Author Archives: Roma Foundation

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovak Census

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The Slovak Census allowed for the first time to state a “second nationality”. First among them were Roma, of which 88,985 declared themselves. Note that there are probably around 400’000 of them in Slovakia. In total, more than 306,000 people indicated a second nationality in the census.

More than 55,000 residents saw Slovak as their second nationality, which is more than 18 percent of all residents who stated a second nationality. Less than 40,000 residents declared Ruthenian nationality as their second nationality, and more than 34,000 stated that their second nationality is Hungarian. 16,715 inhabitants stated Czech nationality as their second nationality. According to the results of the census, German nationality is the second nationality for 5,255 inhabitants of Slovakia. 4,871 people declared Russian nationality as their second nationality, i.e. 1.59 percent of the population who stated a second nationality. Polish nationality is the second nationality for 1,511 male and female residents, slightly more of them reported Ukrainian as the second nationality, namely 1,586.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Germany, Roma, and Education

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When Sinti and Roma are mentioned in school lessons, it is mostly as victims of the genocide, according to the sociologist Patočková. She calls for a rethink. The Conference of Ministers of Education decided in December to want to teach the history and current situation of the Sinti and Roma in lessons in the future. She negotiated the recommendations and signed them as a representative of the Alliance for Solidarity with the Sinti and Roma of Europe.

Veronika Patočková hopes are: I hope that the situation in the education system will improve – both for the children and young people from the Sinti and Roma communities and for everyone else. More than half a million Roma and Sinti live in Germany. In education, however, they rarely occur. That needs to change. We hope that the decision is a first step in this direction.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia: Murder

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On New-Years’ Eve, in Michaloviec near Zemplin, Slovakia, a 48-year-old woman was brutally murdered. The perpetrator, who was caught recently, turns out to be an 18-year-old Rom. This has provided material to the extreme right in Slovakia, with Marian Kotleba, the leader of one of the most extreme parties there claiming this is clearly a “Gypsy” issue and that politics should intervene, as Roma cannot be integrated. The former representative of the government for the Roma, Ábel Ravasz, pointed out that the murder is the failure of an individual and society should not condemn the Roma community. In an interview, he says that the extreme right will be using this as a tool for getting more votes.

Österreich News Westeuropa

EU Dream Road in Austria

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The EU project “Dream Road” dealt with strategies to improve the living conditions of the Roma in Europe. Austria, represented by the Roma adult education center in Burgenland, dealt, among other things, with the inclusion of Roma in politics. A great success is the commitment for a central memorial for the Roma Holocaust in Vienna.

Bosnien News Osteuropa

Bosnia: Human Trafficking

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Two people were sentenced recently in Bosnia Hercegovina for human trafficking. They had forced people to beg and steal in Paris by threatening them and their families back home. Apparently, they managed to earn around 1.5 mio EUR between 2012 and 2015.

The threats were recorded, which provided the evidence and they were sentenced to 12 years each.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia: Anna Koptova

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A Romni, Anna Koptova, received the Slovak state award. As a member of parliament in the 1990s, Anna Koptová worked to ensure that the Roma were recognized as a national minority. According to her, there is a lack of passion in the fight for Roma rights today. “It’s not enough to show up to meetings or have papal visit settlements and when they leave they just wipe the mud off their shoes.”

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Czech Republic’s first Roma Commissioner

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The Czech Republic has taken an important step in addressing the complex situation of Czech Roma. As recently as December 2022, the government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala created the post of government commissioner for Roma community affairs at its last meeting of the year and appointed 41-year-old Romni Lucie Fukova as the first Roma commissioner.

Europe

ERGO Report

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A report was published by the European network of Roma organizations ERGO, and was recently presented by the Swedish politician Soraya Post. The prominent Roma activist was a member of the European Parliament from 2014 to 2019. The current report, among other things, shows that in the field of health care, Roma do not have the same treatment as others. Thus, 22 percent of members of the Roma community suffer from chronic diseases, and every fourth person does not have health insurance. These data come from national studies and confirm that Roma have more difficult access to health care in several EU countries.

News Osteuropa News Schweiz North Macedonia

The Šutka

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Swiss television definitively not at its best. 8-10 Mio Roma (the Council of Europe cites 12 to 14, but then, the Swiss must know it better), and now a capital: the Šutka in Skopje.

It is always amazing what people can write or say about Roma with total impunity.

News Osteuropa Serbien

Niš – Serbia

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or ten years, the 12 February Roma camp in Niš has been trying in vain to obtain a reliable electricity connection. Instead of a solution, the neighborhood was completely without electricity for six months – a record. The inhabitants decided to demonstrate in front of the Ministry of Energy and Mines in Belgrade on December 6th. The authorities then promised representatives of the Opra Roma Srbija movement that the camp would be reconnected and that a lasting solution would be found.

Well, let’s see when this is done …

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Philomena Franz

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Many articles in the German press and reactions from politicians to the death of the Holocaust survivor Philomena Franz.

May she rest in peace.

A selection of articles below:

Roth würdigt Auschwitz-Überlebende Philomena Franz. In: WDR. 30.12.2022. https://www1.wdr.de/kultur/kulturnachrichten/philomena-franz-sintezza-auschwitz-tod-claudia-roth-100.html

News Osteuropa Polen

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas

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An interview on Polish TV of the Romani artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas. She talks openly about her inspirations in art, Roma women who are important to her, and about stereotypes she would like to fight against. She admits that the Roma have to “try twice as hard, prove twice as hard”. “We are second-class citizen,” says Mirga-Tas. The artist is involved in many social projects counteracting exclusion, racial discrimination and xenophobia. She also participated in the reconstruction of the monument commemorating the Genocide of the Roma.

Koratien News Osteuropa

Croatia and Adoptions

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A disturbing article about a centre for adoption in Croatia who is “among the leader of realised adoptions” having  placed “18 children of Roma origin” thus giving them “the opportunity for a better and different life”. Follows the rosy story of an adopted girl who now excels at school and will work when she graduates, and of course many stereotypes…

Bad.

Bulgarien News Osteuropa

Bulgaria and Mahalas

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Another story of an “illegal” building, this time in a Mahala (Roma neighbourhood) in Plovdiv, with the police sealing the building waiting for bulldozers to destroy it.

News Osteuropa Polen

Poland and Roma

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A somewhat confusing article about Roma in the Polish Press. On the one hand, the story of Ukrainian Roma and some of the stories that are told about them which are mostly false, and on the other hand, the story of Roam in Norway, with the strong discrimination, removal of children etc. that was the norm in that country. All with a mention of the Swiss policies amounting to the same.

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