News

Commentary: Dismissal of Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion director is bad news, and not just for impoverished Roma

26.4.2015 5:30 At the end of last week, most of those "involved with Roma" were startled by the news that Martin Šimáček had been dismissed as director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. Voices were immediately raised in support of him by more than 50 employees of the Agency.  full story

Czech media outlet puts unnecessary emphasis on ethnicity in reporting public transport incident

26.4.2015 3:30 On Thursday 23 April, online news server iDNES.cz wrote about an incident that took place on 22 April on public transport in Jihlava using the headline "Gypsies fight on trolleybus". After the obcasnik.eu website drew attention to this interesting headline, the iDNES.cz editors quietly and rapidly erased the content.  full story

EU tripling funds for Mediterranean Sea rescue, Czech Republic providing experts, funds and a plane

25.4.2015 22:51 Speaking after an extraordinary summit on migration in Brussels on 24 April, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists the European Union will triple its funding for the Frontex agency's operations in the Mediterranean Sea. President of the EU Council Donald Tusk added that presidents and prime ministers have already promised airplanes, boats, experts and money.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: Schools must educate Czech and Romani children together

25.4.2015 19:52 Czech Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation Jiří Dienstbier has expressed appreciation for the activities of Amnesty International (AI) in pointing out problem areas and weak spots in the education of Romani children in the country's schools. "Understandably we are aware of the vast majority of the problem areas mentioned and we see this report as a confirmation of the fact that it is necessary to find appropriate measures to correct them," he said in his reaction to the AI report.  full story

Council of Europe: Refugees and violence against Romani people are current problems

25.4.2015 1:24 Last year was a bad year for fundamental human rights in the 47 member countries of the Council of Europe (CoE). CoE Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muižnieks says in his regular report that the reasons for this are the crisis around refugees in the Mediterranean Sea, the conflict in Ukraine, and attacks on media freedom.  full story

Amnesty International condemns Czech EdMin's response to its report on discrimination of Roma

25.4.2015 0:18 On 24 April, Amnesty International (AI) sharply criticized the reaction of Czech Education Minister Marcel Chládek (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) to its recent report on discrimination against Roma in the Czech education system. AI says the minister's remarks that the report is not based on the true facts were counterproductive and prejudiced.  full story

Czech EdMin says Amnesty International report is not based on true facts

24.4.2015 23:45 A recent report by Amnesty International (AI) criticizing the discrimination of Romani people in the Czech education system is not based on true facts, according to Czech Education Minister Marcel Chládek (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD). The minister alleges that AI staffers learned from the Czech School Inspectorate that one of their suspicions was not confirmed but failed to inform Secretary-General Salil Shetty of that fact.  full story

Renata Berkyová: Should the Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion have been more "Romani"?

24.4.2015 21:33 Over the last few days, Martin Šimáček has become a popular face in the media in connection with his dismissal from the post of director of the Agency for Social Inclusion. The entire Agency staff and a noticeable portion of the public have protested the decision of Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier to remove him.  full story

Czech Republic: OSF Prague agrees with ombud that "preparatory classes" are not the same as nursery schools

Czech Republic, 24.4.2015 6:05 The Open Society Fund Prague, which focuses on inclusive education, among other things, does not agree with the option of allowing children to complete their mandatory final year of preschool education by attending "preparatory classes". Like the Czech Public Defender of Rights (the ombud), Anna Šabatová, the foundation sees the threat that socially disadvantaged children will be segregated into such classes, according to the spokesperson for the foundation, Jitka Rabitsch Adamčíková.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani actor and musician Milan Šenki ("Korytár") has passed away

24.4.2015 5:11 On Tuesday, 21 April 2015, Milan Šenki, known by the nickname "Korytár", passed away at 14:15 at the age of 70. His son Milan announced his passing on Facebook.  full story

Czech Republic: Hundreds protest anti-Semitism in Prague

24.4.2015 4:07 On Sunday, 19 April, hundreds of people participated in the 12th annual Good Will March (Pochod dobré vůle) in Prague. The event took place under the slogan of "Culture against Anti-Semitism" in the center of the capital.  full story

Petr Torák: "I'm proud to be the first Romani man from the Czech Republic to receive the MBE"

24.4.2015 3:31 Petr Torák, a Romani émigré from the Czech Republic who serves with the British police, will be receiving an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) . Queen Elizabeth II will present him with the high civilian honor next month for his service to the Romani community.  full story

Karel Holomek: Why might the director of the Czech Agency for Social Inclusion have been dismissed?

Brno, 24.4.2015 2:36 Czech Human Rights Minister Dienstbier has completely unexpectedly dismissed the director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion, Bc. Martin Šimáček. While he did not initially state the reasons for the dismissal on 17 April, he did so in a follow-up on 22 April.  full story

UK: Roma police officer receives MBE from Queen Elizabeth II

24.4.2015 1:38 Petr Torák a Romani émigré from the Czech Republic who serves with the British police, will be receiving an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). Queen Elizabeth II will present him with the high civilian honor next month for his service to the Romani community.
 full story

Czech Republic: Theater as a victory over bullying and racism

24.4.2015 1:01 Bullying, manipulation and racism are the subjects of three plays that were presented last week by the Theater of the Oppressed (Divadlo utlačovaných) in Prague. This is a special form of theater in which actors create a situation of oppression on the basis of their own experiences and audience members get the opportunity to join the action and try to change the fates of the protagonists for the better  full story

Amnesty International: Discrimination of Romani children in the Czech Republic has lasted decades and must end

London, 23.4.2015 21:31 In the Czech Republic, everyday discrimination of Romani children in education is persisting because the Czech Government is still not succeeding in coming to grips with deeply-rooted preconceptions about Romani people in the schools. Those are the findings of a report published today by the international organization for the protection of human rights, Amnesty International (AI).  full story

Commentary: Czech Human Rights Minister fights with social inclusion head while the "Nazis" laugh

23.4.2015 1:24 Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier has removed Martin Šimáček from his position as head of the Agency for Social Inclusion and both men have engaged in mutual recriminations in a public clash. The only people who are hugely enjoying this are probably the antigypsyists and the "Nazis", so what are we to make of what seems at first glance to be an absurd situation?  full story

Germany: SS volunteer charged with participating in 300 000 murders at Auschwitz

22.4.2015 21:24 On Tuesday, 21 April 2015, the trial of 93-year-old Oskar Gröning, who worked in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz, began under intense media scrutiny. Gröning, who is charged with participating in the deaths of 300 000 Jewish people, recognized in his opening statement that he bears moral responsibility for his actions and said he believes the court must decide whether he is criminally culpable.  full story

Czech town says it will block housing benefits for residential hotel dwellers

21.4.2015 23:39 The leadership of the Bohumín town council is threatening to block the housing benefits awarded to those living in residential hotels. As of May, applicants for this welfare benefit will need the consent of their local municipality to receive it.  full story

Czech PM wants to increase aid to refugees after 900 drown near Italy, EU convenes extraordinary summit

21.4.2015 21:09 Yesterday foreign ministers from EU countries were slated to review the situation of thousands of people dying in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to get to Europe. Federica Mogherini, the head of European diplomacy, asked over the weekend for this point to be added to the agenda of yesterday's meeting after yet another in a series of accidents at sea evidently cost the lives of as many as 900 people Saturday.  full story