20 February: Hearing of PM Dăncilă after "autism" comment

Romanian National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) will organize, on Tuesday, 20 February, the hearing of Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă, after she said during a TV live show that Romanian Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who disinform the European Union are "autistic".

Statement was made on Thursday evening (February 15) on a TV show (Antena 3), consequently the CNCD decided to also invite to the hearings the TV show moderator, Mihai Gâdea.

Head of the Romanian Government publicly apologized after this statement: Viorica Dăncilă: "I have always supported the people with problems and I will continue to do so. I am sorry that this analogy has been made, it was not my intention (…) I will contribute in building a good strategy for autistic people and for people with other disabilities who are facing problems".

Mrs. Dăncilă is not the only politician who used the terms “autism” and “autistic” in a pejorative sense, and the non-governmental organizations working for the recovery of people suffering from autism and the associations of parents having children with autism have repeatedly criticized such discriminatory remarks.

Prime Minister's statement came at a time when parents of children with autism are expecting a solution to their problems, and not an offense, Ana Dragu, mother of a child with autism, and the President of the Autism Europa Association in Bistrița, said for Radio Romania Actualități (RRA):

Ana Dragu: "It is not enough for Mrs. Dăncilă to apologize. Why is this a serious statement? Because it basically shows the level of the political speech. It reflects the real interest given to people with disabilities in general and to people with autistic spectrum disorders, in particular, since autistic people do not benefit from education, health or social services that are necessary and decent for them to reach their full potential.

The Autism Federation has repeatedly criticized abuses of this kind and the fact that people in key public positions, who should have supported the vulnerable groups, do not poses the correct terms and expressions. Do you realize how serious this is? Not to know what you are talking about! "

The pejorative use of the term "autistic" by the Prime Minister also attracted critics from the opposition politicians.

Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei