Author Archives: Roma Foundation

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Beating

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Bulgaria: Beating

Two articles in the Bulgarian press about the attack by a 13-year-old Roma boy of another non-Roma Bulgarian. Apparently the young Roma boy was not unknown to the educational system, having been already flagged as violent.

What is bad is that both articles flag this are Roma vs. Bulgarians (Roma there are in the region before the Bulgarians arrived), and pander to stereotypes. This is bad and dangerous.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Problem

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Roma Problem

An article which effectively attacks money spent on Roma. The article is perhaps well meant, but panders to stereotypes. They live in bad conditions, law doesn’t apply to them, and since the government failed, many municipalities are taking the law in their own hands.

In the last ten years, approximatively between 60 and 90 million euros have been spent on integration, without visible results. In addition, according to the article, an additional 100 to 150 million euros have been spend in the same period on Roma programs.

The question not asked is where this money vanished? Certainly not in Roma hands …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma Minority

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Slovenia and Roma Minority

The Government Office for Nationalities of the Republic of Slovenia, which operates under Luka Mesec’s Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, sent a proposal for an amendment to the Roma Community Act for public discussion. The purpose of the amendment is said to be to upgrade the legal framework for a more effective integration of the Roma community into Slovenian society.

The new law brings four key changes: it introduces municipal coordinators as a bridge between the state and local levels, changes the composition of the Council of the Roma Community of the Republic of Slovenia (the Council), regulates the basis for co-financing associations, and speeds up procedures for spatial planning of Roma settlements.

Jožek Horvat Muc, a Roma activist, warns that the proposed changes mean a break in continuity in solving Roma issues and a devaluation of the long-standing work of institutions operating in Murska Sobota.

Germany News Western Europe

Racism against Roma in Germany

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Racism against Roma in Germany

Antiziganism Reporting and Information Center in Germany (MIA), has documented the nature and scale of antiziganism in the country in its latest annual report.

The report recorded 1,678 antiziganism cases in 2024, ranging from verbal abuse to assaults — a significant increase on the 621 reported in its first edition, published for the year 2022.

Bad.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe United Kingdom

Glastonbury and Roma

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Glastonbury and Roma

The musical formation Songs of Roma will perform at one of the largest and most famous music festivals in the world in Glastonbury in the United Kingdom. They will present the Romani repertoire and will also lead a workshop on traditional singing. The festival takes place from June 25 to 29 and will offer a varied cultural program focused, among other things, on the Romani community.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Terrorism?

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Roma Terrorism?

An article that is unfortunately typical of the current media stories about Roma. Here, the article states that “Due to the state’s inaction, intolerable conditions and complete ignoring of their warnings, the citizens there are getting closer to the point where, due to the threat to their own security, they will be forced to take justice into their own hands. This is the most extreme alarm and the last warning to the state!” wrote the president of the regional civil initiative responsible for resolving Roma issues in SE Slovenia, Silvo Mesojedec, in a public letter to deputies, ministers and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Inclusion in Slovakia

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Inclusion in Slovakia

At a working meeting in Valaská, representatives of community centers or social enterprises, the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities Alexander Daško, and the Acting Head of the European Commission Representation in the Slovak Republic discussed effective and sustainable support for Roma inclusion in Slovakia. The aim was, among other things, to summarise experiences and good practice examples in the context of the creation of the new EU programming period.

Well, let’s hope that they come up with better ways than planting trees – which is currently part of the program …

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Politics, Religion, and Elections

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Bulgaria, Politics, Religion, and Elections

In this article, a “Gypsy” pastor agitates his people from the Druzhba district to vote in the by-elections for Yasen Rusev the PP-DB mayoral candidate. Marin Tikhomirov became famous after a pre-election event in the “Filipovtsi” district, to which he personally invited several politicians.

  • Цигански пастор агитира “неговите хора” от кв. “Дружба” да гласуват на частичните избори за кандидата за кмет на ПП-ДБ. In: Tribune. 23.06.2025. https://tribune.bg/bg/obshtini/tsiganski-pastor-agitira-negov/
Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Zaharna Fabrika

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Zaharna Fabrika

Two months after the demolition of the illegal buildings in the capital’s “Zaharna Fabrika” district, a flash mob was held in support of the evicted Roma families. The organizers of the peaceful protest demand that the Bulgarian authorities provide all those affected with suitable alternative housing, medical care and social support.

News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovakia United Kingdom

UK: Rape

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UK: Rape

Three Slovak Roma are facing charges in the United Kingdom for the brutal rape of a 12-year-old girl according to the Mirror. They held the minor for three days. They gave her drugs and repeatedly sexually abused her.

This is bad.

Albania News Eastern Europe

Albania and Child Marriage

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Albania and Child Marriage

The case of a 13-year-old woman who became a mother. The father of her child is 25 years old. What is bad is that both say this is the tradition. Well, not quite …

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

In Besançon, in Eastern France, the Roma community commemorated the 13th of June marking the expulsion of Roma from Kosovo in 1999. In Toulouse, in the Southwest of France, a camp that has been standing for 19 years will soon be closed. 130 Romanian Roma families will lose their houses.

Finally, an article about racism in France that seems to be less prevalent than expected. Racism seems to go together with the fear of migrants.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Funerals

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Funerals

Two more article about a lavish funeral of a Polish Romni who died in the UK and was buried in Poland. Again they stress how “different” the Roma customs are from the general population.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Illegal Taxis

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Illegal Taxis

An article about illegal Roma taxis, basically privately owned cars from Roma settlements who drive people to and from the Roma settlements in Čakovec. Well, clearly, since most taxis refuse to drive to those places, there is little alternative …

Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Montenegro and Romanes

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Montenegro and Romanes

Two more articles on the concerns of the Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe warnings that Romanes is still not part of formal education, although there is a dictionary and several projects. It also states that there is no strategy for training Romanes teachers and that the lack of qualified personnel remains an obstacle. It also warned that it has not been introduced into official use in any municipality, despite previous recommendations.

Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Montenegro and Minorities

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Montenegro and Minorities

The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ​​has welcomed some policy measures implemented by Montenegro in the field of the protection of minority languages, but expresses serious concern about the lack of progress when it comes to Romanes, in particular in the areas of education, institutional use and teacher training.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Schools, and Roma

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Slovakia, Schools, and Roma

On Paper, they are full, schools receive subsidies for Roma, but they cannot keep them in the classroom. They cannot keep Roma students, even though they receive millions in subsidies from the state. Schools say they do what they can, but after the end of compulsory school attendance, it is practically impossible.

On the other hand, resident of marginalised Roma communities say “they just get the money for the children here and they don’t care about them anymore”.

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