Category Archives: News Western Europe

Frankreich News Westeuropa

French Magazine condemned for incitation to hatred

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French Magazine condemned for incitation to hatred

The French Magazine “Valeurs Actuelles” has been condemned for incitation to racial hatred against Rroma for an article and title page of the magazine called: “Les Roms, l’Overdose” – The Rroma, the overdosis that was published in August 2014. The director of the publication, Yves de Kerdrel has been sentenced to a fine of 3’000 Euro.

This is a news, and good news, especially in France where the image of the Rroma is not good, and where even the Prime Minister is not adverse at racists statements against this minority.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

Meanwhile in France …

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Meanwhile in France …

As usual, not a week can pass in France without the press lamenting about illegal settlements, or reporting on the judicial actions of Rroma or NGOs fighting evictions. This time, these are again the Rroma from Roubaix, in the North of France whose expulsion is pending a legal hearing that has now been reported to mid April.

News Westeuropa

Rroma in Turkey under Erdogan

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Le monde diplomatique published a long article on the Rroma in today Erdogan’s Turkey. Many of them were driven out of centuries old settlements, some such as Sulukule in Istanbul dating back more than a thousand years.

However, in the last five years, some of the key laws against Rroma in Turkey have been revoked. These gestures are due in part to the pressure of the EU concerning the rights of minorities in Turkey are not fundamentally changing their situation. Prejudices are strong, very strong in that country, and Rroma – still called Cingene – are still all too often simply excluded.

Bulgarien Frankreich News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Rumänien

Why so much hatred?

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Why so much hatred?

While starting with a good intention, Planet.fr, in their article entitled “Roms: pourquoi tant de haine?” [Rroma: why so much hatred], manages to pack quite a few stereotypes and misinformation in a short article. They speak of 17’000 Rroma (only those who have arrived from Romania and Bulgaria), associating Rroma with migrants and neglecting the 500’000 who live in that country, speak of poverty, etc.

On the positive side, they mention that France is indeed quite racist at this stage against Rroma and tha French politics have a problem with Rroma.

News Westeuropa

Pankok and Eskildsen

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Pankok and Eskildsen

An exhibition in Duisburg shows art from Maurice Pankok (1893-1966), and artist who dedicated a lot of his art to Rroma and Sinti as well as photographs from Joachim Eskildsen, author of the now famous book “The Roma Journeys”. A must in both cases.

 

Ausstellung über Sinti und Roma in Duisburg. In: WAZ. 15.03.2015. http://www.derwesten.de/staedte/duisburg/ausstellung-ueber-sinti-und-roma-in-duisburg-aimp-id10424658.html

News Westeuropa

Exhibition in Sweden

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Exhibition in Sweden

The Swedish exhibition featuring two Rroma beggars continues to make waves. This time, Libération speaks about it, citing the Rroma associations from Sweden / Malmø.

Soraya Post, a MEPalso slammed this exhibition as being disgracefull.

News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Rumänien

Again … Same old Stories

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Again … Same old Stories

The Mail Online again distinguishes itself with ludicrous statements that girls as yound as 12 are forced married against thousands of pounds an are now living in Rotterdam. They call for an urgent investigation of how many such cases now live in the UK. As usual, several items are mixed in such news: The fact that Vlax Rroma (originally from Romania) pay for the bride. It by far doesn’t mean that they are “boufght” for this price, often in gold coins belongs to the bride and is a guarantee in case of divorces or difficulties. And again, from Rroma, the first boyfriend or girlfriend is considered to be the “husband” or the “wife”. Add these two facts, and you get a lurid headline that has little to do with reality.

Italien News Westeuropa

Italian Textbook slammed for prejudice

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Italian Textbook slammed for prejudice

A court in Rome has found a publishing house that published a text book suggesting that „Gypsies“ were criminals, has been condemned for discrimination. This is a landmark case in Italy where these statements are all too often tolerated if not encouraged.

Koratien Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa News Westeuropa

22.05.15 The Final Solution of the Gypsy Question

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22.05.15 The Final Solution of the Gypsy Question

A theatre piece in Berlin, called “Zur Endlösung der Zigeunerfrage” – the final solution of the Rroma question – relates the murder of Rroma during the Nazi times. The collective behind the piece, composed of youngsters and scientists, have researched first hand accounts of Rroma and Sinti of that period and brought them to the stage. Questions on ethnicity, racial profiling are also raised in the piece.

A must, and a stark reminder that Rroma were murdered in scores by the Nazis during world war two. In some countries such as the Czech republic or in Croatia, the entire Rroma population was wiped out. In others, one estimate that 250 thousands to maybe a million or more were murdered in camps, but also simply shot on the spot.

