Czech Republic

Czech court sends anti-Romani rabble rouser to prison for fraud

Děčín, 19.11.2014 19:32, (ROMEA) TV NOVA reported yesterday that the District Court in Děčín has sentenced Lukáš Kohout to seven years in prison for fraud. Kohout and an accomplice established various fictional associations in northern Bohemia and used them to place orders for goods.  full story

Czech Republic: 73 % believe labor discrimination exists

Prague, 19.11.2014 19:16, (ROMEA) The results of a recent survey by the STEM agency, performed from 13 to 20 October among 1 049 respondents aged 18 and older, found that almost three-quarters (73 %) of Czechs believe labor discrimination exists in their country. However, the proportion of people sharing that opinion has significantly fallen over the past two years and is the lowest in the last decade.  full story

Romani politicans as part of the November 1989 Velvet Revolution

Prague, 17.11.2014 20:49, (ROMEA) A quarter of a century ago, the totalitarian regime under the leadership of the Communist Party fell in what was then Czechoslovakia - but how were Romani people involved in the so-called Velvet Revolution? Did you know that on 25 November 1989, 800 000 people gathered on Letná Plain in Prague chanted "Long live the Roma"?  full story

Czechs mark Velvet Revolution by asking President to resign, neo-Nazis harass ROMEA

Prague, 17.11.2014 18:13, (ROMEA) People marked the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution on Národní třída in Prague with a demonstration there this morning that was attended by thousands. Demonstrators protested against Czech President Miloš Zeman and called for him to resign.  full story

Czech police intervene against neo-Nazi march, students counter-protest

Brno, 17.11.2014 16:50, (ROMEA) Approximately 70 neo-Nazis gathered on Malinovský Square in Brno today for an assembly and march convened by the neo-Nazi Workers' Youth (Dělnická mládež - DM). Those opposed to neo-Nazism, including students, demonstrated against them.  full story

Romani children's choir joins Czech Philharmonic for 17 November celebration

Prague, 17.11.2014 5:53, (ROMEA) The Czech Philharmonic is commemorating the events connected with 17 November through a grand concert in the Dvořák Hall of Prague's Rudolfinum on International Students' Day. Young musicians in the Czech Student Philharmonic, under the baton of Marko Ivanović, will perform Czech and international works inspired by heroism.  full story

Romani college students hold discussion in the Czech Parliament

Prague, 14.11.2014 22:07, (ROMEA) Yesterday a breakfast meeting was convened between Romani college students and women members of the Czech lower house. The meeting took place on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the announcement of the infamous European Court of Human Rights judgment of 2007 in the case of D.H. and Others vs. the Czech Republic.  full story

Czech Republic: More than 40 % of Romani children do not attend preschool

Prague, 14.11.2014 20:14, (ROMEA) A large proportion of children from socially excluded localities do not attend preschool, which has a fundamental influence on their lack of success in primary school. This increases the probability that these children will be recommended for placement into special education, newly termed the "practical schools", where their chances at education and at finding good jobs as adults come to an end.  full story

Activists lament Czech Police response to MP's denial of Romani genocide

Prague, 14.11.2014 18:46, (ROMEA) All of the people involved in filing a criminal report against Czech MP Tomio Okamura, chair of the "Dawn of Direct Democracy" (Úsvit) movement, over his lying remarks about the Romani genocide have spoken with news server Romea.cz about the response to their criminal report from the Police of the Czech Republic. Čeněk Růžička, chair of the Committee for the Redress of the Romani Holocaust in the Czech Republic, disagrees with the police findings, as do the others who reported Okamura's wrongdoing, and considers the brief argument presented by the police to be absurd.  full story

Czech Police say MP's remarks about concentration camp for Roma not criminal

Prague, 13.11.2014 23:51, (ROMEA) Czech MP Tomio Okamura, the chair of the "Dawn of Direct Democracy" (Úsvit) movement, did not commit a crime when he made his recent statements about the former concentration camp for Roma at Lety by Písek. News server Romea.cz has received a notification from the Police of the Czech Republic to that effect.  full story

