Category Archives: Greece

Greece News Western Europe

A Row

Published by:

A Row

Romani singer Vasilis Paiteris, who has been politically active since 1993, is facing a lawsuit from Aphrodite Latinopoulou, president of the party “Voice of Logic,” for insulting her dignity.

The conflict satarted when Aphrodite Latinopoulou called him “gyftos” (a pejorative term for Roma in Greek). He responded  by making a provocative remark about Latinopoulou’s appearance, which led to her filing the lawsuit.

In a recent TV appearance, Paiteris expressed willingness to apologize and invited Latinopoulou for coffee to discuss reconciliation, suggesting that 700,000 Romani voters could support her if she seeks forgiveness.

Greece News Western Europe

Thessaloniki Settlement

Published by:

Thessaloniki Settlement

The article discusses ongoing issues in Thessaloniki, Greece, regarding the illegal settlement and eviction of Roma families from the Tsairia area, highlighting a complex legal and social backdrop.

Despite proposed solutions for relocating 12 families (about 200 members), progress has stalled due to resistance from the Roma community, citing cultural differences.

The European Court of Human Rights has mandated that the Greek state ensure the dignity of the Roma during relocation, while local officials express frustration over the situation affecting other citizens without homes.

Greece News Western Europe

Roma History and Inclusion

Published by:

Roma History and Inclusion

Panagiotis Charitos is a prominent social worker in Greece, dedicated to the education, social inclusion, and empowerment of Roma communities, with a strong academic background and extensive professional experience.

He has initiated various programs and projects aimed at improving educational access for Roma children, including the establishment of a Creative Activity Center and a Football Academy for Roma children.

Charitos has also been active in local politics, serving as a municipal councilor and advocating for Roma rights and social policies that promote equality and inclusion.

He is involved in the first Greek magazine dedicated to the history and culture of the Roma, titled “Unknown Culture of the Roma,” aims to document and preserve Roma heritage and promote positive examples from the community.

The magazine is a collective effort involving Roma scientists, educators, and community members, focusing on the rich traditions, values, and contributions of the Roma people.

It seeks to combat stereotypes and promote understanding between Roma communities and wider society, emphasizing the importance of equal opportunities and respect for Roma culture.

Greece News Western Europe

Roma History

Published by:

Roma History

Two articles in the Greek press about the origins and history of Roma. These articles were propted by a feud on live TV Greek singer Vasilis Paiteris continues his public feud with MEP Afroditi Latinopoulou, questioning her stance in times of war and admitting he mistakenly voted for her party due to a friend’s candidacy. Paiteris labels Latinopoulou a “big racist” for her views on the Roma community, asserting that he will only apologize if she retracts her derogatory comments about them. During this, they both used the term “gyftos” that is considered to be pejorative.

The two articles are quite astonishingly accurate, with some debatable points. They also dwell on the origins of the various names given to Roma.

Greece News Western Europe

Disguised Discrimination

Published by:

Disguised Discrimination

According to this article, mass police operations against Roma communities in Greece reflect a broader European trend of redefining racial discrimination under the guise of crime prevention and public order maintenance.

The operations, characterized by surveillance drones and aggressive police tactics, have targeted 152 Roma communities, with over 76 operations conducted in just six months.

The rhetoric of crime prevention is used to justify systemic racism against Roma, with the Greek model potentially serving as a template for similar actions across Europe.

Greece News Western Europe

Crime in Greece

Published by:

Crime in Greece

The article says that in 2024, 70% of theft and burglary gangs in Greece were reported to be composed of Roma individuals, raising concerns about crime and ethnicity.

The article discusses the public’s desire for equality under the law, regardless of origin, while highlighting the perception of crime linked to specific communities.

It critiques the Greek political system for failing to address the root causes of poverty and social exclusion, advocating for equal rights and obligations for all citizens.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece and a Dead Nurse

Published by:

Greece and a Dead Nurse

A nurse died in Nafplio. According to several early reports the 55-year-old nurse collapsed while on duty at the General Hospital, reportedly due to a cardiac arrest during a tense situation involving injured Roma. The incident apparently escalated when relatives of the injured Roma reacted aggressively after being informed that no doctor was available, leading to threats against medical staff. The number of articles reporting this and accosing Roma is so long that we cannot publish it here.

Now, the story is somewhat different, highlighting a bias against Roma in the Greek press. Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis clarified that the death of a nurse in Nafplio hospital was not related to violence from a Roma family, who were concerned about their unconscious child. The hospital workers’ union president stated that the nurse should not have been in the emergency department at that time, as she was not on duty.

Greece News Western Europe

Crime in Greece

Published by:

Crime in Greece

According to this article, over 70% of criminal organizations in Greece are composed of Roma, raising concerns about crime rates. Most of these organizations are involved in burglaries, highlighting the need for targeted police actions.

Authorities are urged to investigate the underlying causes of this crime and enhance prevention efforts to restore public trust.

These are basically statements without concrete proofs, stigmatising a minority in Greece.

Greece News Western Europe

Roma Settlements

Published by:

Roma Settlements

The article discusses the challenges of demolishing illegal Roma settlements in Greece due to international human rights protections that require alternative housing solutions before eviction. It raises questions about the definition of homelessness, the effectiveness of integration policies, and the potential for new settlements to emerge if current ones are not addressed properly.

