Category Archives: News Switzerland

News Switzerland

Lausanne and Roma

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Marc Vuilleumier, a MP in the parliament of the canton of Vaud wants a new approach towards Roma in the towns of the canton. He asked the government to develop a policy of inclusion rather than discrimination and repression, especially for families with children. The elected representative proposed to draw inspiration from the experience of a “transition village” in Montpellier (F).

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Roma Refugees from the Ukraine

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An article and video on Roma refugees from the Ukraine. According to the article, there could be as many as 100’000 of them. This number is probably too high an estimate. The article focuses on Roma from Transcarpathian Ukraine in the Czech Republic, a problematic issue.

News Switzerland

Switzerland: Holocaust Memorial

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The Swiss Federal Council voted yesterday to erect a Holocaust memorial in the city of Bern in a yet to be determined central location. They allocated a 2.5 Mio CHF credit to the Memorial.

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Racism

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Well, no real surprise here: Swiss do not consider racism to be a real problem, but they also have trouble defining it. And clearly, Roma are the ones who are the most common victims of it.

News Switzerland

Camping Sites in Switzerland

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Nothing new here: There are not enough camping sites for Travellers in Switzerland. They talk about it but do nothing. Apparently, the state is now wanting to put some money aside for this purpose. This will take another 20 years, as usual in Switzerland.

News Switzerland

Switzerland: New School Book

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A new book on Jenische, Sinti and Roma has just been published in Switzerland. The book is meant to be used in schools. Until recently, Switzerland did not say a word in school about these minorities.

News Eastern Europe News Switzerland North Macedonia

The Šutka

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Swiss television definitively not at its best. 8-10 Mio Roma (the Council of Europe cites 12 to 14, but then, the Swiss must know it better), and now a capital: the Šutka in Skopje.

It is always amazing what people can write or say about Roma with total impunity.

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Travellers

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There are still too few camping sites for travellers in the canton of Zurich. This as been the case for ever, and I seems that now, the government plans to find two new sites. One of them should come to the Limmattal, the second in the Zurich Oberland.

Come back in 10 years – chances are, they won’t be there.

News Switzerland

Koudelka

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Koudelka

An exhibition in Lausanne of the work of the Czech photographer Josef Koudelka who published a cult book on Roma. A must see.

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Camping Sites

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Another article on the fight of travellers in Switzerland to get camping sites, this time in Thal, Canton St. Gallen. The commune voted against the required zoning changes to allow for sur a site to be constructed.

One needs to say also that there are  camping sites and that by and large, foreign Roma are parked in so-called “transit sites”.

News Switzerland

Lausanne and Beggars

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The canton of Vaud is debating on the extension  of the begging interdiction that was issued by the city of Lausanne. The city and its police chief are strongly for it while the canton seems to be sceptical. In any case, begging interdictions are inefficient at best. They have been tried in many places without success and are actually aimed at very few people: In Lausanne, a scientific study that followed all beggars in the city for one year showed that there were less than 30 at any given point in time, and that each beggar has on average less than 25 CHF per day which is not much in Switzerland.

News Switzerland

Begging in Geneva

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The new cantonal law against begging in Geneva does not violate the fundamental rights of beggars. This is the conclusion of the Geneva courts which rejected Me Dina Bazarbachi’s appeal. The latter, sometimes identified as “the lawyer of the Roma”, questioned the validity of the legislation. But the Constitutional Chamber considered that the text was proportionate and responded to a public interest. While the fines could still be issues, the appeal had the effect of suspending the arrests of beggars. It is not the case anymore.

Forbidding begging is not a solution.

News Switzerland

Switzerland and Travellers

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The canton of Bern is giving itself three years to better regulate the movement of travellers. It wants to avoid tensions arising with the authorities of the municipalities as soon as caravans of Roma, Sinti (Manouches) or Yéniches arrive in places a priori not intended to accommodate them or when these places have not been cleaned in time afterwards. the departure of the caravans. Experiences and reactions may vary from one municipality to another, from one procession to the next.

Well, this situation has been lasting for many years, and so far, nothing has been done at all.

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