Category Archives: Slovenia

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Another Mayor on Roma

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Another Mayor on Roma

Novo Mesto (Slovenia) Mayor Gregor Macedoni spoke about the Roma “issue”, calling for systemic solutions. According to him, security has been steadily deteriorating in recent years, especially in southeastern Slovenia. We are really seeing this on the ground. Above all, it is worrying and real, and should also concern everyone in Ljubljana, that these crimes are increasingly bold and violent, that they are directed at officials… Police officers are being beaten, teachers are being slapped, doctors in the emergency room are being threatened. So, in this country we do not know how to respond systematically. The police are on the ground, but the system will also have to adapt to these new forms of crimes.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

A Mayor on Roma

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A Mayor on Roma

Jože Simončič, Mayor of the Municipality of Šentjernej in Slovenia:  “Some Roma are very rich, others are poor, even very poor. The rich drive good cars, they afford to travel and luxurious parties, prestigious clothes and jewelry. All this is noticeable. But the poor among them are taken away from everything, they are charged huge interest for lending money, there is a lot of extortion.”

All innuendos, all without proof, all to complain about the laxity of the legislation.

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Ljubljana Attack

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Ljubljana Attack

Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković condemned the attack on a 70-year-old man that occurred last week in the Kleče area of Ljubljana. Janković praised the work of the police, who have already taken the four alleged perpetrators into custody, and they were also arrested in cooperation with the Roma community. He stressed that the perpetrators must be punished appropriately. He announced that he would visit the Roma settlement at the end of August, where he would meet and talk to the locals. When asked about the announced village guards, Janković replied that the court is the only place to achieve justice. He called on the residents to be tolerant, because, according to him, the police have done their job, and now the prosecutor’s office and the court have to do their job.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Manifestation

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Slovenia: Manifestation

In Šentjernej, Slovenia, roughly a thousand people manifested and protested against what they see as the state inaction on Roma violence. They made several demands on the government, including ensuring security and adopting appropriate legislation. They set a deadline of mid-September, otherwise the demands will be escalated. It is time for us to be heard and taken into account, they announced.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Planned Protests

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Planned Protests

in Šentjernej in Slovenia, where, according to media “the Roma issue has reached its peak”, a protest rally will be held on Tuesday, July 15, at 7 p.m., organized by the local Šentjernej People’s Initiative. The reason for it is the increasingly frequent violent events in the municipality and the fact that state authorities are not taking action. The fundamental rights of citizens, such as security, public order and peace, equality before the law and social justice, are at risk.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Security in Slovenia

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Security in Slovenia

According to the acting director general of the police Petrič, statistics really show that southeast Slovenia is more burdened by the number of crimes per 1,000 inhabitants than other parts of the country. The security situation in the municipality of Šentjernej is “somewhat complicated”, so the police will increase their presence there, said Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar after today’s meeting with Šentjernej Mayor Jože Simončič, which was also attended by the first police chief Damjan Petrič. The municipality is experiencing an increased number of attacks on citizens.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Attack?

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Slovenia: Attack?

SDS MP Anja Bah Žibert shared a post on Facebook in which she stated that a Roma attack on a 72-year-old man allegedly took place in Ljubljana. She also attached a photo showing the alleged victim with a severely swollen eye, and according to the MP, he allegedly suffered a fractured cheekbone and other injuries.

There are several articles – but no confirmation so far as to whether it was Roma or why the man was attacked.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Again

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Again

Yet another article about the Roma “Problem” in Slovenia. According to the article, Dolenjska and Posavje have been facing an increase in crime among the Roma for a long time, there are no comprehensive solutions, although the mayors of SE Slovenia and Posavje have submitted proposals for legislative amendments to the National Assembly. The coalition rejected everything.

They interviewed a MP on that topic.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and the Roma “Problem”

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Slovenia and the Roma “Problem”

Another one of those articles in the Slovene press. About the “shocking” testimonies around Roma in Southeastern Slovenia. Here a MP is interviewed and claims no government has done anything to resolve the problem. The problem is that no one has done anything to reduce the bias against Roma and to integrate them.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

And more Bad News

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And more Bad News

One of the residents of the Roma settlement of Goriča Vas physically attacked a social worker who was allegedly checking in the Roma settlement what kind of car the Roma family involved in an incident was using. The newspaper asks the mother, the social worker, and the Police. Meanwhile, the mayor of Ribnica has also spoken out again, urging the government once again: “Take action before it’s really too late.” He isa the one who advocates cutting water and other services to Roma who don’t “behave”…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Another Attack

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Slovenia: Another Attack

Another report of a man beaten up by Roma in Slovenia. The attack took place a month ago, on June 10, but according to the victim, he initially did not want to speak publicly about it. After much thought, he gathered his courage, as he just wants those responsible in Ljubljana, both the government and other bodies and institutions, to realize that the Roma problem in SE Slovenia is serious and that it is really high time something was done for the better.

