Daily Archives: July 26, 2015

France News Switzerland News Western Europe Spain

Travellers, Gitans, Roma, or the confusion of journalists

Published by:

An article about a few Rroma who stopped in a field near Payerne and had to leave as the field’s owner did not want them to stay highlights the misinformation and confusion among journalists:

The title uses “Gitans” – who are not travellers, by the way, and are found only in the South of France and Spain (also called Cale); the text uses “Gens du Voyage, i.e. Travellers, which can be Rroma but could also mean Jenische (Swiss travellers) or French Travellers; and finally the police states that these are most probably “Roma” from neighbouring France. We are just missing Sinti in this article to complete the confusion!

News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

Social benefits, migration, and EU Law

Published by:

A Rromni from Romania who emigrated to Ireland in 2008 and supported herself with begging and food vouchers is claims the Irish department of social protection refusal to pay her welfare benefits including child support breaches EU law. The department, on its side, claims that it did so on the “right to reside” test basis, i.e. that she de facto has no legal right to stay in Ireland in the first place.

Something to follow. But regardless of the results, a negative publicity for Rroma, as they are often accused to come to the UK and Ireland to cash in social benefits.

News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Russia

Austria, the Anschluss, and the Nazis

Published by:

A chilling review of the annexation of Austria with the support of the overwhelming part of the population, and the history of Austria under the Nazis. Besides the Austrian soldier deaths (ca. 270’000) in Eastern Europe and Russia, Austrian minorities got decimated: From around 190’000 Austrian Jews, 65’459 were killed in the Holocaust, while from the roughly 11’000 Rroma (Burgenland and Sinti), at least 7’000 perished. These latter numbers are to be taken with caution, as no one really knew how many Rroma there were, and the German did not keep tabs on field executions or gas chambers.

News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

The life of a Romanian Rroma family in Paris

Published by:

The story of a migrant from Romania, who, before he managed to get a job with the RATP (Paris Transport Authority), was camping on the place de la République in Paris. He reports on his life and how he managed slowly and step by step to find his footing in Paris.

Worth reading!

Bulgaria France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

High electric meters discriminate against Rroma

Published by:

The European court of Justice has issued a warning against the Bulgarian electricity company which installed electric meters at a height that renders them inaccessible, this in a predominantly Rroma part of Dupnitsa. According to the court of justice, this constitutes “ethnic discrimination”.

News Western Europe

UK Police in racist Facebook controversy

Published by:

The metropolitan police has been engulfed in a controversy surrounding a “secret” Facebook page that officers used to air racist comments about minorities, including Rroma. In several comments, the comments accused the GT (Gypsy and Travellers) to live exclusively on crime.

This cannot be tolerated from the police!

 

News Switzerland News Western Europe

Rroma beggars with dogs

Published by:

There are apparently several beggars in Lausanne – Rroma – who are begging with a dog. A foundation for the protection of animals has accused them of drugging their dogs, an accusation that could not be substantiated by the cantonal veterinarian. This may be a new tack of these beggars, now that begging with small children is effectively forbidden.

In spite of all the drama in the Media, we speak here of a few scores of beggars, a very tiny number in comparison to the well established and integrated Rroma in Switzerland.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Residents from Garmen in Sofia’s street protest

Published by:

In a further escalation of the conflict in Garmen, around 150 residents from Garmen staged a protest in Sofia to request the demolition of 120 “illegal” Rroma houses in their village.

This escalation of an already festering problem will not resolve anything, and is providing ammunition to populist politicians on the overall minority “issue” in Bulgaria.

This has to stop!

News Western Europe

The Roma Road

Published by:

A French book, called “La Route du Rom”, a wordplay on the famous transatlantic sailing race “la Route du Rhum”, raises questions about the nation states, and about Rroma nd their integration. Unfortunately, the book also serves quite a few of the standard stereotypes about Rroma, about clans, about persecutions, about poverty. While we can agree with the goal, we find the path rather difficult to swallow.

France News Western Europe

School and Rroma: A trial in France

Published by:

Another report on the trial of a French mayor (we reported a while back) of the town of Sucy en Brie who was accused of having denied 5 Rroma children their right to education. The mayor was cleared of all charges, but the fact remains that Rroma children, without a formal housing document, as often denied education, in spite of French law.

A shame.

Germany News Western Europe

Further article on the Dachau Theatre Project

Published by:

A further article on the Dachau Theatre project, a project fighting stereotypes and played by Rroma and Sinti children. That this play is staged in Dachau, the site of one of the earliest concentration camps in Germany is really symbolically important.

Bulgaria Germany Italy News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

There is no invasion …

Published by:

According to the Council of Europe, and this in spite of what populist politicians claim, there has been no “invasion” of Rroma from Bulgaria and Romania since citizen from these countries have been granted free circulation within the EU. The Council of Europe criticises the “unfounded” numbers cited by the press in the migration debate in several European countries, such as the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.

We wholeheartedly agree!

Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Serbia

Report on a Rrom refugee from Serbia

Published by:

An article on a Rrom who fled Leskovac in Serbia and is now in Germany. He has few chances to stay as Germany has decreed Serbia to be a safe country, but still hopes he can stay.

France News Western Europe

Volunteers in Rroma camps

Published by:

Volunteers from a catholic organisation are taking care of children in a camp near Paris during July. Let’s see what this bring, but more than playing with the children will be required to close the issue of illegal camps in France.

News Western Europe

4000 expulsions: Another Article

Published by:

Another article on the 4’000 Rroma that were expulsed by the French government in the first six months of 2015. Note the small mistake in the title : “Trimestre” – [quarter] instead of the half year. Never mind!

Lithuania News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

Holocaust educators visit Lithuania

Published by:

US Holocaust educators from Florida visited Lithuania to share and develop strategies on some of the controversial aspects (i.e. local participation) of the Holocaust; to better understand what happened in Lithuania; to learn international law; to understand prejudices and to fight against them. On prejudice, they will also discuss the one against Rroma. Let’s see!

News Western Europe

Auschwitz’s accountant: 4 years of Prison

Published by:

Auschwitz’s accountant, Oskar Grönning, was condemned to 4 years of prison as an accessory to murder to 300’000 people. These are the documented victims of Auschwitz, with roughly 21’000 Rroma and Sinti. One should never forget though that people who were sent directly to the gas chambers were not registered and the overall number of victims was much higher in Auschwitz.

– Auschwitz-Prozess: Vier Jahre Haft für SS-Mann Gröning. In: Osnabrücker Zeitung. 15.07.2015. http://www.noz.de/deutschland-welt/niedersachsen/artikel/596012/auschwitz-prozess-vier-jahre-haft-fur-ss-mann-groning-1

 

France News Western Europe

Another report on the expulsions of the Ivry Camp

Published by:

L’Humanité – the French communist newspaper – reports on the evictions of the large camp in Ivry and states that the state is devoid of means to help Rroma. One should also remind readers that expulsions have been requested by mayors of all political parties, including the communist one.

And one should also remind France that the migrant Rroma to which so much newspaper space is devoted are a small fraction of Rroma living in France.

rroma.org
en_GBEnglish (UK)
de_DEDeutsch fr_FRFrançais en_GBEnglish (UK)