Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia, Roma, and Politics

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In the new composition of the Parliament of Slovakia, out of 150 representatives, as many as six are Roma. And not by some kind of key, but as elected representatives. Many Roma voted for the the party called “Ordinary people and independent personalities” (OľaNO) led by Igor Matovič, which is at the end, with 9% of votes won became the fourth largest party in the Slovak parliament. In some places with a majority Roma population, Matovic’s alliance achieved election results that were suspicious even to the police: while other parties got two or three percent each, OLaNO collected over 90% of the votes.

Bulgarien News Osteuropa

Bulgaria, Vote Buying, and Roma

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Alexey Pamporov is an associate professor of sociology at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the BAS, teaches “Sociology of the Family” and “Roma History and Culture” at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

He spoke about vote buying, especially among Roma – something that is often reported in Bulgaria. He says that actually, it is the sectional voting commissions that are often bought, and change the results after voting has been closed. This especially happens in Roma communities.

Also, he says that the Roma population is not increasing, as their birth rate is the same as for the rest of the population, and many of them emigrate.

News Osteuropa Slowenien

So Vakeres?

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The Roma show So vakeres (What are you talking about?) is broadcasted twice a month and is created by Roma journalists. It provides an opportunity to preserve Roma culture and present it to those who do not yet know it. Their creators hope and wish that these shows would also help to reduce prejudice against the Roma.

News Osteuropa Serbien

Belgrade: Commemoration

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26 years after his brutal murder by two skinheads, family and activists commemorated the death of Dusan Jovanović.

In September 2023 they submitted a new proposal in which they specified a part of the park in public property to be named after Dušan Jovanović, but the authorities have not formally addressed and responded to the family of the murdered boy to date.

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Czech Republic: The Bedřiška Settlement

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This settlement houses a yearly festival over the summer, the Varvy Bedřiška which helps providing support the unique Ostrava community. Just like the first two years, the 2023 edition combined musical and other cultural performances with current topics in the area of housing and the future of the locality.

This festival is key to helping this settlement as there are big plans for the restoration of Bedřiška but they are currently only on paper. Local residents are the biggest drivers of change.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia, Roma, and Fico

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The new Slovak prime minister Fico and his extreme right coalition partners are not exactly pro-Roma. Their first test will be on how to deal with the Roma of Telgárt, whose settlement burnt down over the summer and who are still housed in tents.

Fico will definitively need the office of the plenipotentiary for Roma communities, as for the first time, it has a large budget under its belt – it will distribute up to 400 million euros from European funds in the next few years, and also has greater powers.

News Osteuropa Slowenien

Slovenia: Roma Councillor

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Another article about the need for a Roma councillor in the town of Dobruška where 350 Roma live. Apparently, only two Roma have work.

The newspaper put up a picture which has nothing to do with the subject, as it does not portrays the situation in that town, but rather shows a settlement somewhere, and of course shows poverty, a caravan etc.

News Osteuropa Rumänien

Conference: Critical Romani Studies

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 ‘Exploring Racial Capitalism: Critical Romani Studies in Central and Eastern Europe’ is the closing conference of the research project ‘Precarious labor and peripheral housing. The socio-economic practices of Romanian Roma in the context of changing industrial relations and uneven territorial development’ conducted at Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between 2020-2023.

The conference takes place tomorrow, October 19th, and can be attended remotely if registered.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1065281821144609/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2252%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22%5B%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%7B%5C%22invite_link_id%5C%22%3A1951229375232386%7D%7D%5D%22%7D

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakian Roma

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Petr and Jana Ščuka are married and Roma. They are exceedingly successful, are de facto billionaires but gave away 1/3 of their fortune to help others, be they Roma or non Roma.

Well done.

News Osteuropa Serbien

Dušan Jovanović

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Representatives of the Ne davimo Beograd-Green Left Front party, the city of Belgrade and the Roma Forum of Serbia laid flowers in Beogradska Street, at the place where a 13-year-old Roma boy, Dušan Jovanović, was killed 26 years ago.

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Romano voďi

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A new magazine has been launched in the Czech Republic: Romano vod’i. In this first edition, an article on Jan Cibula, first Rom medical doctor and one of the original founders of the International Romani Union, Jan Ort, a Rom and activist, and Lucie Fuková, a Roma representative.

News Osteuropa Ukraine

Lviv and Roma

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Yet another article about the creation of a tent school in a Roma camp in Lviv. These Roma are IDPs and the catholic church created this school. Nice move but what about getting those people to live in decent quarters and also to go to regular schools?

News Osteuropa Slowenien

Slovenian and the Roma “Problem”

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Another article on the Slovenian village of Dobruška and its “Roma Problem”. According to the article, 350 Roma live there, and only two have work. Again, the question whether a Roma councillor would help.

In all these articles, the real question, i.e. why are all these Roma unemployed, is only addressed in a one way direction: Roma re not qualified, do not want to work, and so on, but never, that even with qualifications, nobody wants to give them work.

News Osteuropa Slowenien

Slovenia and the Roma “Problem”

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In the Slovenian municipality of Škocjan, the population feels there is a real Roma “problem”. The question asked is whether a Roma councillor in the municipal council (OS) could help solve the problems? The municipality of Škocjan does not have one, because it is not a “Rom” municipality. About 350 Roma live there, which is 10 percent of the entire population, 20 percent of Roma children attend .

Ungarn News Osteuropa

Hungarian Census 2022

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The preliminary results of the Hungarian 2022 census have been published. One astonishing fact is that according to the census, the Roma population decreased by more than a third, passing from 315’000 in 2011 to 209’000 now.

These numbers are totally out of whack with reality, as the estimated number of Roma in Hungary lies between 600 and 800’000… According to the Hungarian press, the decrease is due to people not stating their ethnicity in the census.

News Osteuropa Slowenien

Slovenia and Roma

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Bojan Kekecis a member of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia. Last week, he gave an interview about the changes to some laws that relate to the Roma issue. “Living with them is very difficult. I don’t know how they would look in Ljubljana or other places when a beehive or grain in a field is set on fire. Such actions are unacceptable. There is a lot of crime and misdemeanours.”

No comments …

Bulgarien News Osteuropa

Bulgaria: Brawl

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Another one of these stories that make it always to the press and give the impression all Roma are like this: A fight between two Roma families in Razlog escalated terribly. A 20-year-old boy was stabbed in the stomach and hospitalized. The attacker with the knife fled and is currently being sought. The families are from different parts of the country, but work in Razlog. Last night they sat down to eat and drink at the hotel where they are staying in the city. They got drunk and fought, after which 50-year-old Zivko K. grabbed the knife and wounded 20-year-old Valentin. Seeing what he had done, he fled the scene of the crime.

News Osteuropa Polen

Poland and Roma

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In his last address to the management of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, the Ombudsman points out that the Roma settlement in Koszary, in the Limanowa commune, is inhabited by approximately 120 people. Many of them live in buildings arbitrarily built from random materials. These buildings are in poor technical condition – they are neither insulated nor plastered.

This is not new, and this discussion has been going on for years by now.

Bad.

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