Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Slovenia, Roma, and Jokes

Published by:

A comedian in Slovakia Andrej Bajič Šarkezi, who performs under the stage name Andrej Bakreni, is poking fun at Roa and Stereotypes about Roma. He is of Romani origins and he wants to draw attention to the prejudices we have about the Roma, and at the same time to show that Roma and non-Roma can live in harmony.

Łodz: Exhibition and Discussion

Published by:

Dr. Joanna Talewicz (Strone of Dialogue Foundation) presente the works of Ceja Stojka both her painting and literature, which are a moving testimony to the Roma Holocaust, and the historical context of the Holocaust itself, and presented the processes related to the decades of marginalization and ignoring of the voices of Roma people, and how they are increasingly regaining their rightful place in collective memory.

Extremism in Slovakia

Published by:

Extremist ideologies mostly consider Jews, Roma, liberals and LGBTI people to be enemies. This is highlighted in the Report on monitoring on the state of extremism in the Slovak Republic for the period of 2022 and 2023, which the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) of the Slovak Republic submitted to the interdepartmental comment procedure.

EU, Czechia and Roma

Published by:

The European Commission has sent a formal notice to the Czech Republic for failing to comply with EU anti-discrimination rules, citing the continued segregation of Roma children in schools.

The Commission has found that many Roma children are disproportionately placed in schools for children with disabilities or in separate classes, despite reforms aimed at ending the segregation of Roma children.

Berlin Ake Dikhea Festival

Published by:

The successful Slovak series Iveta was among the selected film productions at the well-known international Roma festival Ake Dikhea?, which takes place every year in Berlin. This festival, which has been appealing to a wide international community for several years with its uniqueness and cultural significance, focuses on the presentation of Roma films that reflect the diverse stories, lives and perspectives of Roma around the world.

Croatia: Police Day

Published by:

The celebration of the Day of the Croatian Police and their patron Saint Michael was held in the building of the Međimurje Police Department in Čakovec. So far, ok.

The statement of the article saying that “Police officers should be given back their authority in the field, so that they can be efficient, especially in Roma settlements!” is definitively not ok.

Croatia: Veljko Kajtazi

Published by:

As RTL unofficially learns, another criminal complaint has been filed against MP Veljko Kajtazi. After the one due to violence where he is accused of having hit a woman, now we are talking about financial embezzlement, and that is related to a large Roma centre that is under construction.

Bad.

Slovenia: Book

Published by:

Last Tuesday, a literary evening was held in the Sobos library with the book “White Rom” by Sandi Horvat, and the poetry collection “Tvoj ciganski obraz bledi” by Marcelo Baranja. The two authors shed light on the literary creation, and also spoke about their experiences, challenges and the issue of cultural identity in modern society.

In the book Beli Rom, Horvat describes the experiences of growing up and identity as a member of the Roma community. The book is not only an autobiographical insight into his life, Horvat told STA, but it is also a contribution to the understanding of the broader Roma culture, history and challenges faced by Roma in modern society.

Slovenia: Manifestation

Published by:

On Saturday, September 28, a protest was held in Šentjerne in support of a parent who physically attacked an elementary school student because he allegedly bullied his son. It turned out that the Roma child who was attacked was not the perpetrator of peer violence at all. The protesters also pointed out the violence that Roma children allegedly cause in school.

This is called racism…

Slovakia, Poltics, and Roma

Published by:

Roma MP Viliam Tankó, a defector from Matovič’s Slovensko movement, joins the Progressive Slovakia parliamentary club. The progressives will thus have 33 deputies in the parliament. The leader of the progressives, Michal Šimečka, presented Tankó on the press as a “long-term sports representative of Slovakia in Olympic boxing”.This prompted discussions as to whether Matovič’s movement is merging with the progressive.

