Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria – Assenovgrad

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A rather long article on the Assenovgrad protests against Roma – Protests that nearly turned violent and were stopped by the police. This article is from a vey Bulgarian perspective and cites an alleged “assault” by Roma against a rowing team as the origin of the protests. This is a first one – before, it was a generic protest against “illegal” Roma settlements.

– Protests in Bulgaria: From Assenovgrad to the ‘1300 years’ monument. In: The Soifia Globe. 11.07.2017. http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/07/11/protests-in-bulgaria-from-assenovgrad-to-the-1300-years-monument-2/ [link-preview url=”http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/07/11/protests-in-bulgaria-from-assenovgrad-to-the-1300-years-monument-2/”]

Kosovo News Eastern Europe

Kosovo, Refugees and Lead

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Another article about the lead poisoning suffered by many Roma refugees in Kosovo after having been parked by the UN in a camp build on a toxic waste dump. This has been going on for years and the UN has not done anything yet.

– LES MEHMETI, UNE FAMILLE ROM CONTAMINÉE AU PLOMB. In: Kosovox. 06.07.2017. http://kosovox.com/les-mehmeti-une-famille-rom-contaminee-au-plomb/
– Roma in Kosovo: ‘My children are poisoned by lead’. In: Al Jazeera. 19.06.2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/05/roma-kosovo-children-poisoned-lead-160524060039653.html [link-preview url=”http://kosovox.com/les-mehmeti-une-famille-rom-contaminee-au-plomb/ “]

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungary: Even more to the Right

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Three extreme right movements joined force in Hungary this week end for “ethnical self defence”, for the “protection of the white European race” and its “Lebensraum”, and against “Migrant and Gypsies”.
BAD and dangerous.

– Jobbik “verweichlicht”: Drei Neonazi-Gruppen in Ungarn vereinigen sich. In: Pester Llyod. 09.07.2017. http://www.pesterlloyd.net/html/1728neonazigruppen.html [link-preview url=”http://www.pesterlloyd.net/html/1728neonazigruppen.html”]

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic and Health

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Health inequality is a real topic in the Czech Republic with infant mortality among Roma twice as high as among the rest of the population.

– David Beňák: Health inequality in the Czech Republic a topic now that Romani infant mortality double the national average. In: Romea. 08.07.2017. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/david-benak-health-inequality-in-the-czech-republic-a-topic-now-that-romani-infant-mortality-double-the-national-average [link-preview url=”http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/david-benak-health-inequality-in-the-czech-republic-a-topic-now-that-romani-infant-mortality-double-the-national-average”]

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Most-Hid

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The Slovak opposition movement Most-Hid (a play on the word Bridge in Slovak and Hungarian) has been joined by several mayor of Eastern Slovakia. The movement is also bringing in Roma and tries to bridge the ethnic and cultural divisions.

– Starostovia z Gemera vstúpili do strany Most-Híd, s Ravaszom riešia otázku Rómov. In: SME Domov. 07.07.2017. https://domov.sme.sk/c/20577004/starostovia-z-gemera-vstupili-do-strany-most-hid-s-ravaszom-riesia-otazku-romov.html#axzz4mE64mnkL
– Časť obyvateľov Gemerskej Polomy bráni starostu odsúdeného za korupciu. In: Korzar. 04.07.2017. https://gemer.korzar.sme.sk/c/20573319/cast-obyvatelov-gemerskej-polomy-brani-starostu-odsudeneho-za-korupciu.html#axzz4mE6uJr1t [link-preview url=”https://domov.sme.sk/c/20577004/starostovia-z-gemera-vstupili-do-strany-most-hid-s-ravaszom-riesia-otazku-romov.html#axzz4mE64mnkL “]

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Roma, and Jobs

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Roma are the economic potential and social capital for an aging Europe. This is the main message of the international project “We change discourse, we change practice: RARE – Roma as human resources”, which was presented at a press conference in Bratislava. The project aims at the insertion of Roma in the job force, and is currently being piloted in 8 Eastern European Countries.

