News Switzerland

Swiss Media and Roma

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Swiss Media and Roma

The Swiss Press Council decided in two cases we brought to their attention that Journalists of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and on 20 Minuten.

The «Neue Zürcher Zeitung» violated points 3 (sources) and 8 (prohibition of discrimination) of the «Declaration of the Duties and Rights of Journalists» with the article «North Africans have little to fear» and the corresponding online article. In that article, the journalist said about North African criminals: “contrary to Roma, they are not organised in criminal clans”.

With its article “Protection status S: Resentment over abuse by Roma grows” of February 12, 2024, «20 Minuten» violated points 1 (truth), 3 (withholding important information) and 8 (discrimination) of the «Declaration of the Duties and Rights of Journalists».  This article pretty much was stating that Roma refugees from the Ukraine abused the Swiss Asylum, and that many were not even Ukraininas or had false papers.

Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Montenegro: Theatre

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Montenegro: Theatre

The Centre for the Affirmation of the Roma and Egyptian Population – CAREP begins the implementation of the project “To See Each Other Better – to Understand Each Other Deeper”, with the support of the Fund for the Protection and Exercise of Minority Rights. They will fund a Forum Theatre as a Bridge of Understanding between Youth and Communities and will include a two-day training for 10–12 young people, three forum theatre performances in three municipalities, a public forum “Roma language and culture – how much do we know about Roma”, as well as the production and distribution of information brochures for schools and institutions.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Musician and Weddings

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Musician and Weddings

Singer Nikola Ajdinović is among the most sought-after singers at Roma weddings, and now he shocked by admitting that his colleagues steal the tips they receive from guests at the celebrations where they sing. – There are usually a lot of us singers, but I have to say that I do most of the work. I sing almost the entire evening. That’s true, whether some people like it or not. It’s not hard for me, I love gigs and parties, but it’s not always easy – says the singer.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

“Model Settlement”

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“Model Settlement”

The Slovenian Prime Minister’s Office has appealed to municipalities with Roma settlements to cooperate in establishing the first model Roma settlement in Slovenia.

The initiative follows a meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Robert Golob and representatives of associations of municipalities, urban municipalities, communities of municipalities and development centres on November 21, 2025, at which the idea of ​​creating a pilot environment was presented, in which ownership would be clearly regulated, comprehensive infrastructure would be built and access to all key public services, especially education, would be ensured.

This can also turn into a “resettlement” exercise and will anyhow continue the segregation.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Brawl

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Slovenia: Brawl

A 49-year-old Rom who instigated a fight in a disco in Beltinci has ended up in custody. This was ordered by the investigating judge for the attack on a security guard. The police have filed criminal charges against two other suspects, but due to the procedure, the injured security guard also had to defend himself at the hearing.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

School against Cash

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School against Cash

In Slovenia there is a program that allows adults without a completed primary school to enroll in Primary School for Adults, while at the same time providing them with financial compensation – most often between 300 and 450 euros per month. It is part of the active employment policy run by the Employment Service. The purpose of the compensation is not to reward, but to ensure a minimum income so that an adult can complete their education. In addition, recipients also receive reimbursement for transportation and meal expenses, which gives the program additional appeal.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Brawl

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Slovenia: Brawl

A group of Roma who came to a concert in Beltinci, Slovenia, by Serbian turbo folk singer Dejan Matić, first harassed visitors, then attacked and seriously injured a security guard.  These Roma apparently wanted to continue the fight in the Soboča hospital, where the security guard’s head was stitched up due to the injury, but further violence was prevented by the police.

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

More Kitsch

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More Kitsch

Yest another article with the very same pictures of rich Kalderaša interiors. Yes they exist, but have a look at the current White House to see that bad taste and golden fixtures are not an apanage of Roma. Kalderaša ae a small community, and this is not representative.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Roma Spirit

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Roma Spirit

The Roma spirit awards were presented on November 29th that will be broadcasted on December 10th on Slovak Television.

The civic association Svet ticha won the award in the Non-profit organization category for its systematic support of deaf Roma who face double marginalization.

The Alma Elementary School from Zvolen was awarded in the Society and Employer category for its innovative inclusive education model, which is being created in cooperation with CEEV Živica.

Former football player and youth coach Eugen Bari, known as “Romário from Žitný ostrov”, was awarded as the personality of the year. He worked his way up from humble circumstances to the first league and today, according to the organizers of the survey, motivates young football players with his example.

The Municipality and City category was won by Spišské Podhradie for its long-term and systematic work in the area of ​​inclusion of marginalized communities. In the Media category, the award went to Róbert Hamburgbadžo, a journalist and presenter who brings the authentic voice of the young Roma generation to the public space.

