Category Archives: News Western Europe

Biennale of Flamenco in Sevilla

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A few articles of the first week of the Bienal de Flamenco in Sevilla. With Eva Yerbabuena, Olga Pericet, Vincente Amigo, Davide Lagos, and a very critical review of Patricia Guerrero’s spectacle.

Italy, the Far Right, and Roma

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The video of a far-right candidate in  the upcoming elections in Florence highlights their attitude towards Roma and the dangers that Roma will face when they come to power.

In the video, Alessio Di Giulio shows a Romni and tells to vote for him so as to never see her again. This is bad but not surprising unfortunately.

Spain: Campaign

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The Fundación Secretariado Gitano has launched a campaign on social networks to encourage young Roma to participate in the training and employment program ‘Acceder’, which, in the last 20 years, has managed to help 33,000 people find a job.

Italy: Raid

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A police raid in a Roma camp in Rome shows how Italy is choosing to deal with them: blanket controls, on the assumption that they are all criminals. This time, the results were meagre, one person under expulsion order and one car without insurance… This after controlling 352 people and 88 cars.

Romno Power

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The RomnoPower culture week 2022 starts on September 17th. Every year, the Association of German Sinti and Roma, of the Baden-Württemberg State, presents the diverse contribution of Sinti and Roma to European culture in close proximity to the anniversary of the first documentary mention of Sinti and Roma on German territory on September 20, 1407. For the opening ceremony of the RomnoPower culture week 2022 on September 17th, the internationally renowned street dancer Mr. Quick (David Kwiek) and his crew of kids and teens will perform a dance theatre performance that they will develop and produce as part of the VDSR-BW summer camp to have.

Italy, the Far-Right, and Roma

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A candidate from the Lega in Florence, Alessio di Giulio, produced a video showing a Romni and saying, “vote for me to never see her again”.

There have been numerous reactions, but let’s not forget that a large part of the population unfortunately probably agrees with him. That is scary. In any case, it shows the inherent racism of the Italian far-right.

French Chronicle …

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A collective of mothers is suing mayors in France for refusing to register Roma children to school, this in spite of the fact that they are legally obliged to do so. This is good, as this refusal of registration effectively amounts to racism. Another article highlights the need of school material for children, something out of reach for many poor children, and not only Roma. No week in France without a criminal case involving Roma in the press, and as usual, the undertones that all Roma are criminal.

An article on an exhibition of an Italian photographer on the ghetto of Stolipinovo in Bulgaria highlights a journalist ignorance. He thinks that Turkish speaker in Stolipinovo are Turcs. They are not, simply Roma who nowadays only speak old Turkish. Finally, an article on the Biennale in Venice with a long mention of Malgorzata Mirga-Tas.

French Chronicle …

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An exhibition of an Italian photographer in Perpignan on a reportage of the Stolipinovo Mahala (Roma quarter) in Plovidiv. One this is sure, there are no Gitans there … The French seem totally impervious in understanding what Roma, Gitans, Manouches, Sinti actually means. By the way also, Stolipinovo is not the largest Roma settlement. That is most probably the Šutka near Skopje.

Other news are the usual ones: A camp closure in Nice; protests against illegal buildings near Montpellier; racism near Bordeaux; and a mess left over after a closure near Paris.

UK Trespass Law

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Lawyers are launching a high court challenge against the anti-trespass law that gives the police additional power to tackle “unauthorised encampments”.

The law has been criticised by many but was pushed through by the Johnston Conservative government and its controversial interior minister Priti Patel.

Football Racists

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As usual, another racist even in Football. This time, AC Roma has been fined €15,000 for offensive chants by tis supporter against Dusan Vlahovic. The Roma fans were chanting: “Vlahovic, you are a gypsy.”

Frankfurt: Movie and Discussion

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The Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the German Institute for Human Rights (DIMR) invite to a film screening and discussion about the fight for civil rights on September 5, 8 p.m., in the German Film Institute & Film Museum in Frankfurt am Main a.

Racist discrimination has always been part of the everyday experience of the Sinti and Roma in Germany. Discrimination manifests itself in different facets: from unlawful special registrations by the police to disadvantages on the housing market to verbal hostility and physical assaults.

Roma and Energy Prices

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Roma and Travellers in the UK fear being left out on the help on energy prices. There are thousands of people in park home in the UK for whom the increased energy prices will prove to be dramatic.

Portugal, Football, and Roma

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Ricardo Quaresma, a Portuguese Rom and a star footballer is strongly engaged in helping the Roma community in Portugal. His fame certainly helps, but as they say right now in Portugal, can one man end 500 years of racism and discrimination. Not an easy task.

Racism against the Roma community is firmly anchored in Portugal, and it is enough that one Rom steals to brand all Roma as thieves, something that alas, is not only the case in that country.

French Chronicle …

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Not much news on Roma this last week in France. The usual ones, a camp vacated near Paris in Vaujours; another one that was abandoned in Livry, also near Paris, leaving a lot of garbage; a camp that will be closed near Nice; and finally in Toulouse, an expulsion of a squat of minors.

Rostock – Commemorations

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Commemorations of the 1992 pogrom in the East German city of Rostock have taken place on Thursday.

“Many don’t want to talk about it anymore, don’t want any more events, just want to forget,” says Stephanie Nelles, Rostock’s integration officer. This opinion is widespread in the city, including in the migrant community. “But there are also many, especially younger people, who don’t want to forget that.” They were never properly informed about the 1992 pogrom in Lichtenhagen and are now asking the parents’ generation, the contemporary witnesses, to talk about it. With this, Nelles outlines the division of remembrance in Rostock’s urban society. The integration officer positions herself clearly: “You can only change if you remember.”

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