Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia: Anti-Roma Rhetoric

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According to Zuza Kumanová, an anthropologist, recent weeks in Slovakia have seen an
increase in anti-Romani rhetoric. Opposition and coalition politicians have been overtaken by proposals for coercive measures in relation to this national minority.
This article makes the point that this doesn’t help and that the measures proposed do not do anything for the integration.

– Falošná hra protirómskou kartou. In: Pravda. 07.02.2018. https://nazory.pravda.sk/analyzy-a-postrehy/clanok/457610-falosna-hra-protiromskou-kartou/ [link-preview url=”https://nazory.pravda.sk/analyzy-a-postrehy/clanok/457610-falosna-hra-protiromskou-kartou/”]

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia: Opinion

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Vladimír Ledecký the independent mayor of Spišský Hrhov writes about how Roma issues can be solved. He says that the current “schizophrenia” does not help, and that “convincing all people to pull the car in the same direction” is the way to go. He advocates work, education, and measures to help with accumulated debts. His village is actually one the of the model of integration in the country.

– Ako riešiť problémy Rómov a rodín v núdzi (názor). In: Aktuality. 05.02.2018. https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/561439/ako-riesit-problemy-romov-a-rodin-v-nudzi-nazor/ [link-preview url=”https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/561439/ako-riesit-problemy-romov-a-rodin-v-nudzi-nazor/”]

News Osteuropa Ukraine

Kiev – Again

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Another article in the Press on Roma criminality. According to the article, residents of Kiev complain massively about Roma who “steal everything they see” …
How about complaining about some of the politicians and oligarchs who effectively already stole everything there was to steal?

– Киевляне массово жалуются на ромов: воруют все, что видят. In: Narodna Pravda. 10.02.2018. https://ru.narodna-pravda.ua/2018/02/10/kyevlyane-massovo-zhaluyutsya-na-romov-voruyut-vse-chto-vydyat/ [link-preview url=”https://ru.narodna-pravda.ua/2018/02/10/kyevlyane-massovo-zhaluyutsya-na-romov-voruyut-vse-chto-vydyat/”]

Frankreich News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Slowenien

Slovenian Slums

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On the occasion of the visit in Novo Mesto of Borut Pahor, the Slovenian President, Bogdan Miklič, President of the Roma Union of Dolenjska, showed the President the life of the Roma in the largest Roma settlement Žabjak, and pointed out that many of the Roma have been living without electricity or water for more than seventy years in extremely bad conditions. He was also critical of the municipality, which does too little for the Roma settlements and warned of their uncontrolled spread. He went somewhat overboard though in comparing the situation of the slums with that of Darfur … This is a comparison better not done.

– Zveza Romov za Dolenjsko: V Žabjaku je kot v Darfurju. In: Lokalno. 08.02.2018. http://www.lokalno.si/2018/02/08/190398/zgodba/Zveza_Romov_za_Dolenjsko_V_Zabjaku_je_kot_v_Darfurju/ [link-preview url=”http://www.lokalno.si/2018/02/08/190398/zgodba/Zveza_Romov_za_Dolenjsko_V_Zabjaku_je_kot_v_Darfurju/”]

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Okamura …

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The Czech MP and Right Wing party leader Tomio Okamura as well as his right hand and MP Miroslav Rozner are being sued by Roma families of Holocaust victims after having both denied the Roma Holocaust.
Good! Let’s hope they are condemned too!

– Českí Rómovia podali trestné oznámenie na Okamuru a Roznera. In: Spravy Pravda. 08.02.2018. https://spravy.pravda.sk/svet/clanok/457864-ceski-romovia-podali-trestne-oznamenie-na-okamuru-a-roznera/
– Families of Roma Holocaust victims suing SPD leader Okamura. In: The Prague Monitor. 09.02.2018. http://praguemonitor.com/2018/02/09/families-roma-holocaust-victims-suing-spd-leader-okamura [link-preview url=”https://spravy.pravda.sk/svet/clanok/457864-ceski-romovia-podali-trestne-oznamenie-na-okamuru-a-roznera/ “]

News Osteuropa Ukraine

Ukraine: Thefts and Roma

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In spite of the police statement that the number of thefts has decreased, many residents in Kiev hold Roma responsible. They say that the fines that are imposed for theft do not deter crime.
Bad that Roma are singled out without any proof.

