Category Archives: News Western Europe

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Germany and Racism against Roma

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Ten years ago, the memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe who were murdered under National Socialism was inaugurated in Berlin, but little is known about this Nazi genocide. Young descendants of the victims want to change that.

It’s a cool autumn morning. It rained during the night. Stefan Pavlovic and his colleague David Nikolic are part of the “Me Sem Me” project, which was launched by the “Rroma Information Centre” in Berlin. In the project, young descendants whose families were affected by Nazi persecution report on the genocide of the Roma and Sinti. David says he feels a kind of obligation to his ancestors to bring the story closer to others. “Me Sem Me” is Romani and translated into German means: “I am I”. The association wants to make it clear that they want to be accepted as Roma.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Ten Years of Memorial – German President

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Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honoured the memorial for Sinti and Roma in Berlin on its tenth anniversary. The President criticized ongoing discrimination against Roma in Germany and Europe. According to Steinmeier in Berlin, the old anti-Roma prejudices persisted in many parts of society. They could be revived all over Europe by radical right-wing forces. “The everyday discrimination against Roma and Romnja must stop,” he said.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Germany and Racism

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The Federal Government’s Antiziganism Commissioner has denounced far-reaching discrimination against Sinti and Roma in Germany. “We have a racist profiling in the areas of police and justice, education, the housing market and social administration,” said Commissioner Mehmet Daimaguler of the German Press Agency. The genocide of the National Socialists against the Sinti and Roma has not been dealt with either. That is why he is planning a truth and reconciliation commission for the coming year.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Berlin Memorial

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The ten years old Holocaust Memorial for Sinti and Roma in Berlin is threatened by the construction of a new subway right underneath it. Associations of Sinti and Roma see the function of the memorial where fresh flowers are always placed on the stele, and where there is a violin sound threatened by planned construction work for a new S-Bahn line. The chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, has indicated that he is willing to discuss a modified draft.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Ten Years

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Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Holocaust memorial of Sinti and Roma in Berlin. The German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier will hold a speech there at 11 AM.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

French Chronicle …

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Pretty usual week in France on Roma. An exhibition on the Romanian slavery of Roma in Nantes; near Paris, Roma are getting support for them to stay in a camp near Bobigny from their neighbours, an exception; also near Paris, a camp is evacuated; in Lyon, Roma finally get water; two camps closed in the South of France; and finally, several Roma were condemned for having defrauded immigration candidates from the East.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Zilli Schmidt

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The Holocaust survivor Zilli Schmidt, a German Sintiza, died in Manheim, Germany at the age of 98.

May she rest in peace.

News Westeuropa Schweden

Stockholm Conference on Roma Genocide

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On October 20th and 21st, an international conference on the Genocide of the Roma and on Combatting Antigypsyism was held in Stockholm. The conference was both in person as well as online with over 100 participants online and ca. 50 in person. There were Roma representatives from Sweden, but also other Roma from Romania, Serbia, France, and other countries as well as researchers International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) members, as well as Swedish representatives.

The conference was held under the auspices of the Swedish presidency of the IHRA for 2022.

There was a very strong consensus among Roma who were present on the terminology: They clearly preferred the name of Roma Holocaust over the one of Genocide, having the feeling that using the latter belittles their sufferings during the period. An interesting intervention by Andrej Kotljarchuk from the Uppsala University explained that “Holocaust” has a subjective value while “Genocide” is extremely well defined. So maybe we should speak about the Roma Genocide during the Holocaust.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Germany and Racism

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According to Romani Rose, the head of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the corona pandemic have led to more antigypsyism. In the economic and energy crisis, the old tradition of “excluding scapegoats from society is being strengthened,” Rose told the Evangelical Press Service (epd). In this way, right-wing extremists offer society a culprit. Growing antigypsyism and antisemitism had reached a threatening level.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Deutsche Bahn and Roma

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Deutsche Bahn adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antigypsyism. Deutsche Bahn (DB) is sending a clear signal against antigypsyism. In the presence of the Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, and the Special Representative for Holocaust Remembrance and International Affairs of the Sinti and Roma at the Federal Foreign Office, Dr. Robert Klinke, DB CEO Dr. Richard Lutz adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antigypsyism. Beforehand, DB laid a wreath at the memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe who were murdered under National Socialism and commemorated the approximately 500,000 victims of this minority.

By accepting the working definition, DB is following the constructive discussions with Romani Rose and the Federal Government’s Antiziganism Commissioner, Dr. Mehmet Daimaguler, May 2022. This came about after reports of cases of discrimination against Ukraine refugees who belong to the Roma minority.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Ake Dikhea

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The German Newpaper taz is giving away 2×2 free tickets for the 6th International Roma Film Festival “AKE DIKHEA?” for the film “Time of Silence and Darkness” on October 27th. at 7:30 p.m. AKE DIKHEA is an international festival with films by and with Roma and Sinti, which has been taking place in Berlin every year since 2017. It shows the world from their perspective and asks how they see themselves and how they want to be seen.

Frankreich News Westeuropa

French Chronicle …

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Not many news this week about Roma in France, which is not surprising, as there are more pressing subjects in France right now such as the strike in the oil refineries which are causing real problems …

First a reportage in a Roma camp on Paris’ outskirts and with the people helping the residents. Then, an article about ca. 10’000 children who are not enrolled in schools in France, in spite of the law requiring it. This led some Roma last week to sure mayors of towns who refused to enrol their children. Finally, the announcement of a festival in Toulouse.

Deutschland News Westeuropa Ukraine

Discrimination?

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At the North Elementary School “Am Reitbahnsee” in Neubrandenburg in North Eastern Germany, two preparatory classes with Ukrainian students are treated differently: While some are taught in the school building, a two-room apartment was rented for around 20 children – three kilometres away from the school. They belong to the Roma minority. This way they have no contact with other students. In addition, the apartment has safety deficiencies. Those responsible deny the allegations of discrimination.

Bad.

Italien News Westeuropa

Italy, Meloni, and Roma

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An interview of Dijana Pavlovic spokesperson for the Kethane movement that protects the rights of Roma and Sinti in Italy on her views of  the victory of the far right in Italy. One of the question is typical of so-called “journalism”:

“You believe that there is a security problem in Italy. Often most of the crimes, especially those related to heritage, are committed by Roma and Sinti, how do you judge this data?”. Ms. Pavlovic’s answer is the right one: “What data? From this point of view, the data does not exist, it is just a commonly shared perception.”

Frankreich News Westeuropa

French Chronicle …

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More news in France on Roma this week. First, a reportage on television about the anti-Roma riots in 2019 that started on rumours that Roma were stealing children. The ones who started the rumours were identified but not condemned. Sad. Near Paris, several Roma families are suing mayors for refusing to enrol Roma children in classes, something that is mandatory and guaranteed by the law. In Bobigny, near Paris, residents who had lobbied to have a camp closed as it was on private land are now defending the new camp on communal grounds. In Lyon, a camp has been growing. In Aubagne, in the South, a camp will be closed, and in Marseilles, neighbours of a squat are fed up.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Paderborn: Exhibition

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Anyone who wants to learn something about the history of the Sinti and Roma is in the right place from Sunday in the Paderborn City Museum. This is where the new exhibition “Racial Diagnosis: Gypsy” begins.

Italien News Westeuropa

Italy and Crime

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Several articles about Roma, Sinti Piemontese, who were arrested for having committed at least 21 thefts in homes of elderly people by passing themselves as gas technicians.

Bad.

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