News

Most Iraqi refugees first brought to the Czech Republic have received church asylum in Germany

11.8.2016 15:02 The group of Iraqi citizens who first came to the Czech Republic thanks to a special program run by the Generation 21 Foundation will ultimately remain in Germany. Most of the asylum-seekers from the 25-member group have received church asylum in the Saxon community of Herrnhut.  full story

Roma at Prague Pride festival say sexual minorities are still taboo in their community

11.8.2016 13:17 Part of the ongoing Prague Pride week traditionally is a segment of the program produced by the Romani association ARA ART. This association has long been involved not just in art with an educational and social scope, but also in specializing on the issue of multiple discrimination and working with the Romani LGBT community.  full story

videoCzech Republic: Muslims attend Catholic mass in Prague, condemn violence

11.8.2016 9:59 Approximately 80 Muslims from abroad and from the Czech Republic assembled in front of the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart yesterday evening in the Prague neighborhood of Vinohrady in order to protest against the growing incidence of violence in Europe. To great media attention, some of them symbolically attended mass at the church, which was absolutely full.  full story

Czech Labor and Social Affairs Ministry responds to the myths now multiplying about social housing

10.8.2016 17:14 The Czech Labor and Social Affairs Ministry has responded to the distorted information and multiple myths that are currently spreading about the law on social housing. The ministry has published a list of "Eight Delusions" about this law that describes it in detail, including how it will be applied in practice.
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Czech Republic: ARA ART exhibition features art photography of male nudes

10.8.2016 12:32 As part of the Prague Pride week festival celebrating the LGBT community, the ARA ART organization is opening its third exhibition in the series organized by its Gallery Phundaro Vudar. The exhibition features work by a young photographer of Romani origin, Milan Junek, who specializes in art photography including nudes.  full story

Czech Muslims hold public event to condemn terrorism

10.8.2016 10:53 Czech Muslims have decided to make a public, thorough condemnation of the terrorist attacks that have recently shaken Europe and are gathering on Jiřího z Poděbrad Square in Prague today. Their intention is to honor the victims of those attacks and to express their shared concern with other inhabitants of the Czech Republic over the violence in Europe committed by terrorists.  full story

Roman Čonka: On the crisis of Romani media in Slovakia

9.8.2016 17:49 The media market in Slovakia is small, but the Romani media market is even smaller. What's worse, the prospects of its developing and stabilizing are nowhere in sight.  full story

Czech Philharmonic joins Romani musician Ida Kelarová and Čhavorenge choir for tour of Šluknov foothills

9.8.2016 12:09 The "Romano drom" summer school for selected, talented Romani children from socially excluded localities is being held this year in the Šluknov foothills of the Czech Republic. A total of 60 Romani children from the Czech Republic and Slovakia will experience two inspiring weeks full of dance and music under the direction of Ida Kelarová, her artistic team, and musicians from the Czech Philharmonic.  full story

Czech Republic: Amaro Records releases its first two videos by young Romani singers

8.8.2016 17:46 The Brno-based recording studio Amaro Records has been running for three months and has just released its first two video clips. The recordings were made by young Romani singers who got the opportunity to record in exchange for their volunteer work during the construction of the community recording studio.  full story

Slovak Interior Ministry says police raid on Romani settlement was correct, victims appeal to Constitutional Court

8.8.2016 16:53 News server Romovia.SME.sk reports that the Slovak Interior Ministry's Inspection Authority has halted the prosecution of the police officers involved in a raid on a Romani settlement in Moldava nad Bodvou in the summer of 2013. Romani residents of the settlement have now turned to the Constitutional Court with their complaint about the raid.
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Spain: 80 years since the martyrdom of Cefferino Gimenéz Malla

8.8.2016 14:51 Tomorrow, 9 August, marks 80 years since the martyrdom of the first Romani person ever to be beatified, Cefferino Gimenéz Malla, also known as "El Pelé" ("the brave one"). Let's review what is known about the unusual life of this unique figure.  full story

Europe: Anti-refugee initiatives spreading lies about German justice system after Munich shooting

8.8.2016 13:07 Yet another manipulation of the facts is making the rounds online, this time about the attack perpetrated on 22 July in Munich, Germany. Ali David Sonboly, a racist supporter of the ultra-right, murdered nine people during a shooting spree on that day.  full story

Commentary: Czech broadcast regulator begins proceedings against TV Prima over report about Klinika social center

8.8.2016 9:40 In addition to its other manipulative reporting about refugees and Romani people, the Prima television channel in the Czech Republic broadcast a manipulative news report this spring about the Klinika Autonomous Social Center in Prague, which provides aid to refugees and the socially vulnerable. The Czech Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (RRTV) has now issued a press release announcing that it has begun an administrative proceedings with the station over its reportage about Klinika broadcast on 28 May 2016 in its News program.  full story

Belgium: Machete-wielding attacker harms two policewomen, so-called Islamic State claims responsibility

8.8.2016 8:46 A man wielding a machete injured two policewomen on Saturday in the Belgium town of Charleroi. Another member of the police force shot the attacker at the scene and the man later succumbed to his injuries in hospital.  full story

Czech-language Internet again spreading hoax about "free medicine for Roma"

7.8.2016 13:46 The Czech-language Internet has once again begun spreading a hoax alleging that Romani people get medications or other goods for free in pharmacies. During the month of July, news server hoax.cz reported that this falsehood was one of the 10 most-widespread hoaxes making the rounds in Czech.  full story

Czech-language online hoax alleging Prague terrorist attack now spreading among Slovaks and stealing Facebook passwords

7.8.2016 11:28 A fake news item has begun to spread in Slovakia among users of the Facebook social networking site alleging that a terrorist attack has taken place in Prague. Its actual purpose is to access the login data to people's Facebook accounts.  full story

France: Black youth dies in police custody, sparking riot, media wrongly attributes violence to Islamism

7.8.2016 9:38 Last week a street gang set a public bus on fire in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. Some international media, as well as anti-Islamic websites in the Czech Republic, ascribed the attack to Islamist radicals and alleged that the youths shouted "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is great!") during the attack.  full story

Czech NGOs say leading politicians' anti-refugee remarks are dangerous and populist

6.8.2016 19:57 An association of NGOs aiding refugees in the Czech Republic objected yesterday to remarks made by politicians against refugees. The NGOs said the attitudes of rejection expressed by Czech Prime Minister Miloš Zeman, Czech Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) and Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (Czech Social Democractic Party) against migration are dangerous and populist.  full story

Czech Republic: More proof that TV Prima manipulated its reporting about Romani people returning post-Brexit

6.8.2016 17:28 The Prima television channel in the Czech Republic is not content just to incite its viewers against refugees, but is also inciting them against Romani people, as news server Romea.cz recently reported. TV Prima reporter Kristýna Vedralová alleged in a recent report that "2 500 Romani problematic families" could soon return to the Czech Republic because Britain has begun to take their welfare benefits away.  full story

Czech Republic: Politician spreads hoax that Roma get washing machines for free

6.8.2016 9:33 Jiří Maria Sieber, who is running for Senate as a candidate for the Řád národa ("Order of the Nation") political movement, has launched a hoax on Czech-language Facebook alleging that Romani residents of Terezín are getting washing machines for free. Allegedly, all they have to do is go to the "welfare office", but they don't even bother to unwrap them, instead taking them straight to the pawn shop - and it doesn't matter to them that they only get one-fifth of the price, because they didn't buy them, the taxpayers allegedly did.  full story