Al Jazeera is continuing its reportages on Roma in Slovakia. And they are good.
Bravo – and please continue.
Where are the other news agencies?
– Slovakia’s Roma: Living on the margins. In: Al Jazeera. 26.05.2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2017/05/slovakia-roma-living-margins-170524095312212.html [link-preview url=”http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2017/05/slovakia-roma-living-margins-170524095312212.html”]
Category Archives: Slovakia
Slovakia: Police Attack
A video showing random attack of Roma by the police in the small Slovak town of Zborov in the North East of the country has surfaced. The attacks occurred on April 16th but the video was shared only recently with the ERRC.
SHAME
– Police Attack Roma Community in Slovakia: Children and Elderly Injured. In: ERRC. 24.05.2017. http://www.errc.org/article/police-attack-roma-community-in-slovakia-children-and-elderly-injured/4579 [link-preview url=”http://www.errc.org/article/police-attack-roma-community-in-slovakia-children-and-elderly-injured/4579″]
Slovakia and Al-Jazeera
A Slovak reaction to a reportage about Rroma in Slovakia. The Al-Jazeera reportage is considered objective, well informed, and representative, also in its political analysis.
– Týždeň vo svetových médiách: Arabská televízia o Ficovi, Kotlebovi a Rómoch. In: Aktuality. 20.05.2017. https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/487788/tyzden-vo-svetovych-mediach-arabska-televizia-o-ficovi-kotlebovi-a-romoch/
– Life in Slovakia’s Roma slums: Poverty and segregation. In: Al-Jazeera. 10.05.2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/life-slovakia-roma-slums-poverty-segregation-170425090756677.html [link-preview url=”https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/487788/tyzden-vo-svetovych-mediach-arabska-televizia-o-ficovi-kotlebovi-a-romoch/ “]
Slovakia and the Police Case
The lawyer of the Rroma who sued the police for abuse following their arrest and abuse and who were acquitted last week, believes that the court will change the decision to free cops. According to the lawyer, it is incomprehensible that the District Court refused to accept the incriminating video as evidence without having to carry out an expert opinion. The prosecution appealed the verdict in any case.
– Advokátka týraných Rómov verí, že súd zmení rozhodnutie o oslobodení policajtov. In: Spravy Pravda. 18.05.2017. https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/429913-advokatka-tyranych-romov-veri-ze-sud-zmeni-rozhodnutie-o-oslobodeni-policajtov/ [link-preview url=”https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/429913-advokatka-tyranych-romov-veri-ze-sud-zmeni-rozhodnutie-o-oslobodeni-policajtov/”]
Slovak President and Rroma
The Slovak president sharply criticised the lack of results in fighting poverty among Rroma. The Slovak President said he is convinced that the failure to address Rroma issues reflects the country’s inability to manage its public affairs.
– Slovak President sharply criticizes shabby results in combating Romani poverty. In: Romea.cz. 20.05.2017. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/slovak-president-sharply-criticizes-shabby-results-in-combating-romani-poverty [link-preview url=”http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/slovak-president-sharply-criticizes-shabby-results-in-combating-romani-poverty”]
Slovakia, the Police, and Abuse
An article in English this time about the policemen in Kosice who abused several children and were freed by the court recently.
SHAME!
– Court again frees policemen charged with bullying Roma boys. In: The Slovak Spectator. 17.05.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20535570/court-again-frees-policemen-charged-with-bullying-roma-boys.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20535570/court-again-frees-policemen-charged-with-bullying-roma-boys.html”]
Slovakia – 7 Years
Ten police officers were freed of all charges for their abuse of Rroma children in Lunik IX, one of the notorious Rroma neighbourhoods of Kosice. The police officers allegedly forced the Rroma under the threat of violence to kiss each other in the corridor of the District Police Department of Košice, they had to strip, were forced with a gun on their head to lick the police officer’s shooes, and so on. The cops recorded the incident on mobile phones, sending shots to other colleagues, a scrawled and scratched record she got to the editor of the SME journal and published the content.
Bad that they went free.
– Súd opäť oslobodil obžalovaných v kaze šikanovania rómskych detí. In: Spravy Pravda. 17.05.2017. https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/429760-sud-opat-oslobodil-obzalovanych-v-kaze-sikanovania-romskych-deti/ [link-preview url=”https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/429760-sud-opat-oslobodil-obzalovanych-v-kaze-sikanovania-romskych-deti/”]
Slovakia and Land Laws
The Slovak parliament approved amendments to the land law facilitating land consolidation and also helping settle the topic of land ownership of the Rroma settlements in the country.
