The Council of Europe is organising a meeting with representatives of Roma youth organisations on February 27th and 28th to discuss Roma youth participation at all EU level.
– Roma Youth: Searching for sustainable and meaningful participation. In: Council of Europe. https://www.coe.int/en/web/youth-roma/-/roma-youth-searching-for-sustainable-and-meaningful-participation [link-preview url=”https://www.coe.int/en/web/youth-roma/-/roma-youth-searching-for-sustainable-and-meaningful-participation”]
The Hungarians have caught up with their numbers … The latest statistics about the Roma minority in the country counts 9% of Roma or about 876’000 Roma in the country. This is the number that NGOs and activists have always advanced
This is a major increase to previous numbers which were systematically under-estimated.
– The growth of Hungary’s Roma minority – A fascinating new study. In: The Hungarian Free Press. 23.02.2018. http://hungarianfreepress.com/2018/02/23/the-growth-of-hungarys-roma-minority-a-fascinating-new-study/ [link-preview url=”http://hungarianfreepress.com/2018/02/23/the-growth-of-hungarys-roma-minority-a-fascinating-new-study/”]
The Hungarian police has been given extended rights to conduct identity and physical checks based on a “heightened state of alert” … Note that the police conducts many checks, more than a million a year for a population of less than ten million.
There is a real fear that these extra powers will be negatively felt by the Roma minority.
– National Commissioner of Police ordains increased police control, again. In: Budapest Beacon. 17.02.2018. https://budapestbeacon.com/national-commissioner-police-ordains-increased-police-control/ [link-preview url=”https://budapestbeacon.com/national-commissioner-police-ordains-increased-police-control/”]
A reportage in Hungary on Roma children removed from their families to be put into homes under really bad conditions. The reportage is on the “sensational” side, but the fact remains.
– ‘Nightmare’ plight of the Roma children being taken from their families and placed at risk of abuse in Hungary’s state-run care homes is exposed in shocking documentary. In: The Daily Mail. 15.02.2018. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5387799/Documentary-explores-anti-Gypsy-crisis-Hungary.html
– ‘They love me’: Roma mum worries her children will be taken. In: The Daily Mail. 15.02.2018. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/femail/video-1627740/Video-love-Roma-mum-worries-children-taken.html [link-preview url=”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5387799/Documentary-explores-anti-Gypsy-crisis-Hungary.html “]
Last chance to apply to a summer course at the CEU in Budapest.
– Romani Identities and Antigypsyism. In: Summer University. https://summeruniversity.ceu.edu/romani-2018 [link-preview url=”https://summeruniversity.ceu.edu/romani-2018″]
A short documentary of the Roma in Western Ukraine, the region abutting Slovakia and Hungary on the Western side of the Carpathian mountains.
– https://www.facebook.com/westukrnews/videos/511804342494135/ [link-preview url=”https://www.facebook.com/westukrnews/videos/511804342494135/”]
Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, visited the German CSU at the Monastery of Seeon in Bavaria. While they report the critique about that visit, the paper also mentions that Orban did a housing project for Roma in Mohacs, a small town in the South of Hungary. That was a fig leaf project and let’s be clear, Orban policies are not pro-Roma.
– Orbán genießt auch in Mohács Rückhalt. In: Manheimer Morgen. 06.01.2018. https://www.morgenweb.de/bergstraesser-anzeiger_artikel,-bergstrasse-orbán-geniesst-auch-in-mohács-rueckhalt-_arid,1176837.html [link-preview url=”https://www.morgenweb.de/bergstraesser-anzeiger_artikel,-bergstrasse-orbán-geniesst-auch-in-mohács-rueckhalt-_arid,1176837.html”]
Tibor Ágoston, a Jobbik representative in the city of Debrecen in Eastern Hungary, voted against the local government scholarship for a young Rom. In his speech, he said he would support real talent in Debrecen, but not a “catch all” program.
Jobbik initiated an investigation into the case.
It turns out that Tibor Ágoston was sentenced to a HUF 750,000 (2’500 EUR) in March 2016 for holocaust denial. A nice fellow he certainly is.
He has now made a written statement resigning from all his positions and functions in Jobbik.
