The case of a Rom beaten up in a Romanian police station.
Bad.
Well, they have to fight against stereotypes, and since quite a few of them do not have Ukrainian IDs or passports, they are being accused of not being from there.
Bad.
The Czech government is denying Roma from the Ukraine who have a Hungarian passport or no Ukrainian proof of citizenship asylum. They ended up sleeping in Prague’s central railway station. Now, they will no longer be allowed to and are being put up in a tent camp. On Tuesday (May 31), they opened another temporary tent town for them, and the state offers them the opportunity to return home or to Hungary, if they also have Hungarian citizenship, free of charge. The editor of RTVS Boris Kršňák dealt with the topic at Rádiožurárna on Radio Slovakia.
The concerts of the bands Imperio and Connection on Sunday at the Prague Exhibition Grounds started the international festival of Romani culture Khamoro. The core of the event, which will last until June 4, will be Romani music. Visitors can also watch a theatrical performance and a parade of artists through the centre of Prague is also planned. The festival is organized by Slovo 21 and Studio Production Saga.
The International Roma Festival started in Prague on May 29 and will last until June 4. This is the 24th year of the festival, which brings Romani music combined with Yiddish music, gypsy jazz and tambourine tones to the city streets. In addition to concerts, people can also look forward to an accompanying program in the form of exhibitions, theatre performances or a procession of artists through the centre of Prague. Jelena Silajdžicová, the director of the organization Slovo 21, and the production manager of the festival, Inka Jurková, promise this varied program.
A well know Bulgarian TV presented was accused of racism for saying the illegal burials in Bulgaria are the work of “Roma”. He slipped even further saying he is using “To say ‘Roma’ is like saying a man or a woman”.
There are several Romanes words that are commonly used in Slovakia by the majority population. This article proposes a quiz, prepared together with the Romathan Theatre of Košice.
An article on the fate of Roma refugees from the Ukraine camping at the railway station in Prague. The Prague government denies them help given to Ukrainian refugees, as many of these Roma also have a Hungarian passport.
In an environment where discriminatory attitudes toward Roma are widespread, Moldovan authorities have allowed – and in some cases suggested to volunteers – to prevent Roma refugees from staying in official accommodation, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
Sad.
An interview with the leader of the band “Gogol’s Bordello” who has Ukrainian Romani roots.
A Ukrainian summary of the Guardian article about Roma refugees from Transcarpathia. The article in which it is called a “festering crisis,” the newspaper describes how hundreds of people sleep in unsanitary conditions at the train station and asks about the actions of the Czech authorities.
“Unlike other Ukrainians who were offered refugee visas, these families found they had nowhere to go and no one needed them,” the newspaper writes.
An article about the Roma in Moldova who are largely pro-Putin.
The traditional Hungarian restaurant music is threatened by the covid pandemic which forced many musicians to seek other jobs.
Zsolt Bayer, author of racist and anti-Semitic remarks, is among the speakers at the event organized in Budapest by an American conservative group. He qualified Jews of “stinking excrements” and Roma of “animals.
So much for these conservative Americans …
A young Roma was awarded a Vaclav Havel Scholarship, allowing him to start studying at the prestigious English College n Prague. Money for the scholarships is being raised by concerts.
Robert Fico, the populist ex-prime minister of Slovakia is claiming the aid of 100 EUR promised by the government per child in June is solely aimed at Roma. This is not the case.
A reportage in the South Serbian town of Bosilegrad, a city that historically was part of Bulgaria and is predominantly still Bulgarian with a significant Roma population. Many of them do no longer want to be Bulgarians.
This coming Monday will celebrate the anniversary of the Roma rebellion in the Roma camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau. This unprecedented event is one of the essential elements of our history. (…) It is a symbol. Courage and heroism should be a beacon for contemporary Roma. Determination and resistance, even in a seemingly hopeless situation, give hope
– said the president of the association Roman Kwiatkowski in an interview with PAP.
The RFK and Kolektiv 115 groups convened a demonstration in support of Ukrainian Roma in front of the Czech Interior Ministry on Thursday. The organizers wanted to express that, according to them, the Czechia did not ensure basic security for all people fleeing Ukraine before the war.
Many of the Roma currently stuck in Prague’s central station have fled Ukraine but have a dual citizenship (Hungarian/Ukrainian) and are denied any help in the Czech Republic.
The issue of the Ukrainian Roma refugees who also have a Hungarian passport but whom no one wants, starting with Hungary itself. They were granted a Hungarian passport as part of Orban’s drive to grant citizenship to Hungarian speakers in neighbouring countries, but they are not wanted.
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