Category Archives: Austria

Austria News Western Europe

Jenisch

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Jenisch

Markus Josl speaks Jenisch, a language influenced by German and Romani, which is now spoken by only a few people and is part of his cultural identity.

Jenische people share a mixed European culture with Roma, Sinti, and Jews, historically connected through travel and craftsmanship.

Josl, a Jenisch activist, aims to preserve his culture and language, advocating for political recognition of the Jenische as a distinct ethnic group in Austria.

Austria News Western Europe

Roma in Burgenland

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Roma in Burgenland

The documentary “Roma in Burgenland – Stories We Tell Ourselves” by director Robert Dornhelm explores the history, culture, and current challenges faced by the Burgenland Roma, a group rooted in Austria for centuries but still facing prejudice and discrimination.

It spans from the 1930s to the present, highlighting the Roma’s vibrant culture through music, traditions, and personal stories, while also addressing their historical victimization.

The film features contributions from the Roma community and includes reflections on the legacy of figures like Charlie Chaplin, emphasizing themes of identity, memory, and dignity.

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Racism in Austria

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Racism in Austria

32 Ukrainian Roma children were unjustly accused of theft, highlighting issues in the integration of these children in German language classes.

The incident reflects deep-rooted anti-Roma prejudices and the inadequate response of authorities to racism allegations.

Ukrainian Roma families often have many children, and in Wals Siezenheim, all school-age children were placed in a special class, raising concerns about educational equity.

Austria News Western Europe Sweden

Lars Lindgren

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Lars Lindgren

Lars Lindgren focused on the cultural and linguistic rights of Roma in Sweden, emphasizing the importance of preserving their identity in modern society.

His 2011 report highlighted that legal recognition is insufficient if Roma still face discrimination and fear of revealing their heritage.

Lindgren advocated for better educational resources and awareness of Roma history and culture, asserting that Roma rights are intertwined with issues of culture, recognition, and human dignity.

Austria News Western Europe

Ukrainian Roma in Austria

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Ukrainian Roma in Austria

According to the UN Special Rapporteur on Racism, 32 Roma children from Ukraine were held for one and a half hours in their classroom due to suspicions of mobile phone theft.

The incident, which occurred on October 16, 2025, is documented in a UN report, but the Salzburg education authority denies the events as described.

Austria News Western Europe

Forced Labour

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Forced Labour

Historical evidence shows that Roma from Burgenland were forced to work on the Reichsautobahn during the Nazi era, with new research pinpointing specific locations of these labor camps.

Writer Ludwig Laher has been investigating Nazi forced labor and the persecution of Roma and Sinti, utilizing new archival sources to shed light on these historical events.

Events organized by Roma-VHS Burgenland aim to raise awareness about the history of forced labor and keep the memory of the victims alive, highlighting the ongoing relevance of this topic today.

Austria News Western Europe

Austrian Minorities

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Austrian Minorities

The Austrian National Council has made a significant step in recognizing the importance of ethnic groups in Burgenland by constitutionalizing all six recognized indigenous groups, including Croats, Hungarians, and Roma.

Philip Juranich, a Green Party representative and member of the Burgenland Croatian community, emphasizes that this recognition enhances visibility, respect, and appreciation for these groups.

A new annual report on ethnic groups will be introduced to assess their overall situation, particularly in language and culture, and to ensure greater involvement of ethnic councils in the parliamentary process.

Austria News Western Europe

Austria and Racism

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Austria and Racism

The UN special rapporteur on racism, Ashwini K.P., reports that far-right ideologies have entered the mainstream in Austria, highlighting an incident involving Ukrainian Roma children. Despite existing regulations and organizations aimed at combating racism in Austria, their efforts are fragmented and threatened by budget cuts, leaving deep-rooted racism unaddressed.

A comprehensive, human rights-based anti-racism strategy is necessary to improve the situation, as racism is prevalent in Austrian immigrant society.

Austria News Western Europe

Butchu Festival

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Butchu Festival

The Roma-Butschu festival in Burgenland celebrates the traditions of the Roma community, featuring performances from various ethnic groups, including Croatian and Hungarian ensembles.

Notable performances included the Leon Berger Band and Romano Rath, with a special appearance by the Slovenian band Romano Glauso, who emphasized the need for Roma unity against discrimination.

The next Roma-Butschu is planned for next year at a new venue that will enhance cultural exchange and community interaction among different ethnic groups.

