Another article on the new interdiction of horse drawn carriages in the centre of Sofia. This deprives many Roma of their only source of income.
Bad.
– Les charrettes ne sont plus le dada de Sofia qui accueille l’UE. In: Swiss Info. 22.12.2017. https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/les-charrettes-ne-sont-plus-le-dada-de-sofia-qui-accueille-l-ue/43776542
Very few news on Roma this week in France. Well, it’s Christmas week so bad news and Roma are not required to fill the papers.
First, a reportage on children of “Gitans” on M6 on January 7th. Just from the title and description, this doesn’t look good. Then, in Paris, an article on what happened to the inhabitants of a camp that was closed recently: Only 120 of the 300 people were taken care of, and some were proposed housing far from the schools of their children. In fact, children were removed from school rooters. Shame on them. Near Paris, a centre for integrated Roma will be put in place, whatever this means and will do. In Marseilles, the judges ponder on property rights following the fire in a squat that killed one person. In Montpellier, one again speaks about mistreatment of animals in a camp, while in Nantes, a solidarity movement is under way to help homeless and migrants. Finally, in Breizh Info (a really rabid news channel, a title page of three Roma who stole sheep and sold their meat.
– Enfants de gitans : document dimanche 7 janvier à 21 heures sur M6. In: Le Blog TV News. 19.12.2017. http://www.leblogtvnews.com/2017/12/enfants-de-gitans-document-dimanche-7-janvier-a-21-heures-sur-m6.html
– Hébergement Où sont passés les habitants du bidonville de la Chapelle ? In: L’Humanité. 19.12.2017. https://humanite.fr/hebergement-ou-sont-passes-les-habitants-du-bidonville-de-la-chapelle-647488
– Lagny-sur-Marne : les Roms intégrés accueillis sur le terrain du pôle solidaire. In: Le Parisien. 18.12.2017. https://fr.news.yahoo.com/lagny-marne-roms-intégrés-accueillis-terrain-pôle-solidaire-101815704.html
– Le droit de propriété perd sa prevalence. In: La Marseillaise. 23.12.2017. http://www.lamarseillaise.fr/marseille/faits-divers-justice/66248-le-droit-de-propriete-perd-sa-prevalence
– Montpellier : des chiens maltraités secourus dans un camp à Celleneuve. In: Midi Libre. 21.12.2017. http://www.midilibre.fr/2017/12/21/montpellier-des-chiens-maltraites-saisis-dans-un-camp-a-celleneuve,1606258.php
– Nantes. Un appel inédit pour les sans-abri. In: Ouest France. 21.12.2017. https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/nantes-44000/nantes-un-appel-inedit-pour-les-sans-abri-5460695
– Orvault : trois Roms volaient, abattaient et revendaient des moutons. In Breizh Info. 18.12.2017. https://www.breizh-info.com/2017/12/18/84545/orvault-trois-roms-volaient-abattaient-revendaient-moutons
Ctibor Nečas, one of the leading researchers on the history of the Roma died on Tuesday December 19th.
May he rest in peace!
– Czech Republic: Professor Ctibor Nečas, a pioneer in researching the history of the Roma, has passed away. In: Romea. 22.12.2017. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/czech-republic-professor-ctibor-necas-a-pioneer-in-researching-the-history-of-the-roma-has-passed-away
– Roma history expert Ctibor Nečas dies aged 84. In: The Prague Monitor. 22.12.2017. http://praguemonitor.com/2017/12/22/roma-history-expert-ctibor-neč-dies-aged-84
Milan Mazurek of Kotleba LSNS party is facing not only a high fine, but also a premature departure from the national parliament. And all because of his derogatory statements on Roma, immigrants, or Muslims that he made on Radio Frontinus on October last year.
Slow progress but progress nevertheless.
– Poslancovi ĽSNS Mazurekovi hrozí, že v parlamente skončí. In: Atkuality. 22.12.2017. https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/549933/poslancovi-lsns-mazurekovi-hrozi-ze-v-parlamente-skonci/
62% of the Slovaks would not want Roma neighbours… They are worse off than Moslems (54%), migrants (43%) and homosexuals (37%).