– Воровство в Киеве: горожане жалуются на ромов. In: Kiev Segodnia. 08.02.2018. https://kiev.segodnya.ua/kaccidents/vorovstvo-v-kieve-gorozhane-zhaluyutsya-na-romov-1112362.html [link-preview url=”https://kiev.segodnya.ua/kaccidents/vorovstvo-v-kieve-gorozhane-zhaluyutsya-na-romov-1112362.html”]

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Roma and the Czech

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Seems that the resident of Prague are the most prejudiced against Roma. 82% of them have a negative opinion of them. Mind you, the rest of the country has a 76% of people with a negative opinion of Roma (only 3 out of 4 …) and 27% of people who have a negative opinion of Jews…
In which century are we?

– ÚSTR survey: Praguers most opposed to Roma, Jews. In: The Prague Daily Monitor. 08.02.2018. http://praguemonitor.com/2018/02/08/ustr-survey-praguers-most-opposed-roma-jews [link-preview url=”http://praguemonitor.com/2018/02/08/ustr-survey-praguers-most-opposed-roma-jews”]

News Osteuropa Rumänien

Giuvlipen

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An article about the young Roma activist who produced and acted in the play “Giuvlipen” in Romania.

– How is Roma activist art challenging stereotypes? In: Al Jazeera. 07.02.2018. http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201802070119-0025585 [link-preview url=”http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201802070119-0025585″]

Bulgarien News Osteuropa

Again …

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The page EU Scoop Doesn’t miss any opportunity to present Roma in their worst light and clearly to generalise. Purpose is clear: All Roma are criminals, cannot be integrated and … Well the rest is to be expected.
This time, this is a street light in a house…

– Gypsies Integrated a Functional Concrete Streetlamp into their House in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In: EU Scoop. https://www.euscoop.com/en/2018/2/6/roma-house-lamppost-integrated [link-preview url=”https://www.euscoop.com/en/2018/2/6/roma-house-lamppost-integrated”]

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Prague and Holocaust

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The Czech Jewish community called for Tomio Nakamura to excuse himself for his comments on the Roma Holocaust and on Lety. The young Social Democrats, on the other hand, are suing Miloslav Rozner, a MP from Nakamura’s party for similar reason as he denied the Roma Holocaust.
Shame.

– Young Social Democrats suing MP over Roma Holocaust denial. In: The Prague Monitor. 06.02.2018. http://praguemonitor.com/2018/02/06/young-social-democrats-suing-mp-over-roma-holocaust-denial
– Prague Jewish Community wants SPD to apologise for words on Lety. In The Prague Daily Monitor. 06.02.2018. http://www.praguemonitor.com/2018/02/06/prague-jewish-community-wants-spd-apologise-words-lety [link-preview url=”http://praguemonitor.com/2018/02/06/young-social-democrats-suing-mp-over-roma-holocaust-denial “]

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia: Dire Situation

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There are roughly 5’500 who live in the Roma settlement of Trebišov, in Eastern Slovakia. The settlement is seeing an epidemic of syphilis, fuelled by the rampant prostitution that is one of the few means of existence for the people there.
Prostitution starts as young as 14 or 15. Police is not doing much.
This is bad.

– Trebišov skryl prostitútky, deti vraj medzi nimi nie sú a syfilis sa týka iba Rómov. In: SME. 02.02.2018. https://domov.sme.sk/c/20750735/trebisov-skryl-prostitutky-deti-vraj-medzi-nimi-nie-su-a-syfilis-sa-tyka-iba-romov.html [link-preview url=”https://domov.sme.sk/c/20750735/trebisov-skryl-prostitutky-deti-vraj-medzi-nimi-nie-su-a-syfilis-sa-tyka-iba-romov.html”]

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia: Boarding Schools

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There is a real media frenzy lately in Slovakia regarding the so-called “Roma Crime” and many suggestions of populists “solutions” to this “problem”. One of them is again the idea of setting up boarding schools. They are presented as a mean to help Roma get a better education and at reducing crime (yes). Arguments against these schools are presented here by Abel Ravasz, the Roma plenipotentiary in Slovakia.
Unfortunately, this has already been tried under communism. And, as these boarding schools were 100% Roma, the level of education provided was really low. This will happen again here. It is simply an attempt at assimilation.

– Namiesto zombi riešení pre Rómov urobme to, čo funguje. In: Dennik. 02.02.2018. https://dennikn.sk/1017448/namiesto-zombi-rieseni-pre-romov-urobme-to-co-funguje/ [link-preview url=”https://dennikn.sk/1017448/namiesto-zombi-rieseni-pre-romov-urobme-to-co-funguje/”]

Bulgarien News Osteuropa Polen

Bulgaria – Poland

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Again a story that plays on the old stereotypes of Roma stealing children. A 3-year-old child who was missing in Poland was found in a Roma neighbourhood in Varna. According to the woman who kept it, the child’s mother had gone to Poland.

