Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland: Exhibition

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Poland: Exhibition

“The Great Wagon. A Wanderer’s Belonging. A Roma Caravan at a Rest Stop near Łomża” is the latest cultural offering from the North Mazovian Museum in Łomża. The opening took place on September 12th in the Cultural Hall. Currently, photographs by Zygmunt Dudo are on display in the Old Market Square; the exhibition will later move to a new location.

Unfortunately, quite stereotypical.

Europe Kosovo News Eastern Europe

Kosovo Trial

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Kosovo Trial

Paul Williams, who provided pro bono legal assistance to the Kosovo delegation in Rambouillet, stated that during the Vienna process and the drafting of the Constitution, Jakup Krasniqi played a positive role regarding the role of minorities in Kosovo, particularly Serbs and Roma.

Well, what was positive in the expulsion of most Roma from Kosovo? This was ethnic cleansing.

  • Williams affirme que Jakup Krasniqi a joué un rôle positif concernant le rôle des minorités roms et serbes au Kosovo. In: Koha. 17.09.2025. https://www.koha.net/fr/arberi/williams-pohon-se-jakup-krasniqi-pati-rol-pozitiv-lidhur-me-rolin-e-pakicave-rome-dhe-serbe-ne-kosove
News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovak Police and Minorities

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Slovak Police and Minorities

On Thursday, masked men from the Inspection Service intervened directly at the district department in Bratislava’s Old Town. They took away a police officer from among his colleagues who, according to the findings, was supposed to spread extremist expressions and behave in a manner incompatible with the profession of a law enforcement officer. He apparently made comments against Jews and Roma.

Good he was arrested. Let’s see if he should rightfully loose his job.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Roma Road Show

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Roma Road Show

Successful Roma projects were presented at the Roma Road Show conference in the Chamber of Deputies. Representatives of organizations showed that community involvement is the key to positive changes.

The Roma Road Show conference was initiated by the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková and took place on Tuesday in the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The aim was to present inspiring community projects and open a debate with politicians and public administration representatives about their benefits. According to Fuková, improving the situation of Roma is a benefit for the whole society.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

What to say here?

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What to say here?

An editorial whose title says: “Roma everyday life: If they have mortars, will they shoot with them or what?” And it goes on in worse fashion afterwards. According to eh the article:

During the summer, firefighters, especially those from Krško, are practically on firefighting missions in Roma settlements every day. ”They are present during the arson, let alone the firefighting missions,” our reader says about the Roma.

Last week also did not go without mentioning the issues related to the Roma community. A citizen, who did not hide his indignation, believed that Roma offenders who break the law and do so repeatedly, some over and over again, should be dealt with more strictly. “They’ve been shooting with weapons a few times lately. Now they’re shooting in bursts. If they have mortars, they’ll use mortars, right? By having weapons and shooting, they’re an armed army above the rest of us. This is unacceptable. But no one in Slovenia is seriously dealing with this problem,” he said, full of disappointment.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Southern Slovenia and Roma

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Southern Slovenia and Roma

At a meeting on “Roma issues”, the mayors of Southeastern Slovenia warned government representatives today that the security situation in the region is poor and must be resolved both through changes to laws and the actions of authorities. After the meeting, the ministry representatives expressed hope that the problems will be solved by changes to laws that they have already or will yet adopt.

What change of laws? Laws are for all, here we are speaking of laws aimed at a minority. And that is racism.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Romanes in Czechia

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Romanes in Czechia

Phen oda romanes (Say it in Romanes) – a two-day series of workshops focused on written Romani will take place on October 4 in Třebechovice and November 22 in Prague. The event is intended for novice and experienced authors, journalists, translators and students of Romani studies – both Roma and the majority. The workshops will be led by experts in Czech and Romanes and will offer space for creative writing, translations (e.g. of biblical and judicial texts) and sharing experiences.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Southern Slovenia and Roma

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Southern Slovenia and Roma

The meeting with mayors at the premises of the Novo Mesto municipality is being attended by the Minister of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Luka Mesec, the Minister of Justice Andreja Katič and the State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior Helga Dobrin, who is also the head of the working group for addressing Roma issues.

According to some media, Minister Luka Mesec, who is visiting southeastern Slovenia with a government team today, where “a chaotic situation with problematic Roma prevails”, did not visit dangerous Roma settlements.

The situation is bad, and Roma are being instrumentalised.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

New Book

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New Book

A presentation of a new books about the Roma community “The Politics of Unbelonging” by authors Andreja Zevnik and Andrew Russell is being presented in the Provincial and Study Library of Murska Sobota, Slovenia.

