Author Archives: Roma Foundation

Germany News Western Europe

Roma and Sinti in the German Democratic Republic

Published by:

After the war, around 600 Sinti lived in the GDR. While they continued to be discriminated against in the West even after the Holocaust, in the socialist state they should have had equal rights as citizens. But that was only partially true. In the GDR, little was known about this minority. Sinti from the GDR have only recently begun to speak publicly about their history.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukraine Refugees in the Czech Republic

Published by:

It is not good, as one third of them have experienced discrimination, and children are not enrolled in school.

A shame.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Lunik IX

Published by:

The Luník IX estate in Košice, although built as an ideal socialist housing estate, for years was known as the largest slum in this part of Europe. The district is the largest concentration of the Roma population in Slovakia, there was unimaginable poverty and terrible living and sanitary conditions there. People had to live surrounded by heaps of rubbish between which rats were running. This sad landscape has slowly started to change recently.

Luník IX was built as an ABC estate. “A” for army, “B” for security, and “C” for gypsies. It quickly turned out, however, that neither the militiamen nor the soldiers intend to live there.

Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Poland Slovakia

Auschwitz and Roma

Published by:

In connection with the upcoming Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day (August 2), the ethnographer, historian and currently advisor to the Slovak Minister of Justice in the field of human rights, Zuzana Kumanová stated that about 22,000 European Roma passed through the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, and about 19,000 of them never returned.

As usual, this is factually right, but effectively wrong. There were 22’000 REGISTERED Roma in Auschwitz. But by the same token, “only” roughly 300 thousand Jews. People who were immediately killed were not registered.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Roma

Published by:

After the delegation of European MPs visited Slovak Roma settlements, the European Commission began to pressure Slovakia to prepare a completely new system for drawing European funds for Roma inclusion projects. The government managed to convince the commission and proposed a new structure. The head of the new management structure will be the commissioner for Roma communities, who will coordinate the use of more than 900 million euros. An administrative apparatus of more than four hundred people will help him with this.

Well, let’s see how this works.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Croatia: Reaction

Published by:

The representative of national minorities in the Croatian Parliament, Veljko Kajtazi, commented live for N1 Studio on the latest statements of the President of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, who on Friday in Imotski commented on the Roma community and his earlier statements about them and the climate.

Veljko Kajtazi said that he did not ask for an apology from the president for his earlier statements, but added that he considered the statements inappropriate.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Croatia and Roma

Published by:

The Croatian President Zoran Milanović rejected the interpretation of the representative of the Roma minority, Veljko Kajtazi, that he had offended the Roma in his criticism of the government’s energy saving plan, saying that his statement was without any ill intent and that he has no intention of apologizing. Among other things, he had said that it is better to sell air conditioners to Roma if the temperature is set to 25 degrees. “They will make a profit on it. Roma are very skilled in these things.”

No comments…

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

Published by:

A movie about Roma in Romania, a camp on military land ordered to be closed; a closure of a camp near Paris; and a house that was squatted by Roma returned to its owner. Not much this week in France.

Germany News Western Europe

Dortmund: Festival

Published by:

Sinti and Roma belong to Dortmund – and the city will celebrate their culture from August 3 to 21, 2022 at Djelem Djelem. For the ninth time, the festival invites you to workshop, lectures and family celebrations.

Germany News Western Europe

Germany Commemorations

Published by:

Several cities in Germany are organising commemorations for the Holocaust Remembrance Day for Roma. For example Frankfurt, Augsburg, Darmstadt.

Germany News Western Europe

Germany and 2nd of August

Published by:

Germany Federal Council’s President Bodo Ramelow will be traveling to Poland on 2 August to mark the European Holocaust Remembrance Day for Roma. There he will take part in the international commemoration event at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and give a speech.

News Eastern Europe Poland Ukraine

Ukrainian Roma Refugees in Poland

Published by:

The W Stronę Dialogu Foundation, together with the Feminist Fund, has drawn attention to discrimination of Roma refugees in Poland. According to an aid organization volunteer, “Roma people are treated with contempt”. They are also segregated, and treated differently.

Not good.

News Western Europe Spain

Spain: Pogroms

Published by:

Following the stabbing of a doorman by a Rom in the Spanish Andalusian town of Peal de Becerro, a mob went in rampage against local Roma who had to flee. Several houses were burned, damaged and or looted.
Bad.

Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Montenegro and Roma

Published by:

Elvis Beriša, the founder and executive director of the NGO “Phiren amenca” comments last week’s scandal when the Montenegrin cultural network promoted the project Montenegro without divisions – with a photo of young people in national costumes, where Roma were presented in utility company workers uniforms:

“I believe that we haven’t had a more obvious example of discrimination and anti-Gypsyism in Montenegro for a long time. The CKM campaign and the portrayal of the Roma community in it is the definition of antigypsyism. Presenting an entire national community as workers of a utility company surpasses all recorded cases of stereotypes and prejudices that we could see in the public space. It is simply incomprehensible that the organizers could not consult with the Roma community about the best way to present it in the campaign. If, as they say, they could not find the national costume of the Roma, they could present them in ordinary everyday clothes. Anything would be better except for what they ended up doing.

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN