World

Council of Europe marks International Remembrance Day of the Pharrajimos (Roma Genocide)

Strasbourg, 2.8.2013 21:47, (ROMEA) The Council of Europe has marked International Remembrance Day of the Pharrajimos, or Roma Genocide, with a ceremony in front of its headquarters building in Strasbourg, France.  full story

videoRoma Inclusion: What We Can Learn from Croatia

Zagreb, 26.7.2013 13:43, (ROMEA) Call me a starry-eyed idealist, but I believe schools are the primary institution in society where we should learn to live together. As a parent, I’ve never seen the point of teaching kids how to divide numbers or how not to split infinitives if we can’t first teach them how to love and treasure each other’s differences. For far too many of Europe’s Roma children, however, schools are still places far more adept at dividing communities than uniting them.  full story

Denitsa Mihaylova: A Bulgarian woman proud of her Roma origin

Sofia, 26.7.2013 13:30, (ROMEA) Denitsa Mihaylova is the first and, so far, the only woman of Roma origin who works at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She speaks to her 5-year-old daughter Madona like an adult, demanding that she take decisions on her own, including what to order from a menu full of tempting dishes.  full story

ERRC Condemns Hitler Hate Speech Against Roma

Budapest, 26.7.2013 11:49, (ROMEA) The European Roma Rights Centre strongly condemns a French politician’s recent remark about Roma suggesting that “Maybe Hitler did not kill enough.” The comment, made by Gilles Bourdouleix, an MP and Mayor of the western town of Cholet, is completely unacceptable. Unfortunately, this incident does not reflect an isolated position. This is just the latest example of racist and discriminatory remarks by French politicians targeting Roma and Traveller communities and individuals in France.  full story

Montenegro: Right-wing extremists assault country's first Gay Pride Parade

Podgorica, 25.7.2013 17:32, (ROMEA) On Wednesday, 24 July, in the very conservative country of Montenegro, right-wing extremists shouting "Kill the gays!" assaulted activists from the gay community who were meeting up for the country's first-ever Gay Pride Parade in the seaside resort of Budva. Wire services report the attackers threw bottles, rocks, smoke bombs and other objects, including café tables, at several dozen participants in the march and their supporters before clashing with riot police protecting the event.  full story

RomaReact group: Start the morning with human rights

Brussels, 28.6.2013 12:25, (ROMEA/RomaReact.org) For some it is just another day, but for us, the participants in the RomaReact group it is a day that we hope will bring a positive impact to our work and will support the fulfillment of our aims for which we have all worked for on.  full story

George Soros Welcomes EU Action to Promote Roma Inclusion

Brussels, 26.6.2013 22:32, (ROMEA) Today the European Union announced important measures to promote Roma inclusion across Europe. The Open Society Foundations praised the proposals, which focus on ending widespread disparities in education, employment, health, and housing, and call on member states to devote more money to Roma integration.  full story

videoRoma: Commission calls on Member States to step up efforts on integration

Brussels, 26.6.2013 22:25, (ROMEA) The European Commission has called on Member States to deliver on their commitments to ensure equality and to do more to improve the economic and social integration of Europe's 10 to 12 million Roma.  full story

France: Head of ultra-right may face trial for racism

Paris, 2.6.2013 23:52, (ROMEA) Marine Le Pen, the head of the ultra-right National Front party in France, now risks the possibility of being brought to trial in short order. She could be asked to answer to charges of racism for her previous anti-Muslim statements.  full story

Germans, Turks use trial of neo-Nazi Zschäpe to get their messages across

Germany, 20.5.2013 7:04, (ROMEA) Czech Radio reports that the first two days of the trial of neo-Nazi Beate Zschäpe, which started last week, have been accompanied by displays of emotion. Various people have been using the event to get their own messages across to the public.  full story

Budapest: Three neo-Nazis who assaulted WJC delegates sentenced

Budapest, Hungary, 11.5.2013 16:40, (ROMEA) The World Jewish Congress (WJC) as warned that anti-Semitism could grow in Europe as a result of the exacerbated economic crisis. A report released at the end of the three-day general assembly in Budapest warns that politicians have a tendency to dedicate less attention to this issue during times of economic hardship.  full story

