Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Slovenia and Roma

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An interview with a catholic deacon on the “Roma Problem” in Slovenia. The deacon is not that clear cut on the roots of the problem and far less on potential solutions. Well, he at least helps some Roma.

Racism in the Czech Republic

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An interview with the Roma writer Michal Šamko. He published his first Roma-Czech poem at the end of the nineties in the magazine Mladý svět. He returned to it fully only after meeting the Romani writer Milena Hübschmannová, who made him write in Romanes as well. Since then, Michal Šamko (56) has published not only in the journal of Romani studies Romano džaniben, but also in the monthly magazine for world literature PLAV.

He says “They yelled ‘gypsy filth’ at me at school. What’s worse is that they scold my granddaughter in the same way.”

Sad.

Slovenia: Roma Criminality

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Following the attack of two brothers by Roma in Škocja, Slovenia, protests against Roma criminality are increasing. The victims were invited were invited to an extraordinary meeting in Škocjan. They described what happened that day.

Bad for all.

Babyn Yar

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82 years ago today, the massacre of Babyn Yar started. It had been preceded by the execution two days earlier of some Jewish and mentally ill patients two days earlier.

The Nazis killed mostly Jews, but also Roma, Russian POWs and many others. The Mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klyshko and the Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid homage to the victims.

Slovenia, Roma, and News

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Some of the Slovenian press headlines: The Lopatec brothers from Dobrava near Škocjan were cleaning the Radulje ditch when a group of Roma from Dobruja attacked them and threatened them with weapons. When they later called the police, they attacked them too, the two brothers came to their aid, and one of them got hit in the head with a wheel.

No comments.

Brawl

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This is bad. A group of Roma from Lužianky brutally attacked three men, also Roma from Močenko. It happened in the parking lot in front of a department store in Nitra. They attacked with knives and even fired shots. Three men ended up in hospital. They allegedly fought over a 14-year-old girl, in whom the family of the attackers was interested.

The fight took place last week in the parking lot in front of the department store. Three men from Močenko were attacked by a group from Lužian women. “About 9-10 armed people jumped out after us, plus three or four women had the sprays.” said Stanislav Lakatoš, vajda Močenok in Romanes.

Looks like a fight between Vlach Roma.

Slovakia, Business, and Roma

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Marcela Tokošová, the director of a Slovak company called Kovotvar, restored the production cooperative on its feet ten years ago. She is nominated for the TREND Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 award  and employs many Roma.

Poland, and Roma

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A long-winded story. Roma in Limanowa, Poland, were evicted from their home. They wanted to buy a house in Laskowa using funds from the so-called Roma program. The residents organized a protest and collected 300 signatures, and the commune government intends to take into account the voice of the local community and not consent to the purchase.

Ukraine and Roma

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Unfortunately, another one of those (on both sides). Roma were arrested in Kharkiv region in Ukraine for having swindled pensioneers. They were arrested and will be tried.

The issue as usual is that this is depicted as an ethnic trait.

Bad.

Poland, the Holocaust, and Roma

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Alfreda ‘Nońcia’ Markowska with her daughter, Maria Majewska in Gorzów Wielkopolski, in April 2016 when she was turning 87 years old. She collected babies whose mothers had been slaughtered by Germans. She was still a teenager at that time and saved dozen of children.

Slovakia and Displaced People

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Roma in Telgárt have been living in military tents in makeshift conditions for more than two months following a fire in the Roma settlement there. When it rains, water flows inside them.

After the tragic night fire on July 20, more than a hundred people, including approximately sixty children, were left without a roof over their heads. One man died. After nine weeks, Roma families are still huddled in six military tents, which were provided as emergency accommodation by the Department of the Interior.

The situation has still not been resolved.

Poland and Roma Refugees

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Joanna Talewicz-Kwiatkowska, with her foundation, tried for several months to find an apartment for a family of Roma refugees from Ukraine. No chance. – I never thought I would see such a moment – says the activist with regret. And he emphasizes that the Roma are treated worse than others, even though they are also fleeing from the war.

Hungary and the Extreme Right

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A special two-hour long debate between LL junior (László Lesi), a well-known musician-performer and László Toroczkai, president of Mi Hazánk, a extreme right party in Hungary.

The use of by the party of Roma for political purposes, citing demographic issues, gypsy crime as a perceived or real concept were discussed. Of course, Trianon was also mentioned …

Hungary, Roma, Health and Contraception

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An article about underprivileged youth in Hungary, about their health, their knowledge thereof, teenage pregnancies, and contraception.

Scary as most of the youngsters have a very limited knowledge of how their body works. Also, it seems that Hungary has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the EU. The article highlights, that it is not all Roma, and definitively not a Roma trait, but rather an issue of poverty and education.

Roma and Poland

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A meeting will focus about the situation and challenges of the Roma community in Radom and Masovia. The activities of the Central Council of the Roma in Poland will be presented.Its activities focus on the Roma minority and counteracting the exclusion of Roma on economic, social, educational and health grounds.

Slovakia, Politics, and Roma Education

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Every day there are more schools in the east of Slovakia with up to 50 percent of Roma pupils.  Non-Roma Slovak parents take their children out of school and look for other options for them. They are said to be afraid of infectious diseases, bullying and fights. Why do all solutions fail? An interview with education expert Martin Šmilňák (KDH).

Slovenia, Activists, and Stereotypes

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Bogdan Miklič, a journalist and Romano activist who has been fighting against stereotypes and prejudice against Roma is being accused of having built a house on municipal land. The tone of the article is very much “see I told you …”.

Bad for all.

Svi Uglas

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The Svi uglas choir, which gathers Roma children and young people, as well as all others interested in learning about Roma culture and getting to know the Roma community through music, will hold a big concert on Saturday in the Youth Center, and as special guests they will be joined by Konstrakt, the first female Roma hip-hop band Pretty Loud, and the choir of the First Belgrade High School.

International Roma Conference

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On Thursday, September 21, an international Roma conference was held in Radenci, Slovenia. Representatives of the Roma community from 15 countries discussed several topics important to Roma with representatives of national and European institutions. In the foreground were the implementation of the European Commission’s ten-year plan for supporting Roma in the EU and the presentation of good practices for solving the problems of the Roma community.

Slovakia: Relocation

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Roma from the settlement near the ecoduct of the D3 highway in Kysuck, near the border crossing in Svrčinovec, were to be moved by the end of March. It only succeeded six months after the deadline. Petitions, filed criminal reports and dissatisfaction of people in places where an external company provided them with accommodation did not help either.

Part of the Roma were relocated to a house in Lupušné Pažiaty in the district of Kysucké Nové Mesto, and another family found a new home in a property in Rakova on Zákopecká cesta. Even the house in Čadc – Podzávoz, where the settlers were moved by a truck of the National Highway Company in the early evening of Wednesday, September 13, is no longer abandoned. The rest of the inhabitants of the settlement were moved to the customs building in Makovo, where they found temporary accommodation.

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