A series or reportages among travelling Roma who come to Switzerland over the summer.
Some travellers stopping over in Austria are making headlines. The issue is that there are not camping sites open for them, and they thus have to find other places to stay. Some of the right-wing politicians are instrumentalizing Roma for political gains.
An article about the open bills left by Roma and travellers in a camp in Maontova, Italy. Apparently, they left unpaid electricity bills, tapped illegally in the electrical system, did not pay the fees for camping etc. All this amounting to more than 400’000 euros.
Not good.
The city of Zurich has allocated a large credit for the move and maintenance of a camping site for travellers in the Altstetten Neighbourhood of the city.
The usual story that Travellers leave a mess in their camping sites. Here, near Linz.
Seasonal news, indeed. A few articles in the Austrian Press about Roma camping near Linz. And these are not really flattering.
A movie about the Yenish, a group of European Travellers in mostly German speaking lands is being presented at the Venice Film Festival.
They are fighting against racism.
The canton Basel Land is opening a new temporary camping site.
A commentary in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung saying that local Yenishe and Sinti are literally suffering from the travelling foreign Roma who do not respect local rules.
One has to stress here that Switzerland is the only place where camping sites for travellers are de-facto segregated.
The country has an issue with actually providing camping sites to travellers. Not only are there not enough, but they also distinguish between “local” Travellers, the Jenische and Sinti and Manouche and “foreign” ones, i.e. the Roma.
Now one canton is setting up a working group on the topic. See you again in five years …
The usual story. No space for travellers, hence illegal camping, hence complaints.
An article about the largest horse drive in the UK.
Another conflict between Swiss towns and Roma travellers. This time in Yverdon. The town has blocked access to a camping site with concrete blocks, preventing the Roma who are there from leaving with their caravans.
There are not enough sites in Switzerland, and the highest court in the land is prompting the cantons to remedy this issue. Nothing is of course done.
Yeniche, Sinti and Roma are entitled to camping sites, which are rare in the Lake Zurich region. The site in Meilen is now to be renovated and expanded. Specifically, ten parking spaces are to be created. Ten is not much when one knows that there are often up to 50 caravans underway.
The Swiss government decided to cut the subsidies for Jenische and Sinti in Switzerland. They were already not generous.
The Swiss are not exactly generous to Travellers. And they do not even recognise Roma (but they do recognise Sinti and manouches) besides the Jenishe as a national minority. Now they are cutting the meagre amount they spend.
Bad.
There are not enough camping sites for travellers in Switzerland. This is definitively not new. The Council of Europe is now telling Switzerland it must act.
Let’s see, as the country is very good at doing nothing on this topic.
Roma and Travellers drove through London as part of a charity event.
The rightist party FPÖ in Linz is proposing a camping interdiction for Sinti and Roma in a site ner Linz and asking for a caution.
Reason behind this was the damages sustained recently that were the subject of several articles in the local press.
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