Czech Republic

Czech MP wants to introduce concept of "high-risk families and individuals"

Prague, 23.7.2013 22:27, (ROMEA) Czech MP Otto Chaloupka (Věcí veřejných - Public Affairs), who is known for his hateful statements about Romani people, has published proposed amendments to several laws regulating civil coexistence on his website. Without giving any evidence for his assertions, he claims the welfare system is being abused and must be tightened up.  full story

Commentary: The structure of hatred

Prague, 22.7.2013 23:08, (ROMEA) A society dominated by relationships of competition, one where the argument that "the ends justify the means" is considered valid, creates lightning rods out of phenomena it doesn't know how to deal with or doesn't want to handle. In this society, those phenomena are homeless people and especially Romani people. Here, if you give these people a kick, you can easily justify your actions as moral.  full story

Czech Republic: Non-Romani people visit Romani neighborhood en masse, police keep the peace

České Budějovice, 22.7.2013 3:39, (ROMEA) News server iDNES.cz reports that during the early evening of Saturday, 20 July, roughly 200 people gathered on the streets of the Máj housing estate in the town of České Budějovice, which has been the site of anti-Romani demonstrations during previous weeks. Citizens of both Czech and Romani nationality, under the supervision of police, verbally exchanged opinions.  full story

Czech Republic: 100 right-wing extremists march through Svitavy

Svitavy, 20.7.2013 18:49, (ROMEA) Novinky.cz reports that this afternoon a march by right-wing extremists that has become an annual tradition was experienced once more by the town of Svitavy. About 100 people gathered in front of the local train station and marched through the town to protest the imprisonment of a local skinhead, Vlastimil Pechanec, who was convicted of the 2001 murder of a Romani man, Ota Absolon, in a local discotheque and sentenced to 17 years in prison.  full story

DSSS files criminal charges over Czech-Romani flag exhibit

Prague, 19.7.2013 21:06, (ROMEA) The ultra-right Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) is filing criminal charges against the organizers of an exhibition featuring designs for a new state flag, the so-called "Czech-Romani flag". According to the DSSS, the organizers have violated the law on the use of the state symbols of the Czech Republic.  full story

Prague establishes special group to remove homeless people from mass transit

Prague, 18.7.2013 17:40, (ROMEA) Mayor of Prague Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09) has told journalists that the city has decided to eject homeless people from public transportation and has set up a special team to solve the problem comprised of representatives of municipal police, nonprofit organizations and the transit authority. "They have been jointly tasked with improving the situation in mass transit environments, including their cleanliness," Hudeček said.  full story

Czech Republic: Fake bombs found in Romani ghetto, locals are afraid

Liberec, 18.7.2013 17:12, (ROMEA) Two small packages resembling bombs have been found in the Romani ghetto of Machnín in the town of Liberec. While the packages did not contain any explosives, local residents say they are still significantly afraid of right-wing extremists.  full story

Fedor Gál: Just one spark and we have a pogrom - Roma are the first to be attacked

Prague, 17.7.2013 21:23, (ROMEA) During the recent anti-Roma demonstrations at the Máj housing estate in České Budějovice, many of those in attendance have also protested being labeled "racists" or "radicals". Sociologist Fedor Gál explains what racism is and isn't and what we should ask Romani people about. "When someone brings up the anti-Romani topic because he wants to keep his position of power, then that person is himself a criminal, a deviant," Gál said in an interview for the Czech daily Mf DNES.  full story

Czech Republic: Police downplaying arson against building with Romani residents in České Budějovice last weekend

České Budějovice, 17.7.2013 21:12, (ROMEA) On Sunday, 14 July, a drunken man did his best to set an apartment building in České Budějovice on fire where several Romani families live. Fortunately he did not succeed.  full story

Czech Republic: DSSS extremists preparing to demonstrate in Varnsdorf again

Varnsdorf, 17.7.2013 16:30, (ROMEA) News server Deník.cz reports that promoters of the Workers Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS), led by party chair Tomáš Vandas, are heading to the town of Varnsdorf once more this fall. They will be doing so almost exactly two years to the day after neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists repeatedly fomented violence on the streets there.  full story

videoArtist exhibits designs for new Czech-Roma flag

Prague, 16.7.2013 23:52, (ROMEA) The latest exhibition at the Artwall Gallery in Prague presents seven designs for a new Czech-Roma flag created by Slovak artist Tomáš Rafa. The project, entitled "Selection Procedure for Czech-Roma Flag" ("Výběrové řízení na česko-romskou vlajku") critically responds to the current situation in which Romani people are not considered Czechs by the majority society and find themselves in forced isolation.  full story

Miroslav Kováč: Let's abolish all welfare for everyone!

