News

Czech children's theater director to leave at year's end over allegedly racist remarks

20.4.2015 7:34 Speculation around the choice of Vlastimil Peška to direct the Divadlo Radost children's theater in Brno and the allegedly racist remarks he made during the job interview is continuing. Deputy Mayor of Brno Matěj Hollan, who is responsible for cultural and social issues, has announced that Peška should remain as director only until the end of the year, when he will evidently be replaced by Tomáš Pavčík, who was the hiring commission's second choice.  full story

France investing EUR 100 million into combating racism

20.4.2015 6:37 The French Government will invest approximately EUR 100 million over the next three years into combating anti-Semitism and racism. Agence France-Presse reports that Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced the investment at a press conference on 17 April.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion renews work in 10 locations

19.4.2015 1:03 At the start of April the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion renewed its collaboration with 10 cities, municipalities and a Regional Authority. The renewed collaboration focuses primarily on coordinating the drawing of social inclusion funds during the current European Union funding period.  full story

Czech Deputy Human Rights Minister says changes will make Agency even stronger

18.4.2015 0:20 The Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion, which falls within the purview of Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD), has organizational changes ahead of it. The Agency will soon stop working in its current form and should split into two sections.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion staff protest removal of director

17.4.2015 21:35 Staff members of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion have sent an open letter to Czech Human Rights Minister Dienstbier protesting his removal of the Agency's director. News server Romea.cz brings you their letter in full translation below.  full story

Will the Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion survive its director's departure?

17.4.2015 20:40 On Thursday, 16 April, Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier removed Martin Šimáček from his post as director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. Šimáček said in an interview for news server Romea.cz that what lies behind the change is a law on state service that is about to take effect.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani figures respond to removal of director of Agency for Social Inclusion

17.4.2015 19:10 News server Romea.cz has contacted Romani activists, experts and politicians for their reactions to the removal of Martin Šimáček from the post of director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. We asked them 1) what they think of his removal and 2) whether they know what the reasons for it are.  full story

Former director of Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion says its future is uncertain

17.4.2015 18:13 The Czech Human Rights Minister has removed Martin Šimáček from his post as director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. News server Romea.cz interviewed him about the impact of his removal and the reasons for it.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister removes director of Agency for Social Inclusion

17.4.2015 17:29 Yesterday the Czech Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation, Jiří Dienstbier, removed Martin Šimáček as the director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. News server Romea.cz was the first to break the news today in the Czech Republic.  full story

European Parliament proposes official Romani Holocaust Memorial Day

17.4.2015 16:22 On Wednesday 15 April the European Parliament (EP) proposed that European Union Member States recognize 2 August as European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, an occasion for commemorating the suffering that Romani people endured during the Second World War. The EP also called for greater efforts to combat discrimination, hate crimes, and hate speech against Romani people  full story

Interview with Czech manager who doesn't hire Roma as housekeepers

16.4.2015 17:12 News server Romea.cz has obtained a recording in which Anna Pižlová, manager of the Clinea firm, refuses to invite a Romani woman to interview for a housekeeping position. On the recording, the manager explains that her clients would not want the woman because of her nationality.  full story

Commentary: Can a "trafficker in poverty" improve the participation of impoverished Romani people?

15.4.2015 23:56 The creation of the Romani Council of Ostrava has raised big expectations that are shared not just by local and national politicians, but also by Romani activists and experts. No one seems bothered by the fact that the chair of the Romani Council and the organizer of the elections that chose its officers is Vladimír Leško - or at least, no one will publicly say so.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani Council of Ostrava gets politicians' blessing

15.4.2015 22:34 Yesterday in Ostrava representatives of the local Romani Council and its team of Romani experts met with politicians. Members of the Romani Council as well as political representatives view the creation of the Council as a milestone in collaboration between the Romani community and the city when it comes to solving their common problems.  full story

Czech Interior Ministry supports Roma-targeted projects in Kolín

Kolín, 15.4.2015 20:04 The Czech town of Kolín will begin a so-called Romani mentoring project in mid-year to aid Romani people with financial literacy and finding work. The aim is to keep Romani people from falling into the debt trap and intensifying the problems of socially excluded localities.  full story

Czech Labor Minister: Social problems solvable if towns would just access public funding

15.4.2015 19:18 The Czech Labor Office is able to help address social problems at the Janov housing estate in Litvínov. Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksová (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) has recommended that the local government use money from the Labor Office to hire crime prevention assistants or maintenance workers.  full story

Spanish Roma protest label of "swindler" in dictionary

15.4.2015 0:48 The New York Times reports that several groups representing Romani people in Spain launched a campaign on Wednesday, 8 April, International Romani Day, to remove a reference from a world-renowned dictionary of the Spanish language that mentions Roma as "swindlers". The Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) and other Spanish organizations delivered protest letters to members of the Royal Spanish Language Academy, which produces the dictionary.  full story

Czech court sentences attacker to six years for six crimes against Romani family

14.4.2015 20:36 At the beginning of April a verdict was handed down in the case of a violent racially-motivated attack against a Romani family whose identities we are not reporting at their request. The defendant has been unconditionally sentenced by the first-instance Regional Court to six years in maximum-security prison and his driver's license has been suspended for a year and a half.  full story

Hungary: Appeals verdict expected in case of murder spree against Romani people

14.4.2015 18:55 Tomorrow, Wednesday 15 April, the second round of a court proceedings in the matter of a murder spree perpetrated against Romani people in 2008 and 2009 will begin at the Municipal Appeals Court in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. It is presumed that the second-instance court's verdict will be announced in May.  full story

Czech Police propose pressing charges over publication of radical Islamic book

Prague, 14.4.2015 17:51 The Czech Police have proposed pressing charges over the publication of a radical Islamic book. Czech Television reported today that Pavel Hanták, spokesperson for the Organized Crime Detection Unit, announced the recommendation.  full story

Hungary: Ultra-right Jobbik defeats governing party candidate again

Budapest, 14.4.2015 17:04 A by-election on Sunday for a parliamentary seat was won by a candidate for the ultra-right "Movement for a Better Hungary" (Jobbik) party who narrowly defeated the rival candidate for the governing "Hungarian Civic Union" (Fidesz) party. Jobbik boss Gábor Vona called his party's victory "historic".  full story