Roma Gypsies on Friday held a protest outside the Italian Consulate in Switzerland's largest city, Zurich over a census of camps approved this week by northern Italy's Lombardy regional parliament.
The census - backed by Italy's far-right interior minister and his League party - is "unconstitutional and discriminatory" said a statement from the NGO Swiss Society for Peoples under Threat which was involved in Friday' protest.
""It is important to show our solidarity," wrote Muharem Savdo, one of the protest organisers.
"We are not outsiders but are citizens of our respective countries."
"We ask for respect," added Roma Gypsy activist Rina Caldar.
An attempt a decade ago by a previous conservative government in Italy to carry out a census of Roma Gypsies was struck down in court.
There are between 110,000 and 180,000 Roma and Sinti Gypsies in Italy - around 0.25 percent of the population. Around half of them have Italian citizenship.
