Center Amalipe Monthly Newsletter
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Center Amalipe Monthly newsletter ISSUE 9, 2011 Table of contents: FOCUS KATUNITSA AND AFTER THAT – IS BULGARIAN SOCIETY TOLERANT [Focus: September proved to be quite hot. Not so much on account of the high integration are actually lacking. Roma organizations have been also ·Katunitsa and after that – is temperatures but on account of the degree of passions. Unfortunately, these surprised. Seizure of fear amongst many forced them to remain silent. passions were not related to the natural joy originating from the beginning Others have restricted their efforts to declarations and letters. As a whole, Bulgarian society tolerant th ·Roma Pride - let's study and of the school year: very quickly September 15 - one such a bright holiday - the so-called "Roma movement" failed to meet this challenge and to live together was marked by the sign of ethnic hatred. The village of Katunitsa became protect the people whose empowerment it has been destined to guide. In this situation, CIEDT Amalipe was the only Roma organization which ·What happens in Bulgaria: famous in a negative sense - not only with the fact that a teenager has been responded actively. In the hot week which followed the events in Facts, reactions, Roma Pride killed presumably on an order assigned by an arrogant local baron, who proclaimed himself for a "king" and who has been patronized by political Katunitsa, our office has turned into an improvised crisis center: every hour ·Declaration in response to parties and governments. calls from the moderators from the Community Development Centers the recent activities of A criminal deed quickly turns into ethnic conflict, which hung over throughout the country have been received reporting on what is happening violence and hatred speech st against Roma and other Bulgaria as a thunderstorm cloud. In the last week of the hot September, and asking how to react (see below). On the 1 October, together with our minority groups in Bulgaria Roma neighbourhoods throughout the country were living in fear: some structures throughout the country and with partners - civil society have been attacked by ultra-nationalists, skinheads or just hooligans, and in organizations, schools, youth activists and teachers, we organized the [ other neighbourhoods rumours for imminent attacks have been spread campaign "I have a dream – that we all learn and live together" in 15 towns Khere: which provoked the average Roma to keep an ax and a shovel as self- throughout the country. Our idea was to give opportunity for publicity to defense weapons in their room and this happens in Bulgaria –already EU those who believe that the ethnic hatred is beyond any question (these are ·T h e c o m m u n i t y member. Young Roma people, on their way back from school have been majority in Bulgaria!) and to bring to reason the newly established development club – village of attacked by well-doers, fighting with "gypsy criminality" – the only crime kingdom of absurd and insanity. Through this, we also intended to give a Varbovka with a new youth of these young people being that they are dark-skinned and that they have chance to the Roma living in the ghetto to show that their community has center decided to study in the ethnically mixed school, rather than in the reasons to be proud with itself and that they do not need to live in fear. ·Training on advocacy skills segregated so-called "tsigansko" school. Thousands of Roma children Thousands of people took part in the initiative on the 1st October: the in the field of Roma ceased to attend school, and their parents watched television programs Centers for Community Development have been filled with people who healthcare showing how other children (secondary school students) raise slogans took from the essays on tolerance theme and from the carnation bunches ·Medical students discussed 'Let's turn Roma people into soap ...'. Bulgaria was on the brink of civil war. given out by our volunteers, made drawings on the same theme, wrote with Minister Donchev the Against this background, institutions, having as their mission the Roma down their own messages. Against the background of the nationalistic problems of the Roma integration remained silent. The National Coordinator of the Decade for parades running on the same day, this peaceful initiative brought the community in rural areas Roma Inclusion and the President of NCCEII had not intervened being it warmth of the October sun back to the grudged Bulgaria. The courage of ·Clubs for local development only with single speech – at the time, he was on leave because of pre- dozens of Bulgarian and Roma young people, teachers and civil society from Varbovka, Batak and Balvan presented a theater- music show ROMA PRIDE - LET'S STUDY AND LIVE TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENS IN BULGARIA: FACTS, REACTIONS, ROMA PRIDE ·Volunteers from community d