The Roma were among the groups most targeted and devastated during the Holocaust. So, fear and violence aimed at them is nothing new. More recently, we have seen xenophobes throughout Europe feel as if they can target the Roma these days, since everybody hates them, in lieu of targeting Jews (who you are not supposed to hate/who are too few in most parts to matter/who are too powerful to offend).
As nationalists consider their checklists of whom it is safe to hate, three groups have remained on such lists: immigrants, Muslims, and Roma. Ok, checklists do not really exist (as far as I know), but there is a general sense that hating certain groups and not others is good for business, in the business of playing up xenophobia to gain votes.
Here is a figure we used on the Steve and Bill book that illustrates xenophobia and how the Roma fit in:
"Institutul pentru Politici Publica 2003, 36. The original figure contains data about other groups as well (Arabs, Chinese, Blacks, Lesbians, Muslims), but I extracted the most relevant ones as well as Homosexuals as they are the focus of the most extreme views. "
The point in the figure is that Roma are the most hated group in Romania except for homosexuals. As such, they are a convenient target and not just in Romania.
So, when I saw the reports this past week, I only surprised when folks seemed to suggest that anti-Roma fears, attitudes and behavior are somehow novel.