– Modely využitia Rómov na trhu práce budú hľadať v projekte. In: Dobre Noviny. 03.07.2017. http://www.dobrenoviny.sk/c/104917/modely-vyuzitia-romov-na-trhu-prace-budu-hladat-v-projekte [link-preview url=”http://www.dobrenoviny.sk/c/104917/modely-vyuzitia-romov-na-trhu-prace-budu-hladat-v-projekte”]

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Budapest – Aurora Café

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A video of the police raid that closed the Aurora café last week. Roma organisations lost their only home with its closure.

– https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/996854447122729/ [link-preview url=”https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/996854447122729/”]

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic – A Reportage

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An Arte Movie on Roma in the Czech Republic. Not new but definitively still actual.

– Les Roms, des citoyens comme les autres ? In: Arte. 2015. http://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/062282-000-A/les-roms-des-citoyens-comme-les-autres [link-preview url=”http://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/062282-000-A/les-roms-des-citoyens-comme-les-autres”]

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic: Outcry

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More reactions to the statements of the Czech President Zeman regarding Lety.

– Anti-racism campaigners say opening of pig farm at ex-Nazi camp is a “grave offence” In: Le Journal. 30.06.2017. http://www.thejournal.ie/lety-pig-farm-roma-ex-nazi-camp-3472220-Jun2017/ [link-preview url=”http://www.thejournal.ie/lety-pig-farm-roma-ex-nazi-camp-3472220-Jun2017/”]

Kosovo News Eastern Europe

Kosovo Tribunal

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The special tribunal for Kosovo is close to start its work. This tribunal was set up to investigate crimes committed by the UCK and its leaders during the 1999 war. The UCK, besides ethnically cleansing the region committed several crimes against minorities, especially against Roma.

– Le tribunal spécial sur le Kosovo bientôt prêt à commencer ses travaux. In: Le Vif. 28.06.2017. http://www.levif.be/actualite/international/le-tribunal-special-sur-le-kosovo-bientot-pret-a-commencer-ses-travaux/article-normal-685597.html [link-preview url=”http://www.levif.be/actualite/international/le-tribunal-special-sur-le-kosovo-bientot-pret-a-commencer-ses-travaux/article-normal-685597.html”]

Hungary News Eastern Europe

More on the Aurora

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Another set of articles on the young Jewish activists who have given a home to other minorities NGOs, especially to Roma ones as well as to LGBT organisations. Aurora was shut down last Friday – but the fight continues.

– How the young Jews of Budapest are resisting the rise of hate. In: Jewish News. 28.06.2017. http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/how-the-young-jews-of-budapest-are-resisting-the-rise-of-hate/
– Hongrie : un espace contestataire de Budapest dans le viseur des autorités. In: L’obs. 30.06.2017. http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/en-direct/a-chaud/39120-hongrie-budapest-hongrie-espace-contestataire-budapest.html [link-preview url=”http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/how-the-young-jews-of-budapest-are-resisting-the-rise-of-hate/ “]

Bosnia News Eastern Europe

Bosnia – Still not safe

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An article highlighting the fact that Bosnia, more than 18 years after the end of the war, is still not safe for Roma to return. Ethnically cleaned countries are not good for minorities.

– Sanel Ahmetovic: «Pour les Roms, la Bosnie n’est pas un pays sûr» In: La Voix du Nord. 30.06.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/184932/article/2017-06-30/sanel-ahmetovic-pour-les-roms-la-bosnie-n-est-pas-un-pays-sur [link-preview url=”http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/184932/article/2017-06-30/sanel-ahmetovic-pour-les-roms-la-bosnie-n-est-pas-un-pays-sur”]

Bulgaria Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

Bulgarian Roma

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An article about Bulgarian Roma. The article is probably well intentioned, but by showcasing a prostitute in Germany who wires 139’000 Euros back to her home contry, contributes to perpetuate negative stereotypes.
BAD.

