Monthly Archives: February 2024

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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A mayor in France made racist comments about Roma on a WhatsApp group, and 2 years later, they surfaced. He pleads that he was simply “clumsy”. A bit easy to try to get away from these comments. Near Paris, a town was condemned for having refused to enroll Roma children in schools. That is good. In February 2023, the residents from a town near Paris expulsed Roma from a camp. A formal complaint was lodged, but French Justice, in those cases seems reluctant to do anything. Near Marseilles, the installation of an “insertion village” provokes protests from residents. Finally, Roma who fled their cam following a fire have returned.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland, Schools, and Roma

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Robert Bladycz, a Rom teaching assistant from schools in Kamienna Góra, has been trying to get a teaching job for many years, he tells Radio Wrocław. He has a higher degree in education, has been working in schools for 20 years, and despite repeated attempts, he has never been offered a position as a beginner teacher.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Ljubjana: Roma Wedding

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A report on a Roma wedding in Ljubljana, Slovenia. These articles (and the showing of) do not help the cause.

According to the article, the house has 600 square meters, there was a bar of gold and 10 thousand euros as some of the gifts that the newlyweds received at the Roma wedding in Ljubljana.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece and Stereotypes

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Spyros Bakas is 24 years old, he grew up and lives in Dendropotamos (a neighbourhood of Thessaloniki) and for the last two years he has been studying Journalism, while working at a Creative Employment Center there. Spyros is the first journalist in Thessaloniki who openly declares that he is Roma, or rather Gypsy.

Many Roma in Greece as in other countries simply do not say they are Roma, simply to avoid being confronted with racist stereotypes. He chose to out himself, bravo!

  • Θεσσαλονίκη – Σπύρος Μπάκας: Ο Ρομά δημοσιογράφος από τον Δενδροπόταμο που θέλει να σπάσει τα στερεότυπα. In: Voria. 04.02.2024. https://www.voria.gr/article/spyros
News Eastern Europe News Switzerland Ukraine

Switzerland and Ukrainian Roma Refugees

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In Switzerland, there is currently an influx of Roma refugees from the Ukraine, mostly from the Transcarpathian region. We have seen many cases, and they unfortunately come from segregated settlements, often as large families (8 children etc.). They mostly speak only Hungarian and a limited amount of Ukrainian, and seldom Romanes.

The article in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung is totally unacceptable. They effectively say they are not really Ukrainian, without any proof, and even put up a picture of Uzhgorod, maybe part of Greater Hungary for the editors of this paper. They insinuate that they have all Hungarian passports, which could be the case, as Hungarian speakers from outside Hungary have been granted passports by Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister. However, one of the pre-requisite is to be able to read and write (and not to be Roma), which does not apply in most of the cases here in Switzerland.

In addition, these Roma, even though they are not fluent, speak Russian and Ukrainian. Which cannot be said of Hungarians.

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Beggars

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Ann article in the Swiss boulevard press about organized beggars due to the condemnation of several Roma for having abused people and forced them to beg in Switzerland. When one thinks that the average money made by a beggar in Switzerland is around 20 CHF per day and person, this is really not the most lucrative criminal operation. Such articles generalizing from a single case are really bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

The Case of an Anthropologist

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The case of David Scheffel, a Canadian university teacher, who was accused and convicted of the crime of sexual abuse concurrently with the offense of endangering the moral education of youth is being reopened.

In January 2024, the media reported that the case was being heard again at the District Court in Prešov, where two of the victims should testify that no abuse took place and deny their statements from the preliminary proceedings and previous court hearings. The defendant’s prominent lawyer, Daniel Lipšice (now a special prosecutor), said that Roma lie and are therefore untrustworthy…

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Social Media, and Roma

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A recent study by the Human Rights Institute shows that on social media in Slovakia, there are many hateful and racist comments about Roma. People try to hide behind pseudonyms and post many disparaging comments on Roma.

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

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On February 6, a new Roma-led community center (“Roma Integration Space”) was officially opened in Mukachevo, Zakarpattia Oblast, after which another such community center will be opened in Berehove, Zakarpattia Oblast. UNHCR and its local partner NEEKA supported the reconstruction of the buildings and the renovation of the premises of these two centers.