– Kilépett a Jobbikból a roma fiatal támogatását megvonó képviselő. In: Index. 28.12.2017. https://index.hu/belfold/2017/12/28/kilepett_a_jobbikbol_a_roma_fiataltol_a_tamogatast_megvono_kepviselo/
– Inkább kilép a Jobbikból a roma fiatalon gúnyolódó debreceni képviselő. In: HVG. 28.12.2017. http://hvg.hu/itthon/20171228_Inkabb_kilep_a_Jobbikbol_a_roma_fiatalon_gunyolodo_debreceni_kepviselo [link-preview url=”https://index.hu/belfold/2017/12/28/kilepett_a_jobbikbol_a_roma_fiataltol_a_tamogatast_megvono_kepviselo/ “]
In the framework of a program called a “Home in Tanoda – a chance for the Roma children in the suburbs of Szeged”, a total of forty students of the Kiskundorozsma and Szeged Roma classrooms were allowed to play in the Szeged Teke and Bowling Centres. From small to big, from the age of four to adolescents, all of them could try it on the alleys.
Nice, but does it really help?
– Tekézni vitte a kiskundorozsmai gyerekeket a Szegedi Roma Tanoda. In: NLCafe. 27.12.2017. https://www.nlcafe.hu/foto/20171227/tekezni-vitte-a-kiskundorozsmai-gyerekeket-a-szegedi-roma-tanoda/ [link-preview url=”https://www.nlcafe.hu/foto/20171227/tekezni-vitte-a-kiskundorozsmai-gyerekeket-a-szegedi-roma-tanoda/”]
A group of extreme right Hungarians is on trial for having constantly harassed and threatened members of a Roma family in Szucs. They even moved in next to them to better threaten them and their relatives.
Let’s see what the justice does.
– Vádat emeltek a roma családot fenyegető Betyársereg-tagok ellen. In: ATV. 18.12.2017. http://www.atv.hu/belfold/20171218-vadat-emeltek-a-roma-csaladot-fenyegeto-betyarsereg-tagjai-ellen [link-preview url=”http://www.atv.hu/belfold/20171218-vadat-emeltek-a-roma-csaladot-fenyegeto-betyarsereg-tagjai-ellen”]
A case of self-justice in Hungary. In a small village, the residents destroyed a house which was squatted by a Roma family who could only gather a few of their belongings.
The family had been asked to leave repeatedly and the house belonged to the village. No arrests nor any case has been brought up against the vilalgers.
– Durva önbíráskodás Székelyföldön egy roma családdal szemben. In: HVG. 19.12.2017. http://hvg.hu/vilag/20171219_Onbiraskodas_Szekelyfold_roma_csalad_onkenyes_hazfoglalas [link-preview url=”http://hvg.hu/vilag/20171219_Onbiraskodas_Szekelyfold_roma_csalad_onkenyes_hazfoglalas”]
A Jobbik Party member, Tibor Ágoston, in Debrecen (Eastern Hungary), created an uproar when he opposed a scholarship for a gifted Roma student. He spoke against the support of the student:
“If we once say that Arany János Talent-Care Program, then arrange the talents and not those who want to give a chance to show whether he is gifted or not. Or let’s do a program called Rostás Winnetou, and it’s a catch-up program. ”
No further comments …
– A Jobbik képviselője nem volt hajlandó megszavazni egy roma diák ösztöndíját. In: 444. 17.12.2017. https://444.hu/2017/12/17/a-jobbik-kepviseloje-nem-volt-hajlando-megszavazni-egy-roma-diak-osztondijat
– NEM SZAVAZTA MEG A ROMA DIÁK TÁMOGATÁSÁT A HOLOKAUSZTTAGADÓ JOBBIKOS. In: Kōzelet. 17.12.2017. https://vs.hu/kozelet/osszes/nem-szavazta-meg-a-roma-diak-tamogatasat-a-holokauszttagado-jobbikos-1217
– Nem támogatta a roma fiatal ösztöndíját a holokauszttagadó jobbikos. In: Zoom. 17.12.2017. https://zoom.hu/hir/2017/12/17/nem-tamogatta-a-roma-fiatal-osztondijat-a-holokauszttagado-jobbikos/
– Megvonta volna egy roma fiataltól a támogatást a holokauszttagadó jobbikos. In: Index. 17.12.2017. https://index.hu/belfold/2017/12/17/megvonta_volna_egy_roma_fiataltol_a_tamogatast_a_holokauszttagado_jobbikos/
– Csak a jobbikos képviselő szavazott a roma fiatal támogatása ellen. In” HVG. 17.12.2017. http://hvg.hu/itthon/20171216_Csak_a_jobbikos_kepviselo_szavazott_a_roma_fiatal_tamogatasa_ellen?utm_expid=1324304-23.8USXuGWPRhWtdjJmATShwQ.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F [link-preview url=”https://444.hu/2017/12/17/a-jobbik-kepviseloje-nem-volt-hajlando-megszavazni-egy-roma-diak-osztondijat “]
The extreme right party Jobbik in Hungary is claiming a change of heart. It will no longer be anti-Semitic nor against Roma according to its leader Gabor Vona.
