Extended search

Czech xenophobic band Ortel nominated by public again for music award

26.11.2016 9:12 The award associated with the Czech Republic's popular music poll, the "Czech Nightingale" (Český slavík), sponsored by Czech mineral water company Mattoni, will announce its results on live television today, Saturday, 26 November, in Prague. The surprise entry in this year's poll was the nomination of singer Joakim Brodén of the Swedish power metal band Sabaton.  full story

Leading Romani activist Ágnes Daróczi to appear in Prague Monday

26.11.2016 7:54 As part of a festival called "RomAcademy: Days of Living Romanes", which is dedicated to making the Romanes language visible in the public space, the eminent Hungarian Romani activist Ágnes Daróczi will appear in Prague. This important promoter of the European Romani movement will participate in a panel debate on "Romanes as a creative language", which will take place on 28 November at 15:30 in the small hall of the Minor Theater in Prague.  full story

Former Czech Human Rights Minister: PM is abandoning the fight against poverty

25.11.2016 19:05 Czech Television has focused very carefully and in detail on the past eight years of efforts to achieve social inclusion in the Czech Republic in a recent installment of its 90' program. Together with the current director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion, Radek Jiránek, I was briefly involved in the program's very cultivated, expert debate of this issue, but as I was traveling back home, I was overcome by the concern that the time for this kind of effective, substantive policy for the fight against poverty, which actually will save our money and that of future generations, has already passed.  full story

Czech NGO offers course on including Romani children in education

25.11.2016 17:36 From 6-7 December the final opportunity will happen this year to attend a course for educators and other educational staff members who want to better understand Romani children. The accredited course, offered by the R-Mosty NGO, is free of charge thanks to support from the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.  full story

Czech politician alleges he has resolved the issue of "inadaptable Gypsies", Faktus says the facts show otherwise

24.11.2016 9:22 He's a mayor, a Senator, and now he has been elected Regional Governor. Jiří Čunek really knows politics.  full story

Incoming Czech Human Rights Minister meets with Czech President, says human rights belong to everybody

23.11.2016 19:25 Incoming Czech Minister for Human Rights and Legislation Jan Chvojka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) met with Czech President Miloš Zeman at Prague Castle yesterday. The two officials debated human rights and an amendment to the law on conflict of interest that includes sections being referred to as the "Lex Babiš" after the current Czech Finance Minister.  full story

Czech Republic: Museum of Romani Culture to commemorate ROMFEST 1990 and award its own 2016 prize

23.11.2016 7:00 The Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, Czech Republic invites the public to its commemorative evening dedicated to a key event in Romani culture, the ROMFEST 1990 festival, which was held 26 years ago. "We want to remind people of this event through an evening of musical witness for the public at large, an event that will take place on 24 November at 18:00 at the KS Omega - Musilka cultural center in Brno-Husovice," Sabina Coufalová of the Museum of Romani Culture told news server Romea.cz.  full story

Czech celebration of Veterans' Day featured honor guard in SS uniform and speech calling for opponents of President to hang themselves

22.11.2016 18:08 News server Lidovky.cz reports that a commemorative event on Veterans' Day, 11 November, was held by the Club of Military History in the Czech town of Rakovník and was marked by two controversial incidents. Those who attended the reverent gathering were outraged by the presence of a man wearing a Nazi uniform of the SS and serving as an honor guard next to the memorial to the Czechoslovak pilots from Rakovník who served in the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom during the Second World War.  full story

UN Human Rights Committee asks Slovak Government for independent body to investigate the forced sterilizations of Romani women

22.11.2016 17:13 The UN Human Rights Committee (UN HRC) has called on the Slovak Government to take responsibility for investigating past cases of forced sterilizations of Romani women and to establish an independent investigative body for that purpose. That is the outcome of the concluding recommendations published by the UN HRC after its October session of discussions with the Slovak Government delegation in Geneva.  full story

Responding to refusals from nominees, Czech foundation says Roma Spirit prize is from the public, not the state

