Tag Archives: Settlement

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

An Australian in Lunik IX

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An Australian in Lunik IX

Upon arriving at the tiny apartment, an unexpected sight awaited the Australian woman. Although the apartment building seems cramped, the apartment that the young woman visited did not look any different from a normal Slovak household. The apartment was smaller, but considering what she saw outside, she was surprised by the cozy and clean environment.

Well, stereotypes are hard to kill …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Roma, and Archaeology

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Slovakia, Roma, and Archaeology

The sad story of an archaeological site on top of which there is a Roma settlement in Slovakia. Although everyone agrees the settlement needs to be relocated. The issue, in spite of available funds, is that no one wants to have these Roma as neighbours…

This has been going on for years.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Bulldozed

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Bulgaria: Bulldozed

The Roma neighbourhood of Zaharna Fabrika is currently being destroyed. The houses were deemed illegal. This occurred in spite of a ruling by the European Court of Human Right from April 11th asking for a delay until the ongoing law case is solved.

Shame.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Housing

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Slovakia: Housing

The city of Veľký Šariš today began installing new unimo cells for residents who lost theirs in the tragic fire on March 19th with five victims. After today’s installation of the connection on Thursday, the unimocells (container housing units) will be connected to the existing networks, and the tenants should start moving into them from Friday.

It is in such housing units that the fire started. And nothing has really been done to prevent a further tragedy. But this is at least something.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Illegal Houses

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Illegal Houses

The mayor of the village of Torysa near Sabinov has ordered the residents of the settlement to remove illegal buildings. They are using the land on which their homes stand without any legal title. The government’s plenipotentiary for Roma communities Alexander Daško is looking for a systemic solution with the mayor of the village of Torysa. The demolition of 77 illegal dwellings would deprive four hundred Roma of a roof over their heads. Miriam Žiaková, director of the media department of the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities, informed about this.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Reportage in Lunik IX

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Reportage in Lunik IX

An Australian woman did a reportage inside apartments of the infamous Lunik IX estate in Slovakia. And surprise. The apartments are clean and well kept. Roma tell he about discrimination, especially when looking for work.

 

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Commemoration

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Commemoration

On Saturday evening, Romani students during the BARUVAS meeting in Brno symbolically joined the memorial service for the victims of the tragic fire in the Romani settlement in Veľký Šariš, Slovakia. Each of the twenty-five participants lit a candle and together honored the memory of four small children and their great-grandmother who died in the night fire.

 

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Veľký Šariš

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Veľký Šariš

In cooperation with the government’s plenipotentiary for Roma communities, Alexander Dašek the city administration is working on a housing solution for the people who lost their homes in the fire in the Roma settlement.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Fire

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Slovakia: Fire

Many articles in the Slovak and in the Czech press about the fire in the Roma settlement of Veľkém Šariši which killed 4 children and a woman and destroyed several houses. Alexander Daško, the government’s plenipotentiary for Roma communities, went in the settlement in the Prešov region. He wants to go to Brussels and provide modular housing for the Roma in the settlements.

Up till now, he hasn’t done much to help and is heavily criticised.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Fire

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Slovakia: Fire

The fire in a Roma settlement in Veľký Šariš on March 19th claimed the lives of four young children and one adult woman and burnt 8 homes to the ground. It has severely affected not only the local Roma community, but also the general public. Roma activists, politicians and representatives of institutions are reacting to the tragedy. Roma leader Jozef Stojka called on Roma in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and throughout the European Union to light a candle in memory of the victims on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. According to him, the tragedy revealed a long-term crisis in the state’s approach to marginalized Roma communities.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Displaced

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Slovakia: Displaced

The mayor of the municipality of Dolné Vestenice in Slovakia, Viliam Šuhajda, declared an emergency situation for the territory of the municipality, specifically in the Kopanice part, with effect from March 19, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. The reason for this decision is slope deformation, which poses a serious risk to residents and infrastructure in the area.

The issue: Below that slope lies a Roma settlement. And the municipality said they had no alternative place to resettle them…

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Famous Photo

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Slovakia: Famous Photo

David Neff won the Czech Press Photo for his photo of the tragic floods in a Roma settlement in eastern Slovakia, but his main protagonist, Sister Atanázie Holubová, was not too thrilled with the photo. “I was a little angry with him. Why do you still have to take pictures of it?”

The flood occurred in Jarovnice on July 20th, 1998.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Croatia: Fire

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Croatia: Fire

Three children died in a fire in a Roma settlement in Croatia.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poznan: Fire

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Poznan: Fire

A fire in a Roma neighbourhood in Poznan, Poland, sent plumes of smoke through the city. Apparently, this was a fire in a garbage dump. The articles say that this often occurs, de-facto blaming Roma.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Relocation

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Slovakia: Relocation

The city of Žilina will remove unimo cells (basically containers), in which 28 Roma families lived after the fires in Roma settlements in 2009 and 2016. These containers, on Bratislavská Street will be replaced by an apartment building built for 200’000 euros, and there are further plans for another 800’000 euros. Some members of the social commission proposed the abolition of the settlemtn and the immediate integration of Roma among residents in other parts of the city.

Well either way, if the residents do not have jobs and education, this will provide little progress.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria and Mahala

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Bulgaria and Mahala

An unfinished apartment block, where Roma families have settled themselves and are raising their children there, continues to be a major problem according to the people of the neighbourhood. Residents have repeatedly filed reports that public order is being violated.

Now these issues in Humni Dol were discussed at a second working meeting between representatives of the local government as well as with Roma mediators. It is doubtful they will find solutions …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and a Settlement

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Slovakia and a Settlement

The village of Kolačkov (Stará Ľubovňa district) has a Roma settlement that is threatened by a landslide. The Roma settlement should be moved but the municipality claims it has no land to do so, also because two nature protection zones, one for birds and one for a small stream.

Basically, they would prefer the Roma to leave …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia and Roma

Roma in Southeastern Slovenia have a very bad reputation, and not a week goes by without some headlines in the Slovenian press about the Roma “problem”.

But not all Roma are like that. At the initiative of Silva Mesojedec from the Regional Civil Initiative (RCI) and Darko Rudaš, president of the Forum of Roma Councilors from the Roma settlement Pušča in Prekmurje, members of the RCI and also members of the People’s Initiative (LI) Šentjernej recently went to visit and see Pušča near Murska Sobota. There, they found a clean settlement, well ordered, with people working. The settlement has ca. 600 inhabitants.

Europe News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland and Roma

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Poland and Roma

The European Court of Human Rights found that the demolition of a Roma settlement in 2015 by the city of Wrocław violated the European Convention on Human Rights. A complaint against the Polish authorities was filed by Roma, citizens of Romania.

On July 22, 2015, the city of Wrocław liquidated the Roma settlement on Paprotna Street. At the time of the demolition, the settlement consisted of five buildings. The families (adults and children) had been living in the settlement since 2009. The complaint to the ECtHR was filed in early 2016.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poznan: Closure?

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Poznan: Closure?

The Roma settlement, located on the former 23 Lutego Family Allotment Gardens at Umultowska and Lechicka streets in Poznań lies on private land. Currently, court proceedings are underway regarding the city’s adverse possession of this land from 1 September 1990.

This story has been going on for years now…

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