Monthly Archives: July 2015

France News Western Europe

French Camp Chronicle

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And the cat and mouse game goes on. Camps were closed in Bobogny, near Paris; in the Val the Marne, were Rroma were expulsed of a house; while in the north, near Lille, a judge needs to decide whether a camps will be closed or not.

Évacuation du camp rom des Couteaux de Roubaix: le juge se prononcera le 10 août. In: Nord Éclair. 21.07.2015. http://www.nordeclair.fr/info-locale/evacuation-du-camp-rom-des-couteaux-de-roubaix-le-juge-se-ia50b12891n808772

France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe North Macedonia

Šutka TV: A Rroma TV in the middle of Paris

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A television in part in Rromanes, in the middle of the French capital. The television was established in 2012 by a Rroma from Macedonia who lives in France, and the television aims at helping Rroma to integrate better in French society. The TV chanel is called after the Šutka, the largest Rroma settlement in Skopje.

A reportage on French TV, prime time.

 

Italy News Western Europe

Rome pledges to shut down Rroma camps

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At long last, the Rroma camps – veritable ghettos that surround the Italian capital will be dismantled. Italian court have found the Rome municipality to be guilty of racial discrimination in the setup of these camps, camps that were established by the municipality, with the police and NGOs.

 

News Eastern Europe Romania

Bucharest, Drugs, and Rroma

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A reportage on Rroma drug addicts in Bucharest and on the lack of help that they face. Not even clean needles are available for all, resulting in a high rate of infections such as HIV and hepatitis C. Many of the addicts come from the infamous “orphanages”.

A MUST read.

News Switzerland

More on the Rroma wedding

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The Rroma wedding in Zurich filled the Swis German papers yesterday and probably will continue to do so for a while. 600 Rroma, nearly a 100 caravans, all for a wedding. A farmer rented them the field.

News Western Europe

Rroma policemen in the UK

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Following the issue with police officers posting racist comments on Rroma and other minorities on Facebook, Rroma police officers are trying to counter the prevailing prejudices that exist within the force.

Best wishes!

France Germany News Western Europe

Travellers and Rroma

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An article about the cohabitation of “gens du voyage” – the French version of Travellers, and Rroma. Travellers is used in France to denote both non-Rroma as well as Manouches and other local travelling Rroma, while Rroma (Roms in France) is a term that is only used to denote the “foreigners”. This is a remake of the Sinti and Rroma that we know from Germany, although all are Rroma.

News Western Europe

More on the racism in the Met Police

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Following the recent disclosure of the existence of a Facebook page used by UK Met police officers to rant against minorities and Rroma in particular, more articles have appeared in the Press and Scotland Yard is investigating the case.

Let’s hope that there will be a clear outcome.

France Germany News Switzerland News Western Europe

Rroma wedding near Zurich

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Again a case of a Rroma wedding near Zurich were roughly 70 caravans gathered to celebrate a wedding. These travelling Rroma are from France and Germany (with a corresponding passport) and are members of a pentacostal church. A farmer rented them his land for 5’000 Swiss Francs. People in the village are annoyed and are asking why nothing is being done by the police.

A typical controversy, including the fact that people defecate in the open, and thus befoul the region and adjacent wood.

But the WORST are the commentaries: Bigots and racists seem to love these news.

Germany News Western Europe

Hamburg: Protest against deportations

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Around 600 people – mostly Rroma – protested in Hamburg against the deportation of refugees back to their home countries, a policy Germany now strictly enforces for so-called “safe” countries. That these countries are not so safe and secure if you are part of a minority seems not to be taken into account, thus actually violating the rights of the refugees.

Let’s hope this will show results!

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Garmen, again. Petition against “illegal” Rroma housing

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Bulgarian protesters from the village of Garmen deposited a petition in Sofia with 720 signatures against the postponement of the demolition of illegal building in the village. These protesters want all Rroma houses destroyed immediately.

A shame, and a solution should be found to regularise these houses now.

Bulgaria France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

Meanwhile in France: Further camp news

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Some news of the camps in France: In Bagnolet, near Paris, Bulgarian Rroma buried a man and his daughter who died during a fire; in Roubaix, in the North, activists take 60 Rroma to the sea; in Loos, also in the North, an article about the street with a prison, a Rroma camp and an unused land; while in Vaulx-en-Vélin, near Lyon, cohabitation seems to be difficult; and finally the MRAP (Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peoples) denounces what they deem a “real harassment” of Rroma in Lyon.

News Western Europe

Potential new “insertion village” for Rroma in Toulouse

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The city of Toulouse wants to open a second insertion village. The first one, created in 2013, currently lodges 24 families, and, according to the authorities, has been very successful at integrating the Rroma.

This is by far a better approach than chasing them from illegal camp to illegal camp…

France News Switzerland News Western Europe Spain

Travellers, Gitans, Roma, or the confusion of journalists

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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

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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

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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.

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