Bulgaria and Vote Buying / Vote Rigging

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Two articles in the Bulgarian press about vote buying and vote rigging. In one case, in Vidin, suspects dropped many ballots in the ballot box. A person who filmed and highlighted the event was beaten up. In Gorna Oryahovitsa, one of the candidate for mayor is being investigated for vote buying.

Croatia and Racism

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Social Democrat MP Romana Nikolić gave a lecture at the Faculty of Philosophy in Osijek entitled “Antigypsyism” in which she pointed out the problem of discrimination and marginalization and the lack of integration faced by the Roma in Croatia. According to her, the poor social status of the Roma is clear based on statistics: monthly incomes place more than 92% of Roma households at risk of poverty, 85% of households use social services, and a third of Roma live in dilapidated and inadequate buildings. 70% of them also live in segregated settlements without social amenities.

Ukrainian Roma Refugees in Poland

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About three to four hundred Ukrainian Roma refugees are housed in a recreation complex in Poręba Wielka, in Poland’s Gorce mountains. The recreation complex belongs to a controversial entrepreneur who is being accused of making money with the refugees.

The people in the regions complain about these Roma refugees and fear that they will be robbed.

Romanes in Slovenia

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On the occasion of November 5th World Roma Language Day, the Association of Roma in Slovenia has prepared a seminar entitled Researching the Roma language from the perspective of Romanology. At the seminar, the representatives of the Union of Roma of Slovenia pointed out that they are facing the challenge that Roma children no longer speak Romanes. This is what they want to change.

Serbia: EU Roma Project

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The municipality of Zvezdara, next to Belgrade, is participating in the second phase of the “Romakted” project, which is financed by the Council of Europe and the European Union, and concerns the promotion of good governance and support for Roma at the local levely.

The President of the Zvezdara municipality, Vladan Jeremić, handed over equipment to two associations from Veliki Mokrog Lug, which deal with Roma inclusion, in the presence of representatives of the Council of Europe and members of those associations.

All Saints Day in Poland

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An article about Roma celebrations in the cemetery in Wrocław. Polish Roma honour the departed on November 1st, eating drinking, and making music on their graves.

Poland: Conflict

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A conflict is brewing between residents of the village of Koszary in the Limanowa district. Roma illegally burn cables in their housing estate to get metals from them. “The stench is so bad you can’t breathe,” say the residents of Koszary. The residents say Roma react very aggressively to all the comments against them. This is confirmed by the recent situation when the residents of the estate beat up the TVP team that was making a program about the situation in the village.

Sinti in Germany

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Romani Rose commented in detail about the conflict between the Heidelberg-based Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and the federal association founded two years ago. The dispute led to the planned state treaty and the financing of the conversion and new construction of the Documentation Centre for German Sinti and Roma being put on hold. Romani Rose calls on the federal government to face up to its responsibilities and support the Central Council’s commitment rather than blocking it.

Integration in Berlin

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In 2011, the former so-called “Rat House of Neukölln” was bought by a Catholic housing company. Since then, Roma and non-Roma have been living there together at reasonable rents. The housing project is considered a successful model of integration.

Romanes in Belgrade

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By decision of the Teaching and Scientific Council of the Faculty of Philology of the University of Belgrade, since April 15, 2015, the teaching of the Romani language has been included in the basic academic studies of this higher education institution.

Within the Centre for Professional Development and Evaluation, the Faculty has been organizing Romani language courses for years, which enables graduated teachers to obtain certificates of knowledge of the Romani language and join regular classes in primary and secondary schools where the subject Romani language with elements of the national language is taught. culture.

About 600 students attend this language in schools.

Slums in Poland

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The social housing estate at ul. Sobieskiego in Bielsko-Biała was built in the 1990s. These are five one-story blocks with tiny apartments of a very low standard, where one bathroom and a toilet are shared between several apartments. Something for something, because the rent for the apartments was very low. There are quite a few Roma there too. With such a concentration of poverty, the estate the estate has gained very bad reputation.

Bulgaria, Voting, and Roma

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An article about local elections in Bulgaria. Two facts: Very few Roma vote, with a turnout in some of the Roma settlements of less than 10%, and in addition, invalid ballots make up to 40%. The article reviews several elections in various large Roma settlements such as Fakulteta in Sofia and Stolipinovo in Plovdiv.

Poland, Cemeteries, and Roma

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Roma graves are often impressive. In this way, they honour those who have departed. These are family graves, and the richer the family, the more impressive it gets.

Limanowa, Poland, and Roma

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The mayor of Limanowa, Poland, on solving the issue of a Roma settlement with funds from the state and the reactions of the people. This saga has lasted several years, and the city was repeatedly condemned by the Ombudsman.

Exhibition on Roma and the Holocaust

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In the gallery of the City History Museum in Fiľakovo, Slovakia, visitors will be able to view the exhibition of the Dutch photographer Jutka Rona entitled Hungarian Gypsies – Survivors’ Testimony dedicated to the memory of the Hungarian Roma holocaust.

Hungarian-born photographer Jutka Rona was two years old when her parents immigrated to the Netherlands.

Lithuania: End of a Project

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The restaurant “Gypsy Lounge & Grill” of the leader of the Roma community, singer Ištvans Kviks recently closed its doors. The place, full of culture, gathered a lot of people both on weekends and on weekdays. As the restaurant owner testified, it was a place that destroyed stereotypes about Roma people. He said that  “Our task was to introduce Roma cuisine to the public, but unfortunately, the three-year project ended. Our main task was to recruit Roma people. We employed a lot of Roma, and without a higher education, they are now working on their own, creating their own lives.”

French Chronicle …

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Not much news in the French Press about Roma. People in Nantes, in Western France are mobilising to fight against the expulsion of a Roma camp without decent housing alternatives. Other than that, 70 caravans are squatting the parking of a high school in Savoie, and 6 Roma arrested near Paris for a series of burglaries.

Hungary: Special Exhibition

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On November 5, the World Day of the Romani Language, the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest invites for a temporary exhibition on Roma stories. The foundation of the exhibition, which opened on May 23 this year, is quite extraordinary: the Kamill Erdős legacy has been preserved in the collection of the Ferenc Erkel Museum in Gyula. For the first time, the interested public can see the results of the research conducted among Roma in Hungary in the 19th century.

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