Monthly Archives: May 2015

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungarian Human Resource Minister Balogh and Rroma Holocaust

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Zoltan Balogh, the Hungarian Human Resource Minister, gave a speech on the Rroma Resistance Day (the day commemorating the uprising of Rroma in Auschwitz on May 16, 1944), and had to apologise for his remarks last August where he actually stated that no Rroma had been deported from Hungary – a lie. At least now it is somewhat official.

Holocaust in Hungary is still not widely acknowledged, especially the fact that most Jews in the countryside were deported as early as 1941 to extermination camps, and this on Hungarian initiative. Rroma were also constantly deported to Auschwitz and other camps.

Czech Republic Hungary News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

Fighting school segregation

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An interesting article on the various ways to fight school segregation in the case of Rroma in Europe. School segregation is too often still the norm, especially in Hungary, Slovak and the Czech republic, as well as in Romania.

Finland News Western Europe

Law Case in Finland and Rroma

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A case of abduction, sequestration and rape where a young Rromni was abducted by a Rrom and his daughter, forced to have sex – having 4 children in the process, and finally being freed after several years is raising controversy in Finland. The reason: the mild verdict ( 3 years and ten months for the father, 2 years and 8 month for the daugher), which according to the press was due to the fact that they are Rroma, the father having claimed this was culturally ok among Rroma, as the abducted girl was de-fact his wife according to custom.

Finnish Rroma (so-called Kaale) countered that the deed was in no way condoned by the community nor was it the result of cultural traits. They also criticised the debate in the press.

Follows an extensive debate about culture and law… Fact is, Rroma culture doesn’t condone such acts, by far. Contrary, this would have resulted traditionally in the total exclusion of the Rrom from the community. Unfortunately, some of these traditions are getting lost, in part due to the pentacostal influence and other assimilation factors.

Hungary Kosovo News Eastern Europe

Hungarian say no to refugees because of “Gypsies”

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László Trócsányi, Hungarian Minister of Justice lashed out at the EU proposed quota system for taking refugees, added that they had already many from the Balkan, notably from Kosovo, and anyhow, cannot take more, as they have already to integrate 800’000 Rroma in Hungary.

While we greet the “official” recognition of the 800 thousands Rroma in Hungary (officially, there are much less than that – the 800 thousand is an estimate from NGOs), the statements are simply not acceptable from a minister in an EU country. First, not all Rroma are a problem, as is indeed suggested here, and second, one cannot use a minority as an excuse against refugees.

Hungarian say no to migrants because of “Gypsies”

Germany News Western Europe

75 years since the first deportations in Germany

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Throughout the German press, there have been articles commemorating the 75th anniversary of the first deportations of Rroma and Sinti on May 16th, 1940, to concentration camps. Writers, politicians, clerics, all reflected on this dark chapter of German history. Even darker when one considers that the persecution of Rroma and Sinti was not recognised as an ethnic one by the German state until 1982 (Date at which the German Government under Helmut Schmid recognised the racial nature of the perecution). Until then, Rroma and Sinti had been persecuted officially solely for being “asocial” Needless to say, reparations were also not really forthcoming, even after that date.

News Western Europe

Bologna: Rroma demonstration against discrimination

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In Bologna, 100’s of Rroma demonstrated on the 16th of May to protest against racism and discrimination, especially fuelled by the Lega, a right wing populist party that is currently stirring up hatred towards immigrants and Rroma especially. This, in spite of Bologna being quite a model city with their action against prejudices on which we reported a while back.

Belgium France News Western Europe

An Anti Rroma Wall between France and Belgium

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The town of Watrelos in France, right on the Belgian border wants to erect a 2 ½ meter high concrete wall to “protect” its citizen from a camping site for travellers on the other side of the border in the town of Mouscron. The French press is full of several articles on this. Fact is, this is not acceptable in the 21st century in Europe. And these people are Europeans, and to a large extent citizen of Schengen states. A shame for France and for the socialist mayor to the French commune.

France News Western Europe

France: Valls wants to close all Rroma camps

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The French Prime Minister stated in an interview that all Rroma camps should be closed. He also insisted that all social measures required by the law are being applied prior such a closure and that the evicted families are followed on.

What a lie

Belgium France News Western Europe

Further Evictions in France … As usual

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Meanwhile, evictions continue, and very few of the evicted people are re-lodged as per the directives from the Valls’ government. For example in St.-Fargeau; in Grenoble, where the eviction has been requested by the mayor; and so on…

Meanwhile, in Belgium, there are also calls to re-lodge Rroma, for example in Brussels, in Ixelles, and a bus is being used as a temporary abode for five Slovak Rroma families in Brussels.

News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

Rroma in Strasbourg

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Viorel Costache, Rrom and president of the association PRALES (Brothers) and Gabriela Munteanu, a Romanian translator have denounced the inacceptable situation of Rroma Migrants in Strasbourg. In their press conference, they have compared the measures of the city of Strasbourg to a “modern concentration camp” for having established an enclosed camps for Rroma and are accusing the police and the authorities of a true hunt against Rroma.

We do agree with them. Please support them and join their action!

