Czech Republic

Czech center for crime victims decorates new branch with children's pictures from Lidice Memorial

Kladno/Prague, 3.2.2015 21:53, (ROMEA) The In IUSTITIA public benefit corporation has opened up a branch of its Justýna counseling center in the town of Kladno, where staff will provide legal and social advice to crime victims on Mondays and Thursdays. The spaces have been refurbished with pictures from the International Children's Exhibition of Fine Arts on loan from the nearby Lidice Memorial.  full story

Disabled people protest Czech President's claims that inclusion is harmful

Krásná Lípa (Děčín district), 3.2.2015 21:13, (ROMEA) During Czech President Miloš Zeman's visit to the town of Krásná Lípa (Děčín district) today, approximately 30 persons living with disabilities from around the Šluknov foothills area protested his remarks about the inappropriateness of educating disabled and non-disabled children together. The protesters wanted to discuss the remarks, made three weeks ago, with the head of state.  full story

Romea.cz: Media watchdogs are not censors - here's the proof!

Prague, 3.2.2015 20:01, (ROMEA) One of news server Romea.cz's activities is monitoring the media, fact-checking the correctness and veracity of the information journalists use, and then attempting to get misleading, tendentious or untrue information corrected. We play this watchdog role not only with respect to the media, but also with respect to municipal or state officials and politicians, etc.  full story

Commentary: Czech Police biased against anti-racist demonstrators

Prague, 2.2.2015 20:43, (ROMEA) Are you an Islamophobe? If you are, then apparently you can take scissors to the t-shirt you got during the last World Cup in football or hockey, cut out the state symbol of the Czech Republic, take needle and thread and sew it onto the state flag of the Czech Republic.  full story

Czech NGO says repeat elections involved vote-buying again, but on a smaller scale

Bílina/Chomutov, 2.2.2015 19:49, (ROMEA) Even though police claim they have not noted any cases of vote-buying during the repeat elections in the municipalities of Bílina and Chomutov (Ústí nad Labem region) this past weekend, nonprofit organizations monitoring the situation say they reported possible cases of vote-selling to police more than once. Nevertheless, Janusz Konieczny of the Anticorruption Endowment has evaluated the situation as much more positive compared to the fall municipal elections.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani caretakers to supervise building safety in Zlín Region

Zlín Region, 2.2.2015 18:56, (ROMEA) The Zlín Regional Administration has approved a subsidy to the ARGO civic association for the sixth time for the provision of Romani caretakers in selected localities. The Romani localities in the towns of Holešov, Kroměříž, Uherský Brod and Zlín will each receive a Romani caretaker.  full story

Czech Police propose prosecution of vote-buying at Romani event

Chomutov, 31.1.2015 23:20, (ROMEA) The Czech Police have completed their investigation of alleged vote-buying during last fall's municipal elections in Chomutov. Police have proposed the prosecution of a 45-year-old local man for interfering with the preparations for and course of an election.  full story

Czech Police detain clergyman and Romani activist for using Czech-Romani flag to counter-protest xenophobic demo

Prague, 31.1.2015 19:29, (ROMEA) Police estimate that approximately 500 people gathered today at noon on the Old Town Square in Prague for a demonstration against Islam in the Czech Republic. Czech MP Tomio Okamura, chair of the "Dawn of Direct Democracy" movement (Úsvit) and Jana Volfová, head of the Czech Sovereignty (CS) movement addressed protesters, after which they marched to the Czech Interior Ministry.  full story

Czech Republic: Two demos tomorrow, one against "Islamic immigration" and one against xenophobia

Prague, 30.1.2015 22:40, (ROMEA) Yet another demonstration against Islam is planned for tomorrow at noon on the Old Town Square in Prague. This one is being called the "Demonstration and March against Islamization and Islamic Immigration".  full story

Czech Republic: Sellers of plaques from Terezín convicted

30.1.2015 2:48, (ROMEA) The District Court in Litoměřice has sentenced two men to suspended sentences of between 10 and 12 months and one man to a year in prison without the possibility of parole for selling bronze plaques with the names of victims from the National Cemetery at Terezín to a scrap metal dealer. The court did not find the men guilty of having stolen the plaques.  full story

videoCzech Police called to scene of commemoration of Romani Holocaust victims

Terezín, 30.1.2015 2:04, (ROMEA) Organizers of Tuesday's commemoration of the memory of the Romani victims of the Holocaust at the National Cemetery in Terezín called police for assistance after Petr Žák, a member of the board of the "NO to Brussels - National Democracy" party, which closely collaborates with right-wing extremists from the DSSS party, began photographing those in attendance. Žák has been involved in anti-Romani demonstrations in Děčín and Rumburk but claimed he was there to honor the memory of the Romani victims.  full story

