Czech Republic

Miroslav Kováč: GRRP is "unduly interfering in the internal affairs" of the Equal Opportunities Party

Prague, 7.5.2014 22:32, (ROMEA) Miroslav Kováč of the Equal Opportunities Party (Strana rovných příležitostí - SRP) believes the Committee of Romani Regional Representatives (Grémium romských regionálních představitelů - GRRP), which has challenged the party to find a new chair, is "dictatorially, unduly interfering in the internal affairs of a properly-registered political party". News server Romea.cz publishes his statement here in full translation:  full story

Czech Jewish community says online anti-Semitism rising sharply

Czech Republic, 7.5.2014 21:53, (ROMEA) Manifestations of anti-Semitism in Czech on the internet doubled during 2013 compared to 2012. That is the conclusion of an annual report about anti-Semitism in the Czech Republic published by the Jewish Community in Prague.  full story

Czech Roma group asks Equal Opportunities Party to recall chair after handshake with ultra-right

Prague, 7.5.2014 20:59, (ROMEA) The Committee of Romani Regional Representatives (Grémium romských regionálních představitelů - GRRP) and members of its Facebook group have called on members of the Equal Opportunities Party (Strana rovných příležitostí - SRP), to recall party chair Štefan Tišer from his post. They are bothered by the fact that, following an emotional discussion during the 1 May demonstration in Ústí nad Labem, Tišer shook hands with the chair of the anti-Romani Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS), Tomáš Vandas.  full story

Bartoloměj Oláh: We can't have educated Roma running around here

Prague, 7.5.2014 0:39, (ROMEA) Ever since I was a child, I have often encountered people here who "mean well". These are people who have thought about my needs, who didn't want to hold me back, who didn't want me to live on the fringes of society, or to be come a "classic aggressor" because, as a Romani child, that might be the only way for me to excel.  full story

European Center of Romani Music production about Lety concentration camp for Romani people

Prague, 7.5.2014 0:04, (ROMEA) The European Center of Romani Music in Prague, in collaboration with Slovak director Dana Račková, is producing a musical theater performance entitled "Lety - 1942". The production tells the story of the fates of the victims of the Czech concentration camp of Lety by Písek, which was called a "Gypsy Camp" at the time.  full story

Czech Republic: Unique meeting of gay and lesbian Roma in Prague

Prague, 6.5.2014 23:30, (ROMEA) A unique meeting of gay and lesbian Roma took place this past weekend in Prague with the aim of awakening interest in this very specific group among Romani people themselves and among members of the majority society. The meeting took place under the auspices of David Tišer, a well-known Romani activist, with creative lectures by fashion designer Pavel Berky and photographer Lukáš Houdek.  full story

Czech Green Party EP candidate mocks xenophobic campaign by Úsvit

Prague, 6.5.2014 22:55, (ROMEA) Šádí Shanáh, a candidate for the Green Party (Strana zelených - SZ) in the Czech Republic running for the European Parliament, has decided to respond to the xenophobic campaign being run by the Úsvit ("Dawn of Direct Democracy") movement of Czech MP Tomio Okamura and has posted his own e-fliers, called "Shanáh's Statement on the launch of the campaign 'Humor against Hatred - Šádí Shanáh's Dawn of Human Decency'" on the Facebook profile of the Úsvit movement and of Okamura. News server Romea.cz brings you the full translation of that statement below.  full story

Czech EP candidate brought down by video of him singing Nazi anthem

Prague, 6.5.2014 19:39, (ROMEA) The political career of 23-year-old Milan Zavada has ended before it could even begin. The youth who has been running for the ANO movement of Czech Deputy Prime Minister Babiš in this year's EP elections has had his hopes dashed by an imprudent home video recording of him at a drunken party of adolescents.  full story

Czech Police unable to find founder of Facebook page calling for murder of "gypsies"

Czech Republic, 6.5.2014 18:21, (ROMEA) During the past few weeks, various pages promoting hatred have turned up on Facebook in the Czech language with names such as "We demand gypsies be shot dead with impunity" (Požadujeme beztrestné vystřílení cikánů), "Disabled children must be mercilessly killed" (Postižené děti je třeba bez milosti zabíjet), or "My stoned wife is available for sex" (Nabízím na sex svou zfetovanou manželku). All of these pages have listed their telephone contact as that of a Jaromír Merhaut, who has nothing whatsoever to do with them.  full story

Czech Agency for Social Inclusion director: Roma shouldn't have to remind us they are here