No surprise, unfortunately.
– Slováci to dali najavo jasne: Za susedov najčastejšie nechceme Rómov, moslimov či homosexuálov. In: Novy Čas. 18.12.2017. https://www.cas.sk/clanok/634463/slovaci-to-dali-najavo-jasne-za-susedov-najcastejsie-nechceme-romov-moslimov-ci-homosexualov/
The rate of voluntary returns in Germany has drastically decreased during the year. Germany is still deporting Roma refugees from Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro and even Kosovo back to their countries following the declaration of these as “safe countries”.
Safe maybe, but not necessarily for Roma.
– Die Zahl der freiwilligen Ausreisen geht stark zurück. In: MDR Aktuell. 22.12.2017. https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/politik/regional/rueckgang-freiwillige-ausreisen-100.html
The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma likes Sido’s movie “A bride seldom comes alone” and invited the Rapper to a conference on antitsiganism.
– Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma mag den aktuellen Film des Rappers. In: Stimme. 21.12.2017. http://www.stimme.de/deutschland-welt/panorama/tlsch/stars/star_zitat/Zentralrat-Deutscher-Sinti-und-Roma-mag-den-aktuellen-Film-des-Rappers;art136657,3959727
The latest numbers of people receiving social benefits in Slovakia were published. Overall 3.17% of the population is dependent on benefits, an overall decrease since last statistic.
Well, reading these numbers somewhat differently, not all Roma in Slovakia are dependent of social benefits.
In fact, in an earlier statistic published by the Slovak government, the majority of social benefits goes to non-Roma…
– Potešujúce štatistiky. Počet poberateľov sociálnych dávok klesá. In: Aktualne. 20.12.2017. https://aktualne.centrum.sk/ekonomika/slovenska-ekonomika/potesujuce-statistiky-pocet-poberatelov-socialnych-davok-klesa.html
While discussing the latest European Theatre price, there is a critique of a play called “Roma Armee Fraktion” which made the headlines in Berlin and in Austria.
– Europäischer Theaterpreis: Gibt es kein revolutionäres, echtes Theater mehr? In: Die Presse. 19.12.2017. https://diepresse.com/home/kultur/news/5341136/Europaeischer-Theaterpreis_Gibt-es-kein-revolutionaeres-echtes
A scholarly work on the Moslem presence in the Balkan in the last two hundred years. And it concerns Roma too, as the fourth largest Moslem minority in the Balkans, after the Albanians, the Bosniaks, and the Turks.
– Revisiting Europe’s Muslim Heartland. In: TOL. 19.12.2017. http://www.tol.org/client/article/27422-albania-bulgaria-romania-muslims-islam-books.html
Now that the pig farm in Lety is closing – a long fight goes to the end. What comes next, in view of the rising extremism in the Czech Republic is difficult to predict. This reportage shows the situation in Ušti nad Labem and it is scary.
– Czech Roma reclaim Holocaust site from pig farmers. In: Deutsche Welle. 20.12.2017. http://www.dw.com/en/czech-roma-reclaim-holocaust-site-from-pig-farmers/a-41872009
Jana Horvathova, the director of the Brno Roma museum gave a lengthy interview to Romea and spoke about the purchase of the pig farm on the site of the former concentration camp of Lety.
– Jana Horváthová: Today Czech society perceives removing the pig farm from the Roma genocide site as necessary. In: Romea. 19.12.2017. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/jana-horvathova-today-czech-society-perceives-removing-the-pig-farm-from-the-roma-genocide-site-as-necessary
– Jana Horváthová: Dnes už společnost vnímá likvidaci vepřína za potřebnou. In: Romea. 19.12.2017. http://www.romea.cz/cz/romano-vodi/jana-horvathova-dnes-uz-spolecnost-vnima-likvidaci-veprina-za-potrebnou
A group of extreme right Hungarians is on trial for having constantly harassed and threatened members of a Roma family in Szucs. They even moved in next to them to better threaten them and their relatives.
Let’s see what the justice does.
