Category Archives: Bulgaria

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Scholarships

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The Foundation “Trust for a Social Alternative” has announced a scholarship competition for students of Roma origin who are in their second, third or fourth year studying the specialties “Midwife” or “Nurse”. It is aimed at girls or women from the Roma community from the regions of Montana, Ruse, Pleven, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Burgas, Yambol, Kyustendil, Targovishte, Shumen and Dobrich. The competition is organized within the framework of a scholarship program for Roma nurses and midwives, which is part of the “First 1000 Days” program. The goal is to create inspiring role models for young people from the Roma community, to contribute to the development of patronage care and to solving the problem of the shortage of nurses in Bulgaria, said Iskra Stoykova, program director of the “First 1000 Days” program.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria and Vote Buying / Vote Rigging

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Two articles in the Bulgarian press about vote buying and vote rigging. In one case, in Vidin, suspects dropped many ballots in the ballot box. A person who filmed and highlighted the event was beaten up. In Gorna Oryahovitsa, one of the candidate for mayor is being investigated for vote buying.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Voting, and Roma

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An article about local elections in Bulgaria. Two facts: Very few Roma vote, with a turnout in some of the Roma settlements of less than 10%, and in addition, invalid ballots make up to 40%. The article reviews several elections in various large Roma settlements such as Fakulteta in Sofia and Stolipinovo in Plovdiv.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Vote Buying, and Roma

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Alexey Pamporov is an associate professor of sociology at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the BAS, teaches “Sociology of the Family” and “Roma History and Culture” at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

He spoke about vote buying, especially among Roma – something that is often reported in Bulgaria. He says that actually, it is the sectional voting commissions that are often bought, and change the results after voting has been closed. This especially happens in Roma communities.

Also, he says that the Roma population is not increasing, as their birth rate is the same as for the rest of the population, and many of them emigrate.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Brawl

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Another one of these stories that make it always to the press and give the impression all Roma are like this: A fight between two Roma families in Razlog escalated terribly. A 20-year-old boy was stabbed in the stomach and hospitalized. The attacker with the knife fled and is currently being sought. The families are from different parts of the country, but work in Razlog. Last night they sat down to eat and drink at the hotel where they are staying in the city. They got drunk and fought, after which 50-year-old Zivko K. grabbed the knife and wounded 20-year-old Valentin. Seeing what he had done, he fled the scene of the crime.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria and Roma

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The Bulgarian press focuses on bad stories on Roma. Here, on a police operation in three Roma settlements in Kazanlak. This followed the stabbing of a policeman in the Roma settlement “Kazmera” by a 20-year-old criminal from the neighbourhood.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria and Elections

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A Bulgarian mayor tried to move a polling station to a Roma neighbourhood. The attempt of the mayor of Gurkovo, Marian Tsonev, elected by the DPS, to move a polling station from the centre of the city to the Roma neighbourhood failed.  Almost all other political forces rose up against him – BSP, GERB, PP, DB, “Vazrazhdane”, ITN and VMRO. They sent a complaint to the regional governor of Stara Zagora, Iva Radeva, who determined the order for the relocation of the section was not correct.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Mass Fight

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Another mass fight between two Roma families in Bulgaria, injring at least 4.

Bad.

Bulgaria Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

Germany, Bulgaria, and Bad Journalism

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An article in the sensation paper “Bild” about the Stolipino Mahala in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Parts of it are really poor, other less so. And here of course, as a title: “All want to come to Germany”.

Bad.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Again

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Another big fight with over 100 people took place in the Roma settlement in Kazanlak. According to initial information, two are in hospital, Nova TV reported. Such fights are increasingly common, unfortunately.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria and Roma Weddings

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A “special Operation” of the police in Sliven confiscated musical instruments in a Romani Mahala for violating the night silence ordinance, that is celebrating weddings after 11 PM.

They really have nothing better to do…

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: False Rumours

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Posts on social media in Plovdiv, Bulgaria showed the same photo of a car was with a warning that it was driving around neighbourhoods in the district and stealing children. In the last 24 hours alone, more than 50 reports have been received from worried people who thought their families were in danger. The police categorically denied these rumours. At an extraordinary press conference, they clarified that the car filmed belongs to a 53-year-old man from Plovdiv, who has no criminal record.

This was disinformation against Roma.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Mixed Results

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The recent condemnation of the extreme right Bulgarian VMRO-Bulgarian National Movement (VMRO-BND)was welcome news. However, the fine of 1’000 BGL (roughly 550 EUR) was not really high, and the party, while ordered not to post any further discriminating statements on Roma, was not ordered to erase previous posts and pages.

The person behind the condemnation, Liliana Kovacheva, who filed the original complain, is continuing her fight.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Condemnation

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The Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPC) imposed a fine of BGN 1,000 and a mandatory order on the extreme-right Political Party “VMRO-Bulgarian National Movement” (VMRO-BND) not to allow publications that create prejudice against certain Romas. The complaint was submitted by the Romani activist Liliana Kovacheva through lawyer Diana Dragieva from the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC). As a Bulgarian Roma citizen, Kovacheva felt rightly discriminated against because of content on the official website of the VMRO-BND. In the section “The Gypsy Question there are hundreds of publications that suggest criminal tendencies and criminal behavior of all Roma. The articles abound with hate speech, impose the feeling of opposition between Bulgarians and Roma.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Fakulteta

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An article on the largest Mahala in Bulgaria, the Fakulteta in Sofia. Unfortunately, the article, not knowing history, speaks of centuries of discrimination. This was not the case until the end of the Ottoman Empire, and has only really taken off with the fall of Communism and the rise of populism.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Discrimination

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Two young Romnja in Bulgaria signed a contract for managing a restaurant. The contract was cancelled after a few days, apparently because of their ethnicity. The owner claims it is because of the tenant’s plans to organize noisy parties, weddings and baptisms.

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