Tag Archives: Police

Austria, the Police, and Roma

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Austria, the Police, and Roma

The Austrian Equal Treatment Commission has intervened following a letter from employees of the Neusiedl am See district police command warning the public about Roma and Sinti. Intended as crime prevention information to combat fraud, the now-deleted text of a Facebook post used “a term perceived as discriminatory regarding the Roma ethnic group,” the ministry stated.

Now the interior Ministry is also investigating.

Austria, the Police, and Roma

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Austria, the Police, and Roma

Representatives of the Roma community have sharply criticized a letter from the Neusiedl am See district police command. The letter warns of criminal activities by the traveller community. The state police command condemns the wording of the letter and intends to conduct an internal investigation.

Zentralrat on Austria

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Zentralrat on Austria

The Chairman of the German Central Council of Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, pointed out that the National Socialists called on the population in 1933 not to buy from Jews and had police and SS troops march in front of Jewish businesses. He was criticising a letter by the Austrian police of the Burgenland warning the population about Sinti and Roma.

Rose appealed to Interior Minister Karner of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) to initiate disciplinary proceedings against those responsible within the police force. He emphasized that the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities entered into force in Austria in 1998. This obligates the state to counteract all forms of anti-Gypsyism. The Central Council stated that the Europe-wide rise of nationalist forces, which often base their political program on racism and incitement and have now become the strongest political force in Austria, is alarming.

Austria, the Police, and Roma

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Austria, the Police, and Roma

The Austrian Equal Treatment Commission criticized a letter issued by the Burgenland police authority in Neusiedl on Friday, in which the police warned the population about Roma and Sinti. The letter, the Commissioner argued, perpetuates historical anti-Roma stereotypes. The letter’s instruction not to accept services from members of this ethnic group could constitute an incitement to discrimination, emphasized Sandra Konstatzky, head of the Equal Treatment Commission.

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.

German Police

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German Police

A police operation involving a 25-member Roma family at the University Hospital of Cologne has had repercussions: Police in Bonn are now investigating six Cologne officers on suspicion of incitement to hatred. Bodycam footage is to be reviewed.

In December 2025, a Roma family celebrated the birth of a child in the foyer of the University Hospital of Cologne, triggering a police operation. The result: A complaint against the university hospital from the Rom Association, which advocates for the rights of Sinti and Roma, as well as a criminal complaint and a formal complaint filed with the Cologne Police Headquarters. Now it is clear: The operation could have far-reaching consequences for six police officers

ECHR Verdict

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ECHR Verdict

The police respects the decisions of international judicial authorities. In response to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), according to which the fundamental rights of two complainants were violated during the police intervention in the village of Milhosť in the Košice-okolie district in July 2019. In July 2019, the police detained two sisters in front of a family house in the village after the intervention and subsequently transported them to the police station. According to the complaint, they were subjected to physical violence, verbal insults and inappropriate treatment during their detention and stay at the police station.

Bulgaria, Police, and Roma

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Bulgaria, Police, and Roma

A “special operation” by the Bulgarian police in Tasrevo in a Roma neighbourhood resulted in several compl,aints being lodged against the police for viloences. The mayor of the town, Marin Kirov, reacted:

“My position as mayor and citizen of Tsarevo municipality regarding the actions this morning on our territory: It is a pity, we are receiving data about violence against people sleeping in their beds during the action this morning.

That’s right – they are neither running nor hiding, they are sleeping in their beds. They say they were gypsies, excuse me, it’s 2026 and we are in one of the few municipalities with an integrated Roma ethnic group and without significant crime related to gypsies. These are people, for God’s sake!? Nothing was found in them, nothing related to the elections.

We are obviously talking about excessive force and inadequate repression and an operation, planned and implemented in an absolutely insane way, and in Tsarevo – a modern tourist municipality, we depend on this livelihood, on a good image, on the peace between people. We also fully support the local police from tourism with cars, fuel, drug test cassettes and a huge resource for seconded police officers and repairs. And not only the local police, but also regional units of the services.

What are they achieving with these actions? Dozens of jeeps, over 50 berets and uniforms for a few sleeping people from the gypsy ethnic group? For years, they have been working on old signals against the same people who have never been caught or convicted of election crimes.

Are they trying to rewrite the election result? Be patient, they will see in two weeks, Tsarevo is developing and people appreciate it!
The Roma vote is not decisive here, and this aggression is inadequate and will have its own civil resistance in the elections.

Attempts to suggest that a small group determines the agenda and the election result are not based on facts in reality.

Take a walk in Tsarevo – here we earn trust with enormous effort and a lot of work!”

The Usual

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The Usual

The usual reporting about  Roma in Ialy. A police action arresting 8 people in Sarzana, next to la Spezia for burglaries and other offences.

Bad for all.

Razzia in Naples

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Razzia in Naples

A Roma camp in Naples was raided by Carabinieri. As usual, Roma are equated with “Nomads” and with crime, even though those camps are heavily regulated and often have police at the entrance …

Slovakia Condemned

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Slovakia Condemned

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the beating of two Romani sisters by Slovak police, their detention in a toilet and cleaning cupboard, and a deeply flawed investigation violated both the prohibition on inhuman treatment (Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights) and the prohibition of discrimination (Article 14 of the Convention).

Greece: Theft

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Greece: Theft

A large police action recovering stolen electrical cable and documenting water theft. Apparenly in a Roma neighbourhood, although this is not directly mentioned in the article but just in its hashtag.

Racism in the Police

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Racism in the Police

A highly regarded London police officer and hero of the London bridge attacks has been sacked for having used the racist term “p*key” to denote Travellers and Roma in WhatsApp messages.

Bulgaria: Riot

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Bulgaria: Riot

Tensions between two groups of Roma in the Pleven village of Bukovlak seem to be boiling over, requiring police action. Witnesses claim that groups of Roma gathered in different places in the village, some of them holding sticks, stakes, shovels, axes and other hard objects.

Bad.

Bulgaria: The Pope

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Bulgaria: The Pope

Following a police action (and literally dozens of articles), the “Roma Baron” Hristo Varbanov, known for his nickname Itso the Pope, was detained. He was detained in Kostinbrod during an operation by the “Cobra” unit of the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs for property fraud, and for an old affaire of kidnapping.

Bulgaria: Police Action

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Bulgaria: Police Action

A whole series of articles (we only list two here) about the siege of a property by a special squad of the Bulgarian police. The home of alleged Roma baron Hristo Varbanov, known by his nickname Itso the Pope, in Kostinbrod is under police siege.

Music ban …

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Music ban …

A few days ago, the Ljubljana City Council, at the suggestion of Mayor Zoran Janković, voted to ban spontaneous street musical performances until the end of December. This removed the trumpeters from the streets, who were the main target of the decision.

A Birth, and Police

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A Birth, and Police

A large family wanted to celebrate the birth of a child in the foyer of the University Hospital of Cologne. Those present felt disturbed, and the hospital asked the family to leave. The police then had to be called.

The result: A complaint against the university hospital from the Rom association, which advocates for the rights of Sinti and Roma, as well as a criminal complaint and a formal complaint against the police at the Cologne Police Headquarters.

Arrest

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Arrest

The person who punched and killed Aleš Šutar is 20-year-old Samira Šiljić, who allegedly provoked one of the guests of the bar before. According to unofficial information, the 20-year-old, who had already been convicted in the past and was also placed in the Radeče reformatory at a critical time, was incriminated by at least five witnesses before the investigating judge as part of the judicial investigation.

Bad.

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