Category Archives: News Western Europe

Italy News Western Europe

Roma Resistance

Published by:

Roma Resistance

The Historical Institute of the Resistance and the Contemporary Age of Forlì-Cesena, in collaboration with the Municipality of Forlì, is organizing the presentation of the book “Vittoriosi al fin liberi siam. Roma e Sinti nella Resistenza italiana” by Chiara Nencioni, on Tuesday, January 13, in the Sala Randi, Forlì Municipality. Ines Briganti will be present at the event, alongside the author.

Germany News Western Europe

Opera Yes, Documentation Centre No

Published by:

Opera Yes, Documentation Centre No

Those arriving in Hamburg by ICE train from the south pass directly by the former “Hanoverian Station,” from whose tracks 8,000 Jews, Sinti, and Roma were deported to Nazi extermination camps in the east starting in 1940. A memorial with desk-like concrete tables lists all the names from the transport lists of that time.

Just a few hundred meters away, directly in line of sight to the deportation site, a new opera house is to be built on Hamburg’s Baakenhöft. It is being sponsored with 340 million euros by Klaus-Michael Kühne, 88 years old. The same man who, to this day, refuses to allow his company’s Nazi past to be publicly investigated. His opera house, his gift to the city, therefore carries a deeply troubling connotation.

Meanwhile, a planned documentation centre on the deprotations is still in planning, without any date of completion.

Italy News Western Europe

Burial

Published by:

Burial

More than two hundred members of the Padua Sinti community gathered on Saturday, January 10, in the center of Noventa Padovana to participate in the burial ceremony of one of their relatives. Giamaica Rajar, a 53-year-old woman from the Via Serenissima community, passed away on January 8. The ceremony had a particularly folkloric character: from the pink coffin, to the lighting of smoke bombs, to the presence of a large crucifix made entirely of balloons. A well-attended ceremony, which drew numerous community members and onlookers to the streets of the town.

Germany News Western Europe

Conference “Antigypsyism/Racism against Roma and Sinti”

Published by:

Conference “Antigypsyism/Racism against Roma and Sinti”

This conference aims to raise awareness of antigypsyism/racism against Roma and Sinti. In particular, it seeks to sharpen the understanding of how to recognize antigypsyist discrimination and to consider it as a cross-cutting issue in administrative work.

Another focus will be on presenting existing measures implemented by the State of Berlin to combat and prevent antigypsyism. These measures will not only be presented but also discussed and considered together with regard to their further development.

Finally, the conference aims to encourage self-reflection – with the goal of critically examining how antigypsyism/racism against Roma and Sinti is addressed within the administrative context and initiating processes of change.

News Western Europe Spain

Roma in Spain

Published by:

Roma in Spain

The book “Pueblo Gitano. 600 años de historia y cultura en España” [The Gitanos People: 600 Years of History and Culture in Spain] coordinated by Gonzalo Montaño, Joan M. Oleaque, and Arnau Vilaró, dismantles six centuries of silence, prejudice, and official narratives about Roma history.

Too bad they used the Gitanos name and not the endonym, “Cale”.

Bulgaria France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

Published by:

French Chronicle …

Almost nothing about Roma this week in the French press. Just an article about a camp near Paris that was left, but with tons of garbage in its place, and an article in Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical newspaper about Bulgaria, unfortunately with lots of French based clichés on Roma.

Germany News Western Europe

A Birth, and Police

Published by:

A Birth, and Police

A large family wanted to celebrate the birth of a child in the foyer of the University Hospital of Cologne. Those present felt disturbed, and the hospital asked the family to leave. The police then had to be called.

