Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Kiev and Rroma

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More than 300 people, roughly 100 families of Rroma have had to leave their homes in Kiev following threats against them. Just after the families left, 5 houses were torched.
This is ethnic cleansing and occurred just before the Europvision.

– Kiev Calling: Ethnic Cleansing Ahead of Eurovision Song Contest. In: ERRC Blog. 12.05.2017. http://www.errc.org/blog/kiev-calling-ethnic-cleansing-ahead-of-eurovision-song-contest/171 [link-preview url=”http://www.errc.org/blog/kiev-calling-ethnic-cleansing-ahead-of-eurovision-song-contest/171″]

Kosovo and Lead Poisoning

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The European Roma Right Centre is demanding justice and compensation for the internally displaced Rroma in Kosovo who were quartered by the UN on a site that was severely polluted, resulting in lead poisoning for many of them.
This was 18 years ago!!!!

– ERRC Demands Justice for Kosovo Victims of Lead Poisoning. In: ERRC. 15.05.2017. http://www.errc.org/article/errc-demands-justice-for-kosovo-victims-of-lead-poisoning/4575 [link-preview url=”http://www.errc.org/article/errc-demands-justice-for-kosovo-victims-of-lead-poisoning/4575″]

Slovenia: Rroma Critique the EU

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The European Roma Federation (ERZ) is very critical of the EU institutions, accuses them of systematic anti-Roma bias and says that they do not want to deal with the Roma and to admit that they are European citizens. This was the message from a two-day international conference Roma in Murska Sobota, Slovenia.

– Evropska romska zveza zelo kritična do ustanov EU. In: STA. 12.05.2017. https://www.sta.si/2386596/evropska-romska-zveza-zelo-kriticna-do-ustanov-eu [link-preview url=”https://www.sta.si/2386596/evropska-romska-zveza-zelo-kriticna-do-ustanov-eu”]

Slovakia and Land Laws

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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/”]

Eurovision and Rroma

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Joci Papaj’s performance at the Eurovision song contest is lauded by Rroma and Jews in Hungary!

– Roma, Jews in Hungary laud Gypsy singer’s Eurovision progress. In: Times of Israel. 12.05.2017. http://www.timesofisrael.com/roma-jews-in-hungary-laud-gypsy-singers-eurovision-progress/ [link-preview url=”http://www.timesofisrael.com/roma-jews-in-hungary-laud-gypsy-singers-eurovision-progress/”]

Slovakia and Slums

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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”]

Germany, Holocaust, and Protests

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In Germany, Rroma protests – for example for the right of refugees from Kosovo an former Yugoslavia – have been held at or around memorial for the victims of the Holocaust.
Not an easy thing, and this is shown in this article.

– Wenn Roma gehört warden. In: Taz. 07.05.2017. https://www.taz.de/Darf-man-an-Gedenkstaetten-protestieren/!5404345/ [link-preview url=”https://www.taz.de/Darf-man-an-Gedenkstaetten-protestieren/!5404345/”]

Poland – An Interesting Interview

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Why should you learn about the culture and customs of the Rroma who have been living in Poland for hundreds of years? What is definitely worth knowing to behave appropriately? A talk about these questions with the guest of Andrzej Grzymała-Kazłowski.

– Dlaczego warto poznawać kulturę i obyczaje Romów? In: Radio Opole. 08.05.2017. http://radio.opole.pl/145,310,dlaczego-warto-poznawac-kulture-i-obyczaje-romow [link-preview url=”http://radio.opole.pl/145,310,dlaczego-warto-poznawac-kulture-i-obyczaje-romow”]

Slovenia and Discrimination

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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

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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”]

New Hungarian Laws and Rroma

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The current laws targeting NGOs and the CEU in Hungary are a danger to the Rroma inclusion in Hungary. Several NGOs working for Rroma, the Roma Education Fund, the European Roma Right Centre, etc. are directly funded by Soros and would need to be labelled “foreign agents” as per the new law. This is not good.

