News

International focus: Roma people denied social housing in Italy

Rome, 23.3.2013 17:06, (ROMEA) Roma people in the Italian capital are being denied access to social housing – despite living in segregated and basic camps, far from facilities such as schools and hospitals. Rome's authorities have put in place regulations which prevent thousands of Roma, many of whom were born in Italy, from applying for public housing in a move which has angered human rights groups.  full story

videoCzech cop knocks 16-month-old from pram during altercation with mother

Rokycany, 23.3.2013 0:45, (ROMEA) The Mediafax press agency and TV Nova report that municipal police in the Czech town of Rokycany have brutally, unreasonably intervened against a woman who was walking down the street with her child and her dog. While intervening because the woman's dog was not on a leash, a patrolman overturned the pram and the 16-month-old boy inside it fell to the ground. While the child ended up with "just" a bump to the head, he came close to smashing his skull on the curb.  full story

Slovakia: Romani children segregated from others during lunch

Medzilaborce, Slovakia, 22.3.2013 16:47, (ROMEA) Romani children attending a primary school in the East Slovakian town of Medzilaborce are not permitted to eat lunch in the school cafeteria together with everyone else. Several angry local parents have drawn attention to the situation. The school director says the reason is that some Romani pupils do not know how to eat with cutlery and eat with their hands instead.  full story

France: Roma may file charges against Interior Minister for inciting hatred

Paris, 22.3.2013 15:52, (ROMEA) The Romani community of France is considering filing charges against Interior Minister Manuel Valls for incitement of racial hatred after he was quoted in the right-wing paper Le Figaro as saying that Romani people who come to live in France "obviously do not want to integrate into society". The community accuses the minister of targeting Romani people on the basis of their ethnicity and race.  full story

Czech EdMin: "Practical primary schools" will not be closed

Prague, 22.3.2013 15:19, (ROMEA) Speaking today in the Senate, Czech Education Minister Petr Fiala said the "practical primary schools" will not be closed. Nevertheless, he said that because of a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights, it is essential to change the fact that some pupils end up in these schools only because they come from socially disadvantaged environments or even because of their ethnic background.  full story

Czech town bans social housing

Libáň, 22.3.2013 1:49, (ROMEA) If you were to decide to help a family in distress find dignified housing, you would encounter stiff opposition in the East Bohemian town of Libaň. On Wednesday, 20 March 2013, the Libáň town council met to review a request filed by one of its citizens, Stanislav Penc, but only after various individuals, non-state organizations, and state bodies had called on the town to do so. Penc has now received the opportunity to publicly present his request. Last fall he asked the town leadership to agree to his plan to build an apartment building that will feature social apartments.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani residents won't budge without a fight

Prague, 21.3.2013 23:37, (ROMEA) On Sunday, 18 March at the Café v lese in Prague, a public discussion took place about recent events concernign the housing situation on Přednádraží street in Ostrava and in the Předlice quarter of Ústí nad Labem. The discussion was followed by a benefit concert by the bands Fakné, Potmě, Čokovoko and Vobezdud, called "Number 8 Lives" (Osmička žije!) Building number 8 is the last residential building on Přednádraží street that is still occupied, and its occupants need financial and other support. The benefit was organized by the SOS Přednádraží initiative and the discussion was co-organized by the Housing for All (Bydlení pro všechny) initiative.  full story

ENAR and UNITED for Intercultural Action: The charter for political parties for a non-racist society: a message for elections

Amsterdam/Brussels, 21.3.2013 13:40, (ROMEA) On the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, ENAR and UNITED for Intercultural Action call upon political parties across Europe to re-affirm the principles of the Charter for political parties for a non-racist society and to speak clearly against racism and other forms of discrimination against minorities.  full story

ERIO: It is our collective obligation to combat anti-Gypsyism

Brussels, 21.3.2013 13:12, (ROMEA) On the International Day for the Elimination of Racism, ERIO would like to remind people and governments of the negative and destructive consequences of racial discrimination. History shows that racism is often a key ingredient in the development of violent conflict, and has been responsible for some of the worst atrocities committed by mankind.  full story

Joint Statement on International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Vienna, 21.3.2013 11:39, (ROMEA) he social fallout from the ongoing global economic crisis must not become an excuse to allow racism and prejudice to go unchecked, said Morten Kjaerum, Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and Eva Smith Asmussen, Chair of the Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), in a joint statement to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.  full story

Bernard Rorke: What Can the EU Do for Roma in the Face of Rising Populism and Prejudice?

