Monthly Archives: April 2024

Europe

ODHIR and Roma Vote

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With Roma and Sinti political participation still marginal in many places and elections taking place this year in almost half of OSCE countries, it is more important than ever that Roma and Sinti have the opportunity to participate in elections and help shape their societies for the better, stated the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the occasion of International Roma Day.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Fight

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An argument between Roma in the centre of Silistra, Bulgaria escalated in a fight and in a much larger gathering once the police intervened.

Always bad when the main reporting about Roma is due to fights and brawls.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia Housing Estate

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 A housing estate on Dúžavská cesta in Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia, has about 1’000 residents. The kindergarten has only space for 26 children …

The town wants to do something about it and build a new one.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Lety Portraits

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The stories and faces of Roma and Sinti survivors of the Holocaust will be presented in Prague at the Clam-Gallas Palace. The exhibition wants to avoid the depersonalized language of numbers and photographs of impoverished people taken by the Nazis. Instead, it presents the concrete human destinies of six prisoners from the Lety u Písek concentration camp, for example through authentic family photos and audio recordings of memories. For the first time, the original diary of Josef Serink, who escaped from the camp and became a partisan, and other personal items associated with the survivors will be exhibited. The exhibition, which was presented to journalists on Monday by representatives of the Museum of Roma Culture, will be open until June 30.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland and Roma

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Władysław Kwiatkowski, director of the Centre for Roma History and Culture in Oświęcim, will talk about the history and present day of the Roma this Tuesday (April 16). There will also be a performance by Józef Merstein Jochymczyk – the bard of Romani music, performing songs and ballads in the Sinti Manousche style and Gipsy jazz. It all starts at 17:00 at the Documentation and Exhibition Centre of Germans in Poland at ul. Szpitalna 11 in Opole.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Kalderaša Kitsch

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A series of photographs of Kalderaša interiors and families taken in Transcarpathian Ukraine.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Slovakia

A Popular Slovak Singer on Roma Guest Workers

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In a post on the Instagram social network, the popular Slovak singer Paľo Habera shared a photo and expressed his pride in the group of Roma workers who have been going to the Czech Republic for work for several years.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: A Rom Blogger on Pellegrini

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A Rom blogger who has experienced several times the disparaging comments about Roma, writes on the new Slovak President, Peter Pellegrini. He basically says that he supports the current government of Fico who is rabidly anti LGBT and anti-Roma. And he asks how many times die Mr. Pellegrini have to lie to himself to support all of this…

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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Several news about the 8th of April in the French press. One is interesting. A French book about Johann Trollmann, the Sinto boxer who won the German heavyweight title in 1933 but was then stripped of the title. Here, no mention about Sinti …

The rest of the news are the usual ones: A camp near Strasbourg will be closed and a fire in a camp in Toulouse.

France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Ukraine

An Article about a Romni

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A portrait of a young Romni in the Ukraine. She completed her studies. But what is written about Roma in this article is just terrible.

The author has obviously no idea what he (or she) is talking about. In addition, the authors puts in multiple stereotypes. Really bad journalism but unfortunately typical of what one finds in the French press.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: The Story of a Ghetto

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The once-feared Roma ghetto in Škodova Street near the railway station made it to Přerov’s list of shame. Fifteen years ago, tens of Roma families lived in the dilapidated houses of the railway workers in the “street of horror”, as the locals called it. The buildings were sold to a Slovak company with the tenants, and finally the dilapidated buildings were demolished in 2017. Nevertheless, the district still carries the label of an excluded locality.

And what about Roma who lived there? Well, that didn’t seem to bother anyone…

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland, Roma, and a Riot

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The Polish press widely reported the riot in a Roma neighbourhood near Limanowo, where Roma attacked firefighters who came to extinguish a fire.

The Roma Association of Poland criticised the reporting, saying that too much was centred on purported Roma “traits” and too many stereotypes were presented in the reporting. They are right.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Anti-Roma Racism

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The Czech government adopted the definition of antitsiganism, i.e. anti-Roma Racism. This is the definition that was done by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

According to the government commissioner for Roma minority affairs, Lucie Fuková, this indicates that discrimination is not welcome in the Czech Republic. She said this at a press conference after the cabinet meeting. According to the government commissioner for human rights, Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, this is the right step to reject any prejudicial and stereotypical behaviour against the Roma minority in the Czech Republic.

Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Montenegro and Romanes

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The Montenegrin Ministry of Justice made an open call for finding a translator for Romanes. Applicants can send their CVs within the next 20 days.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Roma Refugees from the Ukraine

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A video in the Czech press about Roma refugees from the Ukraine, and a recognition that the Transcarpathian Roma are related to the Czech and Slovak ones (besides the fact that Uzhhorod was Czechoslovak between 1918 and 1945 …

Europe

Roma Week in Brussels

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Politicians, experts, activists and organizations dealing with persistent anti-Gypsyism in Europe gathered in Brussels for the so-called Roma Week. It takes place just after the International Roma Day (April 8) and before the Day of Roma Resistance (May 16) at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the European Committee of the Regions and other EU institutions. The ERGO network organises the Roma Week.

Lithuania News Eastern Europe

Lithuania and 8th of April

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An article on Roma in Lithuania in the context of the April 8th celebrations.

According to the 2021 census, 2,251 Roma lived in Lithuania.  There are still many false prejudices about this ethnic group, which result mainly from ignorance and lack of education.

rroma.org
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