In the centre of Pilsen, Czechia, after the AraFest 2025 Roma culture festival, which took place on Republic Square in the very centre of the city, police had to intervene because of a fight between tow Romani families.
Shame.
Yet another article about the Roma “Problem” in Slovenia. According to the article, Dolenjska and Posavje have been facing an increase in crime among the Roma for a long time, there are no comprehensive solutions, although the mayors of SE Slovenia and Posavje have submitted proposals for legislative amendments to the National Assembly. The coalition rejected everything.
They interviewed a MP on that topic.
Another one of those articles in the Slovene press. About the “shocking” testimonies around Roma in Southeastern Slovenia. Here a MP is interviewed and claims no government has done anything to resolve the problem. The problem is that no one has done anything to reduce the bias against Roma and to integrate them.
The story of a Bulgarian businessman who paid a young Roma child to paint over a traffic sign prohibiting paring on his street so he can’t be accused of vandalism…
Georgi Kochev and Sasho Chirkov – two young representatives of the Roma community – organized a campaign to clean up the Plovdiv Roma neighbourhood of Stolipinovo on July 5, The initiative was open to anyone who wanted to get involved in creating a cleaner and more welcoming urban environment.
An article in the French le Monde on the nomination of the first openly Roma minister in the Romanian government. His name is Petre-Florin Manole, social democrat and minister of work.
Not much about Roma in France this week. In fact, two articles about Roma: a project entitled “rencont’roms nous” aimed a children, and a so-called insertion village is being contested in Western France.
One of the residents of the Roma settlement of Goriča Vas physically attacked a social worker who was allegedly checking in the Roma settlement what kind of car the Roma family involved in an incident was using. The newspaper asks the mother, the social worker, and the Police. Meanwhile, the mayor of Ribnica has also spoken out again, urging the government once again: “Take action before it’s really too late.” He isa the one who advocates cutting water and other services to Roma who don’t “behave”…
Another report of a man beaten up by Roma in Slovenia. The attack took place a month ago, on June 10, but according to the victim, he initially did not want to speak publicly about it. After much thought, he gathered his courage, as he just wants those responsible in Ljubljana, both the government and other bodies and institutions, to realize that the Roma problem in SE Slovenia is serious and that it is really high time something was done for the better.
This is bad.
The president of the Roma Association of Slovenia, Jožek Horvat – Muc, called for the abolition or restructuring of the working group months ago. “Roma issues should be addressed at a higher level, i.e. as a government commission, which should be led by one of the ministers. The area of resolving Roma issues should not be under the Ministry of the Interior or a repressive body. The current interdepartmental working group has no authority and no decision-making power. This means that it has no effect,” said Horvat.
Meanwhile, the Ministers of the Interior and Justice Boštjan Poklukar and Andreja Katič, State Prosecutor General Dr. Katarina Bergant, State Secretary in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister Jure Leben, Acting Director General of the Police Damjan Petrič, Acting Head of the Government Office for Nationalities Danica Polak Gruden met with representatives of the Municipality of Ribnica, led by Mayor Sam Pogorelc.
At the meeting, which took place in a constructive spirit, they discussed Roma issues, solutions for increasing security, respecting the law and promoting coexistence in the local environment.
Well, something is broken in Slovenia. See the other posts.
Typical Trabloid fare. Irish Gypsy gangs (read Irish Travellers) who are not related to Roma, are being accused of going to Gibraltar to marry underage girls.
Bad, and worse “journalism”…
The police have closed the investigation into the case of racist Czech political extremist party SPD posters from last year’s election campaign, in which the chairman of this opposition movement, MP Tomio Okamura, and the SPD as a legal entity are accused. The Novinky server wrote on Thursday evening that criminal investigators are now waiting for the party’s new representative to familiarize themselves with the investigation file. The police are accusing Okamura and the SPD of inciting hatred, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.
What is it like to lose your sight as a child? What if you have a disobedient guide dog? What does a blind musician have to deal with? And what did police bullying of Roma look like in the nineties? The most famous Czech Roma accordionist Mário Bihári tells about this in his new book.
The book is called “Music in Colour”.
The unique fashion brand, which supports the Roma cultural heritage, is a project of the fourth Slovak president Andrej Kiska. The brand was supported by many famous personalities right from the start, including Zuzana Čaputová. However, Romade fell far short of the creators’ expectations and ended 2024 with a loss.
Now its future is in question.
The trial of Arsen and Leonard Novak began at the Kočevje District Court on Monday. They are accused of attacking Ribnica mayor Samo Pogorelc on June 8 with a minor, against whom separate proceedings are being conducted, closed to the public. Arsen Novak is also accused of attacking the mayor’s then-partner, Delo reports.
The affair made the headlines in Slovenia. What this omits to say, the attack occurred after the mayor threatened to cut Roma access to municipal services unless they “behaved”…
Two articles about the attack by a Roma against an official from the municipality of Ribnica, Slovenia. The official was slightly wounded. Tempers run high there, and the mayor has been cutting services to Roma settlements. This sounds like a self-made problem…
For a change, a positive article in the Slovene press about Roma. Long-time volunteer Boris Muhič described the meeting on his Facebook profile, which gives hope and sends the message: Let’s not throw all Roma into the same basket.”I would like to have a cup of tea with you”. “In the morning, I met Roma from the Pušča Roma settlement at a gas station. One of them approached me and said: ‘I would like a cup of tea with you’,” wrote Boris Muhič. At first, he thought he needed help, but the person he met explained that it was the other way around – they wanted to help him.
Roma pensioners who have worked in Austria for several years have expressed their desire to join voluntary and charitable campaigns. They said that they can do all kinds of work – from masonry and roofing to electrical and facade work, but they don’t do ceramics.
The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and Amnesty International Slovakia demand an independent investigation into information about alleged police violence against residents of the Roma community in the village of Veľká Ida in Slovakia.
As stated in the statement of the organizations, the investigation of police violence against Roma in Slovakia has been ineffective in the past and has repeatedly failed to lead to justice. According to them, Roma communities in Slovakia continue to face police violence and raids.
Slobodan Batjarević Cobe, known to some as a charismatic contestant on Serbia’s Zvezda Granda in 2007, has once again attracted attention with his statements about music, wealth and the pride of belonging to the Roma community.
“In the 21st century, Roma are the richest people in the world. Look at those Roma parties on YouTube, how much money they spend, who wears jewelry. It wasn’t talked about that much before. Now 99 percent of singers would love to sing at Roma parties, because, man – that’s where the cash is,” Cobe said honestly, making it clear that Roma parties have become the ultimate destination for anyone looking for a serious fee.
He probably refers to Serbia and more generally to former Yugoslavia.
According to Milorad Mihanović, president of the Sitnice Local Board “the Roma settlement of Sitnice is one of the more well-organized in Međimurje. It has electricity, water, sewage, paved roads, and even broadband internet.”
About 700 locals will soon get a Roma multicultural centre – a place for education, social events, and also for children to stay. The Roma multicultural centre, a project that aims to enrich the social and cultural life of the community, has been put “under the roof”, and the value of the first phase of construction is 566,000 EUR and the funds were obtained from the budget of the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union funds, the Council for National Minorities of the Republic of Croatia and the Roma Alliance in the Republic of Croatia “KALI SARA”. The main investor and implementer of the project is the City of Mursko Središće.
Now, apparently, there is a drive to rename the street after Veljko Kajtazi, the president of the Kali Sara organisation.
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