Roma To Protest Against Plan To Bulldoze Miskolc Slums

(MTI) – Members of the Roma community in the north-eastern Hungarian city of Miskolc plan to hold a demonstration on June 25 in protest against a recent local council decree on the elimination of slums on the outskirts of the city, which “discriminates” against their community, a local Roma leader said on Thursday.

Gabor Varadi, president of the Roma National Self Government of Miskolc, told a press conference that they had asked Prime Minister Viktor Orban in an open letter “to help resolve the mounting crisis.”

The city council approved a ruling Fidesz-KDNP-sponsored decree on dismantling “ghettos and slums” in Miskolc which aims to make the city safer and more liveable.

Under the decree, the city council offers tenants of buildings regarded unsuitable for human habitation 1.5-2 million forints (EUR 4,900-6,500) to help them purchase better homes outside the city.