A growing sense of apprehension is spreading among migrant workers in Romania following a series of incidents and a rise in anti-foreigner sentiment fuelled by nation-oriented groups, Euractiv reports.
For Bangladeshi food delivery rider Sabbirrul Alam, the threat has become tangible, leading him to cease making night-time deliveries on his bicycle in Bucharest. This personal decision came after a man assaulted a fellow countryman on the street in August, shouting “Go back to your country!”
The attack occurred shortly after one of the leaders of the AUR party, which has been gaining significant electoral support, used Facebook to urge people to refuse deliveries from drivers who are not Romanian.
The concern is particularly acute for a country that relies heavily on non-EU workers to fill crucial roles in its manufacturing, construction, trade and hospitality sectors. The number of such workers in Romania has seen a steady increase in recent years, reaching 140,000 by the end of 2024, with the majority originating from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey and India.
This reliance comes as Romania contends with one of the most severe labour shortages in the entire 27-nation bloc, a situation exacerbated by many Romanians leaving to work abroad.
President Nicușor Dan publicly condemned the August attack, describing it unequivocally as an “act of xenophobic violence” which he linked directly to the spread of “voices inciting hatred against foreigners.”
Romulus Badea, president of the Employers’ Federation of Labour Force Importers, noted that while physical attacks against foreign workers have so far been isolated, he expressed hope that this would not “become a phenomenon.” He added that he has observed a clear increase in hate speech on social media, often predicated on the claim that “these people are coming to take our jobs.”
This sentiment exists within a deeply polarised society where a national-oriented candidate shot to prominence in last year’s presidential elections, which were later annulled. Although President Dan won a re-run in May, anti-immigrant parties now hold an unprecedented third of all parliamentary seats.
In early November, a Sri Lankan delivery rider in a town near Bucharest was hit with a charging cable, cursed at and spat on following a traffic altercation. Although he filed a police complaint, he later withdrew it.
In response, a trade union announced it would offer free legal assistance to all such workers facing abuse or harassment.
