A survey in the Czech Republic reveals that half of all interviewed business would not hire Rroma. If you ask us, the other half thought so but did not reply. Racism against Rroma is so widespread and ingrained in that country.
SHAME
Unzensuriert.at, an Austrian web journal once again fell into blatant populism and stereotypes on the Swiss Rroma Wedding. Oh my, what a publicity for the newlywed.
An article in Watson pokes fun at the media fascination in Switzerland with the Rroma wedding near Zurich. Noting that where does Switzerland goes if Farmers do what they want with their land, but also noting that 20 Minutes said that as the population was on holidays, there were concern about potential thefts, clearly equating Rroma with thieves.
Let’s challenge these idiotic stereotypes!
A mix between a theatre performance and a walk through a neighbourhood of Munich aims at showing the general public the Rroma and Sinti from their city and help reduce the existing stereotypes and prejudice.
Interesting!
At long last, the Rroma camps – veritable ghettos that surround the Italian capital will be dismantled. Italian court have found the Rome municipality to be guilty of racial discrimination in the setup of these camps, camps that were established by the municipality, with the police and NGOs.
A good commentary of the issue of racism in the net, especially so in social media, something that affects Rroma in many countries. The article clearly states and shows that it is not social media and the internet that are at fault but the people who use it.
Following the recent disclosure of the existence of a Facebook page used by UK Met police officers to rant against minorities and Rroma in particular, more articles have appeared in the Press and Scotland Yard is investigating the case.
Let’s hope that there will be a clear outcome.
Some news of the camps in France: In Bagnolet, near Paris, Bulgarian Rroma buried a man and his daughter who died during a fire; in Roubaix, in the North, activists take 60 Rroma to the sea; in Loos, also in the North, an article about the street with a prison, a Rroma camp and an unused land; while in Vaulx-en-Vélin, near Lyon, cohabitation seems to be difficult; and finally the MRAP (Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peoples) denounces what they deem a “real harassment” of Rroma in Lyon.
The European court of Justice has issued a warning against the Bulgarian electricity company which installed electric meters at a height that renders them inaccessible, this in a predominantly Rroma part of Dupnitsa. According to the court of justice, this constitutes “ethnic discrimination”.
The metropolitan police has been engulfed in a controversy surrounding a “secret” Facebook page that officers used to air racist comments about minorities, including Rroma. In several comments, the comments accused the GT (Gypsy and Travellers) to live exclusively on crime.
This cannot be tolerated from the police!
A French book, called “La Route du Rom”, a wordplay on the famous transatlantic sailing race “la Route du Rhum”, raises questions about the nation states, and about Rroma nd their integration. Unfortunately, the book also serves quite a few of the standard stereotypes about Rroma, about clans, about persecutions, about poverty. While we can agree with the goal, we find the path rather difficult to swallow.
A further article on the Dachau Theatre project, a project fighting stereotypes and played by Rroma and Sinti children. That this play is staged in Dachau, the site of one of the earliest concentration camps in Germany is really symbolically important.
As usual in the summer, the expulsions continue in France. In Marseille, where the expulsed came back and were again expulsed; in Lilles; in Chelles; in Croix; in Ivry, Aubervillers, and Ris Orangis near Paris; in Nantes; while in Hautbourdin (North) and Bordeaux, Rroma can still stay for a while; and in Grenoble, the fate of the camp is now in the hands of the justice; and finally in Roubaix, a fire destroyed a camp.
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!
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.
The OSCE stated in a report, that greater effort were required in Hungary to find sustainable non discriminatory housing solution for Hungary’s Rroma minority. Well done, and yet another proof of what is really going on there.
The French prime minister has against to defend himself in court for his statements in 2013 whereby Rroma cannot and do not want to integrate. He was cleared in court already on this topic, but the associations that cited him in court are now appealing this verdict.
The mayor of Sucy-en-Brie Marie-Carole Ciuntu was accused of discrimination for having refused to enrol 5 Rroma children in school ass they did not have a proper “attestation de domicile”, a proof of residency. The mayor was cleared in court.
The trial of René Galinier, 78 years old pensioner in France, accused of having deliberately shot two young Rroma burglar girls back in 2010 opened this week. This resulted in a number of articles in the press in France.
One needs to ask the question whether the fact that the burglars were Rroma is relevant here beyond just putting all Rroma in the same pot of the thieves, beggars, etc. The journalists should learn!
A German Rroma organisation – Amaro Drom – our way started a campaign called “Dikhen amen” [Look at us] aimed at reducing stereotypes. Well done!
English (UK) English (UK) 
Deutsch
Français