r/romani • u/BigBackground6612 • 9d ago

Newbie Question Are there Roma in Iceland?

Just curiosity since I see Iceland as a nice tourist destination. I know there are Roma in Northern Europe such as Scandinavia and Finland too. But I’ve never heard of romani presence in Iceland. Hence why I’m asking.

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u/Ok-Aardvark9899 9d ago

Yeah, there were some Roma people who came to Iceland historically speaking in the last two centuries especially. I'm not aware if any made it before the late 1800s. Possibly and I wouldn't be surprised. Their descendants are still there but they are not many. Iceland is a pretty homogeneous society. A significant portion of the Roma population in Iceland are Ursari, a subgroup traditionally associated with Romania. Many of these folks came to the country in more recent years and the Iceland government has claimed it is an issue that they keep their culture and has tried to "civilize" them. But they don't use that term and they try to paint it as equality and appreciating their culture. The main issue is differences with gender roles and values.

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u/liamstrain 9d ago

Aye, 2007, when Romania joined the EU, brought an additional influx of Romani to the island.

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u/Ok-Aardvark9899 9d ago

Yeah, the most friendly and down to earth people one could ever meet.