Category Archives: News Western Europe

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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.

News Westeuropa

08.02.2015 Two Rroma exhibited in an Art Gallery

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A contemporary art museum, the Malmö Konstall has an exhibition consisting of two homeless Rroma in a room begging. They are paid, and are not accepting any money from the visitors. The exhibition has been criticised by several organisations as being demeaning and as being an exploitation of human misery.

We would just say that in this particular case, the artist and the gallery have done their share to perpetuate age old stereotypes… This is clearly not acceptable.

 

 

Frankreich News Westeuropa

08.02.2015 France expulsed a Rroma camp every third day in 2014

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The French Press reports on a report from the European Roma Right Center (ERRC) and the League for Human Rights (LDH) on the expulsion policies of the French state. According to them, France expulsed ca. 13’000 of the estimated 17’000 Rroma living in deplorable conditions in camps around the big French cities. Evictions occurred on average every third day. (Le Monde). L’Humanité adds that the state does nothing for an equality of chances for this population and denounces the underlying racism behind these policies. (L’Humanité). France Bleu notes that nearly 67% of these evictions were done in and around Paris. (France Bleu). The magazine Politis, on the same subject, notes that nearly 4 out of 5 people interviewed (around 100 people) were evicted up to 5 or 6 times. They stress that these policies are dehumanising and criticise that these evictions mostly occur around Paris. (Politis)

All journalists as usual missed the key point: The press only actually speaks about 17 to 20’000 Rroma in illegal settlement, and not of the overwhelming majority of Rroma who live in France and whose number is estimated at half a million.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

01.02.2015 France: Evictions in spite of the Winter

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Normally, Republican France refrains from deporting migrants and from evicting illegal settlement in the Winter. This is no longer the case. Evictions continue, and the problem is being shifted from one community to the next. It is as if, one can argue, that the authorities want to maximise the exposure of the general population to poor migrants, guaranteeing an increased racism. This has to stop. Evictions this week, as an example occurred in Cannes and in Chellois.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

01.02.2015 France: A few timid attempts at integration

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In spite of the constant evictions of Rroma that make the headlines in French Newspapers, there are a few attempts at finding longer term solutions. The law requiring evicted people to be relocated is being reluctantly applied, for example in Nimes, in St. Gilles, or in Choisy, while activists are pushing the case further by occupying empty or official buildings as in Noisiel. This is literally a drop of water on a hot stone, and the French state should rather try to definitively integrate these 15’000 migrant Rroma who have now been in France for several years.

Ungarn News Americas News Osteuropa News Westeuropa

01.02.2015 Canada: The Hungarian Rroma Family has to leave

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The Hungarian Rroma family who was fighting the deportation order in Canada have lost their last appeal in Canada’s Federal Court. They now have to leave the country and go back to Hungary where they say they are at risk due to right wing extremists.

News Westeuropa

01.02.2015 Daily Racism: A dire view on the Austrian situation

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An Article in the “Standard” in Austria analyses the daily racism against Rroma that still exist 20 years after the attacks against this minority in Oberwarth. They explicitly state that as soon as an “invisible” Rroma, that is a Rroma who is integrated and does not says he is one, outs himself, he or she is immediately confronted to racism. The old stereotypes, stereotypes that have never really been accurate are difficult to eradicate.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

01.02.2015 France: A few timid attempts at integration

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In spite of the constant evictions of Rroma that make the headlines in French Newspapers, there are a few attempts at finding longer term solutions. The law requiring evicted people to be relocated is being reluctantly applied, for example in Nimes, in St. Gilles, or in Choisy, while activists are pushing the case further by occupying empty or official buildings as in Noisiel. This is literally a drop of water on a hot stone, and the French state should rather try to definitively integrate these 15’000 migrant Rroma who have now been in France for several years.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

01.02.2015 France: Evictions in spite of the Winter

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Normally, Republican France refrains from deporting migrants and from evicting illegal settlement in the Winter. This is no longer the case. Evictions continue, and the problem is being shifted from one community to the next. It is as if, one can argue, that the authorities want to maximise the exposure of the general population to poor migrants, guaranteeing an increased racism. This has to stop. Evictions this week, as an example occurred in Cannes and in Chellois.

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa News Westeuropa

01.02.2015 Paul Polanski and the Lety Concentration Camp

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The Lety Concentration Camp in the Czech Republic, a camp on which site there currently still is a pig farm is once again in the actualities. In this article, it is claimed that Paul Polansky, an amateur historian, brought the facts and existence of this camp to the world’s attention. While Paul Polanski effectively wrote two books on the topic, these were by far not the first ones about Lety (See for example Wickipedia.de on this topic). Fact is, this was one of the early Rroma camps where from many Rroma were deported to death camps.

News Westeuropa

25.01.2015 Exhibition in Trier on the Nazi persecutions of Rroma and Sinti

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For the remembrance day of the victims of the Nazis on January 27th, a series of NGOs in Trier organises an exhibition and series of conference on the topics of the persecutions of Rroma and Sinti under the Nazis.

News Westeuropa

25.01.2015 Exhibition in Trier on the Nazi persecutions of Rroma and Sinti

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For the remembrance day of the victims of the Nazis on January 27th, a series of NGOs in Trier organises an exhibition and series of conference on the topics of the persecutions of Rroma and Sinti under the Nazis.

News Westeuropa

25.01.2015 ‘Gypsies and travellers are hard-working, proud people – they are not criminals’

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The Town Council of Hull, in Britain, decided against allowing Travellers a transit site on that commune. The article is an interview of Shay Gibson of the traveller and romany – Gypsies consultancy. He explicitely state that Rroma are the UK oldest minority and that contrary to the beliefs of the population, Rroma are hard working and not criminals.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

25.01.2015 Murder of Rroma and Sinti: Did we learn anything?

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Romani Rose, president of the Zentralrat der deutschen Sinti und Roma ponders about the aftermath and the collective conscience on the murder of Rroma and Sinti during the Holocaust. The fact that besides Jews, Rroma were singled out for racial reasons and murdered during the Holcaust is still not widely acknowledged or known. More work and more information is still required on this topic.

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