The fate of a Roma camp in Poznan never ceases to make the headlines. This time it is because a needed environmental decision by the local government has been postponed, meaning the project of building a housing estate (and removing Roma) cannot go ahead…
The Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová was in Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia to commemorate the victims of the mass murder of Roma in the Dubnica detention camp in 1945.
May they rest in peace, and congratulation to the president for this participation.
An exhibition of photographs taken by young Roma from Roma settlements is being shown in Prague 400ASA gallery. They are the results of workshops with the Roma youngsters.
Well done!
In 2006, the city of Vsetín turned to the Constitutional Court (ÚS) in the case of Roma eviction. The Supreme Court (NS) recently increased the compensation to several Roma families who had to move out of Vsetín. Four families with 46 NS members were awarded compensation from the city in the aggregate amount of 1.825 million crowns, the management of the Vsetín town hall considers unfair.
On the occasion of the celebration of International Mother Language Day, the Romanipen Educational and Cultural Community from Kragujevac organized a public forum “Roma language – a beacon of preservation of Roma cultural identity” as part of the project “Spin the wheel of Roma culture”.
The police stated that the attack on the Romano singer Jan Bendig in November, when he was sprinkled with flour on Český slavíkov, was staged to draw attention to himself. The attack was initially perceived as racist. Bendig now faces a fine of up to fifty thousand crowns. On the social network, the singer is sharply condemned for lying, for example by politician Matěj Gregor.
Report on the state of the Roma minority in the Czech Republic for the year 2022
On February 14, 2024, the Government of the Czech Republic approved the Report on the Status of the Roma Minority in the Czech Republic for 2022. The appointment of the historically first government representative for the affairs of the Roma minority, Lucie Fuková was one of the highlights. Other than that, small progress, but lots to do.
Not good… A Roma ball ended in a mass fight with an intervention of the police.
The case of a teacher in a high school in Seneca, Slovakia, who has been making racist statements, especially against Roma. He also ranted against homosexuals and made facist statemens. Students are protesting now.
This tiny country doesn’t often make the headlines in terms of Roma. Now Simone Beissel, a member of the municipal executive board of the city of Luxembourg is facing criticisms and demands for resignation after having made what many deem racists comments on Roma in the context of begging.
A tender announcement for the purchase of services of local trainers in the field of anti-discrimination, as well as protection of the rights of national minorities (communities) and Roma in Ukraine was issued.
The tender was announced within the framework of the Council of Europe projects “Supporting the reform of the legislative framework regarding national minorities and strengthening the stability of national minorities and Roma in Ukraine” and “Supporting the implementation of European standards on combating discrimination and the rights of national minorities in Ukraine”, which are implemented as part of the Council’s Action Plan of Europe for Ukraine “Resilience, recovery and reconstruction” 2023-2026.
A meeting of representatives and workers of the local government and employees of the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma communities took place in the Partizanske city hall.
The reason for this meeting was the demolition of an apartment building where many Roma lived and was called by Roma residents of the town.
An interview with Anzhelika Belova from Zaporozhye, now lives in Uzhgorod with her husband and daughter; activist, president of the Voice of Romni organization. She says that nobody should be ashamed of being Roma. We live in Ukraine and we are Ukrainians.
The Roma encampment at ul. Lechicka in Poznań will not be closed anytime soon. Developers had applied for a building permit to build several apartment houses on the site. They also applied for an environmental permit in order to start construction. This decision has been suspended by the city, meaning that they cannot proceed.
Around 250,000 Roma live in the Czech Republic, but not all of them speak Romanes. A large number of families do not speak Romanes with their preschool children, believing that this will make it easier for them to start school.
The main goal of the Roma Council is to support the strengthening of the identity and position of the Roma in the Pilsen region and to create tools for their effective integration.
David Drevňák, a thirty-two-year-old Rom, received the Award of the Jihlava City Council for his many years of work with Roma youth and cultural contribution. He works as a crime prevention assistant with the city police. “There are situations that the constable can handle, but another conflict may arise. We, Roma assistants, say it in our own way with people with our Roma mentality,” says Drevňák.
Škocjan councilors unanimously supported the strategy for solving the Roma problem in the Škocjan Municipality 2023-2030+, from which they expect a lot.
According to the director of the municipal administration Petra Pozderec, the strategy brings clearly defined goals and measures in eight areas – living conditions, upbringing and education, social and health care, employment, culture, ensuring public safety, cooperation of members of the Roma community and the majority population.
Let’s see …
An interview with Barbora Botošová. She comes from a well-known Roma musician family. Her grandfather was the violinist Ján Berky Mrenica the elder. She has been playing the violin since she was six years old, but she had to build her career on her own. Although many think that talent was in her blood, she points out that Roma people also have to exercise and train a lot.
As usual with some delays, a 1-1 translation of an article published last week in the Tages Anzeiger about Roma refugees from the Ukraine and the suspicions that they are not quite what they claim to be.
This of course without a shred of any evidence…
The Roma sans frontières association was recently created in Luxembourg, to break stereotypes, help the Roma who live in the country and defend their rights and their culture. The president of the non-profit association, Dibran Saljihi, says more about it.
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