Budapest, 20.3.2013 22:37, (ROMEA) It’s nearly two years since the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS) was launched during the Hungarian EU Presidency. Back then, Commissioner Viviane Reding described it as a “huge step forward for millions of Roma around Europe.” When the Commission reviewed the strategies submitted by Member States in May 2012, the rhetoric was more muted. The best the Commission could say was that the strategies amounted to a “first step.” One year on, in a climate of deepening poverty and rising intolerance, there is a grave danger that the prospects of the Framework making a difference to Roma people’s lives will simply dissolve. The newly published policy brief Beyond First Steps provides a concise overview and analysis of developments to date, as well as a clear set of recommendations for the European Commission to keep the Framework on track.  full story

Giving Roma people the opportunities they deserve as EU citizens

Brussels, 20.3.2013 0:29, (ROMEA) Never in recent history has a European minority been more neglected and discriminated against. For decades Roma people all across Europe have been faced with systematic discrimination and denied the most fundamental rights to decent living conditions and opportunities. The lack of integration of Roma is not new. EU member states have long expressed their concerns about the situation but lacked the political will to truly act on it.  full story

Council of Europe Congress launches the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion

Strasbourg, 20.3.2013 0:25, (ROMEA) A major priority of the Council of Europe, to improve the situation of Roma people, will move a step closer to being realised with the launch of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion during the 24th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.  full story

Roma Exclusion in Europe: Do you know? Do you care?

Brussels, 19.3.2013 23:48, (ROMEA) European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network (ERGO) staff and members walked out, last Friday, on a European Commission (EC) conference with the aim of signalling to the organizers and speakers that systematically ignoring Roma people and Roma experts during the process of formulation of policies targeting the Roma is unacceptable.  full story

videoBulgarian man shoots dead three Romani people before committing suicide

Sofia, Bulgaria, 19.3.2013 19:44, (ROMEA) On Monday evening in Sofia a man of Bulgarian nationality allegedly shot dead three members of a Romani family who were his neighbors before committing suicide. Media reports say the tragedy took place in a part of the capital predominantly inhabited by Romani residents.  full story

Czech Republic: Skinhead to serve life in prison for murdering elderly couple

Hradec Králové, 19.3.2013 15:55, (ROMEA) The Czech Press Agency reports that state prosecutor Eva Prskavcová has announced that the sentence of life in prison has taken effect for 19-year-old Tomáš Vít, who brutally murdered an elderly couple in Trutnov last year. The High Court in Prague was supposed to have reviewed the verdict tomorrow, but the young defendant unexpectedly withdrew his appeal.  full story

videoGreek footballer banned for life from national team after Nazi salute

Athens, Greece, 19.3.2013 14:17, (ROMEA) At last Saturday's Greek League match, 20-year-old midfielder Jorgos Katidis of AEK Athens celebrated his winning goal against Veria by giving the Nazi salute. He has been banned for life from the national team.  full story

Valeriu Nicolae: The Almighty Church of Social Inclusion

Bucharest, 19.3.2013 11:02, (ROMEA) Over the last ten years I have taken part in about 50 major European Commission conferences on Roma issues. Many were in the early years. I thought initially that conferencing was a way to achieve change. Last year I went to just one EC conference. After the meeting I wrote a piece about structural racism that was published by the European Voice. The “Extraordinary Meeting on Roma” was extraordinary proof of structural problems and ingrained racism within the Commission. Only two speakers out of 29 were Roma.  full story

videoLatvia: Hundreds celebrate Nazi "legionnaires", Russians counter-protest

Riga, Latvia, 18.3.2013 23:40, (ROMEA) Hundreds of Latvians marched on Saturday 16 March 2013 through the capital, Riga, to celebrate armed Latvian SS units who fought side-by-side with the Germans during WWII against the Soviet Union. Anti-fascists and representatives of the Russian minority protested against the "legionnaires' march", as is now traditional.  full story

Czech town installs CCTV cameras after fabricated claims of assault

Břeclav, 18.3.2013 22:55, (ROMEA) Town councilors and police patrols in the Czech town of Břeclav are praising the CCTV system that has been running in the town since the new year. They have managed to solve 40 illegal acts thanks to the footage, from shoplifting to vandalism.  full story