The term “Zigeuner” (Gypsy) is historically loaded and considered derogatory; the article uses “Z*” to avoid perpetuating this stigma while discussing the historical context of the genocide known as Porajmos.

The involvement of scientists in legitimizing the persecution of Sinti and Roma is highlighted, with calls for recognition and justice continuing to this day, as the community seeks to reclaim their narrative and history.

• NS-Rassenforschung: Der Tag, an dem Sinti das Uni-Archiv Tübingen besetzten. In: SWR. 01.09.2026. https://www.swr.de/kultur/geschichte/45-jahre-besetzung-uniarchiv-tuebingen-sinti-100.html

Many attendees were reportedly brought in from other regions, while local residents, including Roma, expressed their discontent and refused to support the rally, highlighting a divide within the community.

The event was marred by violence, with reports of activists being attacked and police using tear gas against local protesters, indicating a growing unrest against Vučić’s regime.

• Vučićev pokušaj pokoravanja Užičana. In: Ozon Press. 30.08.2026. https://www.ozonpress.net/politika/vucicev-pokusaj-pokoravanja-uzicana/

Protesters are advocating for improved roads and public transport access, citing the nearest bus stop is 500 meters away.

The protest has sparked public debate regarding the payment of local taxes by the families in the area and the legality of the houses in the neighborhood. In many of the Roma neighbourhoods, Roma are accused of having built illegally, even when their houses stood for a very long time. This is used to close and dismantle some of these neighbourhoods.

• Гринго оглави ромски протест за по-добър живот в Айтос. In: Flagman. 10.08.2026. https://www.flagman.bg/article/387524
• БИВШИЯТ СЪПРУГ НА ФОЛК ПЕВИЦАТА СОФИ МАРИНОВА ТОДОР ДАВИДОВ. In: Noviny 247. 10.08.2026. https://novini247.com/novini/bivshiyat-saprug-na-folk-pevitsata-sofi-marinova-todor-davidov–_11088094.html

The incident occurred on July 19, following a prior agreement to meet due to a provocative video posted on social media. A confrontation ensued where a group of young men challenged a Romani man to a fight, which he declined, leading to one man brandishing a gas pistol and firing it into the air. The Rom ended up in hospital after having stabbed.

• V Ostravě se pobili tři mladíci s Romy kvůli natáčení provokativních videí. In: Novinki. 23.07.2026. https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/krimi-v-ostrave-se-pobili-tri-mladici-s-romy-kvuli-nataceni-provokativnich-videi-40589466
• Nepokoje v Ostravě po konfliktu kvůli videu. Romové skandovali před domem útočníka. In: iDnes. 23.07.2026. https://www.idnes.cz/ostrava/zpravy/romove-incident-ostrava-policie-vitkovice-pobodani.A260723_143811_ostrava-zpravy_jog

The demonstration, titled “No to Drugs,” highlighted concerns for the safety and health of children and young people in the Roma community.

Local residents called for more active police intervention, with support from local boxing star Boris Veliev, who emphasized the need for justice and a drug-free environment for families.

• Роми обявиха война на наркодилърите в столицата. In: Plovdiv 24. 21.06.2026.https://www.plovdiv24.bg/novini/Bylgaria/Romi-obyaviha-voina-na-narkodilurite-v-stolicata-2984396

• Romi bodo protestirali, socialnih ne dajo. In: Nova TV. 02.05.2026. https://nova24tv.si/romi-bodo-protestirali-socialnih-ne-dajo/

Subject: Letter to the editor – regarding the article “How do Romani women live in Poland?” (Newsweek,

7.02.2026)

Dear Editors,

Dear Author,

We are referring to the article published on February 7, 2026, on the Newsweek.pl website, “How do Romani women live in Poland? I went to their village. Fifteen is a good age for having children,” by Elżbieta Turlej (https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/spoleczenstwo/jak-zyja-romskie-kobiety-w-polsce-pojechalam-to-sprawdzic-do-wsi-maszkowice/kf443xc ). We believe that this article fits into the well-known and frequently criticized way of talking about Roma people in the Polish media, which leads to the stigmatization of Roma communities in Poland. Despite its reportage style and declared sensitivity, the publication does not offer a new perspective or in-depth reflection, but reproduces established interpretive patterns. The title and lead alone are sensational and simplistic, reducing the experiences of Roma women to a catchy, stigmatizing, and stereotypical image.

The text then revolves around the gesture of entering the world of the Other, understood as a journey to the Roma settlement in Maszkowice, the observation and selection of stories, with the author remaining the primary interpretative authority. This method of constructing the narrative should be explicitly called a form of epistemic violence. Knowledge about Roma women is produced over their heads, without real control over how their experiences are framed, hierarchized, and evaluated.

Roma women appear as protagonists of the story, but not as subjects co-creating its meaning. Their voices are filtered, organized, and instrumentalized in such a way as to confirm a preconceived narrative of tradition, oppression, and imprisonment between worlds. Selective empathy, focused on the most dramatic and intimate fragments of biography, leads to the fetishization of suffering rather than a thorough analysis of the social, institutional, and political conditions of these experiences.

The logic of contrast is particularly problematic. On the one hand, the settlement and tradition are presented as spaces of oppression and cultural confinement, while on the other, individual women’s stories are constructed as exceptions or evidence of the possibility of change. This narrative reinforces the hierarchical division between the imprisoned and the more modern, shifting the responsibility for change to individuals rather than to the structural mechanisms of exclusion, discrimination, and unequal access to public services.

Although the text appears critical, its language remains paternalistic and devoid of self-reflection. It lacks consideration of the power relations inherent in the act of reporting itself and the social consequences of perpetuating such images of Roma people in public debate.

We want to emphasize that such narratives have an impact on institutional practice.

Simplified and sensationalized images of Roma communities often translate into administrative decisions and the design of public policies and support programs based on stereotypes, control, and cultural correction, rather than on equal rights and state responsibility.

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.

• Zoran Grm jasno: Romski predsedniki se moramo dogovoriti, kako naprej. In: Dolenjska Ino. 09.02.2026. https://dolenjskainfo.com/novica/lokalno/zoran-grm-jasno-romski-predsedniki-se-moramo-dogovoriti-kako-naprej/333510#google_vignette

• Romi odpovedali jutrišnji protest v Novem mestu, U+in: N1 Info. 09.02.2026. https://n1info.si/novice/slovenija/romi-odpovedali-jutrisnji-protest-v-novem-mestu/
• Protest Romov odpovedan: Kriva naj bi bila občina, župan pa pojasnjuje … In: Dolenjsla Info. 09.02.2026. https://dolenjskainfo.com/novica/lokalno/protest-romov-odpovedan-kriva-naj-bi-bila-obcina-zupan-pa-pojasnjuje/333479
• protest Romov v Novem mestu je odpovedan. In: RTV SLO. 09.02.2026. https://www.rtvslo.si/lokalne-novice/dolenjska/torkov-protest-romov-v-novem-mestu-je-odpovedan/772858

Meanwhile, a toilet brush has become the symbol of protest in  Hungary.

• Face au racisme d’un ministre, les Roms de Hongrie manifestent avec des brosses à WC. Le Courrier International. 02.02.2026. https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/politique-face-au-racisme-d-un-ministre-les-roms-de-hongrie-manifestent-avec-des-brosses-a-wc_240092