Czech Republic: Fans of neo-Nazi band Ortel attack foreign-born food servers

Plzeň, 13.11.2014 22:31, (ROMEA) Last Saturday evening several fans of the neo-Nazi band Ortel decided to visit the Wei Wei restaurant in the Czech town of Plzeň, which serves Vietnamese cuisine. The fans were heading to a concert taking place 100 meters away at the Restaurace Alfa, and before leaving Wei Wei, they assaulted the people who served them.  full story

Czech school gives excluded children good teachers and tablets

Jáchymov, 13.11.2014 21:33, (ROMEA) News server iHNED.cz reports that at the end of October, a tablet-driven classroom was opened at the only school in the Czech town of Jáchymov, which also has its own editing equipment, recording studio, and plans to repair its gymnasium. The change for the better is due to the work of Jan Musil, director of the facility, who is doing his best, through modernization, to ensure access to modern technology and high-quality instruction for children from a socially excluded locality in a place with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country - and one many families have been leaving.  full story

Czech local elections to repeat, Romani residents sold their votes

Brno, 13.11.2014 19:49, (ROMEA) The Regional Court in Brno has decided that the elections in the municipal department of Brno-sever are invalid and will be repeated. The court considers it to have been proven that dozens of Romani people voted for Mayor Rostislav Hakl (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) because they received entrance to a party with free beverages and food in exchange for their votes.  full story

Czech EdMin objects to NGO claim that Romani children are still discriminated

Prague, 13.11.2014 18:21, (ROMEA) Romani children are still discriminated by the Czech schools, according to NGOs that issued a joint declaration on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the European Court of Human Rights judgment D.H. and Others against the Czech Republic. The court ruled seven years ago that the placement of Romani children into special education without a diagnosis of light mental disability is discriminatory.  full story

Czech court rules that incitement to lynching is a felony

Prague, 13.11.2014 0:25, (ROMEA) Last Thursday the Prague Municipal Court reviewed the appeal of politician Otto Chaloupka against his conviction by the Prague 1 District Court for inciting hatred against an ethnic group. He had been sentenced at the start of September to six months' probation.  full story

Štefan Horvát: Should Romani residents of Duchcov be afraid now?

Duchcov, 12.11.2014 22:18, (ROMEA) As everyone has probably noticed, the town of Duchcov is now a hot topic. Television news has reported on the local government coalition formed by the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) and the Workers' Social Justice Party (DSSS) here.  full story

International NGO statement on EU proceedings against Czech Republic over discrimination of Romani children

Budapest/Prague, 12.11.2014 19:23, (ROMEA) Tomorrow marks seven years since the European Court of Human Rights found the Czech Republic to be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights with respect to unlawful discrimination of Romani pupils in the Czech education system. Seven years on, these violations of the right to education and discrimination have not been addressed and Roma pupils continue to experience segregated education across the country. On 25 September, in a response to the failure to address this ongoing unlawful situation with respect to EU anti-discrimination law, the European Commission launched infringement proceedings under the Race Equality Directive against the Czech Republic which could result in significant financial sanctions.  full story

Czech court upholds local election in Vítkovice municipal department of Ostrava

Ostrava, 11.11.2014 23:16, (ROMEA) The local elections in the Vítkovice municipal department of Ostrava have now been certified. Yesterday the Regional Court in Ostrava rejected a lawsuit filed by Romani leader Josef Stojka over alleged vote-buying there.  full story

Czech Republic: Local Romani candidates not on executive, but do chair committee

Trmice, 11.11.2014 20:28, (ROMEA) The "Together for Trmice" (Společně pro Trmice) movement, which scored a significant success in the local elections in the town of Trmice (Ústí Region), will now be in opposition as a result of post-electoral negotiations there. Representatives of the movement will sit on the town's Audit Committee and will chair it.  full story

Czech Gov't research: Minimum wage jobs not worth it

Prague, 11.11.2014 18:51, (ROMEA) Agreeing to low-paying employment at the level of the minimum wage can, in some cases, lead to less income for a family than if its members were to remain unemployed and draw welfare. Many people have little financial motivation to accept such employment and low wages, including the minimum wage, play a significant role.  full story