Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Mayor and Roma

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The deputy and mayor of Brno’s Černovice, Petra Quittová (STAN) made derogatory comments about a Roma family. Now many ask for her resignation. She still refuses.

She was answering questions in the municipal council on a house that is now inhabited by a Roma family. Quittová responded that the house was sold through a real estate agency, the sellers were a couple she knows personally. “They sold it to…, yes, to people, um, others, I don’t know how to say it now, simply to Roma, whom we got rid of, whom we got rid of a few years ago from Staré Černovice, who moved to Slavkov near Brno, and these people simply bought it from our people, whom I know, because they gave the highest bid,” said the mayor.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia’s Settlements and Hygiene

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A local project in a Roma settlement saw the creation of a “hygiene centre”, a place where the residents of the settlement can come, take a shower, wash clothes etc. They have set up washing machines. In brief all sort of amenities that do not exist there.

Kosovo News Eastern Europe

Bujanovac and Roma

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An article on the local government of Bujanovac, an ethnically mixed town in Kosovo. The article bemoans the absence of Roma representatives in the assembly, which in addition is boycotted by the Serbs.

A sad story of what nationalism does to the Balkans.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland and Roma

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An article in the Polish Vogue on  the W Stronę Dialogu Foundation campaign aimed at expanding knowledge about the Roma community in Poland and increasing its visibility in our country. People of different ages, different genders, living in different parts of Poland and representing different professions will take part in it.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Schools and Roma

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An interesting article about integration of Roma in Slovak schools. Most non-Roma parents would prefer Roma to be in segregated schools. This is precisely what the recent research of the Centre for Environmental and Ethical Education Živica and the non-profit organization Teach, co-financed by the EU, addressed. He revealed some interesting things, namely that the majority of the public have no problem with their children going to class with a child from socially excluded communities. However, they are convinced that it would be best for Roma children to be educated in separate classes or even schools.

For as long as this attitude prevails, it will be difficult to de-segregate schools.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Two very different articles about Roma in Slovenia. One about a brawl between Roma in a town, the other, about children in a Roma (segregated?) kindergarten cleaning up the surroundings.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Amnesty on Slovakia

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In its latest report, Amnesty criticised Slovakia for its discrimination against Roma. Specially, they also drew attention on cases of police brutality against Roma.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Amnesty on Czechia

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Amnesty criticised the Czech Republic for the discrimination faced by Ukrainians and for the school segregation for Roma. The latter has not improved over the last 20 years.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Lety

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Many articles in the Czech press about the inauguration of the Lety Memorial in presence of the Czech president Petr Pavel.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Roma Discrimination

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An editorial on discrimination of Roma in Czechia, but also on the comparison to other European states such as Germany and Spain. Conclusion is, well, while in other states discrimination does exist, at least it is being fought again. While in Czechia …

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Vidin, Bulgaria, and the European Elections

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Dr. Tsvetan Tsenkov, the Mayor of the Vidin municipality, has decided to move the 8 polling stations that traditionally were located in the Roma neighbourhood of Nov Pat, to other parts of town. According to the mayor, this is to prevent irregularities and voter manipulation.

Well, it will also prevent man Roma from voting…

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Marginalised Roma Communities

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An editorial on the disastrous conditions faced by some segregated Roma settlements in Slovakia. The author cites that it is totally unacceptable that people live in conditions of the 15th (sic!) century. He also states that nothing has been done in the last 20 years, and that segregated education is not acceptable either.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Volvo, Slovakia, and Roma

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After the announcement by Volvo that in their new factory in Eastern Slovakia they will employ Roma, the Slovak Government is pitching in … Fact is, the car industry will need up to 25’000 new workers, and the Volvo factory needs 7’500 by itself. This will not be possible without Roma.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Romane Paramisja

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A new book of Romani Tales from the former Czechoslovakia originally recorded by Milena Hübschmannová, a well-known Romologue, was just published in Czechia. In contrast to older books of Roma tales that were extremely successful in Czechoslovakia in the 60s and 70s, these tales were not severely edited to make them more “palatable” to a non-Romani audience. This newer book present stories that are thus quite different. Raw, dishevelled, expressive; disorganized, full of digressions, the irregular structure sometimes makes readers dizzy.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

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A Czech reportage on the notorious Lunik IX Roma housing estate outside of Košice, Slovakia. According to the reportage, an average of 12 people live in each of the flats of the estate.

The article also recalls how this ghetto was created: Originally, there were both Roma and others living there. Ut from 1995 onward, the city relocated Roma from the centre to the estate, and non-Roma to the centre. In addition, people who did not pay their rent were also relocated there. So, effectively, the population in Lunik IX is almost entirely Roma.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

InDaHouse: A project in Hungary

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Fruzsina Benkő founded InDaHouse in the most disadvantaged area of Borsod, one of the poorest Hungarian Counties in 2014, driven by her own resources, her frustration with the child protection system, her personal desire to do something and, as she says in the interview, some naivety.

The aim is to show the Roma children that the majority society can believe in them.

Difficult in Hungary …

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