Two good blog articles to understand the upcoming Hungarian elections and whether Viktor Orban manages to stay in power.
A Roma association is calling for France to recognize the genocide of the “Sinti, Gitans, Manouches, Yenish, and Travellers.” The association, represented by lawyer and writer Anina Ciuciu, great-granddaughter of Romanians deported during the Second World War, initiated a proposed resolution, which was placed on the agenda for April 8th in the European Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.
The Chairman of the National Assembly of the BSP Krum Zarkov met with residents of the Roma quarter “Komluka“ in Sliven. Dozens of questions, remarks from the field and the active participation of people turned the conversation into an open and tense dialogue on the real problems of the community.
The DW article had repercussions: Accusations of vote buying, new registration of voters, and also, Roma Sherifs (sic.) who promised Vučić that 90% pf the Roma will vote for his list.
Bad.
A reportage by Deutsche Welle ahead of the local elections in ten municipalities in Serbia. The DW team was in one of them, in Bor, where there is a lot of talk about the bought votes of local Roma and a sudden increase in the population before the elections.
Promises are made to Roma before those elections, promises seldom held …
The Czech Social Inclusion Agency, an agency whose goal was the inclusion of Roma, is being restructured. Unions in the Agency are calling of a strike, and several Roma organisations have expressed concerns.
In a statement to the news server Romea.cz, the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková stated that the Agency for Social Inclusion has moved away from its original mission over the years, which was to support the integration of Roma and address the situation in socially excluded localities. She criticizes the lack of measurable results, transparent data and real participation of Roma and also refers to the conclusions of the Supreme Audit Office from 2024. According to her, it is therefore appropriate to consider a fundamental transformation and readjustment of the social inclusion agenda.
The Roma issue in southeastern Slovenia remains one of the most pressing issues in the region, which has been causing social tensions, security incidents and differences in the development of individual areas for many years. That is why, before Sunday’s parliamentary elections, Social Democrats candidates from Dolenjska were asked about this issue and presented their views on the recently adopted Šutar’s law. Their answers show that they see the law as a necessary step, but they also warn of its limitations and risks.
Bad.
The Roma community in Serbia, which is estimated to number between 400,000 and 500,000 people, continues to face numerous challenges when it comes to political representation and real influence in public life. Although there are formal mechanisms for Roma political participation, many experts and activists believe that their political power is still limited.
In Serbia, Roma have certain institutional mechanisms for political action. One of the key ones is the National Council of the Roma National Minority, which represents the central institution of the Roma community in the areas of education, culture, information and official use of the language.
Well, those mechanisms have little influence, and can be called alibi excercises.
One hundred days after the entry into force of the so-called Šutar’s law, the debate on Roma issues in Slovenia is heating up again. Roma representatives say the law is harming them. Meanwhile, many residents in the southeast of the country claim something completely different – that the law has merely restricted actions that some have begun to perceive as self-evident rights.
An article about the fate and challenges faced by minorities in the Serbian Vojvodina.
Worth reading!
The 11th session of the Assembly of the National Council of the Roma National Minority in Belgrade, the results of the work in the previous year and plans for the coming period were discussed, aimed at strengthening the institutional role of the Council and improving the position of the Roma community.
Well, frankly, not much was done …
On March 5, Roma mayors and representatives of third sector organizations from the Slovak Gemer region met in the village of Barca in the Rimavská Sobota district. The aim of the meeting was to renew the cooperation that had worked in the region in the past, and to create a common platform for solving current problems and supporting the further development of the region.
Zvonko Golobič, president of the Association for the Development of the Roma Community from Črnomelj warns of drastic deterioration of conditions in the Roma community. A consultation organized by the Association of the Roma Community Umbrella-Dežnik, after 100 days of the so-called Šutare Act, representatives of the Roma settlements of southeastern Slovenia assessed that the situation of the Roma community had drastically deteriorated. They adopted the manifesto Good for Roma, Good for Slovenia, which represents efforts for better integration.
Two Slovenian parliamentary parties (Svoboda and Levica) did not attend the so-called confrontations on Roma issues in Šentjernej and Novo mesto. These were organised by the Dolenjska People’s Initiative who advocate drastic measures to curb what they deem a “Roma problem”.
A very critical report on the current office of the plenipotentiary for Roma communities and on how they use the rather large funds (ca. 200 Mio euros) received from the EU for the integration of Roma communities. It contrasts this current era with the work that was done by previous plenipotentiaries.
Roma political activism in Serbia intensified in the early 2000s, when Roma parties and movements attempted to institutionalize the struggle for equality through the parliamentary system. However, after that period, the Roma political scene faced fragmentation, lack of a common strategy, and reduced influence on legislative processes. The last twenty years have been marked by initiatives at the local level, but without stable and long-term parliamentary continuity.
Romani activist and founder of Ara Art association David Tišer announced at the beginning of this year that he will leave the Council of the Czech Republic because of the issues of the Romani minority. That fulfills the function of the advisory body of the state. Tišer made his decision based on the fact that he was reacting to the development of the political environment in the Czech Republic. “Okamura and Turek are not among the people I can trust, who will push the Roma issue forward,” he explains in an interview.
The former Roma councilor Zoran Grm was informed by the Vtani, Roma Child association that there will be no protest rally against the Šutare Act as the municipality denied them the authorisation. He is already planning the next steps.
As the protest rally, which was planned for Tuesday, February 10, was canceled or postponed. Grm, in cooperation with the association, was one of the main representatives of the Roma community, which wanted to further inform the public about the consequences of the Šutare Act. “I plan to organize a meeting of Roma, including from Kočevje, Ribnica, Grosuplje, Krško, Brežice and Črnomelj,” announced Zoran Grm.
The Vstani Roma Child association of Slovenia responded to the proposals of the Dolenjska People’s Initiative, which prompted the latter to resond.
They said that instead of discussing security and the situation in southeastern Slovenia, the discussion is once again reduced to personal discrediting and accusations of “sedition”. According to them, the term “human rights” is too often used as a cover to justify illegal actions, while the hardships of the local population are pushed to the sidelines.
The initiative believes that the main issue is due to a long-standing policy of indulgence towards Roma and Roma criminality.
Of course, they do not think that the general population has anything to do with the problem…
A pre-election confrontation on Roma issues could occur in Novo Mesto.
Silvo Mesojedec announced sharply: “Enough excuses: Who dares to come to Novo Mesto?”
He sent an invitation to all the presidents of parliamentary parties to a pre-election confrontation on Roma issues.
“The residents of Southeast Slovenia know that security is tested every day. For decades, we have been listening to promises from Ljubljana, while problems on the ground are only accumulating. Now, before the elections, we demand answers,” announced Silvo Mesojedec, coordinator of the People’s Initiative Dolenjska. According to him, the invitation was received by Robert Golob, Janez Janša, Jernej Vrtovec, Matjaž Han, Asta Vrečko and Anže Logar.
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