Civil initiatives request meeting with govt to discuss Roma issues

The civil initiatives of Brežice, Grosuplje, Ivančna Gorica, Kočevje, Novo Mesto, Škocjan and Šentjernej said that they are not intolerant to the Roma community and that not all Roma are the same.

They still want the country to start addressing some issues which have piled up over the last few years, they said at a press conference in Kočevje on Tuesday.

According to Silvo Mesojedec from the Novo Mesto civil initiative, they have raising concern for years but not much has changed. "Neither left nor right governments ever drafted the measures to address the situation on the ground," he said.

The civil initiatives have sent a letter to the government explaining the situation and offering potential solutions, They expect to meet with government representatives within a month at the latest. If they receive no response, they will be left no choice but to begin protests and other activities, said Mesojedec.

Maksimilijan Vovk from the Kočevje civil initiative hopes the government will lend an ear "because we are active on the ground and have a lot of suggestions of what could be done".

Nataša Cingerle from the Grosuplje civil initiative presented the problems they face with Roma in the Smrekec settlement. They are constantly burning waste, there have been shootings, reckless driving, break-ins and harassment that all go unpunished. "The police say that so-an-so should be in prison but isn't because the prisons are overcrowded," Cingerle said.

In Šentjernej one family bought farmland and built a house there illegally in one month, said Matjaž Strojin from the local civil initiative, adding that inspectors said they cannot do anything despite complaints by the locals.

After recent incidents in Kočevje, the police increased their presence there so the situation has calmed down, said Vovk. "But the people are worried about what will happen in a month or two once the police leave," he said.

Vovk believes it is necessary that Roma parents send their children to school to allow them at least close to the same opportunities their peers have. "Most Roma children currently have no way to succeed in life. Their parents receive social benefits for the children but spend the money on other things," Vovk said.

According to Bogdan Palovšnik from Brežice, one reason why the situation is bad is because people are too scared to report crime. "They have to give their data when reporting a crime, which they don't want because the perpetrators then threaten them," he said.