– The Missing Child from Poland was Found in the Roma Neighborhood of Varna. In: Novinite. 02.02.2018. http://www.novinite.com/articles/187562/The+Missing+Child+from+Poland+was+Found+in+the+Roma+Neighborhood+of+Varna [link-preview url=”http://www.novinite.com/articles/187562/The+Missing+Child+from+Poland+was+Found+in+the+Roma+Neighborhood+of+Varna”]

Bosnien News Osteuropa

Bosnia: Roma Rights

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In spite of millions of Euros spent in Bosnia, Roma are still denied fundamental rights in Bosnia. Their situation has not improved in Bosnia, and they are still ostracised by all other Bosnians. This simply shows that nationalistic states are no place for minorities, and proves that Europe is simply looking, definitively not doing anything.

– BOSNIE-HERZÉGOVINE : MALGRÉ LES POLITIQUES SOCIALES, PAS D’AMÉLIORATION DES CONDITIONS DE VIE DES RROMS. In: Le Courrier des Balkans. 29.01.2018. https://www.courrierdesbalkans.fr/Bosnie-Herzegovine-les-politiques-sociales-n-aident-pas-les-Roms [link-preview url=”https://www.courrierdesbalkans.fr/Bosnie-Herzegovine-les-politiques-sociales-n-aident-pas-les-Roms”]

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Tomio Okamura

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The Czech MP and president of an extreme rightist party, Tomio Okamura, officially apologised for having been “imprecise” when he claimed that people could walk in or out of the Lety concentration camp, and then doubled up: He cirted Jan Rataj, a history professor who alleges that the Protectorate’s “Gypsy Camps” were not concentration camps…
Roma organisations have filed a crime report against Okamura. Let’s see if anything happens.

– Czech MP apologizes for “imprecision”, then urges people to read historian who calls the Romani Holocaust a “myth”. In: Romea. 04.02.2018. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/czech-mp-apologizes-for-imprecision-then-urges-people-to-read-historian-who-calls-the-romani-holocaust-a-myth
– Czech citizens file crime report over MP’s remarks denying the suffering of Romani genocide victims. In: Romea. 03.02.2018. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/czech-citizens-file-crime-report-over-mp-s-remarks-denying-the-suffering-of-romani-genocide-victims [link-preview url=”http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/czech-mp-apologizes-for-imprecision-then-urges-people-to-read-historian-who-calls-the-romani-holocaust-a-myth “]

Frankreich News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Russland

Vigilantes …

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This week saw many articles in the French press on the case of an elderly man, called Youcef – of North African origins, whose house was squatted by some Roma. He had not been living in the house for many years in the town of Garches-les-Gonesses, near Paris and was surprised by the squat. A youngster called Bassem, from Lyon and also of North African origins organised the youth of this city and expelled the Roma themselves without the help of the police.
This fact made it to most papers, with mostly positive reactions, although some insist on the dangers of taking justice into one’s own hand. The youngsters of the city, insist that anyhow, the police never come there nor helps them, as they are mostly of North African origins.
This is a case of minorities against minorities. And is really bad. But is the result of the policies of the French state which neglected its “banlieues” and left the Roma in camps.

