Category Archives: Uncategorized

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Voice of Romnja

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Voice of Romnja

A new community and advocacy program called “Voice of Roma Women in Miskolc” has been launched to enhance the public participation and advocacy skills of Roma women in Miskolc, Hungary. The initiative encourages Roma women to share their experiences and address community issues, aiming to bring these concerns to local decision-makers.

The program will run for one year, with a long-term goal of empowering participants to continue advocating for their community’s interests after the project ends.

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Condemned

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Condemned

A nine-year-old Roma boy in Serbia was assaulted by a city employee, leading to public outrage and demands for accountability, but the case was dismissed after a small payment to a flood relief fund instead of proper justice.

The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that Serbia violated the boy’s rights by failing to protect him and adequately address the assault, awarding him compensation. However, the court did not find sufficient evidence of racial discrimination in the case, despite the family’s claims of a racially motivated attack and the broader context of discrimination against Roma in Serbia.

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Bulgaria – Improvement?

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Bulgaria – Improvement?

Bulgarian Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva visited Kyustendil to discuss improvements in living conditions, infrastructure, education, and access to services in the “East” neighborhood, highlighting local government and community engagement.

The visit included meetings with local officials and community members, focusing on the importance of housing status and the role of Roma mediators in facilitating access to education and services.

Delcheva emphasized the need for sustainable urban planning initiated in 2017, which aims to improve living conditions for over 1,000 households and ensure better access to essential services.

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Ljiljana Petrović Batler

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Ljiljana Petrović Batler

Ljiljana Petrović Batler, a prominent Romani singer, faced significant challenges in her life, including becoming a mother at 14 and working various jobs, including cleaning toilets, to support her family after fleeing to Germany during the Yugoslav wars.

Despite her struggles, she achieved fame in Yugoslavia and was affectionately known as the ‘mother of Romani soul,’ often addressing issues of racism and prejudice against the Romani community.

Batler’s life story is marked by resilience and a deep connection to her roots in Belgrade, where she expressed a strong desire to return and be buried after her passing in 2010.

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Bremerhaven

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Bremerhaven

Sinti community in Bremerhaven has been living in a caravan site for 70 years, celebrating their history and unity with a special event.

The site, established after WWII, has evolved from a place with many caravans to a community of around 60 people living in modern mobile homes, emphasizing family and togetherness.

Local officials acknowledge the importance of supporting the Sinti community, especially in the face of rising populism and discrimination.

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Relocation – continued

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Relocation – continued

The Slovak government is overseeing the relocation of two Roma families from Košice to Hungary, with plans to evaluate the situation and issue a statement after visiting the families.

Local officials, including the mayor of Košice, deny claims of organized relocation, asserting that the families moved voluntarily and purchased properties independently.

Concerns have arisen in Hungary regarding the arrival of these families, leading to local councils considering regulations to protect community identity and prevent unwanted relocations.

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Greece and Settlements

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Greece and Settlements

Two articles in the Greek press on Roma settlements. The first one, descriubes the living conditions of the Roma community in Heraklion which are dire, with as rodents, harmful insects, and inadequate sanitation being reported by residents.

The president of the Roma Association “Elpida” will address these concerns at the upcoming municipal council meeting, advocating for a clean and safe environment for families.

The second one states that the European Court of Human Rights is reviewing a case involving the threatened eviction of Roma community members in Thessaloniki, Greece, without alternative housing provisions.

The case highlights broader issues of housing, forced evictions, and discrimination against Roma communities, emphasizing the need for adequate housing solutions.

The Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, argues that the eviction threat violates the right to respect for private and family life, and the case could set a precedent for protecting vulnerable communities from forced evictions.

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Switzerland and Jenische and Sinti

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Switzerland and Jenische and Sinti

The Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs plans to establish an independent commission to investigate injustices against the Yenish and Sinti communities.

This decision follows calls from scholars and representatives of the affected communities for a thorough investigation into historical injustices.

Critics have expressed concerns over limited access to archival files and the need for a comprehensive inquiry into the persecution faced by these minorities.

France News Western Europe Uncategorized

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

Many articles this week about a very young mayor (23 years old) in Western France who is trying to get rid of a Roma camp on the coimmune, an conflict that boiled over with pro-Roma militiants  and with opposistion politicians.

Other than that, near Paris, a new camp on private grounds, and also near Paris, the police is accused of violence against Roma after on policeman shot a young dog in the head during a perquisition in the camp.

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Chrissy Teigen

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Chrissy Teigen

In an episode of “Finding your Roots”, Chrissy Teigen found out she is of Roma origins.

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Slovakia: Commemoration

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Slovakia: Commemoration

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the In Minorita civic association (OZ) has prepared commemorative events as part of the Ma bisteren! project commemorating the Roma Holocaust on Tuesday, which will be held in Zvolen and Čierny Balog.

As the organizers recalled, this year we are commemorating the 80th anniversary of several tragic events. “After the suppression of the Slovak National Uprising in the autumn of 1944, there were reprisals against the civilian population, persecutions also affected the Roma population. Helping the partisans, but also suspicion of such help, was punishable by death,” they said.

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Slovakia: Attack

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Slovakia: Attack

Slovakian investigative reporter Kristína Kövešová was physically attacked during the reporting she was working on. The most threatening thing is that the whole situation happened right in front of the police. What is not apparent initially in the article is who, but further down, it implicitly says that the attackers were Roma, and that they also attacked other people.

Bad.

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Slovenia, Crime, and Politics

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The Minister of Internal Affairs, Boštjan Poklukar, met with representatives of the regional civil initiative for solving the Roma issue from Novi Mesto, Kočevje, Brežice, Grosuplje, Šentjernej and Škocjan. After the meeting, Poklukar said that the meeting was constructive and that he was happy about the dialogue, while the representative of the civil initiative Novo mesto Silvo Mesojedec expressed several criticisms of the inaction of all Slovenian governments so far and announced the escalation of activities.

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Czechia, Work, and Roma

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Roma in the Czech Republic are much more likely to receive a fixed-term (limited duration) contract at work. In the whole of the Czech Republic, about seven percent of employed people have it, half of Roma workers. Roughly every ninth Roma then works without a contract. This was shown by research on the socio-economic situation of the Roma population in the Czech Republic for last year and this year. The report with the results was published by the Research Institute of Labor and Social Affairs (RILSA).

This result has been interpreted somewhat differently in the Czech press, for example in the IDnes paper, which states in its title “Even if they work, they have no security. Half of the Roma have a contract only for a fixed period”.

The generalization of half of the people in Czechia who have fixed terms contracts doesn’t mean that half the Roma do.

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