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· July, 2008

Stories about Western Europe from July, 2008

Italy: A National Registry for Roma People?

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's new right wing Cabinet recently launched plans to carry out a national registration of all Roma people in Italy, including fingerprints of all children. Italy is home to an estimated 150,000 Roma and Sinti people (often referred to as Gypsies). The ensuing, heated public debate over whether this measure amounts to racial discrimination is overflowing in the online space of Italy and beyond.

Written by Bernardo Parrella
30 July 2008

Costa Rica: Concerts, riots and concerns.

Journalist Cristian Cambronero from popular Costa Rican blog Fusil de Chispas posts a recount of Sunday's Concert where youth rioted and destroyed the campus of the Universidad Latina in the capital city of San José. It seems that when around 3000 of them were not allowed entrance to the free concert venue where already 5000 spectators were waiting for the concert some of the irate teens destroyed the university buildings, storefronts,dismantled cars, damaged the church in the vicinity, looted, threw chairs, rocks and bricks everywhere.

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra
29 July 2008

Morocco: Another perspective on Faiza Silmi

Last week, Global Voices covered the story of Faiza Silmi, the Moroccan woman denied French citizenship for her beliefs and actions (which included, among other things, wearing the niqaab or full facial veil). Today, Moroccan blogger ...xoussef [FR] chimes in with another perspective on the issue.

Written by Jillian C. York
26 July 2008

Serbia: Radovan Karadzic was Disguised as a Doctor

Radovan Karadzic lived in Belgrade under false name of Dragan David Dabic. He was disguised as an alternative medicine doctor and even worked in one private clinic in Belgrade. He also was a contributor to the Healthy Life magazine and took part in forums and lectures, gathering up to several hundred people. At the time of the arrest, Radovan Karadzic (aka Dragan Dabic) had long hair and a white beard. Sinisa Boljanovic translates Serbian bloggers' reactions to this astonishing piece of news.

Written by Sinisa Boljanovic
23 July 2008

Russia: Ethnic German Diaspora

Otto's Random Thoughts discusses the question of belonging for the ethnic German diaspora in Russia against the background of regular displacement and forced movement.

Written by Vilhelm Konnander
23 July 2008

Japan: LGBT Youth Exchange Project

LGBT Youth Exchange [jp] is a joint project by the Center for Gender Studies at International Christian University in Tokyo and Youth and Play Services of the city council of...

Written by Hanako Tokita
23 July 2008

Russia, UK: TNK-BP Battle

The Oil and the Glory reflects upon the currently strained relations between Russia and Britain, with the battle over TNK-BP and Russian nationalisation of energy resources as a background. Tim...

Written by Vilhelm Konnander
22 July 2008

Serbia: Local Bloggers Discuss the Arrest of Radovan Karadžić

Just a few days after the 13th anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica, in which over 7,000 people, most of them Muslim civilians, were killed, Radovan Karadzic, former president of Republika Srpska, is arrested. Many bloggers from the Serbian blogosphere were surprised by the news. Below are the first reactions from some of them.

Written by Sinisa Boljanovic
22 July 2008

Colombia: Freedom March Around the World

After the rescue of 15 high profile hostages held in the FARC's power on July 2nd 2008, the same group that organized the last global march on February 4th against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) decided that there should be a another one on July 20th, the day when Colombia's Independence from Spain is celebrated. The following videos and photographs show the way this Independence celebration and liberation march was celebrated around the world, and also some of the contrasting thoughts regarding the meaning of nation and freedom.

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra
21 July 2008

Arabeyes: Moroccan woman refused French citizenship for burqa

Last week a French resident was refused citizenship on the grounds that she was “insufficiently assimilated.” The woman, referred to in the Press as “Faiza M.,” is a Moroccan citizen but has lived in France since 2000 with her husband, a French citizen, and three children, all born in France. The incident has set a precedent and has stirred up the feelings of bloggers around the world, reports Jillian York.

Written by Jillian C. York
20 July 2008

Bahrain: Arrogant French Embassy

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif complains about the ‘arrogance’ of the French Embassy in Bahrain in this post – where he claims he wasn't treated well when he went to...

Written by Amira Al Hussaini
19 July 2008

Serbia, U.S.: Peter Egner

East Ethnia writes about the arrest of a man thought to be Peter Egner, 86, “a member of the Nazi security police in Belgrade between 1941 and 1943 where he...

Written by Veronica Khokhlova
18 July 2008

DRC: Kabila meets with Sarkozy

At his meeting with Congolese President Joseph Kabila yesterday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy extinguished any hopes of more debt relief.  Blogger Alex Engwete has this to say [Fr]:  “the lesson...

Written by Jennifer Brea
17 July 2008

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