Author Archives: Roma Foundation

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Leni Riefenstahl

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Leni Riefenstahl

Andres Veiel’s rich investigative documentary “Riefenstahl” states the obvious: The infamous German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl was an outright Nazi. But as with any good film, the key isn’t what it’s about but how it’s about it. Given full access to the personal archive of the director who made “Olympia” and “Triumph of the Will,” Veiel builds an overwhelming, indisputable case that not only was Riefenstahl a Nazi, but you also can’t separate the art from this artist’s politics.

Niederlande News Westeuropa

Romanistan

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Romanistan

On Sunday, October 19 in Nijmegen the performance Romanistan, accompanied by a fringe program featuring a photo exhibition and podcast series will be held.

“Fear turns people who could also be your friends into enemies,” says Carla Hardy, the project’s director. “I want to make tangible the consequences of stigmatization and polarization. How long will we perpetuate stereotypes instead of truly delving into this history?”

In the performance Romanistan, three young artists explore what it means to be Roma. At the same time, it is a plea to view history not simply as a past, but as a living and contemporary story, residing in the bodies of the new generation who are searching for a right to exist and recognition without having to hide or deny their identity.

News Osteuropa Slowenien

What to say here?

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What to say here?

An editorial whose title says: “Roma everyday life: If they have mortars, will they shoot with them or what?” And it goes on in worse fashion afterwards. According to eh the article:

During the summer, firefighters, especially those from Krško, are practically on firefighting missions in Roma settlements every day. ”They are present during the arson, let alone the firefighting missions,” our reader says about the Roma.

Last week also did not go without mentioning the issues related to the Roma community. A citizen, who did not hide his indignation, believed that Roma offenders who break the law and do so repeatedly, some over and over again, should be dealt with more strictly. “They’ve been shooting with weapons a few times lately. Now they’re shooting in bursts. If they have mortars, they’ll use mortars, right? By having weapons and shooting, they’re an armed army above the rest of us. This is unacceptable. But no one in Slovenia is seriously dealing with this problem,” he said, full of disappointment.

News Osteuropa Slowenien

Southern Slovenia and Roma

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Southern Slovenia and Roma

At a meeting on “Roma issues”, the mayors of Southeastern Slovenia warned government representatives today that the security situation in the region is poor and must be resolved both through changes to laws and the actions of authorities. After the meeting, the ministry representatives expressed hope that the problems will be solved by changes to laws that they have already or will yet adopt.

What change of laws? Laws are for all, here we are speaking of laws aimed at a minority. And that is racism.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Reimar Gilsenbach

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Reimar Gilsenbach

One of the earliest activists who fought for the recognition of the Genocide of the Roma was born 100 years ago.

In early 1965, the popular Eastern German (GDR) newspaper Wochenpost published a letter from a Sintiza from Leipzig. In it, she described the persecution during the Nazi era, but also the discrimination in the GDR. “They see us as idlers, call us scumbags […] But no one considers that we too suffered bitter hardship, that the earth at Auschwitz and other camps was stained red with our blood. […] I would be grateful for an article.”

The editor who received these letters was Reimar Gilsenbach. He researched, found other Sinti, and wrote an article – which, however, was never published. In it, he mentioned the Marzahn forced labour camp for the first time. In connection with the preparations for the 1936 Olympic Games, police units interned Sinti and Roma there.

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Romanes in Czechia

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Romanes in Czechia

Phen oda romanes (Say it in Romanes) – a two-day series of workshops focused on written Romani will take place on October 4 in Třebechovice and November 22 in Prague. The event is intended for novice and experienced authors, journalists, translators and students of Romani studies – both Roma and the majority. The workshops will be led by experts in Czech and Romanes and will offer space for creative writing, translations (e.g. of biblical and judicial texts) and sharing experiences.

Griechenland News Westeuropa

Greece, Crime, and Roma

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Greece, Crime, and Roma

“70%-75% of crime comes from the Roma,” he said in a recent interview (Action 24, July 24, 2025) the Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis. “I am not saying this for racist or prejudice reasons. Quite the opposite, I love their children and these people, but the profession they do must be changed: thefts, burglaries, frauds, electricity thefts, etc.,” he added.

In recent months, the Hellenic Police have been intensifying unannounced operations in camps throughout the country. Since the beginning of September, at least seven such operations have been carried out in Attica, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Karditsa and Larissa.

Roma don’t deny that criminality is present in their communities, but  say that causes are deeper: they are linked to the long-standing marginalization of the Roma in Greece, their frequent exclusion from access to housing and work, but also to the poor design of any policies that are implemented. “It is not a question of race or ethnicity, but the result of social and economic conditions that concern the whole of society,” emphasizes George Nikolaou.

