We talk to aggrieved customers and bar owners in Poznan over accusations that Roma have been thrown out and barred from pubs and restaurants in the western city in what has been alleged are examples of blatant racism.

As we reported on Thursday, the Helsinki Foundation and Poland’s Interior Ministry are looking into complaints by Roma minority that they are being discriminated against by some bar owners in Poznan, who claim that they are “messy” and rowdy and not welcome in their establishments.

"I went [to Cuba Libre] to check if it was not a one-time thing and I was treated similarly. I was not allowed into the restaurant because the host said that Roma are banned from entering," Marek Miller, vice president of the Wielkopolska Cultural-Educational Association for Polish Roma told reporter Magdalena Jensen.

Marek Miller, along with journalists from the Gazeta Wyborcza daily, secretly filmed trying to get into a bar in Poznan. You can see the results here.  

We also spoke to Barbara Grabowska, director of strategic litigation at the Helsinki Foundation, who says they are considering representing members of the Roma community in Poznan who say they are being discriminated against. (pg)