– Vádat emeltek a roma családot fenyegető Betyársereg-tagok ellen. In: ATV. 18.12.2017. http://www.atv.hu/belfold/20171218-vadat-emeltek-a-roma-csaladot-fenyegeto-betyarsereg-tagjai-ellen
A case of self-justice in Hungary. In a small village, the residents destroyed a house which was squatted by a Roma family who could only gather a few of their belongings.
The family had been asked to leave repeatedly and the house belonged to the village. No arrests nor any case has been brought up against the vilalgers.
– Durva önbíráskodás Székelyföldön egy roma családdal szemben. In: HVG. 19.12.2017. http://hvg.hu/vilag/20171219_Onbiraskodas_Szekelyfold_roma_csalad_onkenyes_hazfoglalas
A children kanoo team was apparently assaulted by 11 Roma armed with picks and shovels who are now on trial.
Well the story is bizarre and the webpage is even worse so. It is openly anti Roma and relays tons of stories against them and about their “criminal” tendencies.
TO AVOID …
– Children’s Kanoo Team Attacked by 11 Gypsies With Pickaxes and Shovels. In: EU Scoop. https://www.euscoop.com/en/2017/12/18/roma-attack-childrens-kanoo-team
Seems that Bulgarian maternity wards are segregating Roma women into “Gypsy” wards. Bad.
– ‘Roma Segregated’ in Bulgarian Maternity Wards. In: Balkan Insight. 18.12.2017. https://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/roma-segregated-in-bulgarian-maternity-wards-12-17-2017
A Jobbik Party member, Tibor Ágoston, in Debrecen (Eastern Hungary), created an uproar when he opposed a scholarship for a gifted Roma student. He spoke against the support of the student:
“If we once say that Arany János Talent-Care Program, then arrange the talents and not those who want to give a chance to show whether he is gifted or not. Or let’s do a program called Rostás Winnetou, and it’s a catch-up program. ”
No further comments …
– A Jobbik képviselője nem volt hajlandó megszavazni egy roma diák ösztöndíját. In: 444. 17.12.2017. https://444.hu/2017/12/17/a-jobbik-kepviseloje-nem-volt-hajlando-megszavazni-egy-roma-diak-osztondijat
– NEM SZAVAZTA MEG A ROMA DIÁK TÁMOGATÁSÁT A HOLOKAUSZTTAGADÓ JOBBIKOS. In: Kōzelet. 17.12.2017. https://vs.hu/kozelet/osszes/nem-szavazta-meg-a-roma-diak-tamogatasat-a-holokauszttagado-jobbikos-1217
– Nem támogatta a roma fiatal ösztöndíját a holokauszttagadó jobbikos. In: Zoom. 17.12.2017. https://zoom.hu/hir/2017/12/17/nem-tamogatta-a-roma-fiatal-osztondijat-a-holokauszttagado-jobbikos/
– Megvonta volna egy roma fiataltól a támogatást a holokauszttagadó jobbikos. In: Index. 17.12.2017. https://index.hu/belfold/2017/12/17/megvonta_volna_egy_roma_fiataltol_a_tamogatast_a_holokauszttagado_jobbikos/
– Csak a jobbikos képviselő szavazott a roma fiatal támogatása ellen. In” HVG. 17.12.2017. http://hvg.hu/itthon/20171216_Csak_a_jobbikos_kepviselo_szavazott_a_roma_fiatal_tamogatasa_ellen?utm_expid=1324304-23.8USXuGWPRhWtdjJmATShwQ.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
The extreme right party Jobbik in Hungary is claiming a change of heart. It will no longer be anti-Semitic nor against Roma according to its leader Gabor Vona.
He may have changed his mind, but his party’s mem829389bers certainly have not. (See the other article on Jobbik today).
– Head of Hungary’s Nationalist Jobbik Party Denounces Party’s Past anti-Semitism. In: Haaretz. 17.12.2017. https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/1.829389
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called on the Slovak Government to take effective measures to eliminate the discrimination of the Roma minority.
Let’s see what this brings.
– Výbor OSN kritizuje Slovensko za diskrimináciu Rómov. In: SME. 14.12.2017. https://domov.sme.sk/c/20718811/vybor-osn-kritizuje-slovensko-za-diskriminaciu-romskej-mensiny.html
English (UK) 
Deutsch 
Français