A series or reportages among travelling Roma who come to Switzerland over the summer.
Not much this week. A fire in a camp in Marseilles, and an old reportage just updated about young Roma who are working with social workers.
Two teachers from Dobšina found a way to attract children from poor Roma families. In four years in their experimental class, not a single student failed. Another 85 children will start school in the fall, who have the chance to experience a different approach.
The problem are textbooks. They cannot yet be purchased from a state grant. So these teachers started a fundraiser.
Good.
Zeljko Jovanovič, the president of the Roma Foundation for Europe and a long term activist calls for the community to look to the future and learn from the past. “I would like young Roma to see themselves as a source of collective strength. Let them work as a collective to build a higher level of resistance,” he said in an interview for iROZHLAS.cz at a conference on the anniversary of the Roma Holocaust in Poland.
Roma cuisine, attractions for children, and music are in the program of the 7th Roma festival in Lesopark Osmička in Lovosice, which takes place on August 17 from 12:00 and will last until late at night. Look forward to Roma dance groups from all over the country, as well as Roma singers and bands.
Following the attack by Roma on policemen trying to arrest two juveniles, the Slovenian police reacted. The Police Union of Slovenia warned of the deterioration of the security situation in some areas of the country. The Ministry of the Interior and the police strongly condemn any violence and attack on police officers, who must be dealt with and punished accordingly. They are actively solving the challenges regarding the Roma community and they believe that in the dialogue between the local community, the state and the Roma population, they will make important steps towards improvement, they stated in response to the union appeal.
Another incendiary article about the Roma “Problem” in Slovenia. The article states that in recent months, the debate about the Slovenian government’s ineffective handling of the Roma issue has been rekindled, as the media reports on an increased number of crimes related to the Roma minority. Despite the disobedience, the mayors persist and strive for legal changes as soon as possible, because the minority must have exactly the same obligations as other citizens, emphasizes the mayor of Ribnica Samo Pogorelc.
Slovenian media report on Roma violence and crimes almost every day. According to the current opposition, the government is clearly not concerned with this, as it rejects all proposals, even those of mayors who know the situation well.
On Sunday, several members of the Roma community clashed with the police officers who arrested the underage driver. The Roma then tried to prevent the arrest by hitting, pushing and threatening the police. Two police officers were slightly injured. The editorial office of 24UR received a video of the attack, and their journalist spoke with representatives of one of the Roma communities from the Kočevje area, who are outraged that “they are all being thrown into the same bin.”
Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family Erik Tomáš received the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma communities Alexander Daško. The subject of the labour negotiations on projects aiming to create job positions for low-skilled and long-term unemployed people, as well as a legislative proposal to withdraw or reduce benefits in material need for those unemployed who can work, but refuse a suitable job offer.
Daško doesn’t see anything discriminatory in those measures.
Bad.
A new study in Slovakia dispels the myth that the social benefits that Roma get is one of the main burden of the state and that this is the reason for high taxes. According to the study, families with more than three children, which often include Roma families, receive approximately 27 million euros per year in benefits in material need and additional payments. “This is the same amount that the government allocated for the construction of the National Football Stadium,” the report said.
An article in the Czech press on the many festival featuring Roma music in France.
The municipality of Velingrad has started a procedure to legalize the illegal buildings in the Roma neighbourhoods of the city. In Bulgaria, many houses in Roma settlements have never been registered and there are often no property documents.
The aim is to give the households who live in the houses there the right and the obligation to pay taxes. This will limit the illegal use of electricity and water.
The gala program of the civic association Divé maky brought Roma temperament and several inspiring stories to the center of Bratislava. The celebration of the talent of Roma children took place on Saturday in Hviezdoslav Square, where young Roma scholarship holders will presented the results of their work.
The program offered music and singing, dance, a theater performance and a discussion about the future of Roma youth in Slovakia, which was discussed by the leaders of Dive Maky (Wild Poppies).
Unfortunately, this is full of stereotypes…
A documentary on Slovenian TV on Jože Horvat Didi who was the first and only Roma footballer in the second division of the Yugoslav Football Association. He took his first football steps at Pušča, played for Mura, then in the second German league and then in Austria. He was born on May 4, 1946 in Pušča, and died on February 2, 2024.
An attack by the “citizens of Kočevje on the police” made the news in Slovenia. When pursuing the underage drivers who did not want to surrender, they encountered a “group of people” who then tried to prevent the arrest by hitting, pushing and threatening the police.
Robert Tomazin, a “real” citizen of Kočevje, warned that this is grossly distorted reporting that does not say anything about the real attackers. He wrote on his Facebook profile that it is a distorted report that casts a bad light on the other citizens of Kočevje, while the real perpetrators were members of the Roma community.
Bad in every sense.
An exhibition follows the path taken by Kyiv Jews on their last journey on September 29, 1941. At every step, you can look into numerous mirrors. They reflect the fates of victims of the Holodomor and Mariupol, deported Crimean Tatars and executed Roma, prisoners of the GULAG, Syrts and Yagidny, prisoners of war killed in Katyn, Darnytsia and Olenivka.
Some reflections on the memorial of the former concentration camp of Lety, in Czechia with a question: Will the trees that have been planted there become tall before racism against Roma disappears?
The association Divé maky [Wild Poppies] wants to bring the beauty of Roma art closer to the residents, contribute to breaking down stereotypes and prejudices against Roma, increase tolerance and give space for gifted Roma children to present their skills together with professional Roma artists.
Well, nice aims, but what they present reinforces stereotypes…
Almost nothing this week in France about Rom. Just the story of the closure of a camp near Strasbourg. This story is typical of the way France deals with such things: 120 Roma settled near a highway access ramp in 2019. They slowly built a maeksift camp, and now, the camp has been closed for being insalubrious.
Frankly, it was the case since the beginning. Its inhabitants have yet to be permanetly re-located.
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