Concerns are expressed about the social exclusion faced by the Roma community and the adequacy of existing relocation and integration programs in Patras.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece and Roma

Published by:

Greece and Roma

The number of articles about crime and Roma in the Greek press is horrendous. Not a day passes without 5 or more articles about crimes committed by Roma in Greece.

The show “Autopsia” ‘investigates’ crime among the Roma community, revealing the realities within their settlements. Host Antonis Sroiter interviews Roma individuals about police raids, weapons, drugs, and electricity theft. The program explores the prevalence of Roma in criminal groups and their shift from theft to phone scams, alongside personal stories and police statistics.

Basically, it portrays all Roma as criminals. Bad.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece and Roma

Published by:

Greece and Roma

One of the typical articles about Roma in Greek press. When they are not stealing, then, underage forced weddings are the norm…

The article says that a 16-year-old girl escaped from her 30-year-old husband in a Roma settlement in Neapolis after being forced into marriage against her will about 40 days prior.

The husband was found guilty of domestic violence and threats but acquitted of physical harm, receiving a 17-month suspended sentence. The girl testified that he physically restrained her and threatened her, while he denied any wrongdoing, claiming he loved her and did not understand her fear.

Denmark Greece News Western Europe

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas

Published by:

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas

An article in the Greek press on the Romani artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas about her current exhibition in Copenhagen.

With Polish citizenship and Roma origins, visual artist and activist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas is one of Europe’s most important and freshest contemporary artistic voices. Born in 1978, the artist represented Poland at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, becoming the first Roma artist ever to participate with national representation in the event.

Greece News Western Europe

Really????

Published by:

Really????

An article that claims that Roma are behing 76% of all burglaries in Greece. They throw numbers around without proofs. According to them: “A total of 510 criminal organizations were recorded with 3,469 members. Of these, 51% are domestic, which shows that Greek participation remains dominant in the field of organized crime. Of the foreign organizations, Bulgarians and Albanians have the strongest presence, followed by Georgians and Turks.”

How they arrive at those numbers, and frankly they are certainly not true, remains a mystery.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece: Theft

Published by:

Greece: Theft

A large police action recovering stolen electrical cable and documenting water theft. Apparenly in a Roma neighbourhood, although this is not directly mentioned in the article but just in its hashtag.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece, Police, and Roma

Published by:

Greece, Police, and Roma

Since November 15, the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has deployed police officers to 152 areas inhabited by Roma across the country. These “prevention and mediation teams,” as the government calls them, are composed of 473 police officers and 50 mediators tasked with serving as a bridge between law enforcement and the Roma community. They have begun patrolling in the provinces, Thessaloniki, and Attica, and are responsible for monitoring the camps 24/7, conducting preventative checks, and informing Roma citizens about administrative procedures or directing them to social services.

In brief, a special police for Roma settlements.

Greece News Western Europe

TikTok and Greek Roma

Published by:

TikTok and Greek Roma

An article about Roma who publish on TikTok, with a huge success and millions of views. But behind this, the reality is different and stereotypes are prevalent in Greece.

The article says: On the Greek social network TikTok, catchy Gypsy songs, kitschy weddings, and passionate dancing all night long have gone viral. Stef Tony, a Roma artist from Menidi, a suburb of Athens, performs in the middle of Roma camps or promotes singers from his community. Musician Stathis Xenos is a hit on the network with his song “Eimai Roma. Mia tzigana mou exei parei ta miala” (“I am Roma. A Gypsy woman made me crazy with love”), which has been taken up by thousands of users.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece, Police, and Roma

Published by:

Greece, Police, and Roma

With 24-hour patrols by the Greek Police in Roma camps and the announcement of the recruitment of 50 gypsy police officers, the Ministry of Citizen Protection is attempting to present a new policing and mediation plan. It started all with a claim that effectively, Roma are basically criminals.

Roma in Greece are protesting against those measures and say that those measures will not build trust.

The Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis clarified that “the police will hire approximately 50 uniformed police officers, unarmed, with special duties, who will be close to the Police Departments of the areas where these vulnerable groups live and will play the role of social mediator, this will be their mission.”\

So basically not really police, and not a role that can be sustained.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece and Roma

Published by:

Greece and Roma

The Greek Police is planning to recruit 100 Roma, as revealed by “TA NEA”, the Ministry of Citizen Protection a few days after Michalis Chrysochoidis announced the installation of a force of 70-100 police officers in camps to control delinquency. This process, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, has as its main objective the better operational planning and the creation of information networks of the security authorities to deal with gangs in the western suburbs of Attica, but also where there is a density of Roma, as this particular community is considered to have a large share (over 50%-60%) in thefts, burglaries and frauds.

This is very closely reminiscent of what the nazis did … https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jüdischer_Ordnungsdienst

Greece News Western Europe

Greece, Roma, and the Police

Published by:

Greece, Roma, and the Police

Greek Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis announced the installation of specialized police officers inside the Roma camps. This will start happening in 1.5 months, while the police officers in question will be subordinate to the Greek FBI.

“This tolerance that existed for years -decades- and which for me is incomprehensible, must come to an end”, he stressed.

Basically, he is saying Roma are criminals that need to be monitored…

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN