Monthly Archives: décembre 2024

Slovakia: Discrimination

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Klaudio Virág (27), a resident of the city of Levič, tried to get a job at the Slovak Power Plants in Mochovce as a locksmith. He claims that in a phone call, the job broker told him that they didn’t want Roma people in Mochovce, allegedly because of bad experiences.

A Fire in Zvolen

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Five families in Zvolen, Slovakia, saw their homes burn down in mid-November, and it caused almost no commotion. They were Roma from the area below Pustý hrad. The families refused to go to a community centre temporarily; they were afraid they would lose their children. They moved in with their relatives and acquaintances and don’t know how they will survive the winter.

EU: Call for Tenders

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The Council of Europe is implementing the Joint Programme Roma Integration III in partnership with the European Union to strengthen the capacities of governments in the Western Balkans and Türkiye to address the challenges faced by Roma communities. This initiative includes the development and implementation of public policies in various sectors, such as housing, employment, education, and the fight against anti-Gypsyism.

Kosovo: Resource Centre

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For young people from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, the Student Resource Centre opened its doors on Wednesday and the Additional Support for University Studies programme was launched. This initiative, led by representatives of these communities, was hailed as proof of the belief in the transformative power of education.

Switzerland and Ukrainian Roma Refugees

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The Zurich politician Mario Fehr, after already having made comments on large Roma families from the Ukraine, has now stated that from now on, he doesn’t want to accept large families from Western Ukraine as refugees in the canton.

For large families from Western Ukraine, please read “Roma families from Transcatpathian Ukraine”.  Let us know what you think about this!

French Chronicle …

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Very little news this week in the French media about Roma. Not surprising when there are many important news to report on …

The closure and dismantling of the largest Roma settlement in France near Nantes is hitting a hurdle after the association who said they would lead the project withdrew their offer. In Central France, a discussion on travellers took place; and finally, two articles actually not related to France. one about an adopted Romni from Romania in Canada and one about the instrumentalization of Roma against Ukrainian  refuges in Swtrizerland.

Italy: The Usual

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The article depicts what they call the “Italian Sinti mirror scam”. In this case, the Carabinieri were driving, when they noticed two cars pulled over on the side of the road, with their respective drivers in a heated argument. A young 19-year-old – with a criminal record – allegedly ordered the other driver, a 62-year-old, to stop for alleged damage he had caused while driving. He wanted 350 euros, to end it there, refusing to proceed through insurance channels, as the 62-year-old wanted, who was convinced he had not been involved in any road accident.

Roma Children Books

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The Czech Roma Literature Publishing House “Kher” published a unique book for children aged four and up this year. It was written by Romani author Eva Danišová, winner of the Milena Hübschmannová Award. For the youngest readers, the book presents a Romani peer as the main character for the first time in everyday life situations and during preparation for first grade.

Forced Sterilisation

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The Czech government has finally agreed to extend the deadline for submitting their claims for forced sterilisation by two years to January 2027. The deadline was originally set to January 2025, but the authorities raised so many hurdles for Romnja, that is was almost impossible to get these sterilisations acknowledged (even when there was some written evidence).

Manchester Protests

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A TV Reality Star, who was featured in “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” has been protesting the heavy handed intervention of the Manchester police who forcefully removed Roma from a Christmas market and put them in a train which left them stranded out of the city.

Germany: Prosecution

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 A hundred years old former guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp will finally have to face prosecution for his crimes after a court overturned the decision of a lower court that he is unfit for trial.

Research Grant

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Ethnographer Martin Fotta from the Institute of Ethnology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic has received a prestigious grant from the European Research Council (ERC). His project, entitled “Roma Family in the Period of War” (RAW), received financial support of 2 million euros, or approximately 51 million crowns. The aim of the research is to understand how war conflicts and their consequences affected Roma kinship ties, family structures and community cohesion in different parts of Europe and the Middle East.

Doctors and Roma in Czechia

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A paediatrician in the Czech town of Aš posted on his door: “In view of the increasing aggressiveness of the Romani people, I am not registering them with immediate effect.”

Apparently, several Roma were in his waiting room without an appointment and behaved aggressively. What really happened remains to be seen.

Czechia and the Holocaust

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The Czechs’ awareness of the genocide of the Roma during the Holocaust remains low, although the situation has been improving in recent years thanks to media coverage. But teaching about the history of the Roma in schools is still insufficient. In an interview with ČTK, historian and director of the Museum of Roma Culture Jana Horváthová said this. She believes that the topic needs to be included in the curriculum.

Austria: Romano Paper

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Since 2012, the Roma Adult Education Center Burgenland has been publishing the “RomaCajtung” twice a year. The main person responsible for the existence of the newspaper is the ORF journalist Erich Schneller, who died in 2021. He always set himself the goal of raising public awareness of the Roma and was editor-in-chief of the “RomaCajtung” until his death. “Erich Schneller’s commitment was tireless, we still miss him very much today,” says Horst Horvath.

Roma in Slovenian Education

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Bojana Rozman has been a Roma assistant at Bršljin Primary School for more than 13 years, and her work week is always dynamic. Providing learning assistance, working with a social worker, resolving conflicts between students and visiting a Roma settlement are just a few of the activities of many Roma assistants. Together with other school employees, they solve the problems of Roma students.

Slovenia and Antigypsyism

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The Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Nationalities recently published an invitation to participate in a public prize competition for children and young people entitled Together against Anti-Gypsyism.

Roma representatives greeted the idea, but there are several politicians and parties who criticise this as a waste of money.

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