– CEU and NGO crackdown: a double blow for Roma inclusion in Hungary. In: Open Democracy. 05.05.2017. https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/jonathan-lee/ceu-and-ngo-crackdown-double-blow-for-roma-inclusion-in-hungary [link-preview url=”https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/jonathan-lee/ceu-and-ngo-crackdown-double-blow-for-roma-inclusion-in-hungary”]

Kotleba and Culture

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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”]

Romania, Kitsch, and Rroma

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A new museum opened in Bucharest. It is a museum of kitsch. And a section thereof is devoted to Rroma kitsch – as stated in the article “A section on Roma, or Gypsies, regurgitates stereotypes. A pregnant Gypsy woman stands next to a model baby lying on the ground and a metal bucket full of sunflower seeds, the image of a poor Roma woman. In another corner, there are photos of ornate houses with turrets which are labelled “Gypsy Architecture,” a style of house favoured by some well-off Roma.”
Well in this case it is not only kitsch but also stereotypes.

– Romanian Kitsch Museum opens in Bucharest. In: WPXI News. 05.05.2017. http://www.wpxi.com/news/national-news/ap-top-news/romanian-kitsch-museum-opens-in-bucharest/519633181 [link-preview url=”http://www.wpxi.com/news/national-news/ap-top-news/romanian-kitsch-museum-opens-in-bucharest/519633181″]

Germany and Refugees

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A report on by the German Press reports that there are more refugees arriving in Germany than in the whole of Europe … Responsible are internal European Refugees – a lot of them Rroma, according to this short report (not necessarily explicitly named – Bulgarians and Romanians are stated here – but who from these countries requests asylum?)
Bad.

– Wie kann das sein? In Deutschland kommen mehr Flüchtlinge an als in Europa. In: Focus. 04.05.2017. http://www.focus.de/politik/videos/interessante-zahlenkonstellation-wie-kann-das-sein-in-deutschland-kommen-mehr-fluechtlinge-an-als-in-europa_id_7081691.html [link-preview url=”http://www.focus.de/politik/videos/interessante-zahlenkonstellation-wie-kann-das-sein-in-deutschland-kommen-mehr-fluechtlinge-an-als-in-europa_id_7081691.html”]

Lety and the Czech Government

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The commemoration of the Rroma victims of the Holocaust on the site of the former camp of Lety (Czech Republic) seem in a bad shape. They were due to be held on the 13th, but the Rroma organisations are postponing their participation following the resignation of the Czech government. This resignation potentially endangers the decision to buy back the site from the operator of the pig farm located on there.

– European Grassroots Antiracist Movement postpones involvement by internationals in Lety commemoration/ In: Romea.cz. 04.05.2017. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/european-grassroots-antiracist-movement-postpones-involvement-by-internationals-in-lety-commemoration [link-preview url=”http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/european-grassroots-antiracist-movement-postpones-involvement-by-internationals-in-lety-commemoration”]

Slovakia: Police Pursues Kotleba’s Party MPs

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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

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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/”]

Romania and the Holocaust

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72 years after the end of World War Two, Romania has still not come to terms with its past regarding the Holocaust. Romania, an ally of Germany, deported many Rroma to Transnistria where many of them died of hunger and diseases.
While on paper, a law was enacted for the survivors of the holocaust, granting them a small pension, most Rroma do not receive it – for lack of papers, but basically out of discrimination.

– A decades-old paper war: how the Roma are fighting bureaucracy. In: New Stateman. 01.05.2017. http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2017/05/decades-old-paper-war-how-roma-are-fighting-bureaucracy [link-preview url=”http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2017/05/decades-old-paper-war-how-roma-are-fighting-bureaucracy”]

Hotel Gracanica

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An Arte Documentary on the Hotel Gracanica in Kosovo, a hotel run by Rroma and Serbs.

– http://www.arte.tv/de/videos/073399-014-A/re-projekt-versohnung [link-preview url=”http://www.arte.tv/de/videos/073399-014-A/re-projekt-versohnung”]

Music … Džambo Agusev

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– https://youtu.be/JBCzPFIwers?list=PL2Yg3VJTrJpLobRZOWHjgduT-5lZpB75w
– MIX • MACÉDOINE : DŽAMBO AGUSEV, LA NOUVELLE STAR BALKANIQUE DE LA TROMPETTE. In: Le Courrier des Balkans. 27.04.2017. https://www.courrierdesbalkans.fr/Mix-o-Macedoine-Dzambo-Agusev-la-nouvelle-star-balkanique-de-la-trompette [link-preview url=”https://youtu.be/JBCzPFIwers?list=PL2Yg3VJTrJpLobRZOWHjgduT-5lZpB75w “]

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