Nice, but let’s see how it will be applied.
– Poslanci schválili novelu o vysporiadaní pozemkov pod obydliami Rómov. In: Aktuality. 11.05.2017. https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/486917/poslanci-schvalili-novelu-o-vysporiadani-pozemkov-pod-obydliami-romov/ [link-preview url=”https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/486917/poslanci-schvalili-novelu-o-vysporiadani-pozemkov-pod-obydliami-romov/”]
Slovakia and Slums
A reportage on the life in Slovakia’s Rroma slums.
– Life in Slovakia’s Roma slums: Poverty and segregation. In: Al Jazeera. 10.05.2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/life-slovakia-roma-slums-poverty-segregation-170425090756677.html [link-preview url=”http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/life-slovakia-roma-slums-poverty-segregation-170425090756677.html”]
Slovenia and Discrimination
A video game is trying to measure the bias against Rroma in Slovakia. It is trying to assess the discrimination that goes unreported.
Interesting experiment.
– Discrimination in action: the value of experiments in human rights. In: Open Democracy. 05.05.2017. https://www.opendemocracy.net/ana-bracic/discrimination-in-action-value-of-experiments-in-human-rights [link-preview url=”https://www.opendemocracy.net/ana-bracic/discrimination-in-action-value-of-experiments-in-human-rights”]
Slovakia – Roma Plenipotentiary
Ábel Ravasz, the Roma plenipotentiary for the Slovak Government has some quite stereotypical ideas on Rroma… He states – partially rightly so, that many don’t speak Rromanes and that the younger generation tends to loose the language; but then ignores history when he says Rroma arrived in several waves from the 17th century; are a very diverse minority; are a patriarchal society; and so on…
Maybe get your facts rights …
– Rómovia hovoriaci po maďarsky sú pre Maďarov Cigáni a pre Rómov Maďari. A Slovákom sú úplne ukradnutí. In: Plus 7 Dni. 07.05.2017. http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/domov/nerom-terene.html [link-preview url=”http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/domov/nerom-terene.html”]
Kotleba and Culture
Yet another case where Kotleba’s party doesn’t quite like culture when it is not “pure” Slovak one… Here, they wanted to close an Art school, mostly for Rroma in the Banska Bystrica region. The ministry of education had to intervene.
– Barbar Kotleba: Kontroverzný župan sa pokúsil zlikvidovať umeleckú školu. Jej žiakmi sú najmä Rómovia. In: Pluska. 06.05.2017. http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/domov/kotleba-vs-plavcan.html [link-preview url=”http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/domov/kotleba-vs-plavcan.html”]
Slovakia: Police Pursues Kotleba’s Party MPs
The Slovakian police interrupted a debate of a parliament commission to question a MP – Stanislav Mizík – from the extreme rightist party of Kotleba – and to charge him with crimes such as Holocaust denial. Another MP from the same party, Milan Mazurek was also charged with crimes for his comments on radio against Rroma, migrants, and Moslems.
GOOD!
– Police pursue MPs for racist statements. In: The Slovak Spectator. 03.05.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20523225/police-pursue-mps-for-racist-statements.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20523225/police-pursue-mps-for-racist-statements.html”]
Slovakia – Moving Rroma
A mayor of a village purchased a house (on communal funds) to move Rroma from a settlement in a village to another village 20 km away. Basically, it is the politically correct version of ethnic cleansing.
– Starosta kúpil problémovým Rómom dom o 20 kilometrov ďalej. Je toto riešenie na chatrče a getá? In: Dennik. 02.05.2017. https://dennikn.sk/717339/starosta-kupil-problemovym-romom-dom-o-20-kilometrov-dalej-je-toto-riesenie-na-chatrce-a-geta/ [link-preview url=”https://dennikn.sk/717339/starosta-kupil-problemovym-romom-dom-o-20-kilometrov-dalej-je-toto-riesenie-na-chatrce-a-geta/”]
Slovakia – Poprad
Residents from a suburb of Poprad are trying to get rid of Rroma from their neighbourhood and are trying to prevent a community centre from being built.
Bad!
