News

England: Roma immigrant in Sheffield will not risk traveling abroad after Brexit win

8.7.2016 12:24 Czech Radio reports that concerns about the consequences of Brexit have already permeated the alleys of the northern English town of Sheffield. Many East Europeans live there now, including many Romani people from the Czech Republic or eastern Slovakia.  full story

Council of Europe demands proof of changed practice in the Czech schools when it comes to Roma discrimination

8.7.2016 11:40 The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which supervises the fulfillment of the judgments handed down by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, discussed the case of "D.H. and Others versus the Czech Republic" at its June session. In its decision resulting from that meeting, the Committee of Ministers has expressed its appreciation for recently introduced reforms to the Czech school system that are based on the principle of inclusive education.  full story

England: Arsonists attack Polish family in Plymouth

8.7.2016 11:00 Unidentified perpetrators have set fire to a shed near a home occupied by a Polish family in Plymouth, a town in the southwest of England. The family also received a letter threatening to attack them directly next time.  full story

Italy: Racist murders refugee who fled Boko Haram

8.7.2016 10:30 Yesterday a member of the hardcore football fans generally referred to as "ultras" worldwide caused fatal injuries to a refugee from Nigeria in the town of Fermo in central Italy. Emmanuel Chidi Namdi, age 36, died as a result of his injuries in hospital yesterday, Agence France-Presse reports.  full story

Czech Republic: Roma report racism to Facebook after calls for "gypsies" to be set on fire are posted

8.7.2016 8:34 A person presenting herself on Facebook as "Bára Fictumová" now awaits criminal investigation after two Romani people, the well-known activist Jan Čonka and journalist Patrik Banga, filed a report of criminal activity over a post on that page. Fictumová has sadly now become famous on Facebook by posting the following message:  full story

Prarthna Johri: Being an American in Prague is a curious thing

1.7.2016 14:57 There are practices vastly different here, such as the pleasantness of people you sit with on a train. You will get a warm, “Dobrý den!” and when you leave you’ll receive a “Na shlédanou!”. The brusqueness of the waiters and waitresses is another change but my personal jury is still out on whether the fake happiness of tip-motivated American waiters is better than the genuine lack of caring.
 full story

Prarthna Johri: Make American Hate Again

1.7.2016 10:40 Donald Trump is a candidate unlike anything the United States has seen. He is brash and is unrestricted by the constraints of political correctness. He turned his nose up at his fellow opponents for accepting donations and has told his supporters not to contribute money. He has absolutely no political experience, despite having years of business experience behind him. He stands for nearly everything that the average candidate does not.  full story

United Nations criticizes growth of xenophobic behavior in Britain

30.6.2016 6:33 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein is pressuring the British authorities to engage in halting the growth of xenophobic behavior in Britain that began after the results of the recent referendum there were announced. Last week British voters expressed themselves in favor of Britain leaving the EU.  full story

The online hoax phenomenon and how to address it

29.6.2016 8:05 Modern media and communications technology are connecting people across the global village, facilitating the dissemination and sharing of information without any of the
previous obstacles posed by space and time. The demand for open communications and the concurrent flood of information, however, increasingly require us to be able to
think critically and verify the information we receive.  full story

Czech mayor rejects ombudsperson's proposal on how to end discrimination of Romani children in local school

28.6.2016 19:19 The Czech Public Defender of Rights (ombudsperson), Anna Šabatová, considers discriminatory the approach taken by Ivana Preyová, the principal of the primary school in the town of Krásná Lípa who divided up first-graders at the beginning of this school year to create a classroom comprised solely of Romani children. Šabatová has recommended the establisher of the school take several steps to prevent discrimination this fall and minimize the risk of anti-discrimination lawsuits being filed against them.  full story

Analysis: Why it’s time to lay the “Gypsy” trope to rest

28.6.2016 15:01 Through examining the Romani characters in popular culture, it becomes apparent that discrimination lives on against Roma people. In the United States, this takes the form of dehumanization or even denial. Gypsies are not regarded as real people but as storybook creatures and magical inventions.  full story

František Kostlán: Brexit is unwelcome because the British are great. Let's not be vindictive.

28.6.2016 7:14 The main reason Brexit is unwelcome hasn't been said yet: The British are great - they are simply themselves, with their experienced, ingrained democracy and their bravery, dedication and humanity. In other words, they have all the things we lack.  full story

Petr Uhl: British Tories and the Czech ODS are two Trojan horses inside the EU

27.6.2016 14:47 The European Union should change. The form of that change, however, will now be the subject of much discussion, as there are very different ideas for it being proposed.  full story

UK: "No More Polish Vermin" - adherents of Brexit assault foreigners on the streets

27.6.2016 12:19 After last Thursday's referendum deciding that Britain will leave the EU, reports of racist and xenophobic incidents there are multiplying. The number of these incidents is sparking concerns among Britons that the results have encouraged extremist elements in society, the Bloomberg wire service reports.  full story

videoUSA: Neo-Nazis, racist KKK clash with opponents in California at demonstration, nine hospitalized

27.6.2016 11:32 After a demonstration by adherents of the extreme right in front of the seat of the Government of the state of California in the capital, Sacramento, nine people have been hospitalized, seven with stab wounds. The Associated Press reports that neo-Nazi parties clashed with their opponents.  full story

Slovakia: Neo-Nazis assemble for hate demonstration, but many more counter-demonstrate against them

27.6.2016 11:02 Hundreds of people participated in a neo-Nazi demonstration and march on Saturday, 25 June in Bratislava "against the dictatorship of Brussels and for stopping the liquidation of Europe," as well as a concurrent assembly by those opposed to extremism. More than 10 extremists were detained by police and taken to stations for questioning.  full story

Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister meets with homeless people

27.6.2016 6:55 On 23 June an active group of homeless people from three Czech cities met in Prague with Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksová and a representative of the Regional Development Ministry, Housing Policy Department Director Jiří Klíma. Roughly 40 people gathered to discuss the planned law on social housing.  full story

Most Czech regions uninterested in subsidizing lunches for impoverished children, some because they would be Romani

26.6.2016 20:37 For some time the numbers of children living in families who are in material distress has been rising in the Czech Republic, including the numbers of families who cannot afford to sign their children up for lunch at school. Even though ministries, nonprofit organizations, and Regional Authorities are aiding such children financially, the available money is not reaching all who need it.  full story

Czech Republic: Extremists sentenced to almost 7 years in prison for arson attack

26.6.2016 16:18 Tomáš Kopecký and Michal Poláček, the men responsible for an arson attack on a residential hotel occupied by Romani people in the Czech town of Aš, will serve six years and nine months in prison. The High Court in Prague sentenced them on 22 June for racially-motivated attempted murder and reckless endangerment.  full story

Record high number of 65.3 million people were forcibly displaced last year worldwide

26.6.2016 12:59 Last year the number of people forcibly displaced rose to 65.3 million worldwide. On 20 June the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that figure is a record high, with the number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide exceeding 60 million for the first time ever.  full story