Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Auschwitz and Roma

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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.

Slovakia and Roma

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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: Reaction

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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 and Roma

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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…

Ukrainian Roma Refugees in Poland

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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.

Montenegro and Roma

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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.

Tomáš Kačo

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The Czech pianist Tomáš Kačo, a Rom who was born in a family with 11 children. He grew up in the ghetto, personally experienced prejudice against the Roma. Nevertheless, he was able to succeed, including the opportunity to perform at the legendary Carnegie Hall. According to him, the key to change is an open mind: “Whether it’s a different food, a different smell, a different race, whenever there is something new and different, they are afraid of it,” says the pianist and composer about the Czechs. According to him, it is important to realize that both parties are to blame for every problem: “I don’t want to say that this is just a majority company, that it is not open. The same thing works with the Roma, the minority, they are not open either. They have barriers, prejudices given by their parents.”

Montenegro and Roma

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Aleksandar Damjanovic, chairman of NGO Montenegrin Cultural Network, CKM, founded in 2009 to spread loyalty and respect for the country’s state symbols made a blunder: He wanted to include the Roma community in his “Montenegro without division” campaign, but he did not find an adequate costume. Yes really.
Roma responded saying if the smallest problem faced by Roma was traditional costumes, they’d be really happy there. In any case, the Council of Montenegro’s Roma signed a joint Memorandum on cooperation, as announced the president of the Roma Council, Mensur Šalaj.

Training in Rome

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Training in Rome

End of June or at the beginning of July, youth workers from the Society for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo mesto Anisa, Enja, Teo and Tina were in a hurry in Rome, where they took part in the Erasmus+ project Stop Antigypsysim. Together with participants from Serbia, Croatia, Italy, Bulgaria and Montenegro, they discussed the Roma issue, the situation of Roma in the participating countries, and also had the opportunity to get to know Rome, the Vatican and the beach in Ostia.

Germany, Ukraine, and Roma

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Germany, Ukraine, and Roma

The kind of articles on really doesn’t need. In the State of Thuringia, the refugees’ centres are full. But they also speak of “Roma clans”, “Roma extended families”, all the stereotypes.

Bad.

Lety

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Another article and video of the start of the demolition of the pig farm on the site of the former concentration camp of Lety.

Lety: At last

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Lety: At last

The destruction of the pig farm on the site of the former concentration camp of Lety has finally started.

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