Slovak Romanies' protest against eviction ends

Evicted Slovak Romany rent-defaulters on Friday ended their protest at the square in Nove Zamky after they were told by the municipal police to leave it, the dailies Sme and Pravda write today.

The whole families spent nights at the square in the past days after they had been evicted from two houses in the town.

"People complained about disorder before the town hall. Besides, the rent-defaulters illegally occupied a public place. As a result, I asked them to leave it," local police chief Robert Major told Sme.

"No violence was used," Major said.

The Romanies started to be removed from the devastated flats earlier this month. The new owners offered them accommodation in the houses in the towns of Salov, Tekovske Luzany and Cata.

However, the Romanies disliked the offered housing and returned to Nove Zamky.
The mayors of some of the villages refused to grant permanent stay to the evicted rent-defaulters and in one of the villages their furniture was burnt.

The eviction of Romanies from Nove Zamky was criticised as racially-motivated by Slovak Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Human Rights and Minorities Dusan Caplovic.

The town hall said that debts for their rent had reached 3.5 million and the houses were so devastated that no one could occupy them.