– Maison squattée à Garges-lès-Gonesse : “C’est grâce à la cité qu’il a récupéré sa maison !”. In: Le Parisien. 01.02.2018. http://www.leparisien.fr/val-d-oise-95/garges-les-gonesse-les-squatteurs-de-la-maison-deloges-par-des-jeunes-du-quartier-31-01-2018-7534278.php
– Qui est Bassem, le Lyonnais qui a provoqué l’expulsion des squatteurs du Val-d’Oise ? In: Le Parisien. 01.02.2018. http://www.leparisien.fr/societe/qui-est-bassem-le-lyonnais-qui-a-provoque-l-expulsion-des-squatteurs-du-val-d-oise-01-02-2018-7535772.php
– Garges-lès-Gonesse : “Face à la désertion de l’État et à l’impotence de la justice, la guerre de tous contre tous”. In: Le Figaro. 02.02.2018. http://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/societe/2018/02/01/31003-20180201ARTFIG00325-garges-les-gonesse-face-a-la-desertion-de-l-etat-et-a-l-impotence-de-la-justice-la-guerre-de-tous-contre-tous.php
– Il récupère sa maison squattée par des Roms grâce à des jeunes de la cité voisine. In: Demotivateur. 03.02.2018. https://www.demotivateur.fr/article/a-76-ans-il-perd-sa-maison-squattee-par-des-roms-avant-de-la-recuperer-grace-a-la-solidarite-de-son-voisinage-de-cite-12532
– Des jeunes de cité délogent 16 Roms squattant une maison pour la rendre à son propriétaire (VIDEOS). In: Russia Today (FR). 01.02.2018. https://francais.rt.com/france/47779-jeunes-cite-delogent-16-roms-squattaient-maison-rendre-proprietaire
– Garges-les-Gonesse: Que risque-t-on à expulser les squatteurs soi-même? In: 20 Minutes (FR). 01.02.2018. https://www.20minutes.fr/justice/2213339-20180201-garges-gonesse-risque-expulser-squatteurs
– MAISON SQUATTÉE : MIEUX VAUT S’APPELER YOUCEF QU’ODETTE ! In: Boulevard Voltaire. http://www.bvoltaire.fr/maison-squattee-mieux-vaut-sappeler-youcef-quodette/
– UN HOMME DE 76 ANS VOIT SA MAISON SQUATTÉE, DES JEUNES DE LA CITÉ VOISINE INTERVIENNENT. In: Urbanhit. 01.02.2018. https://www.urbanhit.fr/news/un-homme-de-76-ans-voit-sa-maison-squattee-des-jeunes-de-la-cite-voisine-interviennent-31816 [link-preview url=”https://www.demotivateur.fr/article/a-76-ans-il-perd-sa-maison-squattee-par-des-roms-avant-de-la-recuperer-grace-a-la-solidarite-de-son-voisinage-de-cite-12532 “]

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Flüchtlinge

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A bit more background on the Czech Roma family that was granted asylum in New Zealand: They were threatened, Molotov cocktails were thrown at their home, and, of course, the police did nothing.

– Politisch verfolgt: Familie muss aus der EU fliehen. In: Huffington Post (DE). 02.02.2018. http://www.huffingtonpost.de/entry/weil-sie-sich-nicht-mehr-sicher-fuhlte-familie-flieht-aus-der-eu_de_5a740bd6e4b01ce33eb16c04 [link-preview url=”http://www.huffingtonpost.de/entry/weil-sie-sich-nicht-mehr-sicher-fuhlte-familie-flieht-aus-der-eu_de_5a740bd6e4b01ce33eb16c04″]

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia: Interior Minister Robert Kalinak

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The Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak is currently whipping up the frenzy on “Roma crime” and on how to combat it. He is asking for special new statistics to assess the size of the problem, but seems to be somewhat confused, as he acknowledges that quite a few already exist. He also wants new measures against crime in the Roma settlements.
Anyhow: The solutions to the problems are well known and do not need these new measures for it. Inclusion would suffice.

– Kaliňák hovoril o Rómoch. V odpovediach sa zamotal. In: Aktuality. 01.02.2018. https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/558701/kalinak-hovoril-o-romoch-v-odpovediach-sa-zamotal/ [link-preview url=”https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/558701/kalinak-hovoril-o-romoch-v-odpovediach-sa-zamotal/”]

News Osteuropa Slowenien

Slovenia: Critique

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The Council of Europe published a report on the status of minorities in Slovenia. The report emphasized that the Italian and Hungarian minorities are the primary beneficiary of special privileges in Slovenia and that the government should make more efforts to improve the Roma situation. Slovenia should therefor implement several measures, with, among other things, greater efforts in the fight against hate speech.

– Slovenija mora izboljšati položaj Romov. In: SiO1 Net. 01.02.2018. https://siol.net/novice/slovenija/slovenija-mora-izboljsati-polozaj-romov-459000
– CoE appeals to Slovenia to do more for Roma. In: STA. 01.02.2018. https://english.sta.si/2477877/coe-appeals-to-slovenia-to-do-more-for-roma [link-preview url=”https://siol.net/novice/slovenija/slovenija-mora-izboljsati-polozaj-romov-459000 “]

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia: An Alliance

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The Church and the Prešov Region are joining forces to help Roma. In an informal meeting chaired by theArchbishop of Prešov, metropolitan Ján Babjak and by Prešov’s region president Milan Majerský, the latter said: “Many foreigners are coming to work in Slovakia and we do not want to give the opportunity to the Roma. But when they have a job, they will create communities that will be enriching for this country.”
Let’s hope this is heard.

– Cirkev a Prešovský kraj spájajú sily na pomoc Rómom. In: SME. 30.01.2018. https://domov.sme.sk/c/20749455/savore-romovia-jan-babjak-milan-majersky-romska-problematika.html [link-preview url=”https://domov.sme.sk/c/20749455/savore-romovia-jan-babjak-milan-majersky-romska-problematika.html”]

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