News

Greek Metropolitan Bishop says neo-Nazis are the people's hope

Athens, Greece, 29.10.2012 19:23, (ROMEA) A leading representative of the Greek Orthodox church, Metropolitan Bishop Ambrosios of Kalavryta, shocked the public yesterday by calling the neo-Nazis in the Golden Dawn party the "sweet hope" of the people. Online Greek news server newsit.gr called the statements of the clergyman symptoms of insanity.  full story

Exhibition shows Czech hypocrisy on education of Romani people

Prague, 29.10.2012 18:24, (ROMEA) The Open Society Justice Initiative has supported the creation of an exhibition of photographs of Romani parents, accompanied by their stories, entitled "Failing Another Generation" (in Czech, "Jak vztratit další generaci"). The exhibition will open on 13 November 2012 at 19:30 in the arcade of the Lucerna Palace in Prague.  full story

videoCzech hockey club apologizes to Canadian player for fans' racism

Chomutov, 29.10.2012 16:56, (ROMEA) The management of the Chomutov Pirates Czech Extraliga hockey team (Piráti Chomutov) has publicly apologized to Wayne Simmonds, a forward for the Liberec hockey team, for the racist insults aimed at him by several Pirates fans during yesterday's game. Simmonds, a Black Canadian, became the target of the insults toward the end of the game, which Chomutov won 3:2 in overtime.  full story

Jerusalem gypsies want Israeli citizenship

Jerusalem, 28.10.2012 20:29, (The Jerusalem Post) The 2,000 members of Jerusalem’s Muslim gypsy population want to become Israeli citizens, Mukhtar Abed Salim told Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat on Sunday. Barkat visited the capital’s small and impoverished gypsy population on Sunday to wish them happy holidays for the Eid al Adha [Feast of the Sacrifice], one of the most important Muslim holidays of the year. The gypsies, in turn, celebrated the mayor’s 53rd birthday last week with a special cake featuring the mayor’s face.  full story

Open ‘CONTEST 2012: Make a Change'

Brussels , 28.10.2012 15:57, (ROMEA) RomaReact.org announces Make a Change: Open Contest 2012, a video and photo contest made possible by a donation from European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes. The contest is individuals above the age of 16 who live in European Union countries or in Albania, Macedonia or Turkey.  full story

Commentary: Czech organizations leech off of "gypsy subsidies"

Liberec, 28.10.2012 0:24, (ROMEA/Romano hangos) During discussions on the website of the Romea news server (www.romea.cz), the debates between pro-Romani and Romani activists have often returned on various occasions to the topic of legitimacy - who can and should "speak on behalf of Romani people" or "represent Romani people" in the Czech Republic? The Editor-in-Chief of the Romano hangos periodical, Pavel Pečínka, has reached out to a circle of his regular contributors with questions that can all be summarized under the basic question of: Who can speak "for Romani people"? News server Romea.cz is gradually publishing the responses submitted to him by selected authors. Below is the translation of the response submitted by Dušan Kotlár, a staffer with the Romský život (Romani Life) association in Liberec.  full story

Commentary: Romani ideologies include radical nationalism

Děčín, 27.10.2012 22:53, (ROMEA/Romano hangos) During discussions on the website of the Romea news server (www.romea.cz), the debates between pro-Romani and Romani activists have often returned on various occasions to the topic of legitimacy - who can and should "speak on behalf of Romani people" or "represent Romani people" in the Czech Republic? The Editor-in-Chief of the Romano hangos periodical, Pavel Pečínka, has reached out to a circle of his regular contributors with questions that can all be summarized under the basic question of: Who can speak "for Romani people"? News server Romea.cz is gradually publishing the responses submitted to him by selected authors. Below is the translation of the response submitted by the head of the Děčín branch of the Counseling Center for Citizenship and Civil and Human Rights (Poradna pro občanství, občanská a lidská práva), Drahomír Radek Horváth.  full story

Czech Republic: The fatal catastrophe of the Předlice ghetto

Ústí nad Labem, 27.10.2012 21:58, (ROMEA) The Předlice neighborhood in Ústí nad Labem is probably the worst, perhaps even the largest, impoverished ghetto in the Czech Republic. News reports have run recently that the residents of some buildings in the neighborhood will be evicted and will probably be re-housed in residential hotels charging usurious rates. What is happening in Předlice?  full story

The First Roma Journal of Turkey: Rom-ca

Ankara, 27.10.2012 21:48, (ROMEA) The first Roma journal of Turkey Rom-ca is the sign of the development of Roma in Turkey. Many Roma journals were published in Europe since 1900s. However there were no periodicals prepared by Roma in Turkey until 2012. Rom-ca which is published by Abdullah Cıstır, who is a Roma entrepreneur and activist, became the first example of periodicals focusing on Roma in Turkey.  full story

Roma Woman Wins Case against Bulgaria at Strasbourg

Sofia, 27.10.2012 21:45, (ROMEA) Bulgaria has been found guilty of failing to protect the right to life and of discrimination against a female Roma citizen, who filed a case at the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights.  full story

