Category Archives: News Switzerland

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe News Switzerland

Switzerland and Bulgaria

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Switzerland and Bulgaria

The Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation H.E. Pierre Hagmann visited the office of the Amalipe Center and two of the institutions with which the Center works in close partnership – Sofia University “Kliment Ohridski” – the village of Kamen and the Municipality of Strazhitsa, to get acquainted with the organization’s activities. The conversations were about the Roma community and the challenges facing it, education, the contribution of the Swiss-Bulgarian Development Program, the role of NGOs and the support of the Swiss Embassy and the Ambassadorial Group on Roma Issues. The subsequent visit to the village of Kamen and the town of Strazhitsa continued and detailed these conversations.

News Switzerland

Travellers in Switzerland

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Travellers in Switzerland

Camping space for Yenish, Sinti, and Roma in Graubünden is becoming increasingly scarce. A regional event sparked a heated discussion about their needs, rights, and respect.

It doesn’t help that some spots are reserved for “Swiss Travellers”, and not for Roma.

News Switzerland

Z-Salad

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Z-Salad

A bakery from the Canton Zurich sells a saussage and cheese salad as “AZ’-Salad. They were asked by the young socialists from the region to drop the name, as this is insulting.

Well, in Switzerland, it is still acceptable, it seems …

News Switzerland

“Z-Word”

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“Z-Word”

A bakery in Zurich is being asked to rename a salad. They are selling a “Z”-Salad. The well-known bakery say no customer complained…
Well the Swiss are a bit behind in that respect. Up until the 1990’s, the canned meatloaf in the Swiss army was called “pressed jew” – seriously!

News Switzerland

Switzerland: Racist Police

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Switzerland: Racist Police

The RTS, the French speaking Swiss television channel published the content of some 2,500 pages of internal WhatsApp conversations within the Lausanne police force. The analysis reveals a shocking extent of discriminatory and extremist remarks.

Blacks, Roma, Moslems, Jews, all is included in these racist statements, going as far as mentioning the Nazis of the KKK. And this is a municipal police force in Switzerland.

Sad.

News Switzerland

Swiss Media and Roma

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Swiss Media and Roma

The Swiss Press Council decided in two cases we brought to their attention that Journalists of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and on 20 Minuten.

The «Neue Zürcher Zeitung» violated points 3 (sources) and 8 (prohibition of discrimination) of the «Declaration of the Duties and Rights of Journalists» with the article «North Africans have little to fear» and the corresponding online article. In that article, the journalist said about North African criminals: “contrary to Roma, they are not organised in criminal clans”.

With its article “Protection status S: Resentment over abuse by Roma grows” of February 12, 2024, «20 Minuten» violated points 1 (truth), 3 (withholding important information) and 8 (discrimination) of the «Declaration of the Duties and Rights of Journalists».  This article pretty much was stating that Roma refugees from the Ukraine abused the Swiss Asylum, and that many were not even Ukraininas or had false papers.

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Roma Travellers

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Switzerland and Roma Travellers

A reportage in Swiss television on Roma Travellers and how they are delt with. Recently, the police in the canton of Valais stopped many caravans and blocked a highway to stop them and turn them around.

News Eastern Europe News Switzerland Ukraine

Switzerland and Ukrainian Refugees

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Switzerland and Ukrainian Refugees

The Swiss government has decided that a large part of Western Ukraine, including Lviv, are safe and that Ukrainian refugees from those regions can safely return home… It was announced right after Lviv was bombed.

This will affect quite a few refugees, and many Roma from Transcarpathian Ukraine.

Bad.

News Switzerland

“Zigeuner”

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“Zigeuner”

The Zurich Anti-Racism Office removed the book title “Zigeuner” from an event. Isabella Huser, a Yenish author speaks of absurd censorship. The issue there is that Yenish, a traveller minority in German speaking lands (mostly Switzerland and Rhine valley) often denote themselves as “Zigenuer”. But for Sinti and Roma, the use of this term is akin to the N-word.

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Travellers

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Switzerland and Travellers

Schooling for Roma children in Valais is still lacking. However, a year ago, State Councilor for Education Christophe Darbellay expressed his desire to find an “ad hoc” solution for these traveling children.

Well, they are doing something: Trying to prevent them entering the canton…

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Travellers

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Switzerland and Travellers

An article about the police action in the French speaking cantons of Switzerland that attempts to prevent Roma travellers from coming to Switzerland. The Police in Valais even illegally blocked a highway to prevent Roma from passing. They issue fines, but also summons.

This is clearly racist.

News Eastern Europe News Switzerland Ukraine

Reportage in Transcarpathian Ukraine

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Reportage in Transcarpathian Ukraine

All what we said all along about the dreadful situation of Roma in Transcarpathian Ukraine in a reportage in the Swiss press. Well, their history is not quite straight, as the existence of these camps goes back to the Ungarian domination of this region and to Maria-Theresia of Austria. And there, they still call it cigánytelep [Gypsy settlement] rather than the term tabor meaning a camp.

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Travellers

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Switzerland and Travellers

A Swiss politician says he wants to forbid travellers to enter Switzerland, and wants to kick them out with bulldozers… Isn’t that racist? Switzerland actually had an interdiction of entry for travellers from 1497 to 1972 (yes, that late).

Shame.

News Switzerland

French Roma in Neuchatel

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French Roma in Neuchatel

Another story, this time in the canton of Neuchatel, where Roma  tried to rent a camping site and after an initial accord, were told there was no longer a vacancy.

In brief, Switzerland doesn’t want Roma travellers…

News Switzerland

Police in Valais

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Police in Valais

The head of the police force in the Canton Valais has been defending his decision to stop the ca. 40 caravans of French Roma on a highway on April 15th.

In an interview published Saturday in “Le Nouvelliste”, Christian Varone, commander of the Valais cantonal police, spoke at length about the blocking of caravans on Tuesday, April 15, on the highway in Saint-Maurice, disrupting traffic between Vaud and Valais for more than seven hours in the region.

HeE said: “There’s zero tolerance for situations where public order is not respected.”

The problem is precisely determining the extent to which these Roma failed to respect public order while traveling to Gampel, where they had duly rented a private campsite. They had paid some 15,000 francs in advance for the rental. They were driving peacefully along the highway with their wives and children before encountering the Valais sheriff and his deputies.

The Police commander said that the Roma themselves to the owner of this land as Swiss Jenishe when they were actually Roma of French nationality. Upon learning of this, the lessor considered it a fraud and cancelled the agreement.” He communicated his decision to us orally, then in writing a few days later.

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