On the 19th of this month at the Holiday Inn in Skopje, NRC from Kumanovo hosted the closing conference of the project "Prevention of discrimination against Roma children named as" No differences
At the closing conference, the Minister without Portfolio in the Government of the Republic of Macedonia addressed the audience. Musafar Bajram, Deputy Ombudsman Vaska Bajramovska Mustafa, Director of the Department for Register of Birth Registers, Dardishta Bujar, and Project Manager of the EU Delegation to Skopje, Nafi Saracini.
The conference is taking place with the thematic and concrete presentations of the project activities as well as the results, and a documentary film was also presented.
The project was implemented by the National Roma Centrum (NRC) with the support of the Fund of the European Union and other supporters of the project titled "Prevention of discrimination against Roma children".
On January 24, a working meeting with the Minister of Demography of Family, Youth and Social Affairs Nada Murganic and Deputy Mayor Maja Knezevic Vucinic was held in the Medimurje County.
The main topic of this meeting was the impaired security situation in the problems encountered by the unintentional use of social assistance. Although the meeting was about the Roma, no Roma representative was invited to attend this meeting where the topics were important for the Roma community.
The member of the municipal assembly in the Medjmurje, Matyash Orshush, who is also a member of the Prevention Board, commented on the appeal of the mayor that "it is necessary to think and allow a large number of Roma families who are increasingly demanding the granting of real estate in depopulated regions of Croatia, and which are owned by the state ", and this situation is described as a shift to solving those problems in favor of the county and the Roma community.
"In your idea of evicting Roma in depopulated regions in Croatia, I see only xenophobia and a justifiable fear that the Roma community in the near future will be able to vote for the deputy mayor of your party instead of the Roma national minority in Medjumurje.
After a series of incidents on the street of Panche Karagozov in Stip, today representatives of some Roma organizations announced via Star TV. "These are isolated cases. The coexistence between the Roma and the Macedonian population must continue, "said Erol Ademov of the Multicultural Cooperation Association.
"The reactions of the residents of this street are justified and the end of the law must be put. We have lived and will continue to live together, "says Enise Demirova from the Association" Cherenya ". What will the Roma Organization do in that direction?
"Counseling, meetings with citizens must be organized, but it is crucial that the police set up shamefaceders everywhere where there are such phenomena," Ademov said. On the other hand, although revolted by the events, people from this and some other streets in Stip categorically claim that for decades there was no problem with the Roma neighbors.
"These are individuals. We grew up together with the Roma, we are respected. What is going on makes a group of criminals, whether they are drug addicts, I do not know what they are, "says Marjan Stoychev, a resident of ul. "Pance Karagozov". The problem with them is that after the Roma gangs appeared that they did not have a peaceful night or a peaceful day.
"They are also attacking Romani houses. Most likely, the aesthetic group works. And we have no peace of them, "Demirova said. "We are guarding axes, bars, for defense at home behind the doors," Stojchev said.
For its part, the police are already carrying out their work forcefully and urgently. Under intensified control will be not only the street "Pance Karagozov", but also the rest where it will be assessed that its greater presence is needed.
Whether this will be enough and that this and some other streets in Stip will immediately return to calm is not a guarantee, but it is a fact that this is a group and individuals that should not be allowed the criminal behavior so far. It is fortunate that during the last incident, no serious injury was struck on Monday, although the night had been running, hunting, and axing.
Saturday at the new Gypsy Council headquarters (a temporary building until a permanent one is built.) After a period of retrenchment and restructuring the Gypsy council has gone back to being a non-profit company limited by guarantee, as it was under the leadership of Charles Smith.
The four directors of record are Valdemar Kalinin, Roger Lee, Joseph Jones and Alan Penny, but an elected committee will advise on policy. It will not be a charity, so as not to face political limits on its action Valdemar Kalinin retired from being chair after 5 years, but remains a director and a committee member.
The new chair, elected unanimously, was Roger Lee. Vice-Chairs were Joseph Jones and 2nd vice-chair Virgil Bitu and the Treasurer/Secretary remained Khurram Khan. Also on the committee are Margy and Alan Penny, Veerendra Rishi (Honorary President), Grattan Puxon and Thomas Acton.They now serve 4 year terms but other members can be co-opted during that term.
It will continue to lobby on planning and education matter, but will undertake direct action on accommodation through the associated Gypsy Council Co-operative.
The meeting reaffirmed its support for the principles of the Democratic Transition at an international level, and the need for representation of Roma Gypsies and Travellers on Holocaust Memorial planning in the UK.