Lívia Járóka: The situation of the most disadvantaged communities must be dealt with on the upcoming Council Summit

Brussel, 27.10.2012 21:37, (ROMEA) In her one minute speech MEP Lívia Járóka welcomed the European Council's commitment towards boosting employment and social inclusion and expressed her hope that the upcoming summit in November would reinforce the proposals aiming at the most disadvantaged communities.  full story

Commentary: Romani people who won't take a look at themselves harm everyone

Prague, 27.10.2012 21:00, (ROMEA/Romano hangos) During discussions on the website of the Romea news server (www.romea.cz), the debates between pro-Romani and Romani activists have often returned on various occasions to the topic of legitimacy - who can and should "speak on behalf of Romani people" or "represent Romani people" in the Czech Republic? The Editor-in-Chief of the Romano hangos periodical, Pavel Pečínka, has reached out to a circle of his regular contributors with questions that can all be summarized under the basic question of: Who can speak "for Romani people"? News server Romea.cz is gradually publishing the responses submitted to him by selected authors. Below is the translation of the response submitted by iDNES.cz editor Patrik Banga.  full story

Bregovic breaks down racism with 'gypsy' music

Srajevo, 27.10.2012 20:21, (Dw.de) Discrimination against Roma and Sinti communities continues to be a major problem across Europe. But the "gypsy" inspired music of world-famous Balkan musician Goran Bregovic is breaking down stereotypes.  full story

Visas may be restored for Western Balkans if Roma problem not solved

Sofia, 27.10.2012 19:13, (ROMEA) The EU threatened to restore the visa regime for Serbia and four other candidates for EU members if they do not solve the Roma problem.  full story

Fotis Filippou: Europe’s Roma discrimination shame

London, 27.10.2012 19:02, (CNN) A new memorial in Berlin to commemorate hundreds of thousands of Roma who were systematically murdered by the Nazis during World War II is an important official step towards marking the atrocities of the past. But given the treatment of Roma in today’s Europe, the monument near the Reichstag should give current political leaders pause for thought about the 12 million Roma who continue to face prejudice and persecution across the continent.  full story

Commentary: What kind of people should Romani representatives be?

Brno, 27.10.2012 0:14, (ROMEA/Romano hangos) During discussions on the website of the Romea news server (www.romea.cz), the debates between pro-Romani and Romani activists have often returned on various occasions to the topic of legitimacy - who can and should "speak on behalf of Romani people" or "represent Romani people" in the Czech Republic? The Editor-in-Chief of the Romano hangos periodical, Pavel Pečínka, has reached out to a circle of his regular contributors with questions that can all be summarized under the basic question of: Who can speak "for Romani people"? News server Romea.cz is gradually publishing the responses submitted to him by selected authors. Below is the translation of the response submitted by Alica Heráková.  full story

Commentary: Romani representatives will only be legitimate when actually elected

Prague, 26.10.2012 23:15, (ROMEA/Romano hangos) During discussions on the website of the Romea news server (www.romea.cz), the debates between pro-Romani and Romani activists have often returned on various occasions to the topic of legitimacy - who can and should "speak on behalf of Romani people" or "represent Romani people" in the Czech Republic? The Editor-in-Chief of the Romano hangos periodical, Pavel Pečínka, has reached out to a circle of his regular contributors with questions that can all be summarized under the basic question of: Who can speak "for Romani people"? News server Romea.cz is gradually publishing the responses submitted to him by selected authors. Below is the translation of the response submitted by musician Gyulla Banga.  full story

Commentary: Schools - tools for change or the status quo?

Prague, 25.10.2012 20:59, (Romano vod'i) A general comparison of the situation of the Romani minorities in five new EU Member States is now underway in which education is of central importance, viewed as the motor of inter-generational change and a tool for turning segregation into integration. The comparison will produce both an analysis of the state of affairs and of developments, as well as an analysis of barriers to progress, at a minimum because the accent on desegregation policy which has been the backbone of EU documents and the declaratory commitments made by the governments of these five new EU Member States (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia) has not produced the desired results, nor has it reversed any of the current adverse developments in this area.  full story

"Stop Social Reform" vs. Czech xenophobic social policy

Prague, 24.10.2012 19:11, (ROMEA) By the end of 2011 and during the start of 2012, many measures known as "social reform" began to apply here in the Czech Republic. While it may not be immediately obvious, these reforms are introducing several completely new elements into the Czech environment that are fundamentally changing the active employment policy system and the provision of social assistance.  full story

videoPetra Gelbart: I don't study the Roma, I study the gadje

New York, 24.10.2012 17:58, (Romano vod'i) Dr. Petra Gelbart was born in Ústí nad Labem and considers Prague her home. At the age of 10, her parents moved the family to the USA. She studied musicology, specializing in ethnomusicology and education. During the school year she lives with her husband and two children in New York, in the predominantly Hispanic/Indian neighborhood of Jackson Heights. She lectures on Romani cultures at colleges and for the general public. Her lectures often feature accordion playing and singing.  full story