Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Brawl

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A fight between two Roma families left a father of two dead and 6 wounded. The fight between two rival Roma families happened in Kazanlak, Bulgaria. They went at each other with shovels and axes.

Not good.

Roma Luma – Another view

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A non-Roma view of the Roma Luma political congress. According to the article, efforts to unify the Roma minority have appeared frequently in the past, but according to the organizers of the convention, they have always come to naught, and the Roma now have no adequate representation. And that is precisely why the Roma Luma political party was created.

Roma Luma

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On Saturday afternoon, a Roma meeting was held in Prague, organized by the Roma Luma political party and the Buči association. The event was called the All-Republic Congress of Roma and non-profit organizations, and the participants debated about Roma leaders and the representation of Roma in the public sphere. Roma Luma has two presidents, Mark Cavali and Emil Zajac, who gave an interview to ROMEA TV.

Roma Luma is not necessarily a popular group. As they insulted several people and organisations in the past. “We have apologized to some people, including the ROMEA organization. And I think that now is the right step for us all to meet each other and work together for our community,” said Marco Cavali in the interview.

According to Emil Zajac, Roma Luma proposes that a Roma be elected in each district, who would then represent the Roma. “It would be nice if those people were elected by our people. We can then call them in quotation marks as vajdy,” explained Emil Zajac.

Czech Republic and Forced Sterilisations

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The Minister of Health has reconsidered the decision regarding the rejection of a sterilization application based on discriminatory racial grounds. The application was originally rejected despite the fact that the applicant’s Roma origin was mentioned in the medical documentation as the reason for the sterilization.

The woman will thus be compensated and was awarded an amount of 300 thousand crowns.

Roma Teachers in Bulgaria

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The Trust for Social Alternative Foundation in Bulgaria is funding the “Young Roma Educators” program. According to the program director, Evgenia Volen, Roma children, like all children, have a need from a young age to recognize their potential in a significant adult who serves as a role model. They want to be accepted as they are, and to see examples from their own community that they can become meaningful and economically independent people in the place where they live. She believes that teachers who come from the local community are part of the environment that can engage children in learning.

Roma in Ukraine and Social Services

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Roma families in Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine) were visited by Juvenile Inspectors, Specialists of the Children’s Service of the Executive Committee of Dovhyntsivka District Council in the city, and teachers of Kryvorizka Gymnasium No. 84 to “assess their living conditions and education status.

According to the article, “preventive” discussions were held with the parents regarding “responsible parenting” and the need for children to get an education. It furthers with “The emphasis is on preventing the use of children for begging and involving them in illegal activities.”

This says a lot about what people think of Roma there.

Serbia and Roma

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The mayor of Belgrade said that Roma need to “make a decision about whether they want to live in a way today that follows the standards of the civilized world” – and adding that the city’s Roma get by on stealing and harassing citizens.

He was criticised. He should be dismissed.

Poland: The end of Travels

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A book about the interdiction of travels for Roma in Poland. On May 24, 1952, the Polish government’s presidium adopted a resolution “On assistance for the Gypsy population in transitioning to a settled lifestyle”. This had more to do with the fact that Roma were not conforming to the socialist norm rather than anything else.

The book and article are wrong in that they say that “Most of the Gypsy tribes living in Poland had wandering in their tradition and eternal way of life”. First, these are not tribes, and second, most of these Roma had houses, especially among Xaladytka Roma, and were travelling during the summer to sell horses.

More on the Slovak Relocation

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The relocation of the Roma community for the construction of the ecoduct (a wildlife overpass)  in Svrčinovec has raised a wave of resentment in both Čadec and Lopušné Pažite. Some of the Roma are planned to be relocated to a property in Čadec by the end of the month, a part to a house in the village of Lopušné Pažite, and a part will stay in Svrčinovec.

It shows how Roma are viewed in Slovakia…

Slovakia: Relocation

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The relocation of the Roma community for the construction of an ecoduct (a wildlife overpass) in Svrčinovec raised a wave of resentment in the neighbouring town of Čadca where thy will be relocated. Part of them are planned to be resettled in housing estate in Čadci-Podzávoz, and the residents there have already started writing a petition. Roma talk about discrimination. The situation is also troubling the mayor Matej Šimášek, as no one from the competent state authorities is communicating with them.

Bulgaria: Portrait

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A portrait of a young Romni in Bulgaria. She has completed her university degree and is now a teacher. What the article and its introduction actually says is not quite accurate and gives a wrong view, perpetuating stereotypes. The article states that “Only about 3% of the Roma in the country have a university degree, only 23% have high school” which is the usual idiotic statement, as the actual number of Roma is not known. They also add that “In the case of Romnja, there is also the fact that they are usually unofficially married very early, sometimes as children – a widespread practice that is not legal, but is usually tolerated by the state”. Well, the practise is not widespread. Children marriages are almo0srt exclusively done among Vlach Roma, a minority in Bulgaria. In addition, the unofficial marriage is often simply having a boyfriend …

Normally, Deutsche Welle is a bit better …

Interview with a Teacher

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An interview with Stanislava Dotková, a teacher in a school in the infamous Roma housing estate of Lunik IX in Košice.

In the interview, she explains, among other things, whether the fact that she is Roma herself helps her in teaching Roma pupils, why they have a sensory carpet in the classroom and what she lacks in the education of excluded communities.

Roma and other Minorities in Serbia

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The Serbian Roma Centre for Strategy, Development and Democracy submitted an initiative to introduce the Romani language into official use where, based on the census, the Roma community is represented in the local self-government bodies. They also proposed to introduce the Albanian language into official use throughout the territory of Serbia.

If Serbia is on the way to the European Union, then it is obliged to respect the rights and freedoms of minorities, in this case Roma and Albanians, but also Egyptians, Ashkali, Goranians, Bosniaks and Turks who use the Albanian language, according to the announcement.

Germany and Roma Refugees

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3’200 people from Moldova will be expelled from Germany back into their home country at the end of the month. Most of them are Roma. These Roma protested over the weekend.

“We want to stay here. We don’t want to be deported and come back every three months,” said a young mother. Like most of those who gathered on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Mitte on Saturday afternoon, the Romni comes from the Republic of Moldova. The woman with the microphone looked desperate: “They treat us like dogs.”

Ukraine and Roma in the War

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Another article on Uzhhorod, in Transcarpathian Ukraine, showing how the war is influencing the attitudes towards Roma in the country.

Romania, the Church, and Roma Slavery

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The Romanian Orthodox Church is refusing to apologise for the Roma slavery in Romanian lands, a slavery that lasted until 1862. They were parts of the problems, as there were a whole category of Roma who were slaves of the church.

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