Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

News Eastern Europe North Macedonia

North Macedonia and Schools

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Parents in North Macedonia demand change as schools in some districts end up t be totally segregated with 100% of the enrolled children being Roma.

This problem is not only prevalent in that country, as there are many places in Europe with de-facto school segregation. This is the case n many places in Hungary too for example.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Charles III and Stolipinovo

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Charles, at that time Prince of Wales, visited the Roma neighbourhood of Stolipinovo in Plovdiv in 1998. He was invited there by Roma and even attended a wedding.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungary, the Far Right and Orban

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The new editor-in-chief of Vasárnap.hu, a close-to-government Christian newspaper supported by taxpayers’ money, was an active participant in the demonstrations of the far-right, neo-Nazi Force and Determination movement. When contacted by Telex, Tamás Horváth did not confirm that he was a member of the organization at first. A few days later, he briefly commented to a government newspaper that he was close to the organization. Then he still responded to some questions, but he didn’t really want to say that he condemned the Nazis and the Arrows, he didn’t give an unequivocal answer to these questions.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungary and Neo-Nazis

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Sunday 11th of September saw a large Neo-Nazi demonstration in the Eastern Hungarian Town of Nyiredyhaza. This manifestation was organised by Mi Hazánk Mozgalom (Our Homeland Movement) following the stabbing of a security guard allied to the movement in front of a nightclub. The group made Roma collectively responsible for the deed.

Luckily, this time, Roma protesters outnumbered the Neo-Nazis.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Ferenc Gyurcsány and Roma

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The president of the Hungarian Democratic Coalition and a former prime minister, commented on the arrest of the president of the National Roma Self-Government in his social media post: “The president of the National Roma Self-Government was arrested. He is suspected of official bribery. Scandal follows scandal in Roma public life, leader accused of crime after leader accused of crime. Cautious sentences follow, because the ice on which we tread is thin when raising such a question. The heated comments can come quickly. Maybe they will come. I’m trying to be careful.”

The real issue is the pseudo self-government which has no power whatsoever.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia, Murder, and Roma

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In a Roma settlement in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, a Rom was murdered. The mayor and the municipality issued a statement saying that they hoped that justice would be done. They also insisted on the fact that the state had not paid enough attention to the fact that illegal weapons are common in Roma settlements. Whether this is truly the case remains to be verified.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Gerhard Hadi

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Gerhard Hadi

A Rom journalist, who participated in the preparation of national broadcasting for Roma in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Before that, he worked for several years in Praha TV news or as a presenter and DJ in the commercial media Color Music Radio, Hey or Sázava. He now heads an internet radio station that plays Balkan, Arab, Hungarian, Turkish, Roma and Ukrainian music, which has been remarkably well received even in the Czech Republic.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Roma Murders in Hungary

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13 years after the facts, the leader of the extreme right group which killed Roma in Hungary admitted the facts. He had denied in spite of DNA evidence to have taken part in the murders. He also said that some others were still free.  Hungary only jailed three people for the murders and took a long time to judge them.

The filmmaker and journalist Andras B. Vagvölgyi who is one of the best expert on the case told DW that “No political side in the country has an interest in the complete investigation and processing of the Roma murder series, there is a consensus on all sides.,” He was present during most of the trial days in the multi-year trial against the perpetrators and published a book on the Roma murder series in 2016.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Brno and Roma Refugees

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An article on a refugee “camp” for Roma from the Ukraine in Brno. It is a makeshift camp to say the least, is a makeshift one. They are confronted with racism and with the refusal from the Czech to help Roma from the Ukraine, claiming they have Hungarian citizenship. Racism can be seen from statements such as the ones of Jan Polák, head of the social welfare department:  “They are used to living a nomadic way of life.” They say they don’t need anything, because “it suits them to be somewhere on the lawn”.

Czech Republic Hungary News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Visegrad Roma TV Collaboration

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Roma television stations from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary presented a new program – Visegrad Roma magazine, which maps the life of Roma in the countries of the Visegrad Group.

The first Roma internet television station ROMEA TV from the Czech Republic, Slovakian Romana TV and Hungarian DIKH TV are collaborating on the production of the program. The representatives of the television stations informed the journalists on Wednesday.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia, Schools, and Roma

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The Opre Roma Srbija movement announced today that the decision of the “Klet” publishing house to replace the reading question for the third grade of primary school in which a historically offensive word for Roma was used does not change the essence of the relationship towards the Roma community, but that it is a step in the right direction, because represents the continuity of their historical struggle against inequality.

The controversy surrounding the third-grade reading book that was supported by the education ministry has been ongoing for a while. The government has denied any involvement but initially let the material through.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Punks and Roma

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The Slovak punk band Rozpor gave concerts in the Roma settlements. It is the second time they tour the settlements, having already done a tour in 2018. They want to show that culture also belongs to the settlements and that the majority need not be afraid to visit the Roma and draw attention to the problem of poverty that still persists in the settlements.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Leskovac and the Church

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Hundreds of Roma have been gathering in a large church in Leskovac (Serbia) to pray in a evangelical church. This is a new phenomenon in Serbia. It used to e housed iin a tent, and now has been replaced by a brand new church.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungary: Finally

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Thirteen years later, Árpád Kiss, who was convicted of leading a neo-Nazi death squad which killed several Roma in Hungary finally admitted his guilt in an exclusive interview from his prison cell with the right-wing Hungarian news portal.

Let’s hope there is a special place in Hell for them.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Proud Roma Campaign

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Hungary will soon start a new census. Proud Roma has started a campaign aimed at convincing Roma to declare themselves as such in the census. The last census in 2011 put the Roma population at 315,583, comprising 3.18% of the total Hungarian population. However, many unofficial sources estimate that Hungary is home to more than 800,000 Roma.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Roma Activist

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Lukáš Pulko is a Roma activist and former football player from Ústí nad Labem. He figured out how to get kids off the streets from drugs and hanging out. He brought dozens of children from the excluded locations of Ústí nad Labem to football and regular training.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia and Evangelical Churches

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Evangelical churches are making inroads among Roma in Serbia. Here a reportage on the church in Levkovac. The article is more on the positive side, saying these churches insist on education, on self-reliance etc., but does not dwell on the fact that generally Roma cultures is often lost.

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