News Switzerland – rroma.org https://rroma.org Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:57:53 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://rroma.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-greenwheel_large-1-32x32.png News Switzerland – rroma.org https://rroma.org 32 32 Transit Sites https://rroma.org/transit-sites/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=transit-sites Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:57:53 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=35909 The only transit site for travelers in the canton of Lucerne is at risk of being eliminated by early 2027, with no replacement solution in sight. So-called transitsites are reserved for non-Swiss travellers, mostly Roma.

Simon Röthlisberger, director of the foundation “Future for Swiss Travelers,” emphasizes the need to view traveling minorities as a natural part of Switzerland rather than a burden.

The foundation reports a bleak situation for travelers in Lucerne due to a lack of available sites and slow progress in finding new locations.

]]> Beggars https://rroma.org/beggars-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beggars-2 Sat, 24 Oct 2026 15:15:59 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=35864 The Swiss Federal Court acquitted six Roma beggars fined by Geneva’s justice system for begging, stating that the fines violated the principle of proportionality as they lacked prior administrative measures. Geneva’s law prohibits begging near various establishments, but the court found that the penalties were imposed without any prior warnings or administrative actions.

The court emphasized that the definition of ‘immediate vicinity’ for prohibiting begging should only cover a few meters, and if beggars are more than 10 meters away from an entrance, they should not be penalized.

]]> Stumbling Stone https://rroma.org/stumbling-stone/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stumbling-stone Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:55:04 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=35686 The first Stolperstein in Switzerland dedicated to a member of the Sinti community was installed in Koblenz, commemorating Anton Reinhardt, a victim of Nazi persecution.

Reinhardt, who sought asylum in Switzerland, was arrested and deported back to Nazi-occupied territory, where he was executed by the SS in 1945.

The memorial highlights the historical accountability of Swiss asylum policies during WWII and the specific vulnerabilities faced by Roma and Sinti.

]]> Travellers in Zürich https://rroma.org/travellers-in-zurich-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=travellers-in-zurich-2 Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:12:38 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=35475 The Canton of Zurich is expanding a transit site for travelers in Vorderen Pfannenstiel, allocating 3.2 million Swiss Francs for the project. New sanitary facilities, including toilets, showers, and utility connections, will be added to meet minimum requirements for the site.

The site will also feature 20 new visitor parking spaces, with plans for 60% of them to support electric mobility.

One has to know that “Transi” Sites are solely for “foreign” travellers (i.e. Roma), while other camping sites are reserved to Swiss travellers, i.e. Jenische and Sinti.

]]> Jenische in Switzerland https://rroma.org/jenische-in-switzerland-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jenische-in-switzerland-2 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:38:51 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=35290 The canton of Freiburg has initiated a project to support the education of children from traveling Jenische families, following the recognition of Jenische and Sinti as national minorities in Switzerland in 1999.

A guide has been created to ensure the integration and educational support of students from Jenische families, focusing on cultural awareness and joy in learning.

Educational activities have been developed for French-speaking schools, with materials being translated into German, addressing the history and culture of the Jenische community and promoting understanding among students.

]]> Travellers in Switzerland https://rroma.org/travellers-in-switzerland-15/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=travellers-in-switzerland-15 Sun, 27 Sep 2026 13:14:08 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=35217 The canton of Lucerne is reinitiating the search for stopping places for travelers, with the Social Democrats (SP) and Greens seeking clarity on Ebikon’s role in this process.

A report indicates that there are still dozens of missing stopping places in Lucerne, despite the obligation to provide adequate facilities for travelers such as Jenische, Sinti, and Roma.

The previous attempt to establish new sites was unsuccessful due to strong opposition from local municipalities, prompting a new cooperative dialogue approach to find a socially acceptable solution.

]]> Roma in Lausanne https://rroma.org/roma-in-lausanne/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=roma-in-lausanne Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:17:21 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=35098 Precarity continues to weigh on the schooling of several Roma children supported by Opre Rrom in Lausanne. The association is now calling on the city to also take action regarding their families’ living conditions.

]]> Switzerland and Roma https://rroma.org/switzerland-and-roma-8/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=switzerland-and-roma-8 Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:59:22 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=35005 A blog, “Inside Paradeplatz”, usually more specialised in finance news and gossips in Switzerand, published an article about an attack against an antiquarian in his shop in the centre of Zurich. He was hit, and the attacked fled with ca. 600 Swiss Francs. It states the attacker was “presumably Roma”… We’d be interested to know what prompted this comment.

It looks like stereotyping…

]]> Travellers in Switzerland https://rroma.org/travellers-in-switzerland-14/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=travellers-in-switzerland-14 Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:14:18 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=34848 The Canton of Baselland plans to take more responsibility for providing spaces for travellers, specifically the Jenischen and Sinti, to alleviate the burden on municipalities.

A proposed law revision aims to improve the availability of designated sites for these communities, as current provisions have been deemed insufficient.

The Canton will coordinate with municipalities to establish these sites and will also assume responsibility for their maintenance and operation, with additional costs covered within the existing budget.

]]> Travellers in Switzerland https://rroma.org/travellers-in-switzerland-13/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=travellers-in-switzerland-13 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:07:34 +0000 https://rroma.org/?p=34819 A group of Roma travelers from France has set up camp with 60 caravans on a city-owned field in Oberwinterthur, Switzerland.

They were previously forced to vacate another site in Stadel due to the presence of a high-voltage power line. The situation highlights ongoing issues regarding the accommodation of traveling communities in urban areas.

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