Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Slovakia: Kitsch and Stereotypes

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An article about weddings and christenings among Olah (Vlach) Roma in Slovakia. Here, a wedding with lots of kitsch and gold.

This just perpetuates clichés.

Czechia: Concerts

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Singer and choirmaster Ida Kelarová, in cooperation with the Czech Philharmonic, will organize two extraordinary concerts for International Roma Day, this time under the name “Paĺikerav”, which means thank you in Romanes. Together with Ida Kelarová, the children’s choir Čhavorenge, Desiderius Dužda, the Jazz Trio, the Chamber Orchestra of the Czech and Czech Student Philharmonic Orchestra, the cymbalom band Pekovci and other guests will perform.

The first concert takes place in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum on Saturday, April 6 from 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live by Czech Radio on the Vltava station, and the second concert at the same time on Sunday, April 7. The recording on International Roma Day will be broadcast by Czech Television on the CT art program.

Brno: The Aftermath

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A crisis meeting of the Roma Council of the City of Brno took place in Brno. It was a response to the acquittal verdict of the Regional Court in the case of the death of a young Rom. The verdict caused a wave of disappointment among the members of the council and confirmed, according to them, the concerns of the Roma community about distrust in the justice system, especially when the victims are Roma. Brno Mayor Markéta Vaňková and Deputy Mayor Robert Kerndl also took part in the meeting.

Brno: Verdict

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The court pardoned a Ukrainian who was originally charged with the murder of a young Rom in Brno last summer. According to the final verdict, it was a necessary self-defence. The verdict caused was met with disbelief and sadness by  the Roma minority.

Bulgaria: Attack

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Three young Roma apparently attacked a person at a bus stop. That person had told them to be quieter.

This is bad.

Poland: Ukrainian Roma Refugees Evicted

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Several hundred refugees from Ukraine – of Roma origin – were left homeless overnight. All because of the closure of the centre in Kidałowice in Podkarpacie. As we found out, the centre was closed due to sanitary problems.

We were alerted to this matter by the W Stron Dialogu Foundation. This is an organization supporting the Roma community in Poland, including refugees who came to our country in the face of a full-scale war in Ukraine. The Foundation knew that there was a centre in Kidałowice in Podkarpacie where several hundred people lived, including women, children and seniors. They told us that overnight they were “put out on the street.”

Poland and Ukrainian Roma Refugees

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Several hundred refugees from Ukraine – of Roma origin from the Transcarpathian region- were left homeless overnight. All because of the closure of the centrer in Kidałowice in Podkarpacie. As we found out, the centre was closed due to sanitary problems. Some families decided to return to Ukraine, others are already taken care of in other centres.

A discussion with Dr. Joanna Talewicz.

Jan Bendig

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Jan Honza Bendig, currently without a doubt the most successful Roma singer in the Czech Republic, was attacked a while ago while attending a gala event. It later turned out that he himself had staged the attack. He now still insists on his position – that he did not arrange it and was a victim, despite the overwhelming evidence gathered by the Czech Police.

Ukraine and Roma

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On March 7, 2024, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, in partnership with the European Union and the Council of Europe, held a conference “Outlining the challenges faced by Ukrainian Roma in wartime and overcoming obstacles through policy, advocacy and empowerment and opportunities”.

This conference was organized to engage civil society and the Ukrainian government in a constructive dialogue to solve the problems reported by the Roma during the last two years of the war. Representatives of state and regional authorities, Roma public organizations and intergovernmental organizations took part in the event.

Bulgaria, Roma and Domestic Violence

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The degree of recognition of domestic violence among Roma women and children is still low. This is according to an analysis carried out in the framework of a project funded under the Justice Program of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The data was released at a closing conference on the various forms of violence in Yambol.

Liberec – Czechia

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A new monument in Liberec, Czech Republic, remembers the victims of the genocide. The names of 11 murdered children are written on the monument.

Lety and Denial

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The author of a Facebook post criticizes that the state bought and demolished a pig farm in Lety, where a Roma concentration camp stood during the Second World War. The author considers this a waste of money and as evidence he attaches a photo of a newspaper article from 2018 with the headline “Archaeologists did not find Roma graves”.

Archaeologists actually found the graves of Roma in Lety, in 2019.

Serbia: Theatre Play

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The premiere of the play “Poor Mileva from Bosnia in our civilization in 1878” was held in Subotica, Serbia. This is the oldest known Serbian text written by a woman. The play features the National Theatre, children from the drama section of the Children’s Theatre, and members of the Roma community.

Montenegro: The Aftermath

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A fire ripped through a Roma settlement in Bar, Montenegro. The Roma Council has now allocated 12’000 euros for the repairs.

Slovakia: Stereotypes

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The story of the Roma “King” Róbert I. Botoš and his numerous designer shirts and gold.

This perpetuates the clichés and the untruth that there is such a thing as a Roma king.

Roma Vakeren

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Roma program about the forgotten story of Antonia Single, an extraordinary Roma flamenco dancer,

Photographer Antoine Le Roux on nomads and on the RomanoNet organization has been coordinating the cooperation of non-profit organizations engaged in work with the Roma minority.

Slovakia Elections

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A reportage Cakov, a village in Eastern Slovakia. The current Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová won almost 98 percent of the votes in Cakov last time. Who the residents will support this year will depend on how the candidates approach the problems of the Roma and Hungarian minorities.

Czechia and School Segregation

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Two articles dwelling on what happened in the 16 years since the Czech Republic was condemned for school segregation and discrimination against Roma. There are still segregated school, and according to the Deputy Minister of Education Jiří Nantl (ODS), Czech society is thereby producing clients of the welfare state.

These schools should be closed, and desegregations should be enforced.

Poland, Foreigners and Minorities

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Well, the results of a survey in Poland are unfortunately not surprising. The least liked people in Poland (in that order) are Byelorussians, Roma, and Russian.

Sad that a local minority is so badly recognised.

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