· November, 2013

Stories about Western Europe from November, 2013

Spanish Police Attempt Dead-of-Night Shutdown of Valencia Public Broadcaster

  29 November 2013

The Valencian government, belonging to the conservative People's Party, has sent the police at 3 a.m. to shut down the regional public broadcaster Ràdio Televisió Valenciana (RTVV) [ca]. Since the government announced the decision to shut the broadcaster down on November 5, the journalists have been running both the radio...

Keeping up with the 2013 World Forum for Democracy

  28 November 2013

The second World Forum for Democracy is currently taking place in Strasbourg, France. The motto of this year conference is “Connecting Institutions and Citizens in the Digital Age”.  Follow the four themes and the 21 workshops of the conference with the hashtag #CoE_WFD. 

Roma in Norway Evicted from Camp by Police

  24 November 2013

During the week of November 18, 2013, Oslo police and state property owner Statsbygg dismantled a Roma camp, acting on court orders. The Roma settlement was located on public recreational grounds at Sognsvann, Norway. An Oslo appeals court ordered this eviction, agreeing with Statsbygg that the settlers had surpassed the...

One UK Suburb's Un-Neighborly Reaction to Slovakian Roma Immigrants

  24 November 2013

After a wave of discriminatory statements against Roma communities in France made by French Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls, Slovakian and Romanian Roma in England are now getting the same message from authorities and neighbors. According to an article in the Guardian, Sheffield locals in an area with a high...

Brazilian “Wikicity” Travels to the World Forum for Democracy

  23 November 2013

Known as “the capital of participatory democracy”, the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre will become subject for a lab in the World Forum for Democracy. Focus will be given to the case of PortoAlegre.cc, a project created at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos) which is based on...

More Transparency Needed in Uranium Negotiation in Niger

  22 November 2013

Anne-Sophie Simpere reports that the Uranium exploitation contract between Niger and Areva, a french energy company, are set to be re-negotiated as it comes to an end as of December 2013. She writes [fr]: Il est incompréhensible que le Niger, 4ème producteur d’uranium au monde, et fournisseur stratégique d’Areva et...

“Catalan Independence” Explained in 16 Languages

  20 November 2013

The debut video of The Catalan Project (@Catalan_Project) features Fernando de Castro, “a Catalan from Galicia and Spanish”, presenting the project and explaining why some Catalans want independence from Spain using the 16 languages he is able to speak. Subtitles are available in English, French, German, Spanish and Catalan. The Catalan Project, an...

Have Racist Behaviors Been Unleashed in France ?

  15 November 2013

Epitomized by racial taunts [fr] towards the French Guiana-born Minister of Justice Christine Taubira on the cover of the weekly newspaper Minute, many observers bemoan the rise of racist behaviors [fr] in France. One of those observers is Harry Roselmack, a prominent reporter born in Martinique, who wrote an editorial in which...

Social Movements of Portugal Get Together to Debate Massive Protests

  12 November 2013

“What is the purpose of the massive protests?”, a question that many Portuguese citizens have repeated since the economic crisis started, has become a motto for a Laboratory of Democracy organized by the non-profit association Academia Cidadã (Citizen Academy). The “informal debate about the occupation of the public space in...