– Dokumentartheater zur NS-Geschichte: Zur Endlösung der Täterfrage. In: TAZ. 20.02.2015. http://www.taz.de/Dokumentartheater-zur-NS-Geschichte/!155110/

Frankreich News Westeuropa

22.02.15 The case of the dead child that could not be buried

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22.02.15 The case of the dead child that could not be buried

The case of the dead child that could not be buried in France after a mayor refused to sign the inhumation permit came to a close this week. The police had launched an investigation on the mayor’s actions following the reports of the case in the press. This investigation has now been closed without further actions. This in spite of the fact that prominent politicians like Toubon declared the mayor’s action to be clearly illegal.

– Refus d’inhumer un bébé rom en Essonne: L’enquête classée sans suite. In: 20 Minutes. 18.02.2015. http://www.20minutes.fr/…/1544115-20150218-refus-inhumer-be…

Bulgarien News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Rumänien

22.02.15 A documentary on Rroma in Toulouse

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22.02.15 A documentary on Rroma in Toulouse

A young filmmaker Sahra Denard is currently making a documentary on Rroma migrants in the city of Toulouse. She is working with three Romanian sisters who live in an camp and will go with them in Romania, in their village of origin.

While the filmmaker wants to reduce stereotypes, the choice of subject contributes to re-enforce the general views on Rroma; Migrants from Romania or Bulgaria, poor, uneducated etc. On such a topic, the line between helping and damaging Rroma is a thin one to walk.

– Sarah Denard, un documentaire sur les Roms. In: La Dépèche. 19.02.2015. http://www.ladepeche.fr/…/2052220-sarah-denard-un-documenta…

News Westeuropa

15.02.2015 Exhibition on Rroma in Vienna

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A new exhibition in Vienna called “Romane Thana” or Rroma places presents the culture of the Rroma. The exhibition presents pictures, documents, sound material. Klaus-Michael Bogdal, authors of the book “Europa erfindet die Zigeuner” is also present at this exhibition.

Pity that the article, as well as Bogdal and the exhibition itself perpetuates the view that Rroma only arrived in the late middle ages in Europe. For some reason, in the eyes of Westerners, the Byzantine Empire never seems to have existed, much less to have been in Europe …

– Wien-Museum: Das Leben der Roma und Sinti. In: Die Presse.com.12.02.2015. http://diepresse.com/…/WienMuseum_Das-Leben-der-Roma-und-Si…
– Wien Museum zeigt Orte der Roma und Sinti. In: Heute.at. 10.02.2015.http://www.heute.at/freizeit/kultur/art23668,1124806

A new exhibition in Vienna called “Romane Thana” or Rroma places presents the culture of the Rroma. The exhibition presents pictures, documents, sound material. Klaus-Michael Bogdal, authors of the book “Europa erfindet die Zigeuner” is also present at this exhibition.

Pity that the article, as well as Bogdal and the exhibition itself perpetuates the view that Rroma only arrived in the late middle ages in Europe. For some reason, in the eyes of Westerners, the Byzantine Empire never seems to have existed, much less to have been in Europe …

– Wien-Museum: Das Leben der Roma und Sinti. In: Die Presse.com.12.02.2015. http://diepresse.com/…/WienMuseum_Das-Leben-der-Roma-und-Si…
– Wien Museum zeigt Orte der Roma und Sinti. In: Heute.at. 10.02.2015.http://www.heute.at/freizeit/kultur/art23668,1124806

 A new exhibition in Vienna called “Romane Thana” or Rroma places presents the culture of the Rroma. The exhibition presents pictures, documents, sound material. Klaus-Michael Bogdal, authors of the book “Europa erfindet die Zigeuner” is also present at this exhibition.

Pity that the article, as well as Bogdal and the exhibition itself perpetuates the view that Rroma only arrived in the late middle ages in Europe. For some reason, in the eyes of Westerners, the Byzantine Empire never seems to have existed, much less to have been in Europe …

– Wien-Museum: Das Leben der Roma und Sinti. In: Die Presse.com.12.02.2015. http://diepresse.com/…/WienMuseum_Das-Leben-der-Roma-und-Si…
– Wien Museum zeigt Orte der Roma und Sinti. In: Heute.at. 10.02.2015.http://www.heute.at/freizeit/kultur/art23668,1124806

 

Deutschland Kosovo News Osteuropa News Westeuropa

15.02.2015 Kosovo Refugees – German Calls for Action

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Following the sharp increase of people fleeing Kosovo to escape poverty and, in the case of Rroma, discrimination and outright racism, there are calls in Germany to be more stringent on theses asylum applications. Various measures have been suggested by politicians (Tagesspeigel) going to extraditing refugees also in the winter, as asked by politicians from the CDU (LNOnline). Some even deny that there is an issue in the country.

