Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia – Attacks

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Many years have passed since the terrifying attacks on Roma families in the settlement in Záhorská Ves. From 2003 to 2007, unknown masked criminals attacked the local Roma with sticks several times and even set fire to the house where they lived. Well, on the morning of Monday, September 26, 2022, the case took a major turn. Elite NAKA policemen detained members of the criminal group of the takáčov gang, after which horrifying information about years of unexplained attacks on Roma in Záhorská Ves came to light. NAKA accused the mayor Boris Šimkovič and the boss of the takáčovci gsng, Ivan Mego. After the intervention of NAKA, 19 people are accused and 9 detained.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Serbie

Serbia – Romodrom

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The ROMODROM event will open on October 1, 2022. at 8 p.m. in the Ciglana club with a discussion entitled “Roma in Serbian cinematography” . Participants in the debate are Goran Gocić , writer, journalist and film critic, Sreten Jovanović , film producer, Radenko Ranković , professor of film production and Gordana Nešić , journalist. The talk will be followed by a treat for music connoisseurs, a concert by the AMARO DEL group.

The ROMODROM project, will see several manifestations whose aim is educating the majority population about culture, traditional heritage and the participation of Roma in the cultural and socio-scientific life of our country. It is aimed at overcoming the gap created by centuries of stereotypical views of the Roma. Through cooperation with various artists and scientists of both Roma and non-Roma origin, the idea is to encourage and strengthen the healthy national pride of the Roma, which has been shaken over time and sometimes even led to negation.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est North Macedonia

North Macedonia – Renovations

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Soon 27 Roma families from the Bair neighbourhood in Bitola will be able to renovate their homes. The project “Bair – Joint action of Bitola for the inclusion of Roma”, will fund the renovations but after the legalization of the buildings, and the acquisitions of title deeds.

This is always an issue in Roma neighbourhood where many houses simply do not have any deeds, even in cases where the houses have stood there for many years.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Pologne

Papuša

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Bronisława Wajs, better known as Papuša was a famous Polish Romni and poet. She wrote a diary and almost 200 pages of her notes have survived. She wrote: “My origin. Daddy was from Warmijaki and Berniks (a group of Polish Roma), mummy from Galician Gypsies.” “A better family from a father. I do not remember my father well, I was five when he died in Siberia (around 1914). Mummy married Jan Wajs Jan after eight years … I felt good for one, but bad for the other, because I couldn’t read when I was twelve ”.

She did not write in which year and in which town she was born (it is known that her mother’s name was Katarzyna Zielińska). In the excellent book by Angelika Kuźniak entitled From Papusza, we can read that the poet was born on August 17, 1908 in Sitaniec near Zamość, or on May 10, 1910 in Lublin. Whereas Jerzy Ficowski, a poet, prose writer, essayist and translator, in the book entitled “Gypsies on Polish roads” only wrote that Papusza was born in 1909 or 1910.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Ukraine

Transcarpathian Ukraine

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Volodymyr Kondur, Head of the National Minorities Department of the Secretariat of the Human Rights Commissioner of the Supreme Council of Ukraine, was on a working visit to Transcarpathia.

They held a number of meetings, in particular, they visited the Roma settlement, and also met with representatives of the Zakarpattia Oblast and Berehiv City Council.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovénie

Slovenia and Roma

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After the recent events in the Roma settlement of Brezje near Novem mesto, where a 22 years old was shot dead and two were wounded, some mayors in south-eastern Slovenia point to the need for a comprehensive solution to the Roma problem. They propose the establishment of a special interdepartmental working body.

In a letter sent to Prime Minister Robert Golob, the mayor of Novo Mesto, Gregor Macedoni, assesses that the latest tragic confrontation in Brezje, is a new harsh reminder that the Roma issue in south-eastern Slovenia deserves concrete inter-ministerial attention. consideration at the state level.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia, Roma, Discrimination, and Votes

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In Sokoľany, whose written records date back to the 13th century, they organize a Village Day celebration every year (the tradition was disrupted only in the last two years by covid).

However, this year on September 10, it happened for the first time that the celebration was divided into two parts – the Roma had a reception in the settlement, the main celebration was at the football field. Someone says that it was segregation, someone on the contrary – that it was a bonus for the Roma.

In addition, there are suspicions of vote buying for the local municipal elections in a Roma settlement in Eastern Slovakia. Unfortunately, not uncommon in many places.

République tchèque Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est

Czech Elections and Roma Extremism

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In recent years, the number of Roma candidates has increased with each election. This is most logically manifested in municipal elections. It is one of the key priorities of the current Roma Integration Strategy. And that at both the national and European level. In recent weeks, the news server Romea.cz has published a relatively comprehensive overview of Roma candidates for municipal elections in individual cities of the Czech Republic.

