An exhibition in Augsburg speaks about the discrimination that Rroma encountered and still live in Germany and in the Czech Republic.
A book on “Gypsies” in the Moslem world. CAREFULL – while there are many Moslem Rroma in the Balkan and in Turkey, many “Gypsies” are not Rroma but just populations who live in a way that the general population qualifies as “Gypsy”. In the Middle East, only Domari are related to Rroma – and there are not five millions of them.
And as usual, our chronicle on the visible minority in France … News about Moirans, the place near Grenoble where riots took place to ask for the release of a detained Rrom – frm the Name of the mother (VInterstein) these are most probably Manouches or Sinti (Winterstein is a common name); Militants occupied a house where Rroma are planned to be housed near Lyon; politicians target Rroma camps in a populist move prior to local elections in Wissous, in the North; controversy on the Mission Rom in Strasbourg, which tries to muzzle journalists – scary; in La Courneuve where one of the oldest camps was emptied this summer, the fate of expulsed Rroma still shocks; volunteers in the North helping homeless; and finally poverty and begging near Paris are dangerous (REALLY???)
Some additional articles on the Rroma pigrimage in Rome this week end, culminating with an audience with the Pope for a few Rroma.
To put things in relation… All the Press in France speaks about a tiny minority of Rroma, around seven thousands near Paris. The majority, estimated at about half a million is invisible …
The French Press is getting confused … They tend to indiscriminately name Rroma, Manouches, Gitans, as well as autochthonous travellers “Gens du Voyage” which is some cases leads to totally absurd descriptions of “sedentary travellers” etc. All this instead of naming things as they are: Rroma – composed of 40 or so different groups among which the Sinti, but also Lovara, Kalderasha, Manouches (French Sinti), Kale (called Gitans in France), and local travellers which have nothing culturally to do with Rroma. What is so difficult here????
The Red-Green Government of Thuringia wants to protect Rroma and Sinti from discrimination. About time…
An interview of Ayhan Küçükboyacı, a Turkish Rroma musician.
An interesting description of what is truly going on in Bulgaria with the destruction of Rroma houses. The article is not recent but still very much worthwhile reading.
An international Rroma pilgrimage started on Friday in Rome and will culminate with an audience with the Pope on Monday.
Besides the Luri, who are cousins of the Rroma – the ones who did not cross to Europe – there are also a few Rroma in Georgia, mostly Rroma who settled there during the 20th century. This minority is often ignored and, after the independence of that country, often became stateless…
Yes, indeed – Rroma are from Northwestern India and left there more than a thousand years ago. Genetic studies show this quite clearly. Mind you, if you speak Rromanes, you don’t necessarily need a study to find this out …
For once, Womex, held in Budapest, featured a Rroma band on the centre stage: Romego together with Monika Lakatos. Especially in view of the situation of Rroma in Hungary, well done!
Several articles are currently going around in France about “Gens du Voyage” – Travellers – who violently protested in Grenoble and near a prison where one of them was incarcerated and who was not allowed to get out of jail for a funeral of someone of his family …
The foreign Press took these travellers as being Rroma. Are they? Are they not? This highlights the issue of a way of life versus a minority. By far not all Rroma travel (think about 12 Mio travellers, we would see them more), and not all travellers are Rroma.
Could Journalists start thinking?
An article on what happens when you try to set up a place where travellers can stay. This is Ireland, but could be anywhere, unfortunately.
Two articles on the 12 millions potential terrorists, at least according to the (potentially misquoted) Hungarian minister.
When will the EU do SOMETHING?
A Rroma family form Ireland whose kid was taken away by the police on suspicions of having been abducted for being blond has been awarded 60k Euro damages. The mina point is not the damages award, the main point is that the police acted illegally based on racial profiling. This needs to be said.
Hungary’s minister of justice Laszlo Trocsanyi sayd on Monday that 12 million Rroma could potentially be joining ISIS (IS/Daech) … If they do so, it would be because they are being discriminated against. But … Rroma never did violence, bombs, and terrorism. There are Rroma Muslims, but they certainly are not radicals. This is purely populism to justify exclusion, segregation, and discrimination.
The minister later recanted, showing that on top of a lack of intellectual logic, he is not really courageous about his opinions.
DO WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS???
Please protest!
The “Cirque Romanes” in Paris has been the subject of repeated attacks an thefts in the last few months. An appeal to defend them has been signed by more than 8’000 people
Please sign too!
An evening on the subject of Rroma, refugees, migratioins, and pre-conceptions and prejudices. Hamze Bytyci, actor and Rroma activist as well as many other people have animated this evening with the public.
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