Italien News Westeuropa

Italy and Roma

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Italy and Roma

Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, Archbishop of Naples, last Saturday morning in a lecture to workers engaged in pastoral care for Roma, Sinti, and Caminanti, gathered in the Campania capital for their annual meeting said that Pastoral care for Roma and Sinti requires “recognizing the dignity of those who live with pauses and restarts, dismantling the prejudice that confuses mobility and suspicion, moving from a ‘integration’ that unifies to an alliance that values ​​languages, crafts, music, and extended family.”

Well, the catholic church doesn’t have a good track record of caring for Roma …

News Osteuropa Slowenien

Southern Slovenia and Roma

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Southern Slovenia and Roma

The meeting with mayors at the premises of the Novo Mesto municipality is being attended by the Minister of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Luka Mesec, the Minister of Justice Andreja Katič and the State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior Helga Dobrin, who is also the head of the working group for addressing Roma issues.

According to some media, Minister Luka Mesec, who is visiting southeastern Slovenia with a government team today, where “a chaotic situation with problematic Roma prevails”, did not visit dangerous Roma settlements.

The situation is bad, and Roma are being instrumentalised.

News Osteuropa Slowenien

New Book

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New Book

A presentation of a new books about the Roma community “The Politics of Unbelonging” by authors Andreja Zevnik and Andrew Russell is being presented in the Provincial and Study Library of Murska Sobota, Slovenia.

The book shows, using examples from Slovenia and the EU, how national and European policies in practice consolidate the marginal status of Roma. Although Roma are constitutionally recognized in Slovenia, they lack actual political power for co-determination, which places them in a position of semi-inclusion. Media discourses and ineffective policies, often adopted without the participation of the Roma community, only exacerbate this situation.

Litauen News Osteuropa

Gypsy Fest

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Gypsy Fest

This year’s “Gypsy Fest” was an attempt to bring awareness to the Roma culture and customs. A colourful parade passed through the centre of Vilnius. One of the festival’s highlights was a Roma village with traditional dishes and handicrafts. A fashion show and a free concert also took place.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia; Te prindžaras ame

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Slovakia; Te prindžaras ame

The 21st annual festival Te prindžaras amen – Let’s Get to Know each other, which will took place on Sunday at the Museum of the Slovak Village in Martin, was dedicated to traditional forms of dance of various Romani groups in Slovakia. As reported by the cultural and promotional manager of the Slovak National Museum (SNM) in Martin, Milena Kiripolská, the event’s program has been shortened to only 1:00 p.m. due to adverse weather.

News Osteuropa North Macedonia

The Šutka

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The Šutka

The president of the Democratic Forces of the Roma (FDR) and Minister without Portfolio, Shaban Saliu, announced his candidacy for mayor of the municipality of Shuto Orizara.

“I stand here before you filled with pride and gratitude. Shuto Orizara is the only municipality in the world governed by the Roma community, a place where every stone tells a story. Today, we are making a decision together for our future, for honest and responsible governance of our municipality,” Saliu said in his address to the residents of Shuto Orizara.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

As usual, when French news are full of news, there are no news about Roma… Only one article this week, about a camp in Angers that will be closed in December.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Sterilisations

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Sterilisations

Hundreds of Roma women have been sterilized in Slovakia without their knowledge or consent. For many of them, it was a personal tragedy. One of them is Veronika Duždová. The 46-year-old now lives in Jarovnice, the largest settlement with a compact Roma population in Slovakia. “I am close to several women who were sterilized. We often meet to talk about it and our work,” she tells DV.

Nice to talk about this, but Deutsche Welle could have skipped the comment “In Roma culture, large families are an expression of wealth and happiness”. This is simply not true, and sgtereotypical.

Bulgarien News Osteuropa

Bulgaria – a police case

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Bulgaria – a police case

A truck driver was the victim of a brutal attack after he hit a horse on the road. According to information from Nova TV, two young men beat and robbed him. The injured man managed to escape from the attackers, but later, already in the village of Medovina, he felt unwell, fell from the truck and was taken to hospital in serious condition.

Well, the truck driver probably killed the only mean of subsistence of these Roma. And maybe he did not want to pay for it …

Bulgarien News Osteuropa

Stolipinovo and School Start

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Stolipinovo and School Start

Stolipinovo is one of the largest Mahala (Roma neighbourhood) in Bulgaria in the city of Plovdiv. On the eve of the new school year, Plovdiv Regional Governor Prof. Hristina Yancheva visited Plovdiv’s Stolipinovo to talk to parents, children and volunteers from the local community, the regional administration announced. The meetings aim to build trust and motivate families to support education as a path to a better future for their children.

Let’s hope this works.

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