He may have changed his mind, but his party’s mem829389bers certainly have not. (See the other article on Jobbik today).
– Head of Hungary’s Nationalist Jobbik Party Denounces Party’s Past anti-Semitism. In: Haaretz. 17.12.2017. https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/1.829389 [link-preview url=”https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/1.829389″]
25.6% of Hungarians live in poverty. This is 2.46 Mio people. And not all Roma as there are roughly 800’000 Roma in that country and not all are poor. Roma are more likely than non-Roma to be poor.
– Quarter of population poor or at risk of social exclusion. The Budapest Business Journal. 04.12.2017. https://bbj.hu/economy/quarter-of-population-poor-or-at-risk-of-social-exclusion_142406 [link-preview url=”https://bbj.hu/economy/quarter-of-population-poor-or-at-risk-of-social-exclusion_142406″]
A reportage about a Buddhist school founded in a small village in Hungary with the aim of helping young Roma to get an education and gain a foothold in life.
A must see.
– Der zornige Buddha. In: ZDF. 21.11.2017. https://www.zdf.de/filme/das-kleine-fernsehspiel/der-zornige-buddha-100.html [link-preview url=”https://www.zdf.de/filme/das-kleine-fernsehspiel/der-zornige-buddha-100.html”]
The Hungarian Romni, Livia Jaroca who was recently elected as a vice-president of the European Parliament, recently gave an interview in the Hungarian Press. Well, she is indeed a member of Fidesz, a party that is not exactly known for its kind policies towards migrants (and Roma). In there, she states:
“We would like it if they [the refugees] would understand that we find it important that, after a rapid and effective integration, armed with European knowledge, they would be able to return to their own homelands.”
Seems that Hungary accepted around 1’000 refugees – very quietly indeed. But these words from the Fidesz Party are new.
– BEWARE, THE REFUGEES ARE COMING! IN: The Hungarian Spectrum. 20.11.2017. http://hungarianspectrum.org/2017/11/20/beware-the-refugees-are-coming/ [link-preview url=”http://hungarianspectrum.org/2017/11/20/beware-the-refugees-are-coming/”]
A Hungarian town is going to extreme means to get rid of its Roma: They pay them 1.5 Mio HUF, a huge sum (more than a year of net salary in the countryside) if they live town. The town seems to be awash in funds and happens to be the hometown of Minister of National Development Miklós Seszták.
– Kisvárda offers Roma families $5,650 to leave town. In: Budapest Beacon. 16.11.2017. https://budapestbeacon.com/kisvarda-offers-roma-residents-5650-to-leave-town/ [link-preview url=”https://budapestbeacon.com/kisvarda-offers-roma-residents-5650-to-leave-town/”]
Laszlo Bogdan, the Roma mayor of the village of Cserdi is in trouble. The mayor, and his policies have been cited numerous times as an example of what can be achieved in a mostly Roma village in Hungary.
Now, a bizarre attack story – he reported being attacked because of his willingness of taking in Syrian refugees – and an old condemnation dent his reputation.
– THE FAMOUS GYPSY POLITICIAN’S REPUTATION HAS BEEN TARNISHED. In: Hungarian Spectrum 05.11.2017. http://hungarianspectrum.org/2017/11/05/the-famous-gypsy-politicians-reputation-has-been-tarnished/ [link-preview url=”http://hungarianspectrum.org/2017/11/05/the-famous-gypsy-politicians-reputation-has-been-tarnished/”]
The Hungarian Minister (and Calvinist preacher) Zoltan Balog has made statements on Roma advocating segregation in schools and quite a few other ones. Here’s a long list.
– 10 things he really said: Zoltán Balog, Hungarian Minister for Human Resources. In: ERRC. 24.10.2017. http://www.errc.org/blog/10-things-he-really-said-zoltan-balog-hungarian-minister-for-human-resources/195 [link-preview url=”http://www.errc.org/blog/10-things-he-really-said-zoltan-balog-hungarian-minister-for-human-resources/195″]
Laszlo Bogdan, the mayor of Cserdi, a Roma village that has been often cited as an example in the press, was assaulted by a mob after having suggested he would welcome refugees in his village.
This shows how far the Orban propaganda against refugees and migrant has goen.
Bad!
– Locals assault and threaten to murder mayor who promised to welcome refugees in Roma village. In: The Hungarian Free Press. 19.10.2017. http://hungarianfreepress.com/2017/10/19/locals-assault-and-threaten-to-murder-mayor-who-promised-to-welcome-refugees-in-roma-village/ [link-preview url=”http://hungarianfreepress.com/2017/10/19/locals-assault-and-threaten-to-murder-mayor-who-promised-to-welcome-refugees-in-roma-village/”]
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