the "gypsy" Mario and sympathizing with the deceased "patriotic and honourable citizen" - in the Slovak parliament there was even a minute of silence for the dead Nazi! The state prosecutor now wants to turn the case against Mario into one of "murder".

Mario's case is one of legitimate self-defence - we must defend him. But his case has larger dimensions: we must turn it into a campaign to expose the rising tide of anti-Roma racism in Britain and in Central Europe.

We demand:

Release him immediately from prison with compensation and a full apology.

* Stop the discrimination and persecution against the Roma people in Slovakia and the Czech Republic

* Open the doors to Roma refugee

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