Hungary News Eastern Europe

Magyar Swear-In Ceremony

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Magyar Swear-In Ceremony

A defintively outraged view of the upcoming Peter Magyar inauguration on May 9th. The issue, the anthems that will be played. Of course the Hungarian one, the one from the Szeklers (Hungarians from Transylvania), the the European Hymn (not so good), and then the Roma antherm. The article questions the existence of a “Gypsy Anthem”, which they claim is not known in Hungary – well 10% of the population definitively knows it. According to this diatribe, this is controversial as it can fuel “racial division”…

News Eastern Europe North Macedonia

Condemned!

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Condemned!

North Macedonia’s Commission for Prevention & Protection against Discrimination has issued a decision against Councillor Ljube Temelkov, finding that his call for Roma to be “forbidden from voting” constitutes unlawful harassment.

Bulgaria Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Arranged Marriages

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Arranged Marriages

An article on the still existing practice of arranges marrianges among Roma in Montenegro. Apparently, 17 cases of human trafficking were recorded in this context between 2020 and 2026 by the police.

The tradition of paying for the bride only exists among Vlach Roma and is probably due to the prevalence of slavery agianst Roma in Romanian lands. The owner of the bride had to be compensated.

Bosnia News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Yugoslav Wars

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Yugoslav Wars

An interesting  article about Roma victims of the Bosnian war. Among the victims in Srebrenica were also Roma, but this is not recorded, because, like in other parts of the world, Roma also took on local names.

Human rights lawyer Lejla Hadžimesić talks about what went wrong, so that the process of reconciliation and dealing with the past in Bosnia and Herzegovina stopped years ago and started the journey back. She cites Milorad Dodik’s speech about secession fifteen years ago as a turning point. She sees this situation as the reason why it was (only) three decades after the war that the space for researching Roma victims opened up, which she herself is also involved in.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Protest

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Protest

The association Vstani romski otrok in Slovenia is announcing a rally on the Glavni trg in Novo mesto on Tuesday afternoon, with which they will express their disagreement with the confiscation of social benefits due to the so-called Šutar Act. They are expecting between 100 and 300 Roma, who will also present the hardships that some have found themselves in due to the foreclosures.

Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovenia

Award

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Award

The GoShorts program selected six short films that open up space for questions of power and empowerment – of collectives and individuals. Among them was Kismet by Novo Mesto director Žiga Virc, who received the RheinMain Award. It is the sotory of a 11 years old Romni.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Žarko Jovanović – musician and Roma activist

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Žarko Jovanović – musician and Roma activist

In the weekly Sveta Roma, they talk about Žarko Jovanović Jagdin – a Roma musician, composer and activist who left his mark on the history of the Roma.

May he rest in peace.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Police, and Roma

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Slovakia, Police, and Roma

A deaf Rom was locked up in a police detention cell in Slovakia for 48 hours without water and without knowing why, says Tomáš Dunko from the organization Svet ticha, who was then called to the police department to interpret into sign language.

Tomáš Dunko is a deaf Rom who strives to help marginalized communities, especially people with hearing impairments there. He says that not only in the area of ​​criminal or administrative law, there is enormous injustice for hearing-impaired Roma, bordering on human rights violations.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

A long article in the French Le Monde on the Genocide of the Roma during the Holocaust, and the fact that the French are relatively silent about it. Why are they still using “Tsiganes”?

Other news are more of the usual. An article about the so-called insertion vilalge near Nantes, in Western France; a neighbourhood in Lille is unhappy with a Roma camp; and a fire in Montpellier.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Ustaša Murder

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Ustaša Murder

Max Bamberger was a violinist. He traveled with a Sinti circus and entertained people. He, his wife and two children were victims of a massacre on 24 and 25 April 1945, not far from the Croatian-Slovenian border, in the village of Hrastina near Marija Gorica. One of the most horrific Ustasha crimes against Roma committed in the NDH. It was perhaps the last mass crime against the Roma and Sinti on the territory of occupied Europe during World War II. This crime was committed by one of the Ustasha units from Jasenovac, namely the 1st Ustaški obrabeni zdrug, the so-called Luburićevci.

Germany News Western Europe

Discrimination in Germany

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Discrimination in Germany

Marcella Herzenberger is the chairwoman of the regional association of German Sinti and Roma in Swabia. In this role, she has been working for years to raise awareness about a very specific form of racism directed against Sinti and Roma. This racism manifests itself in deeply rooted prejudices, discrimination and exclusion, extending to structural disadvantages in education, employment, housing, and everyday life.

Czech Republic Hungary News Eastern Europe

Fidesz Roma Representative

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Fidesz Roma Representative

Politician and State Secretary for Roma Relations Attila Sztojka announced that he will not take up his parliamentary mandate in the new election period and will not continue as a member of the Hungarian parliament. The Fidesz politician said that he wants to return “to the field”, where he said he started in 1998.

In his statement, Sztojka also returned to internal conflicts. He mentioned the processes surrounding the Cigány Közösségek Szövetsége (Federation of Roma Communities, CIKÖSZ) and the National Roma Self-Government (Magyarországi Románok Országos Önkormányzatának, MROÖ) in Hungary. According to him, two years ago it still seemed possible to bring change to the Roma representation, but later, according to him, the disintegration began in both the MROÖ and the CIKÖSZ.

Both are highly controversial organisations and did not do anything for a very long time.

News Western Europe Spain

Resistance / Six Centuries

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Resistance / Six Centuries

An article in El Pais about Roma resistqance and the new generation. Unfortunately, they mix up their history. They say six centuries in Europe. Roma have effectively been for six centuries in Western Europe, but for much longer in the Balkan and in Greece.

This is always the same misreading of history, and from a normally good paper. And in addition they state “Roma people”… Would they say Spanish people? Or just Spaniards?

Annoying.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Petition

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Bulgaria: Petition

A petition is circulating in Bulgaria requesting that only Bulgarian literature be taught in primary schools. They state that foreign literature can be studied later, once “children already have a solid national foundation”. In the case of Bulgaria, this is somewhat ironical, as Turks, Armenians, Roma, Greeks, and many others are part of the country and its history…

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Award

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Czechia: Award

Milan Bindatsch is this year’s winner of the Milena Hübschmannová Award for Contribution to Romani Language, which is awarded by the Department of Romani Studies of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University on the occasion of International Romani Day. He works as a teaching assistant at the Ibsenova Elementary School in Ostrava, where, in addition to his regular teaching work, he also focuses on developing the language skills of Romani children.

Europe News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Romani Gili Competition

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Romani Gili Competition

A competition celebratings Roma music and culture, Romani Gili 2026 is organised by the European Roma Institute for Art and Culture (ERIAC). The audience plays an important role. As much as 50 percent of the final result is represented by public support. The remaining 50 percent of the score is contributed by an expert jury appointed by ERIAC.

A young singer from Prekmurje, Nina Brasseur, is stepping onto the music stage again – this time with a great opportunity at an international competition. The 25-year-old singer, who was introduced to the general public in 2016 on the show Slovenija ima talent, is presenting herself today with her original song Sune (Dreams) and is competing to win the Romani Gili Contest 2026.

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