New York Times visits previously segregated school in Slovakia

New York City/Šarišské Michaľany, 10.5.2013 19:01, (ROMEA) "A microcosm of one of the biggest problems in Europe" - those are the words used on the front page of The New York Times to describe a primary school in Šarišské Michaľany, Slovakia. A reporter for the prestigious US newspaper traveled to eastern Slovakia to report on the segregation of Romani children there. Last year a court in Prešov ruled against a local segregated school.  full story

World Jewish Congress: Anti-Semitism in Europe may grow as a result of crisis

Budapest, Hungary, 9.5.2013 17:17, (ROMEA) The World Jewish Congress (WJC) has warned that anti-Semitism may grow in Europe as a result of the aggravated economic crisis. A report released at the end of the WJC’s three-day general assembly in Budapest warns that politicians have a tendency to devote less attention than is necessary to this issue during economic difficulties.  full story

Norwegian MP tars Bulgarian, French and Romani people with the same brush

Oslo, Norway, 8.5.2013 15:27, (ROMEA) Agence France-Presse reported on Friday, 3 May that an MP with the second-strongest party in the Norwegian Parliament, the populist “Progress Party”, has called for the monarchy to close its borders to “organized groups of Roma, Bulgarians and Frenchmen”, labeling them notorious criminals. MP Per Sandberg, whose party scores political points through its anti-immigrant rhetoric in particular, proposed taking “three immediate steps to stop the influx of beggars and criminals” into the country.  full story

videoSlovakia: Romani political party presents project to President Gašparovič

Bratislava, Slovakia, 7.5.2013 18:59, (ROMEA) Ivan Gašparovič, the president of the Slovak Republic, in response to a letter from the Romani Union Party of Slovakia (Strana romské unie Slovenska), has received a visit from party representatives to discuss Romani people and their life together with the non-Romani population in Slovakia. “Cooperation must consist of seeking compromises,” the president said of the visit.  full story

Germany: 500 police officers keep the peace at Munich trial of neo-Nazis

Munich, Germany, 6.5.2013 21:47, (ROMEA) Many demonstrations against racism and rallies for justice are taking place today under tight police supervision in front of the State Court in Munich where the much-publicized trial is scheduled to begin of Beate Zschäpe, a member of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), and four of her alleged assistants. Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports that many people waited in line all night to get into the courtroom today, but only the first 50 were allowed in. The streets near the courthouse are lined with news crews and their broadcasting vehicles.  full story

Hungary: Ultra-right protests World Jewish Congress in Budapest

Budapest, Hungary, 6.5.2013 21:00, (ROMEA) Experts say Jewish people in Hungary are facing a rising anti-Semitism spreading from right-wing extremist groups to the core of society. Representatives of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) gave that as the reason they decided to hold their quadrennial meeting, which began yesterday, in Budapest.  full story

Human rights protection is under strain in Europe, says Commissioner Muižnieks in his first annual report

Strasbourg, 1.5.2013 12:56, (ROMEA) “The picture of the human rights situation which I have observed during country visits, meetings with authorities and discussions with NGO representatives in 2012 is worrying” said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while presenting his first annual report. “Of particular concern are the persisting patterns of discrimination, racism and homophobia; the treatment of migrants; constraints to freedom of expression; as well as the inefficiency of national judicial systems.”  full story

USA tells Slovakia to clean up its courts, prevent attacks against Romani people

Bratislava, Slovakia, 30.4.2013 0:34, (ROMEA) News server Aktuality.sk reports that the US State Department’s human rights report for 2012 has described the Slovak Republic as a country where judges abuse their power, the judicial system is imbalanced, and discrimination and violent attacks against Romani people are ongoing. According to the report, discrimination against ethnic minorities, the Roma in particular, is common.  full story

Slovak apartheid ends at one school

Prague, 29.4.2013 20:27, (ROMEA) The Slovak daily Sme reports that until recently, a school in the town of Šarišské Michaľany was educating dark-skinned children on its first floor and white-skinned children on the ground floor. The playground was divided into separate sections as well, while the cafeteria offered cooked food for the whites and “dry food” for the others.  full story