Author Archives: Roma Foundation

Germany News Western Europe

Germany: Increased Discrimination

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Germany: Increased Discrimination

Significantly more cases of discrimination, denigration, insults, and violence against Sinti and Roma have been registered with the Reporting and Information Center for Antigypsyism (MIA) in Rhineland-Palatinate. The number rose by 41 to 100 incidents last year. However, there is a high number of unreported cases, said MIA board member Christian Kling in Mainz.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Annual Report?

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Annual Report?

The Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities should submit its annual activity report by the end of September from 2027. This follows from the draft amendment to the statute of the plenipotentiary, which adjusts the current March deadline for submitting the annual report.

It also avoids some controversies …

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Jasenovac and Croatia

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Jasenovac and Croatia

The Croatian President of the Republic, Zoran Milanović, visited the Roma Memorial Center Uštica, where he planted a Tree of Peace. During his visit, he lit a candle and laid a wreath in front of the Wall of Pain at the Roma Memorial Cemetery. So far, 21 mass graves of Roma victims have been identified in this area and more than 16’000 victims have been identified.

Bulgaria Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

Bulgarian Roma in Germany

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Bulgarian Roma in Germany

According to this Bulgarian article, there are neighbourhoods in two small German towns entirely composed of Roma from Vidin, Bulgaria. Apparntly, neighbours are not so fond, and still according to the article, “quite a few of them, together with the Romanian Roma, are involved in some criminal scheme and often have problems with the local authorities”.

No comments, apart that some actual journalistic work would be nice …

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Brawl in Bulgaria

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Brawl in Bulgaria

Several articles in the Bulgarian press about a fiht between Roma in Berkovitsa, resulting in injuries and the arrest of several people.

Bad.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro

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Khamoro

Storytelling, live music and shared reminiscences took visitors to Khamor back to the times when Romani families would sit together in the evenings and stories would be passed down from generation to generation. Monday’s Storytelling: Giľora program at the Kampa Community Center reminded of the ancient Romani tradition of vakeriben, i.e. storytelling that combines personal memories, humor, music and the experience of the entire community.

Belgium Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

Perumos

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Perumos

The Roma ensemble Perumos has won over audiences at home and abroad. “They didn’t want to let us go home in France,” the Gorols recall. “We experienced our greatest success in France. They didn’t want to let us go home,” recall the couple Kristína and Vojta Gorol, members of the legendary Roma ensemble Perumos. The ensemble was formed in 1986 and gained recognition not only in the then Czechoslovakia but also abroad. In an interview with Romea.cz, they recalled not only the successes they experienced in France, but also their emigration to Belgium and the transformation of the Perumos ensemble into the Perum group.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Slobodan Lala Berberski

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Slobodan Lala Berberski

A festival is now celebrating him. Slobodan Lala Berberski was born on October 20, 1919 in Bečkerek, today’s Zrenjanin, where he completed elementary and high school. He began studying law, but as a member of the Communist Youth League of Yugoslavia, he was arrested in 1941. In 1941, he joined the People’s Liberation War of the people of Yugoslavia. He was a Romani writer and the first president of the World Roma Organization bweing elected as the first president of the World Roma Organization in the famous 1971 london meeting.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Reactions to the Roma “Thieves”

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Reactions to the Roma “Thieves”

Following the statements of the editor of the Serbian TV and paper “Informer”, Dragan J. Vučićević, who stated that trains stopped on Saturday because “Roma blockaders” stole copper cables, Roma representatives reacted.

The Democratic Union of Roma Strongly Condemns the Shameful and Offensive Statements Linking the Roma People to Crime and Copper Theft, Made in Public by Dragan J. Vučićević and Media Under His Control.

The President of the Democratic Union of Roma, Salih Saitović, stated that it is unacceptable that in the 21st century, an entire people is collectively insulted, humiliated and targeted for the sake of political showdowns and raising tensions in society.

The Roma Party has demanded an investigation into the responsibility of Informer TV editor Dragan J. Vučićević for hate speech and announced that, if no one reacts, it will internationalize the Roma issue in Serbia.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Roma “Thieves”

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Roma “Thieves”

The editor of the Serbian TV and paper “Informer”, Dragan J. Vučićević, stated that trains stopped on Saturday because “Roma blockaders” stole copper cables created a few heated reactions. Roma representatives were aghast (see our other post).

But the Serbian Information Minister Boris Bratina is defending Dragan J. Vučićević and Informer, a paper that was banned two days ago in Montenegro for promoting hate speech and denying the national identity of Montenegrins.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Verdict

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Slovenia: Verdict

A while back, following a brawl, Aleš Šutar from Novo Mesto died after being punched once by a Rom Samire Šiljić who pleaded guilty to the attack. He was sentenced to six years and three months in prison, which led to outcries that this was totally inapropriate. The judge justified the sentence with the guilty plea and with th efact that a single blow in the face is not murder.

In response to today’s conviction, the President of the Roma Association of Slovenia, Jožek Horvat Muc, assessed that it is right that all such cases, such as the attack on Aleš Šutar from Novo Mesto, also receive a court epilogue.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Scary but True

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Scary but True

In the Czech Republic during last year’s elections, a large part of the Roma population voted for Babiš and worse, for Okamura, who is openly anti-Roma (and migrants, which is ironic as he is not exactly 100% Czech, if anything like this exists).

Well, at least the recent Hungarian elections show that this can change. There, most Roma voted against Fidesz.

Greece News Western Europe

Really????

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Really????

An article that claims that Roma are behing 76% of all burglaries in Greece. They throw numbers around without proofs. According to them: “A total of 510 criminal organizations were recorded with 3,469 members. Of these, 51% are domestic, which shows that Greek participation remains dominant in the field of organized crime. Of the foreign organizations, Bulgarians and Albanians have the strongest presence, followed by Georgians and Turks.”

How they arrive at those numbers, and frankly they are certainly not true, remains a mystery.

News Eastern Europe Poland

“Traditional” Home

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“Traditional” Home

Several article in the Polish press about the “traditional” Roma home of Bogdan Trojanek, a Roma singer from Poland.

No Comments …

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Roma

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Czechia and Roma

An open letter from Jana Kokyová, chair of the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust, an association of families of Roma survivors of the Holocaust, to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (Action of Dissatisfied Citizens – ANO) regarding the transfer of the Roma affairs agenda to the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry. According to her, the Government’s decision undermines the importance of Roma affairs at the central level.

She is right.

Netherlands News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Romania

Nadara Festival

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Nadara Festival

A mini-festival called “Roma Roots and Routes” features Roma culture and tradition, with a singing and dancing workshop, a performance by the Nadara band from Trasylvania, and a mini-market with goods and food “in the spirit of Roma traditions” whatever this may mean …

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