Rroma in Plovdiv asked for the resignation of the minister of health in Bulgaria because of his xenophobic statements. In one of these, he compared Rroma to “stock” and to “horses”.
An article on a Rroma family from Serbia who had asked for asylum in that country and now faces deportation back to Serbia. Germany, since it declared Serbia to be a safe country now regularly deports Rroma from that country who ask for asylum.
Two Roma from Slovakia are in court, being accused of having trafficked women from Slovakia for weddings to migrants from non EU countries, mostly to Asians. The scheme flew off after one of the women was raped by a Pakistani man to whom she had been “sold”. While it seems that not all the defendant are Rroma, they were “assisted” in recruiting the women by a Rroma family.
This, once again has nothing to do with Rroma and all to do with poverty and crime…
Interesting article about the situation of Rroma in Bulgaria and their increasing victimisation and isolation based on observations on the Rroma Mahala (neighbourhood) of Iztok in the city of Pazardjik.
A summary of the events and latest developments in the rising tensions in Bulgaria and on the increasing instrumentalisation of Rroma among rightist parties.
Rita Iszak, the author of the UNHCR report on Rroma that investigates the situation of this minority in terms of human rights is interviewed on the report.
A worthy read!
According to the Novinite News Agency of Bulgaria, the continuing ethnic tensions in Bulgaria show that politicians are good at doing nothing. The article gives a good summary of the issues, the views of the various groups on the Rroma situation in Bulgaria. That this has changed in recent times is unfortunate. Rroma were quite well integrated in Bulgaria.
A statement of a Bulgarian political scientist is totally off … Rroma are not a century old problem in Bulgaria. Nationalism is. Rroma lived fully integrated in Bulgaria for centuries before nationalists declared them and other minorities unwelcome.
Shame.
A report from a social research foundation in Sweden contradicts the well entrenched stereotype of Rroma living in organised crime families. According to the report, Rroma are not being trafficked into Nordic countries and are not under the influence of criminal gangs. This article focuses on newly arrived Rroma and not on the actual Nordic Rroma who have lived there since the 16th century.
The UN rapporteur on minorities, Rita Izsak, highlighted the continuing struggle of the Rroma communities around the world and stated that more should be made to integrate and to further social inclusion.
According to the European commission, EU member countries have made some progress on Rroma integration in the last year. We really do wonder where… Certainly not in Bulgaria, in Hungary, in Romania, all countries where the pendulum is swinging the other way around. And Western Europe is not much better, see France, England etc.
In the night of the 15th, a group of unknown people tried to storm the Rroma neighbourhood of Garmen. This is the latest escalation in a series of confrontations between Rroma and general population in that village. The confrontation centres on the will of the municipality to destroy “illegal” buildings, i.e. houses built without permits or landownership. This overwhelmingly affects poor Rroma.
This is dangerous, especially since there were until recently very few tensions between Rroma and the general population in that country.
An article on one of the largest “Osada” – Rroma ghetto – in Slovakia in the town of Moldava nad Bodvou. There are now rumours that it will be removed. Living situations in those osadas are dreadful, akin to favellas if not much worse. A worthy read.
Recent inspections by the local Miskolc authorities that can be qualified as raids against Rroma living in the North East of the city are violating the rights of the Rroma – the ombudsman in charge of minority affairs said. These raids were meant to “instil fear” among Rroma, very much in line with the recent policies of evictions of Rroma in other parts of this town.
Hungary has been chided by the Council of Europe due to the common and open racism against the Rroma minority of Hungary. According to the report, racism is not restricted to the extreme right party Jobbik, but is commonplace in the country and in the press.
It is really bad.
Rroma integration will be a key aspect of the discussion of Serbia with the EU for eventual accession talks. Rroma in Serbia are often discriminated against, they are disadvantaged in the education system, and very often unemployed.
The municipality of Stara Zagora is planning to tear down up to 60 buildings in the local Roma Mahala of Lozenets as the buildings are deemed illegal. This is the case for many Rroma houses in Bulgaria as land ownership is often uncertain following the fall of communism.
This destruction of houses is a source of tension in Bulgaria and has already resulted in riots. This is also a way to get rid of unwanted people. It has to be stopped and Rroma have to be given a chance to register their buildings.
The mayor of Bulgaria’s Kyustendil is calling a referendum to ask whether he should run for a third term. This referendum explicitly excludes Rroma from taking part, officially as there have been too many instances of vote buying from Rroma.
Shame !
An Al-Jazeera film shows the quest of a 30 years old Rrom from a ghetto who, after a beating by the police, decides to finish high school and to become a teacher. While the story is definitively worthwhile and the man’s determination is to be really admired, the film and the article on it serves all the commonly held stereotypes. Broken families, criminality, drugs, etc. A more differentiated view is seldom presented in the press.
Rroma from the Bulgarian village of Garmen, where ethnic tensions flared recently and resulted in de-facto battles between Rroma and general population, have started destroying illegal constructions in their part of the village. It is widely reported that the push by the village’s authorities to push for regularisation of the buildings was at the source of the tensions. Rroma can now regularise the situation by buying the communal land on which their houses sit. Unfortunately, it seems that event the low price is too high for most.
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