In the Culture category, the winner was the Gypsy Jazz Festival, which, under the leadership of Miloš Suchomel, combines Roma musical tradition, world jazz, Balkan rhythms and Slovak folklore.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of a special award to ACEC founder and Roma Spirit author Ľubomíra Slušná Franz, to whom the organizers paid tribute for her long-standing vision, creativity and ability to connect people across communities.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Housing in Slovakia

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Housing in Slovakia

We take care of our Roma because they are decent people. They want to work and live at a high standard, says the mayor of Buzica in the Košice-okolie district, Jozef Mohňanský (SMK), about a project to improve the quality of housing for the Roma community.

Buzica is one of 13 municipalities that received a non-refundable financial contribution from the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities.

The money is to be used for the reconstruction and construction of rental apartments worth a total of more than 26 million euros. This will create or reconstruct housing capacities for 1,193 people.

Nice, but not sustainable … It means over 20’000 euros per relodged person, this in a region where the house prices are often lower than that.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Interview

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Interview

Education, community projects, consulting, activism, writing and support for Romani culture and identity. All of this belongs to the world of Janka Plešková, a native of Slovakia, a student at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University.

“As far as I can remember, I have always lived in two worlds, Romani and non-Romani. And I searched for myself for a very long time, I did not know where I belonged.”

Europe News Eastern Europe Romania

Tasja Award

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Tasja Award

The Tajsa Prize, which is awarded annually by the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) to outstanding Roma cultural figures, was awarded in Bucharest. This year’s award went to visual artist Selma Selman. The ceremony took place in the representative building of the Romanian Athenaeum, attended by distinguished guests, including the first ever Roma Romanian government minister, Petre-Florin Manole.

News Western Europe Spain

Roma in Spain

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Roma in Spain

An overview of the current situation, progress, and challenges faced by Roma in Spain.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

Not many news this week in France about Roma. Two very different articles on so-called insertions villages in Western France. One, with a positive twist in Saint Herblain, one with a hint of a strong opposition at local level in Orvault. Finally, a debate about Roma from Romania with an association that helps them but unfortunately also perpetuates some stereotypes.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia, Journalists, and Roma

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Serbia, Journalists, and Roma

In light of recent developments in media, when it comes to insulting and belittling the Roma community, journalists and Roma activists in Serbia have initiated a meeting that would open a space for discussion with the most important institutions. The idea is to jointly review the current situation and find effective mechanisms for responding to the increasingly frequent cases of hate speech and discrimination.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Roma Theatre

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Roma Theatre

The writer and journalist Luka Šteković, recently wrote “Theatre of the Valjevo Roma – The First Roma Theatre in the World”, published in the Great National Calendar for 2004 – Kolubara, edited by journalists Zoran Joksimović and Zdravko Ranković.

Luka Šteković’s text reveals the fascinating story of the Valjevo Roma Youth and its president, Čedomir Čedo Gračanin (1892–1956), a versatile talent who was a playwright, director and leading actor.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma “Money”

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Roma “Money”

Slovenian spends around 20 million euros per year on Roma integration. Ther are officially around 10’000 Roma in the country. But, the journalist and president of the Roma Academic Club Sandi Horvat recently said in an interview that very few so-called of Roma money actually reaches Roma.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

School and “Migrants”

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School and “Migrants”

Apparently, in the Maribor region of Slovenia, people are moving their children towards schools with less migrant children. The numbers are telling a more differentiated story: 9,400 students this school year, with 1,325 children from abroad. Most come from Bosnia and Herzegovina (488), followed by students from Kosovo (326), Ukraine (196) and Serbia (100). Individual students also come from more distant countries, such as Burundi, Bangladesh, Estonia and Sierra Leone.

What is clearly racist though is the next topic: Roma…  “We have a lot of immigrant and Roma students,” explains Damjan Pihler, the principal of the Franceta Prešerna Elementary School. The number of Roma students in Maribor schools is around four percent and has not changed significantly in recent years. “This year, our school is attended by 27 Roma students and 30 children from abroad who are enrolled in a Slovenian school for the first time. We had the same number of immigrant students last year – that is, 60 children in two years whose mother tongue is not Slovenian.”

So basically, Roma from Slovenia are migrants …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Roma Media House

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Roma Media House

“The activity entitled ‘Creation and Functioning of the Roma Media House as a Means of Improving the Media Image of Roma’ was excluded from the action plan for the priority area of ​​combating anti-Roma racism and supporting participation, whose indicative budget for the years 2025-2026 was 20,000,000 euros,” the Government Office of the Slovak Republic, confirmed in the explanatory report to the plan.

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