The condition of Roma people is a vital issue in negotiations over the accession of Romania to the European Union. Roma who leave in great numbers (claiming human rights violations) and those who stay (enduring multiple sources of social injustice) alike challenge democratic and social ideals in a context of far-right revival. An academic of Roma origin reflects on the tortured history of Roma in Romania, and affirms the need for a new discourse and practice of equality for Roma at the European level.