A chilling report on a German researcher in Auschwitz.
- What does birth control pill have to do with Auschwitz? In: Deutsche Welle. 14.08.2025. https://www.dw.com/en/what-does-birth-control-pill-have-to-do-with-auschwitz/a-73641627
A chilling report on a German researcher in Auschwitz.
In the past few years, there has been a worrying increase in anti-Roma narratives across the. Discrimination against Roma is now taking on new forms and intensities, especially in periods of political and economic instability. The security situation of the Roma community is not only reflected in physical vulnerability, but also in a constant sense of insecurity caused by hate speech, systemic discrimination and media stereotypes.
Roma are often discussed without Roma, and problems are solved without the participation of Roma experts, who come from the community and know the essential issues, but also the ways in which they can be solved and how to improve the life and position of the most vulnerable and poorest community. Which, despite various programs, measures and experiments, still faces institutional discrimination: difficult access to education, health services, the labour market and housing.
The Roma Council in Montenegro informed that, based on the Law on Minority Rights and Freedoms and the Rules for the Election of Members of the Council of Minority Peoples, on 01.08.2025. it published a public call for applications for electors to participate in the electoral assembly for the election of members of the 5th convocation of the Roma Council. According to them, 27 applications for electors have arrived.
The small Roma minority is not really represented in the Montenegro parliament.
The Citizens’ Association “Roma Center” from Crepaja is organizing the ninth event “Days of Roma Culture in Banat”, which will be held on Friday, August 22, 2025, starting at 7 p.m., in the hall of the Crepaja Local Community.
The theme of this year’s program is “Roma Literature in Vojvodina”, and the guests of the evening will be famous writers Maja Jovanović and Rajko Ranko Jovanović.
Saint Michael feast has been a recurring celebration in the Banat. The Banat village of Tornjoš, where Hungarians, Ruthenians, Serbs and Roma live together, this year organized a program that evoked a multicultural spirit, uniting music, sports, gastronomy and tradition, according to a statement from the Ministry for Rural Care.
On August 15, 2025, a humanitarian action was held in the Roma settlement of the village of Domboky of the Velykyluchkivska community, aimed at supporting vulnerable families. The event was organized by the head of the charitable organization “SOS Children’s Villages Uzhgorod” Natalia Kryvoruchko with the participation of the Regional Coordinator for National Minorities from the OSCE Projects in Ukraine at the Representation of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights in the Transcarpathian region Mykola Chyzhmar.
It looks like a nice alibi exercise. Much more needs to be done.
Apparently, there has been a violent fight between Roma and Moroccans near Barcelona over an illegal shop.
Bad.
A tendentious article about Roma camps in Naples. The reality is described correctly, the background is totally ignored. Why Roma were parked in segregated camps overseen by the police, why the mafia was involved in this, and now, again, there is collective guilt of all Roma.
We already reported on it, but Roma youngsters stole a car from French tourists, and while fleeing, killed a 71-year-old passerby. And of course, all Roma are guilty by association.
Most of the numerous articles this weak about Roma in France are dedicated to the creation of a new camp in Doulon, Nantes, set to temporarily house Roma who where displaced by the closure of other camps in the region. Neighbours complain that they were not consulted and they vocally object to Roma living next to their houses.
Not a single article raises the questions of why these Roma who have been in France for a long time need to live in such camps, and not one asks why the reactions of the future neighbours are so based on stereotypes.
The Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities has responded to the accusations of the regional civil initiative of South-Eastern Slovenia, which claims that the ministry is not active enough in solving the Roma issue.
The ministry emphasizes that the Roma issue has long been the subject of shifting responsibility between the local and state levels. Nevertheless, they highlighted some concrete activities that have been implemented. Minister Mesec is the first to actively tackle this issue, namely leading an informal government interdepartmental coordination, whose work is bringing visible changes. Important changes have been introduced in the field of education, where the Primary School Act has been amended, and the Kindergarten Act is also in the process of being amended. Roma assistants are now present in schools and kindergartens.
In the village of Maglenča in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Lovari, with the Roma House cultural and tourist centre, preserves its rich history, customs, and cultural heritage, thereby contributing to breaking down prejudices and promoting understanding in society. Under the leadership of the Đurđević family, they offer visitors authentic experiences – from traditional food, lavender products, cultural presentations to inspiring stories about freedom, inclusion, and coexistence.
Following an accident where a passenger of a public bus was run over, a specialized police operation is being carried out in the Roma neighbourhoods of Sofia. They will be monitoring whether traffic rules are being followed, and patrols will be deployed at the entrances and exits of the neighbourhoods. Law enforcement officers will collect the data of vehicle drivers and subsequently they will be checked at the schools where they received their driving licenses.
So in brief, when there is an accident, it has to be Roma?
On August 2, artists symbolically named one of the nameless streets in Česká Bříza “Serinkova”. It was named after the Romano partisan Josef Serinek. The artists are reacting to the decision of the Liberec city council, which refused to officially rename part of Kunratická Street.
Another article on the school dropouts in the Plovdiv region. Apparently, 430 children dropped out last year, prompting the authorities to increase inspections to a total of 22’000. It turns out that 290 of these children dropped out because they left the country. The 140 other who dropped out, according to the news did so because of a “lack of financial opportunities for inclusion in the education system and of course – early marriages.
They could have dropped the “of course” here…
Murder, torture, cruel treatment or punishment continue to be major human rights violations in Bulgaria. This is stated in the new annual report of the United States on the state of human rights in 2024.
However, the document does not mention corruption, as well as discrimination based on ethnicity and sexual orientation, which remain a serious problem in Bulgaria. The news comes more than a year after the last report on the topic, which pointed to corruption, police violence and discrimination as the main problems in Bulgaria.
Unfortunately, a predictable outcome…
The Romano writer Michal Šamko did not have an easy childhood. His parents and siblings came from Svidník in Northeastern Slovakia, but he was born in Jičín, Czech Republic. “Gypsy filth,” they shouted at him in elementary school, where he was the only Rom among 23 children in their class. The biggest punishment for his classmates was to be made to sit next to him. Michal Šamko was determined to achieve something in life, and in the end he succeeded.
The Thuringian state government will not reappoint the position of antigypsyism commissioner. As a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told MDR Thuringia, the state government views the integration of Sinti and Roma as a cross-departmental task. All ministries—including education, labor, health, and housing—are responsible for ensuring equal access.
This is not going to help …
A Berlin hotel housing Sinti and Roma has been a crime hotspot for years. Now, the spokesperson for the Berlin Police Union (GdP), Benjamin Jendro, has advocated for revoking Schengen travel rights for criminal EU foreigners. “We need to talk about perhaps not necessarily creating incentives for these people to come here,” Jendro told “Welt TV.” “We’re talking about criminal offenses. People are deliberately sent to steal. We’re talking about disturbances of the peace, physical assault, and threats.”
Bad.
Four Roma children aged between 11 and 13 stole a car, raced through Milan, and ran over an elderly woman, killing her. The accident shocked the whole of Italy, partly because the children are Roma. Lega leader Salvini wants to demolish entire Roma camps.
On Social Media, Salvini wrote: “The Roma camp must be cleared immediately, and then razed to the ground, after years of theft and violence, pseudo ‘parents’ must be arrested, and parental rights must be revoked. Mayor Sala and the left, are you there???”
Bad.