Category Archives: Slovenia

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Schools and Roma

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Schools and Roma

At one of the larger primary schools in Dolenjska, Slovenia, 15 students are repeating a grade this year, all of them Roma children. The data was confirmed by the principal of the Kočevje Assembly of Delegates Primary School, Peter Pirc.

The principal explains that a large number of unsuccessful students appear almost every year, especially in the first and sixth grades. The first grade is particularly pronounced, where many children have problems right from the start of school.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Racism in Slovenia

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Racism in Slovenia

Another article about a Rom, his wife and child refused service in a restaurant in Novo Mesto, just because they were Roma.

Bad, and so far without consequences.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Racism in Novo Mesto

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Racism in Novo Mesto

A testimony in a Restaurant in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. “Today, my family and I experienced something that really shocked and angered me. My wife and my 4-year-old daughter and I came to a restaurant in Novo mesto. We sat down at a table like any normal guest and waited for someone to come and serve us. I watched as the waiters served other guests normally, but no one came to our table.”

When his wife went to ask for a cake or ice cream and something to drink, the waiter told her: “We don’t have any cakes and we don’t have anything to drink, we’ve run out of everything.” When the man went to ask why they weren’t serving them, he was shocked by the answer: “The waiter told me that they wouldn’t serve us because I’m Roma – in the local language, because I’m a ‘gypsy’. He said that the boss ordered them not to serve Roma.”

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Šutar Act

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Šutar Act

One hundred days after the entry into force of the so-called Šutar’s law, the debate on Roma issues in Slovenia is heating up again. Roma representatives say the law is harming them. Meanwhile, many residents in the southeast of the country claim something completely different – that the law has merely restricted actions that some have begun to perceive as self-evident rights.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma in Slovenia

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Roma in Slovenia

Zvonko Golobič, president of the Association for the Development of the Roma Community from Črnomelj warns of drastic deterioration of conditions in the Roma community.  A consultation organized by the Association of the Roma Community Umbrella-Dežnik, after 100 days of the so-called Šutare Act, representatives of the Roma settlements of southeastern Slovenia assessed that the situation of the Roma community had drastically deteriorated. They adopted the manifesto Good for Roma, Good for Slovenia, which represents efforts for better integration.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Museum

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Roma Museum

Several articles about the inauguration of the European Museum of Roma Culture in Murske Soboti, Slovenia.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma in Slovenia

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Roma in Slovenia

A review of land owenership in one of the largest settlements in Novo Mesto shows that the largest share of land is still owned by the state (44.1%). 13.2% of the land is owned by Roma, and 22.3% is owned by others. The municipality of Novo Mesto owns 20.4% of the land.

Why they put a picture of poor Tuskish Roma from Istanbul as a picture is somewhat strange …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenian Politics

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Slovenian Politics

Two Slovenian parliamentary parties  (Svoboda and Levica) did not attend the so-called confrontations on Roma issues in Šentjernej and Novo mesto. These were organised by the Dolenjska People’s Initiative who advocate drastic measures to curb what they deem a “Roma problem”.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Museum

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Slovenia: Museum

The European Museum of Roma Culture and History opened its doors at a new location at Štefana Kovača Street 24 in Murska Sobota. The opening was also attended by Minister of Culture Asta Vrečko, who emphasized the importance of preserving Roma cultural heritage and strengthening dialogue in society. The event was prepared by representatives of the Roma Association of Slovenia, the Municipality of Murska Sobota, and the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Nationalities.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Settlement

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Slovenia: Settlement

A settlement in Slovenia is increasing in size, and apparently, there are more and more illegal constructions built on agricultuyral land.

Žabjak was first legalized in 1984, when around 250 Roma lived there. Today, there are reportedly around a thousand of them, with more than 300 of them registered with the municipality and the social work center.

“Despite the seal due to illegal construction, they continue to build on agricultural land. “After the illegal renovation of the building, a Roma family has now poured concrete on a new slab to expand the building, despite the ban. The owners are exclusively recipients of social assistance. Who will take action? On which side will the Human Rights Ombudsman be this time?” was the view of the residents of one of the villages around Šentjernej echoed in public earlier this week.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Šutar Act

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Šutar Act

Šutare’s law, which enabled the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (Furs) to collect unpaid fines from recipients of social assistance, will undergo its first changes. New feature in social assistance transfers: One part will be protected from seizure.

