INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Hundreds of residents in the southern Saratov region staged protests against the local Romani community after one of its members was
reportedly involved in a fatal car crash, local media reported Wednesday.A 15-year-old moped rider was killed in a collision with a
passenger vehicle on Tuesday morning in the village of Podlesnoye, located along the Volga River about 75 kilometers (46 miles) northeast of
the city of Saratov.Law enforcement authorities arrested the 36-year-old driver of the vehicle, who was identified by local media as a
member of the Romani community.Around 200 residents gathered in protest, demanding the eviction of local Roma and accusing them of
anti-social behavior, including drug smuggling, disturbing the peace and driving without licenses, the Saratov-based outlet Vzglyad Info
confronting police officers and voicing their frustrations
living in the village fled following the protest.The unrest comes less than a year after a murder in the Chelyabinsk region triggered riots
and police raids targeting members of the Romani community there.