Czech Republic: More charges over brawl in Ostrava, six people being prosecuted

Ostrava, 30.1.2015 1:07, (ROMEA) Police have charged another assailant from the large group of people who attacked the security guards of a gaming room in mid-January in Ostrava. The serious scuffle between the bodyguards and the Romani assailants occurred after two customers were removed from the gaming room by bouncers.  full story

Czech Republic: Half a million people are housing insecure

Prague, 29.1.2015 20:58, (ROMEA) Around half a million citizens of the Czech Republic are at risk of losing their housing. Many families with young children are among them.  full story

videoJan Hauer: Intolerance is rising, the victims of Nazism must be remembered

Terezín, 29.1.2015 20:05, (ROMEA) Jan Hauer (68) traveled to Terezín on Tuesday to honor the memory of the Romani victims of the Holocaust. "We must constantly remember what the Nazis did, not only to the Jews, but also to the Roma, the Sinti and other nations, especially today, when racial intolerance is increasing," Hauer said at the National Cemetery after attending a prayer service for the dead organized by the Konexe organization as part of its commemoration of Romani victims.  full story

Commentary: Gala at Prague Castle vs. a smelly pig farm

Prague, 29.1.2015 19:40, (ROMEA) It cost the Czech Police CZK 10.5 million to keep an eye on security for the event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust that took place on Monday and Tuesday in Prague and at Terezín. How much it might cost to move the pig farm from the site of the former concentration camp for Roma at Lety by Písek is still just being estimated - it could cost dozens of millions, but more likely would cost several hundred million crowns.  full story

Czech Republic: European legislative heads say anti-Semitism and intolerance must not be tolerated

Prague, 29.1.2015 2:20, (ROMEA) Calls to combat Islamist radicals and terrorism and to eliminate rising displays of anti-Semitism and intolerance were heard during a two-day international forum in Prague marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. The most dramatic challenge was addressed to the international community by Czech President Miloš Zeman, who warned of the threat of a "super Holocaust" by the radical organization Islamic State at a potential cost of hundreds of millions of lives.  full story

Czech court levies record damages against online publisher for racist discussion posts

Prague, 29.1.2015 0:38, (ROMEA) A Czech court has, for the first time, handed down a punishment for the racism that occurs in online discussions beneath articles posted to news servers and social networking sites, a phenomenon that has yet to be sufficiently prosecuted here. Plaintiff Jaroslav Suchý has succeeded with a lawsuit against OUR MEDIA, the publisher of the online tabloid Parlamentní listy, and the Municipal Court has awarded him damages of CZK 150 000 for insults targeting him in anonymous online discussions.  full story

Czech Republic: Politicians and survivors remember the Holocaust at Terezín

Terezín, 28.1.2015 1:00, (ROMEA) Dozens of chairs and vice-chairs of legislatures from countries all over Europe commemorated the fates of the victims of the Holocaust today at Terezín together with many people who survived the Nazi terror. The event was part of a two-day international forum marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi camp at Auschwitz.
 full story

Czech media retract unverified article about Romani quintuplets and organic food

Prague, 27.1.2015 21:26, (ROMEA) The online news servers Blesk.cz and KrajskéListy.cz began the start of last week with articles claiming that the family of the Romani quintuplets had rejected a gift of organic food from an unidentified farmer. The family was alleged to have returned the gift to the farmer without even thanking her for it.  full story

Czech wartime superhero "returns" to criticize Lety pig farm

Prague, 27.1.2015 20:24, (ROMEA) On the eve of the commemoration of the Holocaust and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a poster and signs referencing the concentration camp at Lety by Písek have been posted in Brno, Lety, Prague and Terezín reminding readers that a pig farm still stands on the site where hundreds of people died. No one has taken responsibility for the text, which is signed with the name of "Pérák", a Czech legendary superhero who was depicted during the war as fighting against the Nazis.  full story