Tag Archives: Stereotypes

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Roma Wedding

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Roma Wedding

Yet another article about the lavish Roma wedding in Košice, Slovakia. According to eh article, the viral wedding of rich Roma in Košice caused quite a stir among residents and tourists alike. After the wedding in the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth, to which Charlotka (the bride), Roman (the bridegroom) and other wedding guests walked down the red carpet, a pompous banquet followed. The bride changed into a red dress of Hollywood proportions and later returned with her family to a luxuriously furnished house.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma in Slovenia

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Roma in Slovenia

The Slovenian Roma Community Association Umbrella-Dežnik and the European Roma Organization ERO have called for an end to the political incitement of intolerance towards the Roma community in an open letter. Criminal acts are not caused by the Roma community, but by individuals, warns the president of the Slovenian Roma Association Jožek Horvat Muc.

As members of the Roma community, we are deeply saddened and concerned that the entire Roma community has to suffer due to the recent actions of individual Roma, which we strongly, strongly condemn and distance ourselves from. It is unacceptable that incidents of individuals are used as an excuse to spread collective guilt and stigmatization. Crime has no nationality, and it must not have an excuse,” the Association of the Roma Community of Slovenia Umbrella-Dežnik and the European Roma Organization ERO wrote in an open letter.

They are right!

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Another Mayor on Roma

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Another Mayor on Roma

Novo Mesto (Slovenia) Mayor Gregor Macedoni spoke about the Roma “issue”, calling for systemic solutions. According to him, security has been steadily deteriorating in recent years, especially in southeastern Slovenia. We are really seeing this on the ground. Above all, it is worrying and real, and should also concern everyone in Ljubljana, that these crimes are increasingly bold and violent, that they are directed at officials… Police officers are being beaten, teachers are being slapped, doctors in the emergency room are being threatened. So, in this country we do not know how to respond systematically. The police are on the ground, but the system will also have to adapt to these new forms of crimes.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

A Mayor on Roma

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A Mayor on Roma

Jože Simončič, Mayor of the Municipality of Šentjernej in Slovenia:  “Some Roma are very rich, others are poor, even very poor. The rich drive good cars, they afford to travel and luxurious parties, prestigious clothes and jewelry. All this is noticeable. But the poor among them are taken away from everything, they are charged huge interest for lending money, there is a lot of extortion.”

All innuendos, all without proof, all to complain about the laxity of the legislation.

Bad.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria and Roma

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Bulgaria and Roma

Representatives of the Roma community accused some of the Bulgarian political elite of reacting unreasonably harshly to situations in which Roma were involved. They cited as an example, statements after the incident in Vidin, in which a 13-year-old boy inflicted moderate bodily harm on another child. According to the Chairman of the National Council of Roma in Bulgaria, Petko Asenov, the reactions of Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov and MEP Angel Dzambazki were deliberately exaggerated and aimed at ethnic hatred. Asenov pointed out that in the case in Vidin “it is a scandal on a domestic basis and all boys of Roma origin cannot be put under a common denominator.”

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Folklore …

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Folklore …

Another one of those kinds of articles. All stereotypes included. Good musicians who “migrated through Europe for thousands of years”, and so on. Well meant, but full of stereotypes.

As one says: Hell is paved with good intentions.

France News Western Europe

Art and Roma

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Art and Roma

An interview with art historian, art critic (she won the AICA prize in 2023) and curator, Elora Weill-Engerer. She is publishing “Le jour lui n’a qu’un jour. Sept textes sur Ceija Stojka” [The day has only one day: seven texts about Čeja Stijka. this fall and is curator of the exhibition “Les Rois morts” [Dead Kings] at the Suzanne Tarasieve gallery in Paris (until August 2). She is currently preparing, under the supervision of Elvan Zabunyan and Pierre Wat, a doctoral thesis at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne on the

The later part, unfortunately, reflects the lack of knowledge in France about Roma and the still prevailing stereotypes.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

The usual in France about Roma. The reedition of a reportage in a Roma slum in Marseille, perpetuating stereotypes. With the closure of a camp in Nantes, the Roma families are asked to sign a convention with the municipality, pushing them towards compliance with norms and involvement with social services. Finally, also in Nantes, in a neighbourhood where Roma were given housing are protesting against them.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Interview

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Slovakia: Interview

An interview with the musicians Silvia and Vanessa Šarköziová, two Romnja who tour Europe with the groups “Gypsy Devils”. Not the most profound interview, as one of the question is: how are Slovak women perceived aboard? And the answer by Silvia is, that she doesn’t quite fit the perceptions.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Stereotypes in Politics

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Stereotypes in Politics

A member of the European Parliament Romana Tomc (SDS) from Slovenia posted a post on her Facebook profile titled “The Gypsy Carmen and the story of the Dolenjska Roma”. Tomc paints a romantic picture of a “passionate, beautiful and special gypsy woman”, who was once supposed to represent something mysterious and exciting. Then follows the contrast: “Today, the gypsies from the story of Carmen are gone. Instead, we have Roma,” she writes.

Bad

 

News Western Europe United Kingdom

Appleby Horse fair

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Appleby Horse fair

The largest horse fair and gathering of travellers and Roma in the UK is almost there. A guide to it. But alos a tabloid article about communities barricading, the usual stereotypical rants.

Bad.

Bulgaria France News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

France, Roma, and Bulgaria

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France, Roma, and Bulgaria

The French Institute of Bulgaria is opening its doors to Roma culture from June 2 to 5, 2025. Through screenings and evenings of discussions, this series will highlight their history, creativity, and the diversity of their artistic expressions across Europe.

Unfortunately, being French, they bring a baggage of stereotypes starting with the names of “Roms, Tsiganes, Manouches, Bohémiens, Romanichels, Sintis, Gitans…” And then go on with saying that Roma reside in Europe since the XVth century.  This in Bulgaria, one of the cradles of Roma culture as part of the Byzantine Empire where Roma have been for more than a thousand year.

One can only wish that journalists manage to learn something at some point …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia, Roma, and Schools

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Slovenia, Roma, and Schools

An editorial following an incident in a football field in a school where a Roma boy took the ball from an ethnic Slovene who fell and had to be brought to a hospital. The Roma boy was deemed “aggressive”.

The editorial argues that ethnicity has nothing to do with capacities, behaviour, and values.

Blaming Roma is simply not an acceptable excuse.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia and Roma

When stereotypes mix with education… Music, songs, this is what Roma children are faced with in “integration”. According to the article, “Roma children actively participated the whole time, we checked on a regular basis whether they understood the stories presented, as some have difficulty understanding the Slovenian language. Smiling and motivated, they happily participated in the creative workshop and coloured a colouring book with fairy-tale characters from the show.”

This is not how one achieves integration…

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

An interesting article about a professor in France stating “they are not nomads”. Pretty much everyone knows that, except for France …

Other than that, Roma from a closed camp still have no permanent abode, and two articles on dogs. One where apparently dogs were drugged by Roma for begging, and the other, the case of a dog stolen by a Rom.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece: A Traffic Accident

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Greece: A Traffic Accident

A traffic accident that occurred in the early hours of Thursday, April 25, at the intersection of Thivon and Kanapitseri streets in West Athens, with a 12-year-old girl as the victim. The accident actually occurred in a parallel universe, invisible to most of us. What was the little girl doing there, at this time, alone? Who left her? Where were her parents? Those would be normal questions. But the girl is a Romni, “Gypsy” as most people still say. So, it’s not at all strange that he was all alone on the streets at 2:00 in the morning, “that’s what they do” (said with disapproval and perhaps some disgust). And the issue will end there.

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