Roma run for various parties and movements across the political spectrum. Very often these are the Pirates, the ČSSD, the European Democrats and the Green Party. Many candidates also appear on the candidate lists of the newly founded Roma Luma party. But then we also have cities where our people appear on the candidate lists of populist and extremist parties such as SPD or Trikolora.

In Brno, 26 Romani men and women are running for the newly established union (according to the media, communists, neo-Nazis, the right-wing extremist movement Decent People and others). This does rase questions, as these parties are definitively not pro-Roma.

Hongire Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Serbie

Justice for Roma in Hungary and Serbia

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A report of the discriminations faced by Roma and their lack of possibilities of recourse against these in the judicial system in Hungary and Serbia.  This is bad but not surprising.

Croatie Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est

Croatia Census

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According to the final results of the 2021 population census, there are 3,871,883 inhabitants in Croatia. Among them, by nationality, there are 3,547,614 (91.63%) Croats, 123,892 (3.2%) Serbs, 24,131 (0.62%) Bosniaks, 17,980 (0.46%) Roma, and 13,763 (0.36%) Italians.

Bosnian is the mother tongue of 17,531 citizens (0.45%), Italian is the mother tongue of 12,890 (0.33 %) citizens, Romanes is the mother tongue of 15,269 citizens (0.39%), and Albanian is the mother tongue of 13,503 citizens (0.35).

As usual, it is almost impossible to know if the numbers of Roma is anywhere close to reality.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia and Roma

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On September 21 and 22, 2022, Helena Dalliová, the European Commissioner for Equality, will visit Slovakia.

During the first day of her visit, Helena Dalliová will visit some regions of Slovakia, where she will discuss issues of equality during her meetings, especially regarding the Roma community. She will meet with the mayor of Sečovce and the local residents of the segregated Roma settlement Hábeš, which received several EU-funded national projects. She will then visits a school in Kecerovce, where all the children in primary and kindergarten are Roma.

Kosovo Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est

Kosovo and OSCE

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The OSCE is launching a new strategy for advancing the rights of Roma in Kosovo. Well, a bit late in the game. No one in Europe did anything when Roma were expelled from Kosovo right after the war.

As long as this has not been acknowledged, these strategies will yield little if any results.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Pologne

Why?

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This is a parade example of bad journalism. A Polish newspaper reports on a car crash. Already not really interesting in itself. But then chooses to indicate that the car owner and driver is a Rom.

Why?

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Pologne

On Polish Racism

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An interesting article and interview of Agnieszka Kościańska adi Michał Petryk, the authors of a book titles “Polish Racism” on the prevalence of racism in Poland and the use of the term “Negro” in Polish. On Roma, it says that they have “always been invisible”.

According to Agnieszka Kościańska,  Anti-Gypsyism in Poland and Eastern Europe is a phenomenon similar to classical racism. We have Roma who live in ghettos, are lowest on the social ladder, and often visually stand out on the streets of Polish cities. This situation limits their opportunities for work or education. At the same time, we hear from everywhere: “It’s their fault,” “They discriminate themselves,” “They don’t care about their education,” “They don’t know how to take care of their homes,” and so on.

Croatie Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est

Croatian Roma Holocaust

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The martyrdom of the Roma, marginalized by the Yugoslav and Croatian authorities after the Second World War, saw the near-complete annihilation of the Roma community in Croatia. Since 2002, remembrance efforts have been made so that their status as full-fledged genocide victims is recognized, but their story has yet to be truly included in school textbooks. A look back with historian Danijel Vojak on this marginalized history.

République tchèque Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est

Is that Justice?

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A Czech Mayor Jaroslav Červinka committed felony incitement to hate a group or limit its rights and freedoms when, during a local assembly session, he said it would be “better to shoot” RomaNews server Aktuálně.cz has reported that the local prosecutor has conditionally suspended pressing charges because the mayor has admitted his deeds and made a donation of CZK 30,000 [EUR 1,223] to a fund to aid crime victims.

This is not justice.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est North Macedonia

North Macedonia and Schools

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Parents in North Macedonia demand change as schools in some districts end up t be totally segregated with 100% of the enrolled children being Roma.

This problem is not only prevalent in that country, as there are many places in Europe with de-facto school segregation. This is the case n many places in Hungary too for example.

Bulgarie Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est

Charles III and Stolipinovo

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Charles, at that time Prince of Wales, visited the Roma neighbourhood of Stolipinovo in Plovdiv in 1998. He was invited there by Roma and even attended a wedding.

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