2006 October - National Roma Centrum

UEFA Cup events to close FARE Action Week

(2 November 2006) The 7th edition of the FARE Action Week, after hitting the highest point with a series of high profile and grassroots events at the week-end of the 28-29 October, closes with a prominent symbolic action at the UEFA Cup match between FK Partizan and AS Livorno on 2 November in Belgrade. The players of both teams will carry onto the pitch two big banners with the Partizan motto “We don’t divide, black – white, we unite”. The Partizan and Livorno players as well as the referees will wear anti-racism message T-shirts. To demonstrate that racist gestures will not be tolerated both teams will present to their fans a sign saying “POKAZI RASIZMU CRVENI KARTON” (Show racism the red card). After a dispute with the UEFA Keep reading…

On the behalf of the seventh week of fighting against racism in European football, the National Roma Centrum with support of the FARE network and the municipality of Kumanovo, on the 28th of October organized a football tournament on which 4 teams participated from Macedonian, Roma and Albanian nationality. The event began with a parade through the city where the teams walked through the city with banners and under the motto “The game is the same for all”. The parade ended in front of the Sports Hall Keep reading…

On behalf of the Week against Racism, the National Roma Centrum in cooperation with the FARE network, which is supported by the football federation UEFA, on Saturday, 28.10.2006 will organize a football contest, on which four football teams from different nationalities from Kumanovo will participate. The contest will begin at 10:00 o’clock in the Sports Hall, and before the begging of the game there will be a short defile through the city. The defile will begin at 09:30 o’clock from the National Roma Centrum to the Sports Hall. For the participants on the game there will be some refreshments and sandwiches for the players. There will be one Roma, one Macedonian and one Albanian team and a mixed team from the members of the National Roma Centrum. The contest is going to be organized in order to promote the Week against Racism, and to abolish the prejudice and stereotypes which exist among these nationalities. The teams will be composed of young people between the ages 15-25.

The European Center for Antiziganism Research on 16 October has come forward against Sacha Baron Cohen, also known as “Ali G” or “Borat“, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany GmbH and as well as, against Webspaceprovider, Schlund+Partner AG, a charge posed to the Hamburg leading senior Public Prosecutor. Specified the above people-rushing statements become, offense, he is calling toward violation and force against Roma and Sinti, accused that in intentionally more insulting manner mentioned as “gypsies” and calling against equal treatment under the law. The Keep reading…

Every year, the United Nations grants awards for excellence in journalism and photography reporting about poverty issues in the country. This year United Nations Journalism and photography awards were handed over the authors during a ceremony which was organized today (24.10.2006) on the occasion of the UN Day. The best TV story prize awarded by the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator went to Mr. Dragan Antonovski for the documentary movie “The Key is In Your Hands” initiated by Keep reading…

held in Warsaw, 2-13 October

After my continual participation on the meetings related with activities and special attention on Roma issues organized by OSCE, I feel as my responsibility and necessity to convey my opinions and views from the “Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2006″ and side events held in Warsaw, from 2-13 October, organized by OSCE. My participation on these meetings helped me to foresee how Roma issues are addressed by the states in the OSCE region. With acceptance of the Roma issue as a serious matter of concern, and the position provided for this matter, Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues, CPRSI, withinOSCE ODIHR, a way Roma voice to be heard has been opened and manner in order Roma issues to be implemented in general policy agenda of the Keep reading…

Author Asmet Elezovski

The book is prepared in english, macedonian and roma language. All interested who wants to get the example of the book, may contact the National Roma Centrum.

REVIEW

The author, Asmet Elezovski, has left a trace in the time of our modernness. In the plane of history recorded as a civilization threshold of the cradle countries of European democracy and culture, the author wrote down the dark side, the background and all hypocrisy of the modern human kind. Through the sufferings of the innocent children, mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, fathers – victims of political interests and intrigues, victims of the clash of the small Balkan people and the selfishness of the great European and World forces. Perhaps by accident, but perhaps intentionally, the victims are members of the Roma ethnic community. If this is all or at least the only fashizoid reason for the written human sufferings in the chronology of Asmet Elezovski, then on us, the modern people, the author of the “Roma refugee chronicle Keep reading…

To EU Parliament Mr. president Josep Fontelles Borrell Brussels, Belgium Fax: ++32 2 284 93 41 Respected Mr. president Josep Fontelles Borrell Hereby, we are sending strong protest to any act of Anti-Gypsysim in the EU institutions as recently happened in the European Parliament when the observer Mr. Dimitar Stoyanov from Bulgaria via public e-mail conversation had publicly offended the Roma MEP Livia Jaroka from Hungary stating serious Anti Romani observations. This event could be a far more serious threat then it seems at the beginning and represents a strong indicator about the condition and the atmosphere which rules in certain circles and even institutions in Europe. Therefore, we hope that similar acts of racism against Roma will not be allowed and continued in your house as well as you will use your maximum power to inform the Bulgarian Authorities to prevent Mr. Stoyanov from future observation status in the European Parliament.

Asmet Elezovski

Thousand children will remain un enrolled in school

Over a thousand Roma children at pre school age will remain un enrolled in school because they do not have personal documents. The parents do not have the money to get them birth certificates; they can not afford to buy them books, school material and clothes. The social conditions of many Roma families, their educational structure, not knowing of the language are part of the reasons for Keep reading…