Category Archives: Croatia

For the first time in history, Roma are given the right to bilingual signs. This is the result of the recent census in which the

Međimurje municipality of Orehovica has become the first local self-government unit in which the Roma minority exceeded 33 percent of the population which is a prerequisite for bilingualism.

Of all the national minorities, only Roma recorded growth, and that by some six percent. This can have many reasons, as Roma usually do not declare themselves as such in censuses.

• HRVATSKA: Prvi put u povijesti Romi dobili pravo na dvojezične ploče. In: Fenix Magazin. 07.10.2022. https://fenix-magazin.de/hrvatska-prvi-put-u-povijesti-romi-dobili-pravo-na-dvojezicne-ploce/

According to the final results of the 2021 population census, there are 3,871,883 inhabitants in Croatia. Among them, by nationality, there are 3,547,614 (91.63%) Croats, 123,892 (3.2%) Serbs, 24,131 (0.62%) Bosniaks, 17,980 (0.46%) Roma, and 13,763 (0.36%) Italians.

Bosnian is the mother tongue of 17,531 citizens (0.45%), Italian is the mother tongue of 12,890 (0.33 %) citizens, Romanes is the mother tongue of 15,269 citizens (0.39%), and Albanian is the mother tongue of 13,503 citizens (0.35).

As usual, it is almost impossible to know if the numbers of Roma is anywhere close to reality.

• Državni zavod za statistiku objavio konačne rezultate Popisa 2021. In: Vecernji. 22.09.2022. https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/dzs-objavljuje-konacne-rezultate-popisa-stanovnistva-prema-spolu-i-starosti-narodnosti-vjeri-1619268

The representative of national minorities in the Croatian Parliament, Veljko Kajtazi, commented live for N1 Studio on the latest statements of the President of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, who on Friday in Imotski commented on the Roma community and his earlier statements about them and the climate.

Veljko Kajtazi said that he did not ask for an apology from the president for his earlier statements, but added that he considered the statements inappropriate.

• NE TRAŽI ISPRIKU! ‘Ako on misli da ja nisam Rom koji je napisao prvi romski rječnik, koji govori romski jezik, neka mi kaže što sam!’ Ib: Dnevno. 29.07.2022. https://www.dnevno.hr/vijesti/ne-trazi-ispriku-ako-on-misli-da-ja-nisam-rom-koji-je-napisao-prvi-romski-rjecnik-koji-govori-romski-jezik-neka-mi-kaze-sto-sam-2001348/

The Croatian President Zoran Milanović rejected the interpretation of the representative of the Roma minority, Veljko Kajtazi, that he had offended the Roma in his criticism of the government’s energy saving plan, saying that his statement was without any ill intent and that he has no intention of apologizing. Among other things, he had said that it is better to sell air conditioners to Roma if the temperature is set to 25 degrees. “They will make a profit on it. Roma are very skilled in these things.”

No comments…

• Milanović: Nisam uvrijedio Rome, važnije je ono što se događa u BiH. In: Al Jazeera. 29.07.2022. https://balkans.aljazeera.net/news/balkan/2022/7/29/milanovic-nisam-uvrijedio-rome-vaznije-je-ono-sto-se-dogadja-u-bih

The most deprived category of Croatians are Roma children …

– Roma Children Most Deprived Group in Croatia. In: Total Croatia News. 09.05.2019. https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/35808-roma-children [link-preview url=”https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/35808-roma-children”]

Croatia marked the International Romanes day in advance. It is celebrated on November 5th.

– Croatia Marking International Roma Language Day. 03.11.2018. https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/32125-roma-croatia [link-preview url=”https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/32125-roma-croatia”]

The book “1941” by Slavko Goldstein analyses the origins of the nationalism in the Balkans, and shows the atrocities committed by the Ustaša against Jew, Roma, and Serbs during that time.

– Das entscheidende Jahr. In: TAZ. 29.09.2018. http://www.taz.de/!5536502/ [link-preview url=”http://www.taz.de/!5536502/”]

An interview of Goran Miljan, author of the book “Croatia and the Rise of Fascism” published by Tauruns (2018).

– La Croatie face à son passé fasciste. In: La Liberté. 13.07.2018. https://www.laliberte.ch/news/magazine/societe/la-croatie-face-a-son-passe-fasciste-447094 [link-preview url=”https://www.laliberte.ch/news/magazine/societe/la-croatie-face-a-son-passe-fasciste-447094″]

Following the statements by Branimir Bunjac, a Croatian MP from the Živi Zid party (a populist party) that Roma bride were sold in Northern Croatia, the press took the information over and splashed it everywhere.
Now the police stated they had NO EVIDENCE of such transactions.
No further comments.

– Police have no information on Roma brides being sold to marriage. In: Total Croatia. 24.05.2018. https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/28535-police-denies-young-roma-brides-being-sold-to-marriage [link-preview url=”https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/28535-police-denies-young-roma-brides-being-sold-to-marriage”]