e v e l o p m e n t c l u b s Center Amalipe together with other civil society organizations, schools, young Roma people, Roma and Bulgarian students organized on 1st October a number of Certain facts: The pre-history of the present clashes in the village of Katunitza organized football game events in around fifteen cities and towns in Bulgaria. They are also a response to (Plovdiv District) is in the previous decades when Kiril Rashkov, a Kaldarashi the events Bulgaria witnesses during the last one week, the wave of violence and boss labeled Tzar Kiro (King Kiro), moved from Plovdiv to Katunitza and started [Observer: hatred speech against Roma in Bulgaria. Our initiative is a response to the to torture the local population (predominantly Bulgarians). Kiril Rashkov replaced message of the crowd shouting words of ethnic hatred and the attempt to managed to escape any form of justice because of his links with the ruling political ·First meeting of the working present the latter as the “fair outrage of the masses”. forces and his wealth (accumulated mainly in the gray economy). This lead to tensions with the local population enhanced additionally by the arrogant behavior group for the preparation of In the context of the events during the last couple of days we have decided that the of some of his grandsons the national Roma Strategy Bulgarian Roma Pride would not be a march but something more… Our attempt was also On September 23 in the village of Katunitza a buss driven by a Roma man Simeon Iosifov killed Angel Petrov, 19 years young person from Bulgarian origin. [ to include many Bulgarians in these School: initiatives to show that ethnic tolerance is Since the family of Petrov and Rashkov had long history of conflicts during the still a value in the Bulgarian society and that previous years and since few days ago a Rashkov grandson threatened to kill ·Let's dream in all the the sensible people in Bulgaria believe and Petrov, the majority of Katunitza people decided that Iosifov is engaged by languages are also proud of what Bulgarian Roma are Rashkov and started protests. During the protest another young person Pavel Tolev died because of heart attack. ·Seminar for mentoring proud of. All the initiatives started at 11.00 a.m. on On September 24 the protests against Rashkov appropriated clear anti-Roma teachers ''With attention to character especially when the football fans from Plovdiv joint them. They burnt 3 every child" October 1st. A civic campaign “I have a dream: to study and live together” was one of of the Rashkov houses with slogans for killing all Gypsies and Turks. The police the activities. It was organized by Center interfered lately, when the houses were burnt. During the next days protests were [Roma health: Amalipe in Veliko Turnovo and Strazhica organized in many Bulgarian cities – Plovdiv, Sofia, Veliko Turnovo, Burgass, (with the support of the two municipalities), Varna, etc. Although officially they were labeled “On defense of Katunitza · Analysis of health care by the National Network of Children in people”, the protests had clear anti-Roma character. Fan clubs, rocker clubs, reform and their impact Sofia, by the primary schools of Tishvitsa nationalist political parties and many young secondary students joint the protests and Banitsa and Roma medical students in organized through Facebook. Since September 25 the anti-Roma protests at on the Roma community Vratsa, and by Roma Lom Foundation in certain places started to use violence against Roma. In Burgass, Varna and other in Bulgaria september, Lom. The activity was named “Tolerance places Roma people were beaten and even Roma neighborhoods were attacked. 2011 fair.” In all the cities mentioned Bulgarian and Roma young people were giving Victims of this violence were ordinary Roma who had no links with Rashkov: the citizens a carnation (in analogue with the Portuguese carnation revolution), a some of them were students who attend ethnically mixed schools outside the drawing by a child, and an essay written by a Roma child for the future of Continues on page 2 Bulgaria. The citizens in response were asked to write their message for Bulgaria on a white sheet of clothe. Around 1000 carnations were given to the citizens DECLARATION IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT ACTIVITIES passing by. Most of the people received them with a smile and the wish that more OF VIOLENCE AND HATRED SPEECH AGAINST ROMA AND and more people join this OTHER MINORITY GROUPS IN BULGARIA campaign. This returned us the The events from Katunitsa, as well as the threats and violence in the Roma hope that the prevailing part of neighborhoods all over Bulgaria challenge the major achievements of the Bulgarian society does not Bulgaria during the last two decades: non-violent transition, ethnic piece, the share and does not support the model of civic nation where all ethnic groups Roma, Bulgarians, Turks study hatred slogans of the crowd.