Monthly Archives: July 2023

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Alexandra Minzari

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An interview with Alexandra Minzari (34), a Hungarian Romni with an impressive curriculum: Four university degrees, including one from Oxford and one from Cambridge, perfect English, French, Russian and Hungarian and a list of interesting jobs. The last one, the current one, is work at the Ministry of Child Protection.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Condemnation

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The Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPC) imposed a fine of BGN 1,000 and a mandatory order on the extreme-right Political Party “VMRO-Bulgarian National Movement” (VMRO-BND) not to allow publications that create prejudice against certain Romas. The complaint was submitted by the Romani activist Liliana Kovacheva through lawyer Diana Dragieva from the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC). As a Bulgarian Roma citizen, Kovacheva felt rightly discriminated against because of content on the official website of the VMRO-BND. In the section “The Gypsy Question there are hundreds of publications that suggest criminal tendencies and criminal behavior of all Roma. The articles abound with hate speech, impose the feeling of opposition between Bulgarians and Roma.

Germany News Western Europe

Germany, the Police, and Roma

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Several articles criticising the police report on clan criminality from Lower Saxony as being racist and based against Sinti and Roma.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, a former President, and Roma

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Andrej Kiska, who was the Slovak president from 2004 to 2019, has launched a project employing Romnja seamstresses who will sew clothing for a newly established brand. The former head of state is closely working with the Roma and apparently selecting the people who will work on this project.

Germany News Western Europe

German Police and Roma

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The story of a police Razzia in a Sinti camp in Osnabrück, Germany. The police went too far, unfortunately not an exception. They had an arrest warrant for one person, and took the opportunity to search all…

  • Alle für einen. In: TAZ. 09.07.2023. https://taz.de/Razzia-auf-Sinti-Wagenplatz/!5943260/
News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland: Commemoration

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On July 3, 1943, German gendarmes came to Szczurowa, Poland. Almost the entire community of Roma living in Szczurowa was murdered. The German police shot 93 Roma at the local cemetery. The German gendarme Engelbert Guzdek, was the main perpetrator.

On Sunday, July 9, 2023, at the mass grave of the Roma in Ratów, which is located in the local parish cemetery, it will take place at 13th memorial meeting with the participation of the Roma pianist from Slovakia, Mirosław Rač, and the Roma band Romano Iło from Nowa Huta.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic and Racism

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Some 63% of Czechs consider the cohabitation of Roma with other inhabitants of the country as problematic, according to a poll carried out last spring by the Center for Research on Public Opinion (CVVM), the results of which were released on Friday. Nearly 33% of respondents believe that relations with the Roma minority are good.

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France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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Mixed bag of news this week on Roma in France. A photo exhibition in Arles on Gitanos with more than 150 photos from Jacques Léonard. Worth seeing. An open letter to Macron, asking him to let the “Tsiganes” live like citizen. The usage of “Tsiganes” in France is still prevalent. An article stating that 1.2 million people are victims of racism in France every year, with of course Roma topping the list. A comic strip on refugees that also highlights Roma, and then the usual: condemnation of young Roma for theft during the recent riots, and an article of the extreme right paper about Roma settlers in the camps.

Germany News Western Europe

Lower Saxony, the Police, and Minorities

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At the end of June, the Ministry of the Interior and Justice in Hanover presented the “Clan Crime Situation Report 2022”. The Central Council of Sinti and Roma is now criticizing the police stigmatization of minorities and is calling for investigations into racist discrimination to be stopped.

Romani Rose, the chairman of the Central Council,  stated that the report is a “continuation of the racist and antiziganist recording”, which is being continued despite the painful history of this minority and despite the ban in the constitution.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Resettlement

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The Roma living in Beltinci, Slovenia, are supposed to be moved to a new location called Fazanerija. The

living and social conditions in the current settlement, in which 70 to 80 Roma live, are unsustainable.

In the second half of June, Roma councillor Dušan Horvat resigned due to the excitement caused by the intended resettlement of Roma. Local residents are of course also unhappy about the move.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukrainian Refugees

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Recent conflicts between Ukrainian refugees and Roma in the Czech Republic have sparked a wave of concerns and demands for a thorough investigation of these crimes. The European network of Roma organizations ERGO Network and the Ukrainian Roma organization ICO Roma Women Fund “Chiricli” appeal to the Czech police and the Ministry of the Interior to act quickly and decisively and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. The organizations also ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to call on Ukrainian refugees to respect diversity and refrain from any violent and criminal acts. The organizations also request the introduction of measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. They stated this in a statement sent to the news server Romea.cz.

Germany News Western Europe

Magdeburg – Conference

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The conference, organized by the city archive is dedicated to a dark chapter in Magdeburg’s past. As a city spokesman announced, Verena Meier from the University of Heidelberg will speak about the genocide of Sinti and Roma under National Socialism and the difficult work involved in coming to terms with it.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Festival

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On Sunday, July 9, 2023, the 19th edition of the Te prindžaras amen / Let’s get to know each other event will take place in the Martin Museum of the Slovak Village. It is being prepared by the Slovak National Museum in Martin – Museum of Roma Culture in Slovakia.

The program, which will last from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., will present the repertoires of Romani ensembles with an emphasis on the processes of maintenance and intergenerational transmission of traditional forms of Romani folklore.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Tarnow, Poland – Festival

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A festival in Tarnow, Poland, is commemorating the old way of life of Roma and the summer travels they did until is was forbidden in  Poland in 1961.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Documentary Play on the Genocide

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The documentary play “[Not] my story. Music” about the Roma genocide in the Ukrainian Transcarpatian region was presented in Uzhhorod by the Provocator theater studio.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Čirikli – the Bird

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The one-man play “Chirikli” about Transcarpathian Roma won the All-Ukrainian Theatre Day competition

The Oleksandr Gavros’ monodrama  was originally staged in 2021 by the Transcarpathian Music Drama Theatre based on the works of the Roma writer from the Vynohrady region, Mykola Burmek-Dury.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Discrimination in Hungary

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An article about Roma in Hungary and the discrimination they suffer in their lives. Good facts and description of the issues, were it not for the statement that the Hungarian Roma were made sedentary centuries ago… They never travelled except for going there.

This is typical of the French view of Roma: They are Travellers and it is a way of life…

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: A Portrait

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An interview with a young Roma in Slovakia, who, while being the only Rom in the school, was nevertheless elected as president of the student parliament.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic – Pardubice

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A video of the altercation between Roma and Ukrainians in the Czech town of Pardubice emerged over the weekend. The brawl left on young Rom wounded and resulted in manifestations by Roma in the town.

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