The spaces will work as multifunctional centers to support Roma communities, primarily Roma women and girls, and will complement the national Roma strategy of the Government of Ukraine. Based on the experience and lessons learned from a similar Roma integration space, which has been under the care of the UNHCR and its partner NGO Nehemiah in Uzhgorod since 2022, a wide range of measures aimed at strengthening the access of Roma communities to rights and services, strengthening their potential and integration into local communities.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Vojvodina: Romanes Courses

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The Roma Center Association from Crepaja implemented a project in the Elementary School “Sveti Georgije” in Uzdin with the aim of fostering the language, culture and tradition of the Roma.

The Romanes course with elements of national culture in Uzdin is attended by 20 students. The goal of teaching Romanes is for students to master the basic rules of Romanes, as their mother tongue, to communicate in it, and to get to know the literature of their people.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and the Roma “Problem”

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Yet another article about the Roma problematic, and the initiative of several mayors to change legislation. Their proposal was thankfully declined by the parliament, as it was pretty much targeted against Roma. The members of the coalition stated that they would put up a proposal by the end of 2023.

The article here complains that not much has been done so far.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Police, and Roma

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The project “Improving coordination and dialogue between the police and the Roma community”, financed under the “Internal Works” Program of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism,  is equipping and renovating police reception centres  in Roma neighborhoods in Varna.

They are part of a total of 20 reception centres in Roma neighborhoods in oBulgaria – in Sofia, Burgas, Varna, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Vidin, Montana, Sliven and Yambol. The renovated reception areas will create better working conditions for police officers and be a point of contact for local communities when problems arise.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Miss Roma 2024

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Twelve finalists were chosen from more than sixty registered girls from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and even Ireland, who will fight for the title of Roma beauty queen. This competition, which is being held for the twenty-second time, aims to support the self-confidence and pride of Roma girls, to show their beauty and talent, and at the same time to bring Roma culture and traditions closer to the general public.

Germany News Western Europe

Berlinale and AfD

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The Berlinale Festival invited 2 AfD politicians to the opening on February 15th. They justify this invitation by saying that all parties are invited and have a contingent.

Yes, but not all parties advocate throwing out foreigners and non-German aliens out of the country either. And this can easily encompass Roma and Sinti, as well as Jews…

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Romeo and Juliet

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A new reading of “Romeo and Juliet” is being prepared in Belogradchik, Bulgaria. A story of modern Romeo and Juliet, between Roma and Bulgarians will be told by a Bulgarian-Roma theatrical production. The idea is of the People’s Community Center “Razvitie” in Belogradchik.

Well not quite, the Roma Theatre Pralipe had this idea during the siege of Sarajevo.

Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Isen Gaši

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“Isen Gaši dedicated his entire life to the fight for Roma rights, he was often lonely, but he never gave up on his principles. As the president of the Roma Council, Isen Gaši left an indelible mark on the development, integration, inclusion and socialization of the Roma community in Montenegrin society “, the statement of the Roma Council points out.

May he rest in peace.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Romano Suno – Roma Dream

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Romano suno is a language competition in Romanes, since 1996. “The purpose of the competition is to encourage people to write in Romanes and to use it publicly. Through the texts from the competition, which are published in anthologies and in Romano sun traveling exhibitions, or people hear them at festivals where we organize public readings, the general public can also take a closer look at the world of the Roma,” said coordinator Marie Podlahová.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle…

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More news this week in France. A series of reportages, purportedly representing the “true” way of life of Roma, while actually extrapolating the views of a small minority to a large majority who have nothing to do with these presentations. Otherwise, the usual …

Hungary News Eastern Europe

International Roma Song Day

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The Benczúr House will host the events of the 3rd International Gypsy Song Day in Budapest on August 8. The program series is opened by three concerts in the spring and early summer.

The first performer on March 8 is Mónika Lakatos and the Cigány Hangok, whose aim is to present and keep alive the purest traditions of the Oláh Gypsy culture.

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