Prague, 16.7.2013 21:54, (ROMEA) Recently I have observed online, on the street, at anti-Romani demonstrations, and even from the lips of politicians that many in the Czech Republic believe Romani people here enjoy an above-average standard of living because of thos country's generous social welfare system. I am Roma and I happen to live in the real world, traveling to various so-called excluded localities (I even used to live in one myself). As a citizen who knows the law and is familiar with this issue, I have decided to share my knowledge with those in the majority population who are ignorant of the facts, especially with those who, perhaps because of laziness (at best) have succumbed to all the quasi-fascist hoaxes, myths and populism on this issue, those who term themselves the "decent people" but scoff at the laws, as well as those politicians who make it directly possible for the corrupt to increase their personal bank accounts abroad by adopting various "measures" through which our asset-stripped "state coffers" are supposed to be "filled".  full story

International journalists shocked by Czech MP's comments about finance minister

Prague, 16.7.2013 15:55, (ROMEA) International journalists living in Prague are either shocked by the remarks made last Sunday by Czech MP Michal Babák (Public Affairs - VV) about Jews and the state coffers or consider them to be a sign of dilettantism. Rob Cameron, BBC correspondent in Prague, and Hans-Jörg Schmidt, correspondent for the German newspaper Die Welt in Prague, said that if something similar were to happen in Western Europe, the politician would have to either resign or at least leave the party. Gustavo Monge, the correspondent for the Spanish wire service EFE, called Babák's comments cheap, populist, and rude.  full story

Czech Republic: Anti-Roma demo in Duchcov allegedly followed by Roma assault on extremists, police brutality

Duchcov/Prague, 15.7.2013 17:32, (ROMEA) News server Policejní deník (Police Daily) reports that on the evening of Saturday, 13 July, police officers received a call to their emergency line that two men had been assaulted in a pub in Duchcov (Teplice district). Patrols of both municipal and state police went to the scene.  full story

Czech Police detain dozens of anti-Roma demonstrators in České Budějovice for a third Saturday in a row

České Budějovice, 15.7.2013 3:29, (ROMEA) On Saturday, 13 July, an anti-Roma assembly at the Máj housing estate in České Budějovice resulted in police officers detaining about 60 protestors who refused to leave the housing estate despite police orders to do so. About 300 people participated in the demonstration, but the police outnumbered them and managed to prevent them from moving into the area of the housing estate where the Romani community resides.  full story

Czech Republic: About 40 people attend anti-Roma assembly in Duchcov

Duchcov, 15.7.2013 2:51, (ROMEA) On the square in the town of Duchcov (Teplice district) approximately 40 people convened on the afternoon of Saturday, 13 July for an anti-Roma assembly. People listened to a brief speech and then dispersed, but some of them headed to the southern part of town where the Romani neighborhood is.  full story

Czech Green Party: Let's prevent violence on the streets of České Budějovice

České Budějovice, 13.7.2013 2:31, (ROMEA) Representatives of the Green Party (Strana zelených - SZ) in the Czech Republic say the currently tense situation in České Budějovice is the responsibility of the town leadership, which for years has closed its eyes to growing problems, failed to address complaints and petty crime, and failed to assist any housing estate residents, Romani or otherwise. "The overcautious posturing of local leadership can best be seen in the fact that municipal representatives are now afraid to speak at the Romani demonstration and are trying to dissuade activists from convening anti-racist demonstrations. The town hall did not present any specific plan for improving the situation during the recent discussion convened by municipal representatives," said Bronislav Tomek of Jindřichův Hradec, who leads the SZ human rights section.  full story

Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner: Romani people are persecuted here, welfare abuse is exaggerated

Prague, 13.7.2013 0:50, (ROMEA) In an interview with the weekly magazine Reflex, Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková says it is complicated and unpleasant to be a Romani person in the Czech Republic and that right-wing extremists are exploiting people's dissatisfaction with the state of the country. News server Romea.cz brings you the interview in full translation:  full story

Czech Republic: Peaceful Czech-Roma assembly set for Saturday, 13 July at the Máj housing estate

České Budějovice, 12.7.2013 21:31, (ROMEA) This coming weekend is expected to be very busy again in České Budějovice. Two anti-Roma assemblies followed by marches will be heading to the Máj housing estate on Saturday 13 July.  full story

Czech Republic: Gathering against violence today in České Budějovice

České Budějovice/Praha, 12.7.2013 17:52, (ROMEA) Today at 16:00 CET a gathering will be held on Piaristické Square in České Budějovice organized by local democrats from all walks of life and from across the political spectrum who say they want to "clearly express that a significant proportion of the citizens of České Budějovice strongly disagree with all manifestations of antigypsyism and and extremism. Under no circumstances is it possible to resolve problems through violence."  full story