This is bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia and Roma

The president of the Roma Association of Slovenia, Jožek Horvat – Muc, called for the abolition or restructuring of the working group months ago. “Roma issues should be addressed at a higher level, i.e. as a government commission, which should be led by one of the ministers. The area of ​​resolving Roma issues should not be under the Ministry of the Interior or a repressive body. The current interdepartmental working group has no authority and no decision-making power. This means that it has no effect,” said Horvat.

Meanwhile, the Ministers of the Interior and Justice Boštjan Poklukar and Andreja Katič, State Prosecutor General Dr. Katarina Bergant, State Secretary in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister Jure Leben, Acting Director General of the Police Damjan Petrič, Acting Head of the Government Office for Nationalities Danica Polak Gruden met with representatives of the Municipality of Ribnica, led by Mayor Sam Pogorelc.

At the meeting, which took place in a constructive spirit, they discussed Roma issues, solutions for increasing security, respecting the law and promoting coexistence in the local environment.

Well, something is broken in Slovenia. See the other posts.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Trial

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Slovenia: Trial

The trial of Arsen and Leonard Novak began at the Kočevje District Court on Monday. They are accused of attacking Ribnica mayor Samo Pogorelc on June 8 with a minor, against whom separate proceedings are being conducted, closed to the public. Arsen Novak is also accused of attacking the mayor’s then-partner, Delo reports.

The affair made the headlines in Slovenia. What this omits to say, the attack occurred after the mayor threatened to cut Roma access to municipal services unless they “behaved”…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Attack

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Roma Attack

Two articles about the attack by a Roma against an official from the municipality of Ribnica, Slovenia. The official was slightly wounded. Tempers run high there, and the mayor has been cutting services to Roma settlements. This sounds like a self-made problem…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Some Help

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Some Help

For a change, a positive article in the Slovene press about Roma. Long-time volunteer Boris Muhič described the meeting on his Facebook profile, which gives hope and sends the message: Let’s not throw all Roma into the same basket.”I would like to have a cup of tea with you”. “In the morning, I met Roma from the Pušča Roma settlement at a gas station. One of them approached me and said: ‘I would like a cup of tea with you’,” wrote Boris Muhič. At first, he thought he needed help, but the person he met explained that it was the other way around – they wanted to help him.

Roma pensioners who have worked in Austria for several years have expressed their desire to join voluntary and charitable campaigns. They said that they can do all kinds of work – from masonry and roofing to electrical and facade work, but they don’t do ceramics.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Attack

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Slovenia: Attack

Unfortunately, yet another story in the Slovenian press about Roma attacking non-Roma Slovenes, this time in Šentjernej. The victim is Andrej Brečko. A little over a week ago, he participated in a parliamentary commission where they discussed the Roma “issue”, and now the Roma are apparently taking revenge on him and intimidating him. He described on the social network Facebook what exactly happened on the night from Thursday to Friday. “It’s been exactly a week since the last Roma vandal attack on our property and car, and tonight Roma vandals broke a window on the greenhouse again”. HE was also physically aggressed on a second occasion.

Well, we can imagine what they discussed at this session, and why Roma might be offended.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Problem

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Roma Problem

An article which effectively attacks money spent on Roma. The article is perhaps well meant, but panders to stereotypes. They live in bad conditions, law doesn’t apply to them, and since the government failed, many municipalities are taking the law in their own hands.

In the last ten years, approximatively between 60 and 90 million euros have been spent on integration, without visible results. In addition, according to the article, an additional 100 to 150 million euros have been spend in the same period on Roma programs.

The question not asked is where this money vanished? Certainly not in Roma hands …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma Minority

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Slovenia and Roma Minority

The Government Office for Nationalities of the Republic of Slovenia, which operates under Luka Mesec’s Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, sent a proposal for an amendment to the Roma Community Act for public discussion. The purpose of the amendment is said to be to upgrade the legal framework for a more effective integration of the Roma community into Slovenian society.

The new law brings four key changes: it introduces municipal coordinators as a bridge between the state and local levels, changes the composition of the Council of the Roma Community of the Republic of Slovenia (the Council), regulates the basis for co-financing associations, and speeds up procedures for spatial planning of Roma settlements.

Jožek Horvat Muc, a Roma activist, warns that the proposed changes mean a break in continuity in solving Roma issues and a devaluation of the long-standing work of institutions operating in Murska Sobota.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Terrorism?

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Roma Terrorism?

An article that is unfortunately typical of the current media stories about Roma. Here, the article states that “Due to the state’s inaction, intolerable conditions and complete ignoring of their warnings, the citizens there are getting closer to the point where, due to the threat to their own security, they will be forced to take justice into their own hands. This is the most extreme alarm and the last warning to the state!” wrote the president of the regional civil initiative responsible for resolving Roma issues in SE Slovenia, Silvo Mesojedec, in a public letter to deputies, ministers and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.

Bad.

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