The result: A complaint against the university hospital from the Rom association, which advocates for the rights of Sinti and Roma, as well as a criminal complaint and a formal complaint against the police at the Cologne Police Headquarters.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Spain

Sally Cortes

Published by:

Sally Cortes

“The first step must be taken by oneself – to believe that one can achieve everything one dreams of,” says Romani writer and activist Sally Cortés in an interview.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

Published by:

French Chronicle …

Not much in terms of news in France this week about Roma. A camp was vacated near Paris; a judge rejected the appeal against an “insertion” village near Nantes; and the story of a Rom, his wife and children forced to live in their car.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

Published by:

French Chronicle …

There was very little news in the French press about Roma this week. Charlie Hebdo, one satirical French paper published an article about Stolipinovo, the Roma Mahala in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. As usual in France, unfortunately not well informed. Other  than that, In Nantes, a collective is trying to help Roma.

Germany News Western Europe

Germany, Police, and Roma

Published by:

Germany, Police, and Roma

Sinti and Roma are frequently subjected to prejudice and discrimination by the police, according to a report. The Reporting and Information Center on Antigypsyism (MIA) analyzed 215 cases reported by victims between 2020 and 2024 for the report presented in Berlin on Thursday.

According to the report, Sinti and Roma often report that their complaints are not recorded by the police, and that incidents are downplayed or denied. Investigations against police officers following complaints are reportedly dropped. In some cases, victims who file a complaint themselves become the target of investigations. The study evaluates hundreds of allegations of discrimination against Roma and Sinti by the police. The spectrum ranges from reports not being recorded to violence – even at a children’s birthday party. Experts are calling for recognition of institutional problems within police departments.

News Western Europe Sweden

Minority Policies in Sweden

Published by:

Minority Policies in Sweden

Minority policy has now existed in Sweden for 25 years. A seminar was held in the Riksdag that both looked back on the development and pointed out what is needed going forward. Lars Lindgren, a Swedish Rom “Reisende” from DO tells how he views these 25 years and what challenges still remain.

Germany News Western Europe

Schwaben: Exhibition

Published by:

Schwaben: Exhibition

The traveling exhibition “Swabian Sinti and Roma in Past and Present,” organized by the Swabian District Heritage Preservation Office, has opened at the Church of Mary Queen of Peace (Johannesstr. 4). The exhibition is a collaboration between the Swabian District Heritage Preservation Office and the Regional Association of German Sinti and Roma Swabia. It is open daily from 12 pm to 7 pm until January 22. (AZ)

Germany News Western Europe

Berlin: Exhibition

Published by:

Berlin: Exhibition

The exhibition “Resistance and Dignity” by the feminist organization RomaniPhen e.V. and the FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum focuses on the knowledge and experiences of Roma and Sinti. Since 1945 to the present day, Roma and Sinti have been fighting for a dignified life and remembrance.

Austria News Western Europe

Austria and Racism

Published by:

Austria and Racism

A special rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council criticized the lack of awareness of racism in Austria following a visit there. “There is a widespread reluctance to fully acknowledge the existence of racism,” Indian political scientist Ashwini K. P. told the APA news agency on Monday at the UN headquarters in Vienna. She clearly stated her opposition to the planned headscarf ban for girls, arguing that it would reinforce prejudices.

She had also received “disturbing reports and accounts” of discrimination against Roma and Sinti. She was also “deeply concerned” about the increase in anti-Semitic incidents.

Germany News Western Europe

Romani Rose

Published by:

Romani Rose

The city of Heidelberg has honored Romani Rose with its Citizen’s Medal for his outstanding commitment to the city and the rights of Sinti and Roma.

Mayor Eckart Würzner presented the award on Thursday evening, December 4, at the town hall. Romani Rose has been Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma since 1982. From 1991, he served as Managing Director of the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma in the Old Town.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

Published by:

French Chronicle …

The first article in the French press, in a renowned women’s magazine is titled “Report from Romania: Witchcraft as a tool for women’s emancipation”. While there may be such cases, this is by far not the only tool and is definitively pandering to stereotypes. In Verdun and in Metz, two conferences and meetings to better the views of the French on Roma, albeit with a focus on Romania. The rest of the news is standard. Near Paris, 300 Roma camp in a village of 400 inhabitants; and a death following a fire.

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN