News

Czech Republic: Romea.cz survey on Romani people and Islam

Prague, 31.1.2015 1:59, (ROMEA) After the attacks on the editorial offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, Muslims are becoming more and more a target for intolerance and racism in the Czech Republic, a position long occupied by Romani people. How do Romani people in the Czech Republic experience coexistence with Muslims and what is their relationship toward Islam?  full story

Bulgaria: Attacks on ambulance crews launch new discussion about Romani integration

Prague/Sofia, 31.1.2015 0:15, (ROMEA) According to the Bulgarian Government, last year there were 227 attacks on ambulance crews, 175 of them perpetrated by Romani people. Ambulance crews there are said to fear driving to areas where Romani people live.  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

Human Rights Watch report mentions Czech Republic for discrimination of Roma in education

Prague, 30.1.2015 0:30, (ROMEA) The organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued its annual report today which found that European Union countries overall have made some progress in advancing human rights. The report also mentions the European Commission's move to initiate infringement proceedings against the Czech Republic over its discrimination of Romani children in the education system.  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

Commentary: Invisible Romani victims and an anti-Muslim crusade

Prague, 28.1.2015 21:47, (ROMEA) This year's anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz seemed like a delayed whipping up of a call to arms. The alarm was sounded without a clear enemy.  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.
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Liberation of Auschwitz marked by survivors

Oświęcim, Poland, 27.1.2015 23:54, (ROMEA) Today's commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, held at the former Nazi extermination camp, was a challenge to the world not to forget the horrors of the Holocaust or allow them to be repeated. The Nazis murdered more than 1.1 million people, most of the Jews, in the camp, as well as Poles, Roma and Soviet prisoners of war.  full story

International Romani charity says helping others is a joy

27.1.2015 22:08, (ROMEA) A Czech Romani man and a Slovak Romani man have established a small charity organization abroad and begun aiding impoverished Romani children. They have delivered a first installment of aid to Romani settlements in Slovakia and are planning to deliver more in future.  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

Czech Republic: Lety pig farm remembered at entrance to Terezín

Terezín, 27.1.2015 19:22, (ROMEA) The Konexe association has once again called attention to the topic of the Romani Holocaust and the scandal of the pig farm at Lety by Písek within the framework of the commemoration in honor of Holocaust victims at Terezín. Miroslav Brož of the association explained his reasons for holding the event to news server Romea.cz last week as follows: "Not just the commemorative ceremony at Terezín, but the entire atmosphere around it does not assure us that the Romani people who were murdered will also be remembered in a dignified way. For example, Czech Television is preparing to broadcast a whole slate of films and other programs to mark the anniversary, including programs about the Czech resistance and about Jewish people, but not one program is about Romani people."  full story

Czech Republic: Romani NGO helps halt illegal debt collections worth more than CZK 2.5 million

Brno, 27.1.2015 18:38, (ROMEA) The Brno-based organization DROM Romani Center has long been successfully aiding people who have ended up in the debt trap because of usurious loans. In 2014 the courts halted unjustified collections proceedings against 33 clients of DROM worth CZK 2 532 000.  full story