Category Archives: Slovenia

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.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Inclusion in Slovakia

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Inclusion in Slovakia

At a working meeting in Valaská, representatives of community centers or social enterprises, the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities Alexander Daško, and the Acting Head of the European Commission Representation in the Slovak Republic discussed effective and sustainable support for Roma inclusion in Slovakia. The aim was, among other things, to summarise experiences and good practice examples in the context of the creation of the new EU programming period.

Well, let’s hope that they come up with better ways than planting trees – which is currently part of the program …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma “Issues”

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Slovenia and Roma “Issues”

MPs from the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) from the South East gave a press conference on Roma “Issues”. Franci Kepa, Anja Bah Žibert and Tomaž Lisec warned of ”increasingly worrying conditions due to the increase in Roma violence in Southeast Slovenia and Posavje”. More than 200,000 people live in this area, whose warnings remain unheeded, they warned.

It is a question of justice, security and the functioning of the rule of law, the three MPs emphasize, and in their opinion, people rightly wonder why the state only takes them seriously when it comes to collecting taxes, but not when it comes to their safety and dignity.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia – Prime Minister Questions

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Slovenia – Prime Minister Questions

Robert Golob was asked questions in parliament what he is undertaking to guarantee security in the localities with Roma settlements, especially in the Southeast of the country. He was being challenged for the “failure to control the security situation”. He stated that wwhile police presence has been increased, repression is never the solution.

The articles, especially the Reporter one, have a strong bias against Roma.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Ribnica, Slovenia

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Ribnica, Slovenia

According to the journalist, “the Ribnica municipal councillors discussed the Roma issue at last night’s session, after three violent Roma physically attacked the mayor, Sam Pogorelec, a policewoman, and the son of a municipal employee.

As Mayor Pogorelc said, they are extremely disappointed with the government, which turns a blind eye to these issues and is not prepared to get more actively involved in solving the Roma problem. At the same time, municipalities do not have the leverage to influence changes themselves, citing non-attendance by Roma children, unemployment of Roma, non-sanctioning of the actions of violent Roma, and the like. At the same time, one of the municipal councillors wondered how it was possible that one of Saturday’s attackers was not yet in prison, even though he stabbed a man a few months ago.

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma, Slovenia, and the Law

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Roma, Slovenia, and the Law

A literal rant against woke ideology, against left leaning lawyers who do not want to discuss the ethnicity of crimes. The TV sender is well known for its anti-Roma views and nationalistic rightists positions.

Bad.

Slovenia

Slovenia, Politics, and Roma

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Slovenia, Politics, and Roma

The mayor of the Slovene town of Ribnica, Samo Pogorelc, who advocated cutting water and electricity to Roma who do not “behave” was attacked by some of his Roma constituents. This papers deems this a

“a brutal attack by Roma” which did not really require his hospitalisation.

He now demands the resignation of Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar. He also demands measures from the state, which is clearly not in control of the situation.

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Stereotypes in Politics

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Stereotypes in Politics

A member of the European Parliament Romana Tomc (SDS) from Slovenia posted a post on her Facebook profile titled “The Gypsy Carmen and the story of the Dolenjska Roma”. Tomc paints a romantic picture of a “passionate, beautiful and special gypsy woman”, who was once supposed to represent something mysterious and exciting. Then follows the contrast: “Today, the gypsies from the story of Carmen are gone. Instead, we have Roma,” she writes.

Bad

 

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Novo Mesto – Attack

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Novo Mesto – Attack

A witness in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, said that a man the Roma settlement of Žabjak attacked a citizen with a knife, while he was performing community service at the Novo mesto Komunala.

Whatever the reason, this is bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma Money

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Slovenia and Roma Money

At the end of October last year, suspicions of the controversial use of state money for Roma in the municipality of Krško were raised. The municipality, led by Janez Kerin, outsourced almost 80 thousand euros worth of workshops and training to the municipal construction company Kostak, about which none of our interlocutors knew anything

At the same time, the municipality, under unusual circumstances, allocated another 20 thousand euros of money to an association founded by Roma councilor Dejan Brajdič. Mayor Kerin needed his vote to support the planned projects. At the time, the municipality denied accusations of misuse of funds received from the state.

This is now being investigated by the police.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Integration

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Slovenia and Integration

A round table held in Slovenia on Roma integration stated that one of the key challenges is the legalisation of Roma settlements. Roma representatives, however, warn that solutions and legislation on them are often adopted without them.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia, Roma, and Schools

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Slovenia, Roma, and Schools

An editorial following an incident in a football field in a school where a Roma boy took the ball from an ethnic Slovene who fell and had to be brought to a hospital. The Roma boy was deemed “aggressive”.

The editorial argues that ethnicity has nothing to do with capacities, behaviour, and values.

Blaming Roma is simply not an acceptable excuse.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Crime

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Crime

An article on the condemnation of some Roma to prison for an extortion scheme with pensioners. According to one of them testifying in court: “My husband and I were driving home in the dark when we saw a group of people, Roma, in front of us right in front of our home. They were standing by the road, but the man thought he wouldn’t be able to pass, so he stopped. Suddenly, one of them actually stepped into the middle of the road and hit the hood of the car and started screaming that the man had almost run him over. One of them approached the man, who had opened the window a little, and demanded that we give him 50 euros, otherwise he would call the police. The one who hit the hood of the car lay down on the road and took pictures of the car, but otherwise everything happened very quickly.”

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia, Roma, and Dogs

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Slovenia, Roma, and Dogs

The Slovenian Šentjernej municipality has put up warning signs in villages with Roma because of dangerous dogs.

The sign Danger of collision – dogs without supervision has upset the villagers of Mihovica. Instead of the authorities doing their job, they are shifting the responsibility onto the drivers, they say.

Well, who’s to blame: Roma…

Austria News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovenia

Austria, Slovenia, and Roma

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Austria, Slovenia, and Roma

A three-day excursion by students from the Pedagogical College from Klagenfurt (Pädagogische Hochschule Kärnten, Viktor Frankl Hochschule) took place in Prekmurje and Porabje from 14 to 16 May 2025 as part of the seminar Research Learning in the Slovenia Region.

On the first day of the excursion, the students visited the Roma Information Center, which also includes Radio Romic and the Romano Pušča Kindergarten. According to the article, they learned about an example of good practice in the inclusion of preschool Roma children.

Well, Slovenia is not really successful there …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia and Roma

When stereotypes mix with education… Music, songs, this is what Roma children are faced with in “integration”. According to the article, “Roma children actively participated the whole time, we checked on a regular basis whether they understood the stories presented, as some have difficulty understanding the Slovenian language. Smiling and motivated, they happily participated in the creative workshop and coloured a colouring book with fairy-tale characters from the show.”

This is not how one achieves integration…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Victim Remnants

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Slovenia: Victim Remnants

The parliamentary group of the Slovenian Democratic Party has submitted a request to convene an urgent session of the Committee for Petitions, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities. At the session, they want to discuss the item entitled Piety and dignified burial of the murdered victims from the clandestine cemetery Jama pod Macesnova gorica.

The reason for the request is the decision of the Ministry of Défense to temporarily transfer more than 3,000 mortal remains of victims of interwar and post-war violence, some of them Roma, which have so far been stored in inappropriate conditions in the garage of Komunala Kočevje, to the ossuary near Škofja Loka. “Despite announcements about seeking consensus with relatives and the general public, the transfer was carried out unilaterally, without prior agreement on the final burial location,” the SDS parliamentary group warns.

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