Milanović said he had no ill intentions and would not apologize because he did not offend anyone.
“Did I say that Roma were thieves? Did I spread prejudice and stereotypes? It is well known who steals in this country and who steals metal. Did I say that Roma were stealing. What was I supposed to say, that Roma have a PhD? I myself do not. Enough of this affectation and apologising. Where is the end to all this apologising for this and that, for Jasenovac, for Srebrenica. One must apologise all the time. Who should I apologise to and why?” Milanović said in response to questions from reporters during a visit to the southern town of Imotski.
Criticising the government’s energy saving scheme on Thursday, Milanović said that if air conditioners would need to be set to 25 degrees Celsius, they had better be sold to Roma. “They will make a profit out of it. Roma are very skilled in these matters,” he added.
Commenting on Kajtazi’s reaction that he offended the entire Roma community, Milanović said that the question is “whether he is Roma at all”.
He recalled saying several times that Kajtazi was the only member of Parliament with respectable voter support because out of some 10,000 Roma in Croatia, he received 3,000 votes in elections. “Given the large number of children among the Roma population, it turns out that almost everyone voted for him,” Milanović said.
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