Prague, 5.5.2014 23:42, (ROMEA) The A2 biweekly magazine has published an extensive interview with the director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. Martin Šimáček, about its work in excluded localities, opportunities for Romani emancipation, the participation of Romani people in integration, and efforts to influence social integration policy at the level of the Government. News server Romea.cz presents the interview in full translation below.  full story

Czech ministers to visit Šluknov district to address excluded localities

Prague, 5.5.2014 20:14, (ROMEA) Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec, and Czech Labor Minister Michaela Marksová Tominová (all Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) will be visiting the Šluknov district next Monday. The ministers will be addressing the problems of socially excluded localities together with the mayors of local municipalities.  full story

Czech Republic: Towns in northern Bohemia fear more anti-Romani demos

Prague, 5.5.2014 19:30, (ROMEA) The Saturday edition of the Czech daily Lidové noviny reported that mayors of 18 municipalities in northern Bohemia are concerned that the upcoming municipal elections will mark the resumption of anti-Romani demonstrations in the region. In a letter to the Czech Government, they have complained that no one is addressing the situation of the Romani minority in the Šluknov district and that this failure could result in a new wave of the violent racist protests that inflamed the region three years ago.  full story

Czech PM to attend commemorative ceremony at Roma Holocaust site

Lety u Písku, 5.5.2014 18:16, (ROMEA) The traditional commemorative ceremony dedicated to the Romani victims of Nazism in the South Bohemian town of Lety near Písek will take place this year under the auspices of Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman and will be attended by Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. Čeněk Růžička of the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust, which holds the event, informed news server Romea.cz of the news on 3 May.  full story

Czech mayors, regional official ask EdMin not to close "practical primary" schools

Czech Republic, 4.5.2014 18:00, (ROMEA) The mayors of Chlumec nad Cidlinou and Nový Bydžov in Hradec Králové Region are asking the Czech Education Minister not to let schools providing special needs education die out. Their open letter has been signed by a regional councilor and by dozens of municipalities and schools from all over the Czech Republic.  full story

Czech Republic: Yet another fiasco for the DSSS - 10 people, not 400, in Brno

Brno, 3.5.2014 23:54, (ROMEA) About 10 people attended an election rally for the right-wing extremist Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) on the centrally-located náměstí Svobody in Brno today. Conveners of the rally had anticipated as many as 400 of its supporters to attend.  full story

PHOTO GALLERY: Neo-Nazi 1 May in Ústí nad Labem

Ústí nad Labem, 2.5.2014 23:52, (ROMEA) As news server Romea.cz reported in detail during our online coverage and follow-up articles, neo-Nazis decided to "celebrate" 1 May this year by marching through Ústí nad Labem. Of the anticipated 500 participants, only 200 of the most faithful came to town, not just from the Czech Republic, but from Germany, Italy and Slovakia.  full story

videoVIDEO: Roma demonstration against neo-Nazi march in Ústí nad Labem

Ústí nad Labem, 2.5.2014 23:41, (ROMEA) About 100 Romani people marched on 1 May 2014 from the Předlice quarter of Ústí nad Labem to the Mánesový sady park. A convoy of vehicles carrying other Romani people drove behind them. Other opponents of neo-Nazism who were gathered at Mánesový sady joined them. After the neo-Nazi march passed by, the Romani counter-protesters returned to Předlice.  full story

videoMiroslav Kováč: How do we stand up to neo-Nazism - with arms, or with diplomacy?

Prague, 2.5.2014 22:04, (ROMEA) Photos of yesterday's DSSS rally in Ústí nad Labem are being shared on Facebook. Among Romani people, the image that is resounding the most is one in which, after a conversation, the chair of the Equal Opportunities Party (SRP), Štefan Tišer, shakes hands with DSSS chair Tomáš Vandas.  full story

videoCzech Republic: Europe Roma Network condemns SRP chair for shaking hands with DSSS chair

Prague/Ústí nad Labem, 2.5.2014 21:12, (ROMEA) The Europe Roma Network, a Europe-wide Romani association, is condemning the chair of the Equal Opportunities Party, Štefan Tišer, for shaking hands with DSSS chair Tomáš Vandas at a rally yesterday in Ústí nad Labem. Ladislav Baláž, chair of the ERN, communicated the information to news server Romea.cz.  full story

Czech Republic: Defense and prosecution appeal Strýčkovice verdict

Domažlice, 2.5.2014 20:10, (ROMEA) Ladislav Matuš and his nephew David Matuš of Strýčkovice (Domažlice district) were given prison sentences on 25 April for assaulting their neighbor, Jiří Sýkora. David Matuš was sentenced to 10 months behind bars and Ladislav Matuš to two years.  full story