In a mock open trial, the French state was condemned for violations of the rights of children in the context of the evictions of Rroma camps.
Well done!
A delegation of British police officers has been visiting the Rroma settlement of Jarovnice in Eastern Slovakia to understand the issues faced by Rroma in Slovakia and the ones that they face when migrating to other countries.
An interesting interview of Nezdet Mustafas, the Rroma minister without portfolio of the Macedonian government on the motivations of refugees and the situation of Rroma in Macedonia in general. To take with a grain of salt, as Mustafas is working for the ultra nationalistic current government of Macedonia.
The mayor of a French village in the Dordogne region of France turned off the water supply to a Rroma camp in an attempt to chase them away. What else would he try?
The Gardai (Irish police) is investigating a vigilante attack against Rroma in which a house and two cars were damaged. No arrest so far, but we hope the perpetrators will be soon brought to court!
An interesting report on an integration project in the district of Neukölln in Berlin. Many migrants, among which quite a few Rroma have settled in recent years in that part of town.
Shopkeepers want to set up a vigilante group to combat the Rroma who “harass” tourists and shopkeepers alike in the centre of town.
We are definitively against any such measure. There is a police and there is a law. There is no place to have vigilantes, especially when their targets are clearly defined along minorities lines.
JOIN US to protest.
The Slovenian opposition Alliance (ZaAB) wants to introduce a new law in parliament aimed at providing better housing condition for Rroma in that country.
Berlin is now pondering the interdiction of begging for and with children under 14 years old. Similar measures were passed in many cities, for example in Switzerland, based on the same reason, i.e. protecting the children and avoiding exploitation of children. However, these measures do nothing to solve the inherent poverty problem which is at the core of the problem. It is not a Rroma issue, it is simply a poverty problem.
Middle Eastern Domari are demanding their rights. The Domari are Rroma’s cousins as they are those Rroma who did not cross the Bosphorus in the 10th century and remained in the Middle East. They live in Jordania, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. In the latter country they are the victims of increasingly sectarian violence.
According Human Rights League, France expulsed nearly 4’000 Rroma from camps over the first 6 months of 2015.
One needs to bear other numbers in mind: 20’000 Rroma migrants live in such camps according to the French authorities. And there are roughly 500’000 Rroma in France. Again, there is a question of proportion: The press devotes all its news to less than a percent of Rroma overall in France!
A theatre representation in the Munich suburbs of Dachau aims at building down stereotypes towards Rroma and Sinti. The place, Dachau, is more than symbolic, as during the Nazi times, there was a notorious concentration camp there were many German Rroma and Sinti were interned.
To watch!
Another report, this time on TV on the tours of the notorious 8th District of Budapest. These tours, organised by local Rroma offer a view of a part of town that is usually not on the tourist itineraries.
Another report on the village of Garmen where houses were destroyed last week. The families continue to live in the houses and refused social assistance as a protest for their evictions.
A series of pictures of the eviction of one of the Rroma camps that dot the outskirts of Paris.
In spite of the French focus on these camps and migrants, let’s not forget that these represent less than 20 thousand people whereas there are roughly 500 thousand Rroma in France. So a minority.
René Gallinier, the retired Frenchman who shot at two teenage Rroma burglars a while back was sentenced to 5 years of prison, 4 of which on probation. As we already reported, he shot and wounded two girls who were robbing his house and his trial generated quite a buzz in the French press.
This is a mild sentence for something that easily could have resulted in a death.
Totally inappropriate article which appeared a while back in a smaller paper in the Wallis region of Switzerland. It de- facto assimilates Rroma with thieves and burglars bands who will rob all houses and flats they can lay their hands on. Clearly, in the distorted mind of this journalist, these bands are also forcing their children to steal. The journalist is somehow cautious, stating that one is not sure that these bands are Rroma, but devotes a large excerpt about Rroma in general which leaves little doubt about his opinion.
PLEASE join our protests against this!
Nearly 700 members of the Turkish riot and security police descended on the Rroma Neighbourhood of Edirne at 5 AM on 1st of July. This razzia was officially due to state security and 44 people were detained on charges of looting, disturbing the peace, threats, and resistance against the police. The police is said to have said “How happy is he who can say he is a Turk”…
The Rroma minority in Turkey is quite discriminated but actions such as the one in Edirne and the racist slogans are new. Unfortunately.
A long article on the village of Gramen in Bulgaria where ethic tensions came to a boil a while back and on which we have already reported.
An article about newly arrived beggars in Lausanne, beggars who are more aggressive and younger that the “local” ones, i.e. the ones who have been in Lausanne for several years. It is not clear from the article where these new beggars are coming from nor whether they really all are Rroma.
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