All politics …

Roma Memory Camp

Published by:

The International Roma Memory Camp will be held in Tarnów for the 25th time. The event is planned for the upcoming weekend, from 4 to 6 October. This year’s edition will bring together scientists from various centers. The program features a block of three presentations, referring to the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the so-called The Gypsy Family Camp, which the Germans created on the grounds of the Auschwitz II (Birkenau) camp in the spring of 1943, and which they liquidated on the night of August 2/3, 1944, murdering the last nearly 3,000 Roma in gas chambers.

Poznan and Roma

Published by:

Roma want to be treated with dignity as citizens and people – says Karolina Kwiatkowska, Communications and PR Director at the Central Council of Roma in Poland. A large number of Roma people live in Poznań. MOPR Poznań is trying to ensure that the integration between the Polish and Roma communities is smooth. One of the more difficult cases is the encampment on Lechicka Street.

Education and Minorities

Published by:

An article about the issue of seggregated schools versus the right to being taucht in one’s language. Background is the current drive by the Fico government to set up a school in Eastern Slovakia where teaching will be done in Romanes.

This is a false debate. All Roma who speak Romanes are dual language speakers. They speak the local language and Romanes. Desegregation is thus the key here, together with some courses about Romanes. Segregation and Romanes only schools will certainly no solve any issue.

Slovenia: Really????

Published by:

SDS MP Anja Bah Žibert revealed that a group of Roma allegedly beat up several members of the Slovenian Army last week in Cerklje ob Krka, where the military air base is located, and allegedly used tear gas for animals. In the meantime, the Slovenian Army explains that the members of the SV were outside the barracks, outside working hours and in civilian clothes.

Really????

Slovak R&B

Published by:

On her debut album, Slovak R&B and pop singer Erika Rein teamed up with producer Jonatan Pastirčák (Isama Zing, Pjoni). The Kamibe album features thirteen songs in three languages ​​– English, Roanes and Slovak – and combines experimentation with global pop, soul or R&B. The release of the album Kamibe introduces the single Toxic on 9/13, the entire collection is then released on Friday 27 September in cooperation with the labels Full Moon Forum and Ruka Hore.

Slovakia, Politics, and Vulgarity

Published by:

Rudolf Huliak was responsible for a recent vulgar incident that outraged a large number of Slovaks. At Wednesday’s (September 25) session of the parliament, the vice-chairman of the National Council, Andrej Danek (SNS), was bothered by the fact that deputy Lucia Plaváková (PS) had stickers on her computer. He was bothered by the fact that these were stickers with an LGBTI motif. Plaváková did not respond to calls to remove them and objected that she did not violate the rules of procedure.

Danko kicked her out of the hall. Huliak subsequently called Plaváková a “bitch who he does not consider a woman” at a press conference.

He also took the opportunity to insult Roma …

Slovakia and Discrimination

Published by:

Another article about Roma being refused services in a café. The cafe in the Mlyny shopping center in Nitra made a very bad headline a few days ago. A video on social networks captured the discrimination “live”. The author of the video was Marcel, whom the waitress refused to serve because he is Rom.

He came to the cafe with his friends, but they refused to let them in and order. As the waitress also said on camera, Roma are not allowed to enter the cafe because they “shout and don’t pay”.

Babyn Yar

Published by:

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi commemorated the 83rd anniversary of the massacre of more than 30,000 Jews by the Nazis and their Ukrainian collaborators in the Babyn Jar gorge near Kyiv in 1941.

“Babyn Jar is a terrifying symbol that shows that the most heinous crimes occur when the world chooses to ignore, remain silent, be indifferent and lacks the determination to stand up to evil,” Zelensky, who is of Jewish descent himself, said on the X social network.

According to official data, 100,000 – 150,000 people were killed in the Babyn Jar gorge in 1941 and 1942 during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine. The primany targets were Jews and Roma.

Kosovo Mahala

Published by:

In two neighborhoods of Fushë-Kosovo, Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities face a lack of basic services. However, activists from a non-governmental organization have launched a project aimed at transforming these settlements. The problem in this case is the properties whose owners appear to be Serbs.

rroma.org
en_GBEN