Like many other debtors, Krk Roma councilor Dejan Brajdič (left) and former Novo Mesto Roma councilor Zoran Grm (center) were left without social assistance this month.

“My partner and I were left without every cent this month. I’m 60 years old, she’s 55, we’re both sick. I couldn’t even pay for electricity. These days we will go to the Red Cross for help, but I know that they have almost nothing to give there either, because in this system it is not only the Roma who are left without social security, there are also the homeless, many tenants, people with minimum wage and the like,” former Roma councillor Zoran Grm, who was also one of the co-organisers of Tuesday’s Roma protest, which then did not take place, told us these days.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Condemnation

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Condemnation

At the Ljubljana District Court, two Roma, Arsen and Leonardo Novak were sentenced for attacking Ribnica mayor Samo Pogorelc and a policewoman at a firefighter’s party in Ribnica. The former was sentenced to a year and seven months in prison, the latter to a year and three months, according to media reports.

The attack occurred after the mayor had said that he would cut electricity and water to the Roma settlement unless they started to “behave”…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Protests

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Roma Protests

The former Roma councilor Zoran Grm was informed by the Vtani, Roma Child association that there will be no protest rally against the Šutare Act as the municipality denied them the authorisation. He is already planning the next steps.

As the protest rally, which was planned for Tuesday, February 10, was canceled or postponed. Grm, in cooperation with the association, was one of the main representatives of the Roma community, which wanted to further inform the public about the consequences of the Šutare Act. “I plan to organize a meeting of Roma, including from Kočevje, Ribnica, Grosuplje, Krško, Brežice and Črnomelj,” announced Zoran Grm.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Roma Protest

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Slovenia: Roma Protest

The planned protest of Roma in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, which should have taken place on Tuesday February 10th, had to be cahcenlled. The reason: The municipality did not give the authoriusation. They claimed the application was incomplete.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma “Problem”

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Roma “Problem”

The Vstani Roma Child association of Slovenia responded to the proposals of the Dolenjska People’s Initiative, which prompted the latter to resond.

They said that instead of discussing security and the situation in southeastern Slovenia, the discussion is once again reduced to personal discrediting and accusations of “sedition”. According to them, the term “human rights” is too often used as a cover to justify illegal actions, while the hardships of the local population are pushed to the sidelines.

The initiative believes that the main issue is due to a long-standing policy of indulgence towards Roma and Roma criminality.

Of course, they do not think that the general population has anything to do with the problem…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Counter-Protest in Novo Mesto

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Counter-Protest in Novo Mesto

A pre-election confrontation on Roma issues could occur in Novo Mesto.

Silvo Mesojedec announced sharply: “Enough excuses: Who dares to come to Novo Mesto?”

He sent an invitation to all the presidents of parliamentary parties to a pre-election confrontation on Roma issues.

“The residents of Southeast Slovenia know that security is tested every day. For decades, we have been listening to promises from Ljubljana, while problems on the ground are only accumulating. Now, before the elections, we demand answers,” announced Silvo Mesojedec, coordinator of the People’s Initiative Dolenjska. According to him, the invitation was received by Robert Golob, Janez Janša, Jernej Vrtovec, Matjaž Han, Asta Vrečko and Anže Logar.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Protests in Novo Mesto

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Roma Protests in Novo Mesto

The association Vstani Romaski otrok is announcing a rally for Tuesday afternoon at Glavni trg in Novo mesto, with which they will express their disagreement with the social welfare confiscations based on the Šutar Act. They expect between 100 and 300 Roma, who will also present the hardships that some of them have found themselves in due to the aforementioned foreclosures, the president of the association Matej Domijan told STA.

It is not sure they will get an athorisation. The municipality rejected the firstr submission stating that documents were missung, and the association resubmitted the request.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Protest

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Slovenia: Protest

Roma organisations were planning a protest today in Novo Mesto against the Šutar Act and its implementation which has by now deprived people of all means of existence.

It was not sure in the press whether wthe protest would be allowed, so let’s see what is reported tomorrow.

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