The book shows, using examples from Slovenia and the EU, how national and European policies in practice consolidate the marginal status of Roma. Although Roma are constitutionally recognized in Slovenia, they lack actual political power for co-determination, which places them in a position of semi-inclusion. Media discourses and ineffective policies, often adopted without the participation of the Roma community, only exacerbate this situation.

Lithuania News Eastern Europe

Gypsy Fest

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Gypsy Fest

This year’s “Gypsy Fest” was an attempt to bring awareness to the Roma culture and customs. A colourful parade passed through the centre of Vilnius. One of the festival’s highlights was a Roma village with traditional dishes and handicrafts. A fashion show and a free concert also took place.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia; Te prindžaras ame

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Slovakia; Te prindžaras ame

The 21st annual festival Te prindžaras amen – Let’s Get to Know each other, which will took place on Sunday at the Museum of the Slovak Village in Martin, was dedicated to traditional forms of dance of various Romani groups in Slovakia. As reported by the cultural and promotional manager of the Slovak National Museum (SNM) in Martin, Milena Kiripolská, the event’s program has been shortened to only 1:00 p.m. due to adverse weather.

News Eastern Europe North Macedonia

The Šutka

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The Šutka

The president of the Democratic Forces of the Roma (FDR) and Minister without Portfolio, Shaban Saliu, announced his candidacy for mayor of the municipality of Shuto Orizara.

“I stand here before you filled with pride and gratitude. Shuto Orizara is the only municipality in the world governed by the Roma community, a place where every stone tells a story. Today, we are making a decision together for our future, for honest and responsible governance of our municipality,” Saliu said in his address to the residents of Shuto Orizara.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Sterilisations

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Sterilisations

Hundreds of Roma women have been sterilized in Slovakia without their knowledge or consent. For many of them, it was a personal tragedy. One of them is Veronika Duždová. The 46-year-old now lives in Jarovnice, the largest settlement with a compact Roma population in Slovakia. “I am close to several women who were sterilized. We often meet to talk about it and our work,” she tells DV.

Nice to talk about this, but Deutsche Welle could have skipped the comment “In Roma culture, large families are an expression of wealth and happiness”. This is simply not true, and sgtereotypical.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria – a police case

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Bulgaria – a police case

A truck driver was the victim of a brutal attack after he hit a horse on the road. According to information from Nova TV, two young men beat and robbed him. The injured man managed to escape from the attackers, but later, already in the village of Medovina, he felt unwell, fell from the truck and was taken to hospital in serious condition.

Well, the truck driver probably killed the only mean of subsistence of these Roma. And maybe he did not want to pay for it …

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Stolipinovo and School Start

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Stolipinovo and School Start

Stolipinovo is one of the largest Mahala (Roma neighbourhood) in Bulgaria in the city of Plovdiv. On the eve of the new school year, Plovdiv Regional Governor Prof. Hristina Yancheva visited Plovdiv’s Stolipinovo to talk to parents, children and volunteers from the local community, the regional administration announced. The meetings aim to build trust and motivate families to support education as a path to a better future for their children.

Let’s hope this works.

Lithuania News Eastern Europe

Vilnius: Festival

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Vilnius: Festival

The two-day “Gypsy Fest 2025” festival dedicated to Roma culture kicked off in Vilnius on Friday. The program includes a colorful parade, a fashion show, traditional food tastings, and Roma music concerts.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland: Exhibition

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Poland: Exhibition

The North Mazovian Museum in Łomża is opening the exhibition “The Great Wagon: A Wanderer’s Belonging. A Roma Caravan Stopping Near Łomża,” on September 12, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Łomża Cultural Centre.

The exhibition explores belonging – one of the most important and challenging issues in the contemporary world. In an era of migration, displacement, and integration challenges, questions about identity, diversity, and acceptance of otherness are becoming crucial to our shared lives.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungary and Extremists

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Hungary and Extremists

Far right parties in Hungary (Mi Hazank and other groups) are planning a march through the central city of Szolnok as a “Demonstration against Gypsy Crime, declaring that, “We will bring law to the ghettos!” And the police backed down on their interdiction of the manifestation.

Let’s not forget that this has already resulted in Roma being killed…

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

“Traditional” Dance

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“Traditional” Dance

The 21st annual festival Te prindžaras amen – Let’s Get to Know Each Other, which will take place on Sunday, September 14 at the Museum of the Slovak Village in Martin, will be dedicated to traditional forms of dance of various Roma groups in Slovakia.

Unfortunate that the picture reflects more stereotypes that tradition …

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