Hungary News Americas News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

Roma Hungarian Researcher denied boarding to Toronto

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Austrian Airlines, Austrian airport officials, and the CIC (Citizenship, Immigration, and Canada) banned a Rroma researcher from Hungary to board a plane to Toronto where she was scheduled to do research on fellow Hungarian Rroma who migrated to Canada recently, this in spite of having a valid EU passport, 1’000 dollars, and a return ticket.

This seems to be a consequence of several airlines being fined by Canada following them transporting Rroma who later asked for asylum or for immigration to that country. In any case, there is a presumption of innocence, and the researcher’s rights were clearly flouted in a bout of racial profiling.

France News Western Europe

France accused by the UN of having a racist problem

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France has been slammed by a UN report on racism in France. The report, among other states that “The committee is concerned by the recrudescence of hate and xenophobic speech in certain political circles and the media which contribute to the trivialisation of racism and xenophobia”. It cites racism against Jews, Moslems, but also increasingly against Rroma with statements such as the “unbearable smell” of Rroma in public transportation, but also due to police brutality in clearing illegal camps and the breach of the rights to proper lodging when expelled from such camps.

This increase of racism towards minorities is worrisome and not worthy of a country like France. Unfortunately, in the case of Rroma, even people such as the Prime Minister are prone to racist statements – for example when he deemed that Rroma do not and cannot integrate. This has to stop.

News Americas News Western Europe

Canadian Lawyer suspended for 5 months for misconduct involving Rroma refugees

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A Canadian lawyer was suspended for 5 months for misconduct involving Rroma refugees for failing to adequately represent thousands of Rroma claimants between 2009 and 2013. In view of what this meant for these refugees, i.e. being deported back, this is a mild sentence indeed.

News Western Europe

Turkey: A Rrom in parliament

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Özcan Purçu is a candidate of the opposition Republican People’s Part (CHP) in Izmir for a parliamentary seat and stands good chance of being elected. As such, he will be only the third official Rroma representative in Europe’s parliaments. For such a large minority, not an acceptable representation. We wish him all the luck!

News Western Europe

Manchester Project aims at reducing prejudice against Rroma

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A new project in collaboration between the city of Manchester and the EU aims at reducing prejudices against Rroma as well as to break their “dependency on others”. The project coordinator is Yaron Matras, professor at the University of Manchester and a specialist of Rroma. The project aims to increase the Rroma access to public services, education and employment.

While we greet the first part and the goals, the second subtitle, the one on the dependency, leaves a bitter taste. This is definitively a paternalistic view of the world, and is ascribing an ethnic trait to what is simply a social and poverty problem.

News Eastern Europe News Switzerland Romania

Yves Leresche: Exhibition on Rroma in Lausanne

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Until May 23, Yves Leresche’s exhibition in Lausanne depicts the lives of some of the Romanian Rroma beggars who came to Switzerland. It goes between Lausanne and Romania, and shows a very humane picture of these people, far from the criminal bands prejudices.

These picture should nevertheless not lead to the belief that this is the only Rroma reality. In fact, it is the reality of a small group of Rroma from a few villages in the same Romanian region. Many Rroma are integrated, especially in Switzerland where beggars, thieves and other stereotypical Rroma only make a tiny percentage of the overall Rroma population there.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Indian Ambassador to Hungary on Rroma

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The current Indian Ambassador to Hungary, Malay Mishra is currently studying the Rroma communities in Hungary as part of a Ph.D. he is currently registered for at Corvinius University. He is looking at parallels and at what could be learned from India in terms of integrating disadvantaged minorities.

We cannot but agree with his statement that in spite of 1’200 NGOs active in Hungary for Rroma, there seem to be precious few recipients, especially in the country side.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: A hard life for girls

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An article on the Rroma Mahala in Vidin, in North Western Bulgaria. The article, while dispelling some of the stereotypes of many children, still pushes some age old prejudices, stating that marriage occurs by abduction (ritually, yes, practically, unknown), that child brides are the norm etc. What most journalists tend to blend out is that in Rroma tradition, one is married if one sleeps with one’s boyfriend. So effectively, by this standard, most of girls in Western Europe are not that different … What is different tough is that there is little contraception, resulting in early pregnancies, dropping out of schools, etc. All things that are a social poverty issue and have de facto nothing to do with Rroma.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Prostitution … Again

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A first article in the Swiss German press since the publication of a study on the bias of newspapers in that country against Rroma (See Rroma Foundation). This time, a Swiss man allegedly bought a young Czech Rromni from a Rrom in the Czech Republic for prostitution for the sum of 256 CHF. The whole thing flew off as the woman shouted while crossing the border and she was subsequently freed.

Sad story. But what we liked, it is the first time where such a story is brought without saying that this is “typical” or “culturally driven” for Rroma. It is a criminal deed that, unfortunately does exist. It is not a cultural trait of a minority. And we are happy that this is the way it was reported.

Hungary News Americas News Eastern Europe

Rita Iszak: A Rromni and the special rapporteur for the UN on Minorities

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A portrait and interview of a Hungarian Rromni activist who worked first at the European Roma Right Centre (ERRC) and who is now the special raporteur for Minority issues at the UN.

Well done!

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