– V Poprade sa komplikuje spolužitie Rómov s majoritou, pomôcť majú hliadky. In: TA3. 27.04.2017. http://www.ta3.com/clanok/1104374/v-poprade-sa-komplikuje-spoluzitie-romov-s-majoritou-pomoct-maju-hliadky.html [link-preview url=”http://www.ta3.com/clanok/1104374/v-poprade-sa-komplikuje-spoluzitie-romov-s-majoritou-pomoct-maju-hliadky.html”]
Slovakia: New Land Ownership Rules
Starting in September, the new land ownership rules take effect in Slovakia. The new rules allow for consolidation of land, something the country badly needs. However, this leaves Rroma exposed, as most of them do not have any landownership. There are provisions in the new law to allow Rroma in settlement to construct better homes, but the fear is that these will not suffice.
– Pozemky Rómov s novými pravidlami. In: Hospodarske Noviny. 26.04.2017. http://hnporadna.hnonline.sk/clanky/950406-pozemky-romov-s-novymi-pravidlami [link-preview url=”http://hnporadna.hnonline.sk/clanky/950406-pozemky-romov-s-novymi-pravidlami”]
Slovakia – School Protests
Parents protested once again in Žilina, in Northern Slovakia. Their protests were directed at the re-distribution of pupils from a school in a mostly Rroma neighbourhood into other schools. In brief, parents do not want Rroma kids in their children classes.
Long way to go …
– Rodičia protestujú proti prerozdeleniu detí zo zrušenej školy, začali spisovať petíciu. In: Žilinak. 23.04.2017. https://www.zilinak.sk/prispevky/6291/rodicia-protestuju-proti-prerozdeleniu-deti-zo-zrusenej-skoly-zacali-spisovat-peticiu [link-preview url=”https://www.zilinak.sk/prispevky/6291/rodicia-protestuju-proti-prerozdeleniu-deti-zo-zrusenej-skoly-zacali-spisovat-peticiu”]
A Hole in the Head
A long article about the movie “A Hole in the Head” about the Rroma Holocaust, as well as an interview of Raymond Gurene a French manouche who is 100 years old and who managed to escape the Holocaust.
It is interesting to see that this documentary has prompted many articles in the Slovak press.
– Hrôzy rómskeho holokaustu: Pri vraždení ich ani nepočítali, boli menej ako zvieratá. In: Aktualne. 16.04.2017. https://aktualne.atlas.sk/kultura/film-televizia/pri-vrazdeni-ich-ani-nepocitali-boli-menej-ako-zvierata-hovori-romskom-holokauste-autor-noveho-filmu.html [link-preview url=”https://aktualne.atlas.sk/kultura/film-televizia/pri-vrazdeni-ich-ani-nepocitali-boli-menej-ako-zvierata-hovori-romskom-holokauste-autor-noveho-filmu.html”]
Slovakia and Rroma
The Slovak politician Matovič wants to solve Roma problems in his country. His OĽANO Movement therefore submitted a bill for the next parliamentary meeting so that Roma children are required to attend pre-school for three years. He added, that if parents did not comply, they would commit a criminal offense. This latter point is maybe not the best idea…
In addition, he said: “80 years ago, Adolf Hitler showed his finger first to the Jews, the Disabled and the Roma stating that they were lowering our standard of living. Today we have two people, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Marián Kotleb (LSNS) who use this rhetoric. They say it’s our problem that we’re sick of it. In fact, Prime Minister Robert Fico has had ten years of government and caused 50,000 other Romani children to grow without adequate education”.
– Matovič chce riešiť problémy Rómov: Ak by sa rodičia zmenám bránili, bol by to trestný čin! In: Pluska. 19.04.2017. http://www.pluska.sk/spravy/z-domova/romovia-povinne-do-skoly-ujme-matovicov-navrh.html [link-preview url=”http://www.pluska.sk/spravy/z-domova/romovia-povinne-do-skoly-ujme-matovicov-navrh.html”]
Slovakia: Interview of a Mayor
The interview of the mayor of the town of Spišský Hrhov. This mayor is special, as he has been employing Rroma for nearly two decades in his company. And guess what, it works!
– Celý systém je nastavený na majoritu, preto nefunguje na Rómov. In: ETrend.sk. 12.04.2017. https://www.etrend.sk/trend-archiv/rok-2017/cislo-15/cely-system-je-nastaveny-na-majoritu-preto-nefunguje-na-romov.html [link-preview url=”https://www.etrend.sk/trend-archiv/rok-2017/cislo-15/cely-system-je-nastaveny-na-majoritu-preto-nefunguje-na-romov.html”]
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