– A Tale of Two Roma. In: Handelsblatt Global. 01.07.2017. https://global.handelsblatt.com/politics/a-tale-of-two-roma-bulgaria-berlin-nadeschda-poverty-781586 [link-preview url=”https://global.handelsblatt.com/politics/a-tale-of-two-roma-bulgaria-berlin-nadeschda-poverty-781586″]

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Manifestations

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The Bulgarian city of Asenovgrad, in the South central part of the country, saw a huge manifestation by resident against Roma. They are protesting the “illegal” residence of Roma and their “criminal” activities.
Needless to say that the illegal part has to do with the privatisation of the land after communism – Roma have been there since the Byzantine times, and the criminal activities, if any are not related to ethnicity but to poverty.

– Social Tensions in Assenovgrad not Subsiding. In: Novinite. 30.06.2017. http://www.novinite.com/articles/180937/Social+Tensions+in+Assenovgrad+not+Subsiding [link-preview url=”http://www.novinite.com/articles/180937/Social+Tensions+in+Assenovgrad+not+Subsiding”]

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic and Memorial

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The planned opening of a memorial to the Roma victims of the Holocaust in Hodonin, on the site of a former concentration camp, has been delayed indefinitely. This is the result of a possible transfer of ownership of the memorial and exhibition from the Education Ministry to the Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs.
Well, seems that the Czech prefer not to dwell too much on the fact that they killed nearly all Roma in the country during World War Two.

– Memorial to Czech Roma Holocaust delayed. In: The Prague Monitor. 30.06.2017. http://praguemonitor.com/2017/06/30/memorial-czech-roma-holocaust-delayed [link-preview url=”http://praguemonitor.com/2017/06/30/memorial-czech-roma-holocaust-delayed”]

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic, the President, and Lety

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Milos Zeeman, the president of the Czech Republic is against the closure of the pig farm situated on the site of the former concentration camp for Roma of Lety. He is reported to be doubting it was even a concentration camp …
No comments, apart from the fact that he should read history, and maybe activate some of his grey matter.

– Kritik an Zeman nach umstrittenen Äußerungen zu KZ Lety. In: Der Kurier. 30.06.2017. https://kurier.at/politik/ausland/tschechien-praesident-milos-zeman-nach-umstrittenen-aeusserungen-zu-kz-lety-in-der-kritik/272.667.724 [link-preview url=”https://kurier.at/politik/ausland/tschechien-praesident-milos-zeman-nach-umstrittenen-aeusserungen-zu-kz-lety-in-der-kritik/272.667.724″]

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Aurora

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Only yesterday did we write about the Aurora Café in Budapest, a place for the opposition to Orban’s government and to minorities.
The café was closed yesterday.
SAD!

– Budapest schließt Alternativclub. In: Der Standart. 30.06.2017. http://derstandard.at/2000060552787/Budapest-schliesst-Alternativclub [link-preview url=”http://derstandard.at/2000060552787/Budapest-schliesst-Alternativclub”]

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungary and Minorities

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The Aurora café in Budapest, a Jewish café originally has turned into a centre of resistance for opposition activists of minorities. It houses the offices of a Roma NGO, of the LGBT community, and of course of various Jewish groups.
Let’s hope it can continue.

– Hungary’s Resistance Has a Hip Jewish Address — But For How Long? In: Forward. 29.06.2017. http://forward.com/news/375774/in-hungary-the-resistance-to-orbans-populist-rule-has-a-hot-jewish-address/ [link-preview url=”http://forward.com/news/375774/in-hungary-the-resistance-to-orbans-populist-rule-has-a-hot-jewish-address/”]

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Romania

Totally Wrong …

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A Slovak article got their history totally wrong: Stating that until the 19th century Roma in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were mostly nomadic.
No, All Carpathian Roma were not. There were the Kale / Sinti in the Czech Republic and, after the abolition of slavery in Romanian lands the Vlax Roma, but by and large, the nomadism is a myth that Maria Theresia took from her German background.
Shame to perpetuate myths

– The Roma competitors. In: The Slovak Spectator. 26.06.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20568644/the-roma-competitors.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20568644/the-roma-competitors.html”]

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