Austria News Western Europe

Minorities

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Minorities

A reform package in Austria aims to constitutionally recognize all six indigenous ethnic groups in the country, including Croats, Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and Roma.

A new ethnic group forum will be established, and an annual report will be developed to inform about federal measures for the promotion and preservation of these groups.

The package also ensures the long-term security of bilingual courts in Carinthia, consolidating court locations while maintaining existing court sessions.

Austria News Western Europe

Burgenland Roma

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Burgenland Roma

A lesser-known chapter of Burgenland’s Roma history will be discussed at an event organized by the Roma Adult Education Center in Burgenland. The event titled “Myth of the Reichsautobahn: Forced Labor and Suffering of Romnja and Roma from Burgenland” will feature writer and historian Ludwig Laher.

The event is scheduled for Friday, June 19, at 7 PM at the OHO – Open House Oberwart.

Austria News Western Europe

Romano Dikipe

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Romano Dikipe

In this issue, Romano Dikipe accompanies the Roma-Service association during their move to the new House of Ethnic Groups in Oberwart; report on the new book by Herbert Brettl; as well as on the planned location for the central memorial for Roma and Sinti in Vienna; attended the event “Literature on the Ring” and is once again in search of traces of vanished Roma settlements in Burgenland.

Austria News Western Europe

Austria and Roma

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Austria and Roma

Following the statement from the police regarding travelling Roma in Austria’s Burgenland, which contained a wealth of sterotypes, there was an outcry in the press and among the Roma from the country.

This article is a reportage within this group of mostly french pentacostal Roma and comments by Roma activists. Worth reading!

Austria News Western Europe

Roma Resistance Day

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Roma Resistance Day

May 16th marks the 82nd anniversary of Romani Resistance Day. In 1944, Roma and Sinti resisted the Nazis in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

What is not quite correct in the ORF Program is their statement that this uprising “saved thoudans of lives”. We simply do not know, and it did not prevent the destruction of the “Zigeunerlager” on August 2nd, 1944.

Austria News Western Europe

Austria, the Police, and Roma

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Austria, the Police, and Roma

The Austrian Equal Treatment Commission has intervened following a letter from employees of the Neusiedl am See district police command warning the public about Roma and Sinti. Intended as crime prevention information to combat fraud, the now-deleted text of a Facebook post used “a term perceived as discriminatory regarding the Roma ethnic group,” the ministry stated.

Now the interior Ministry is also investigating.

Austria News Western Europe

Austria, the Police, and Roma

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Austria, the Police, and Roma

Representatives of the Roma community have sharply criticized a letter from the Neusiedl am See district police command. The letter warns of criminal activities by the traveller community. The state police command condemns the wording of the letter and intends to conduct an internal investigation.

Austria Germany News Western Europe

Zentralrat on Austria

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Zentralrat on Austria

The Chairman of the German Central Council of Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, pointed out that the National Socialists called on the population in 1933 not to buy from Jews and had police and SS troops march in front of Jewish businesses. He was criticising a letter by the Austrian police of the Burgenland warning the population about Sinti and Roma.

Rose appealed to Interior Minister Karner of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) to initiate disciplinary proceedings against those responsible within the police force. He emphasized that the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities entered into force in Austria in 1998. This obligates the state to counteract all forms of anti-Gypsyism. The Central Council stated that the Europe-wide rise of nationalist forces, which often base their political program on racism and incitement and have now become the strongest political force in Austria, is alarming.

Austria News Western Europe

Austria, the Police, and Roma

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Austria, the Police, and Roma

The Austrian Equal Treatment Commission criticized a letter issued by the Burgenland police authority in Neusiedl on Friday, in which the police warned the population about Roma and Sinti. The letter, the Commissioner argued, perpetuates historical anti-Roma stereotypes. The letter’s instruction not to accept services from members of this ethnic group could constitute an incitement to discrimination, emphasized Sandra Konstatzky, head of the Equal Treatment Commission.

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Burgtheater Vienna

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Burgtheater Vienna

A theater director is commissioned by the Burgtheater Vienna to stage a play by and with Roma actors. He promptly decides to use the real-life biographies of the participants for his piece and has a house from their village dismantled into 3,000 individual pieces in order to rebuild it on the stage of the Akademietheater. Audience and press eagerly anticipate the extraordinary production and hope for maximum authenticity.

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