Politicians should be maybe remember, especially in Germany, that they recognised the country but also implicitly if not explicitly recognised the ethnic cleansing of minorities from the Kosovo. Ethnic states have no place in the 21st century!

– Simantke, Elisa; Monath, Hans. Streit um schnellere Abschiebung. In Der Tagesspeigel. 13.02.2015. http://www.tagesspiegel.de/…/fluechtlinge-aus…/11360670.html
– Streit um Asylbewerber aus dem Kosovo: Nord-CDU macht Druck. In: LNOnline. 13.02.2015. http://www.ln-online.de/…/Streit-um-Asylbewerber-aus-dem-Ko…
– Kosov ist kein Krisenland. Beate Merk im Gespräch mit Thielko Grieß. In: Deutschlandrundfunk. 14.02.2015.

 

News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Rumänien

12.02.2015 When slavery was common in Europe

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Another article from the Welt on the Romanian Movie we already reported on “Aferim” reminding people of the slavery that prevailed in Romania until the 1860’s. A state that explains a lot about the situation of Rroma in that country. One only need to think of the United States and realise that one is not far from what was comon until Martin Luther King.

– Als in Europa Sklaverei noch ganz normal war. In: Die Welt. 12.02.2015

Als in Europa Sklaverei noch ganz normal war‘}”>Als in Europa Sklaverei noch ganz normal war

Frankreich News Osteuropa News Westeuropa Rumänien

08.02.2015 France: Some positive news …

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Not all news in France on Rroma is negative. In the north of France, an association helps Rroma to integrate, to obtain papers and find work. They follow Rroma, mostly from Romania who have been in the region for several years.

In Avignon, the state lodged some 30 Rroma in a camping after having been expulsed from their camp. Probably, the officials thought that as they are “travellers” a camping is the proper thing to do.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

08.02.2015 French Evictions: 2015 started no better than 2014

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While the press ponders the reports from the ERRC and the LDH on the evictions of Rroma camps in France, these evictions, as apparent from other papers, continue in full swing. For example, about 100 Rroma were evacuated by the police from a former factory (La Marne) or in Loos, the polices “re-organised” Rroma camps (Voix du Nord).

Meanwhile, the Figaro reports on crimes committed by the “gens du voyage”, the French version of the term of “Travellers”. In this case, some Travellers are reported to have stolen an car with a baby on board and abandoned the kid on the side of the road. Following this, the police raided 6 camps. These camps have nothing to do with the illegal Rroma camps – these are camps with caravans etc. Once again, criminality is presented as a way of life and as part of the culture. In addition, the journalist is not quite sure of his terminology, using several different terms to denote the criminals he reports on.

News Westeuropa

08.02.2015 Remembrance of victims of the Holocaust

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HNA reports on the research of a history teacher, Arndt Böttcher, who has been researching the history of a Rroma family in Battenberg, the Klein. The family settled in Battenberg in the 18th century and was deported to Auschwitz and other camps during the war. Many died but apparently 4 sons survived the horrors of the war.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

08.02.2015 Foreign in one’s own country: Sinti in Germany

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MiGazin speaks about Ricardo Laubinger, a Sinto from Hildesheim, a town where Rroma are documented since 1407. His family lived there since generations and travelled during the summer to earn a living as a trader or handyman. He clearly says “We are German” and says that after all, his forebears lived there for the last 600 years!

News Westeuropa

08.02.2015 Commemoration of the Attacks in Oberwarth

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An Article in the “Standard” in Austria speaks about the attacks 20 years ago in Oberwarth, and also about the Rroma who were deported to concentration camps during the war. Politicians attended the commemorations and spoke about a “peaceful coexistence”, something that is unfortunately still a dream, as an article of the same newspaper from a week ago showed.

Frankreich Italien News Westeuropa

08.02.2015 Italy: An official says Rroma are good at sorting garbage

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08.02.2015 Italy: An official says Rroma are good at sorting garbage

An Italian social Policy councillor Francesca Danese, has suggested that Rroma in Italy should be hired to sort garbage, adding that they have the “skills to rummage through waste”.  We are not sure on which facts she bases her statement but are positive that it shows a total misunderstanding of the minority, and constitutes a racist act. This is not acceptable from a government official.

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