22.11.2016 7:26 The Michael Kocáb Foundation has issued a statement reminding the community and the country that the Roma Spirit Award is a public prize expressing respect for the work of specific individuals that contributes to good coexistence between Romani people and other inhabitants of the Czech Republic. "The rejection of such public acknowledgment is problematic for many reasons. If the reason nominees do not want to participate and receive the award is their dissatisfaction with the political situation in the Czech Republic, we would like to point out that the Roma Spirit prize does not bear responsibility for the situation and that such a gesture will most probably be welcomed only by those who speak out against minorities," reads a statement issued yesterday by the foundation.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani entrepreneur employs almost all Romani workers in cafeteria

21.11.2016 7:22 A cafeteria that is staffed almost exclusively by Romani workers opened two weeks ago in the Czech town of Trmice (Ústecký Region). Romani entrepreneur Martin Bajger is running it and plans to expand its services.  full story

Romani fashion designer wins international competition in the USA

20.11.2016 11:09 Pavel Berky, a fashion designer from Slovakia of Romani origin who lives and works in London, England, was one of four finalists in the international fashion competition Exalt Fashion Show. On Saturday, 19 November, he showed his collection in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA at the final evening of the contest, which he won.  full story

videoRomea.cz recovers mobile phone video of Czech Police procedure against Romani driver, case being reviewed by oversight board

20.11.2016 10:24 News server Romea.cz published the mobile phone video yesterday of an incident between a police officer and a Romani driver during a traffic stop at the beginning of November on the Máj housing estate in the town of České Budějovice after which the driver had to seek medical attention and was hospitalized with a bruised neck and suspected concussion. The driver had been attempting to film one of the officers involved in the traffic stop using his mobile phone, but the officer physically prevented him from doing so, took the phone away, erased the recording and smashed the phone itself.  full story

Right-wing extremists supporting Czech President blocked from marching through Prague's Jewish Town on 17 November

18.11.2016 21:14 On Thursday, 17 November 2016 a demonstration in support of Czech President Miloš Zeman was attended by roughly 400 people. Shortly after a musical performance by Tomáš Hnídek Ortel, a former member of the neo-Nazi group Conflict 88, the demonstration was officially ended.  full story

video30 000 assemble on Prague's Wenceslas Square to celebrate 17 November - VIDEO

18.11.2016 19:58 As many as 30 000 people set off alarm clocks yesterday on Prague's Wenceslas Square during the celebrations of the anniversary of the beginning of the fall of state socialism in the former Czechoslovakia. The alarm clocks were supposed to symbolically wake civil society from its sleep, according to organizers of the "happening".  full story

Supporters of Czech President march through Prague chanting slogans against Islam, their opponents force them to re-route

18.11.2016 18:56 Yesterday roughly 300 people assembled in Prague to support Czech President Miloš Zeman and express their disagreement with Czech migration policy, which they view as endangering the country. They also criticized Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) and other members of Government, the late President Havel, intellectuals and students.  full story

Thousands commemorate 17 November anniversary on significant street in the Czech capital

18.11.2016 15:38 Thousands of people commemorated the anniversary of 17 November on Národní třída (National Avenue) in Prague yesterday. University students organized an event called the "National Parade" (Korzo Národní) where people could amuse themselves and also learn about the events of November 1989.  full story

Albertov university area of the Czech capital is packed as members of academia indirectly criticize politicians on 17 November

18.11.2016 14:24 Yesterday numerous speakers at an event in the Albertov university area of Prague thanked students for their involvement in the political events of 17 November 1989 and criticized today's politicians, with Czech President Miloš Zeman and Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) reaping a great deal of indirect criticism. Petr Pithart, a former educator and former Prime Minister, said people must not allow themselves to be divided by categorizations or alleged affiliations with artificially-created groups, and that they should not vote for corporations instead of political parties during the elections.  full story

Czech Republic: Hundreds march against nationalism in Prague on 17 November

18.11.2016 12:17 Approximately 500 people attended yesterday's demonstration in Prague called "Nationalism Is No Alternative", which drew attention to growing authoritarianism in politics and growing racism and xenophobia in society. The march began in front of the main train station and ended at Jungmannovo náměstí and was organized by the "No to Racism" Initiative.  full story

Czech PM on 17 November: A democratic state must have a strong social welfare dimension

18.11.2016 10:55 Yesterday morning people began bringing candles and flowers to the memorial to 17 November 1989 on Národní třída in Prague. Some of the first to arrive were Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the chair of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš, head of the ANO movement, and the chair of the Senate, Milan Štěch (ČSSD).  full story