News

Czech branch of Russia's "Wotan Jugend" to stand trial

14.4.2015 1:00 Police and prosecutors have completed their investigation into the case of the establishment of a Czech cell of the neo-Nazi organization Wotan Jugend, based in Russia. Five people charged with the crimes of establishing, supporting and promoting a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms will stand trial on Wednesday, 15 April.  full story

Czech Republic: 30 injured after Čunek's container housing catches fire

Vsetín, 14.4.2015 0:14, (ROMEA) Approximately 50 people had to be evacuated during a blaze in the prefabricated containers known as the "Čunek houses" in the Poschlá quarter of Vsetín, where a total of seven firefighting units had to intervene on 31 March after 15:00. The insulation on the first floor of the containers caught fire and two other stories were extensively damaged by smoke.  full story

Roma Education Fund scholarship deadline is 11 May 2015

Czech Republic, 13.4.2015 23:34, (ROMEA) The Roma Education Fund's scholarship program has announced its scholarship cycle for the 2015-2016 academic year; the deadline to apply is 11 May 2015. Through an open academic competition, the scholarship program offers a stipend to Romani students who are either citizens of or have permanent residency in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia or Turkey and who are attending Bachelor's, Master's or doctoral studies at state-accredited colleges.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani quintuplets have a new account for donations

Milovice/Prague, 13.4.2015 20:59, (ROMEA) At the start of April a new transparent account was opened for donations to the first-ever family of quintuplets in the Czech Republic. The purpose of the public fundraising campaign, which has been announced by the Maminky dětem (Mothers to Children) group in the town of Milovice, is to finance the quintuplets' needs until they attain majority.  full story

Greece: Influx of illegal immigrants has risen sharply this year

Athens, 13.4.2015 20:02, (ROMEA) The number of illegal immigrants arriving in Greece during the first quarter of 2015 has tripled compared to the same period last year. Agence France-Presse reports that the Greek Coast Guard announced the findings last Thursday.  full story

Czech Republic: 30 Romani people demonstrate for reopening of murder investigation

13.4.2015 3:40 Just 30 people assembled on Saturday, 11 April in the Czech town of Tanvald for a demonstration demanding a new investigation into the case of the shooting death of Ladislav Tatár, Jr. Jan Sieber of Tanvald was 63 years old when he shot the Romani youth and his brother in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2012.  full story

Czech Labor Minister: Current system serves speculators in poverty

12.4.2015 2:44 Even if the Czech state changes the current housing benefit system, Labor and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksová Tominová (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) says it will take a long time for it to be completely eliminated. The minister said the current system plays into the hands of speculators who house socially vulnerable people in their properties in order to draw money from the state in exchange for providing this form of service  full story

Slovak President: The Romani issue is one of society's most pressing problems

12.4.2015 2:14 The President of the Slovak Republic has issued the following press release:  full story

Documentary film review: "Suppressed Letters", about a Czechoslovak experiment with Romani children

12.4.2015 1:27 On 9 April, Czech Television broadcast the documentary film "Zatajené dopisy" ("Suppressed Letters"), which premiered at this year's One World Film Festival in Prague. In this film, director Tomáš Kudrna reveals the history of the so-called Květušínský experiment, which took place 65 years ago.  full story

Norway apologizes to Roma for WWII-era discrimination, promises compensation

Prague, 11.4.2015 23:59, (ROMEA) Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has apologized for the discrimination perpetrated by Norway against its Romani population prior to and during the Second World War. She also promised the Norwegian authorities would pay Romani people compensation for the measures undertaken against them at that time.  full story

Czech children's theater director criticized for racist remarks about Roma

Brno, 11.4.2015 23:03, (ROMEA) News server iDNES.cz. reports that Deputy Mayor of Brno Matěj Hollan, who is responsible for the city's cultural programming, has objected to Vlastimil Peška, director of the Divadlo Radost children's theater, continuing in that post. Peška has been accused of making racist remarks about Romani people.  full story

Slovakia: 300 Roma protest police intervention in Vrbnica

Michalovce, Slovakia, 11.4.2015 21:20 Slovak media report that approximately 300 Romani people assembled on a square in Michalovce on 10 April for a protest against a police intervention in the village of Vrbnica earlier this month, calling for the removal of Košice Regional Police Director Juraj Leško and the resignation of Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák. The protest was organized by the Romani Union Party of Slovakia (SRUS).  full story

Czech arson suspect says he knew Roma lived in the building

11.4.2015 3:15, (ROMEA) At the start of April, the trial continued at the Regional Court in Plzeň of a nine-member, allegedly organized group of neo-Nazis from various parts of the country which news server Romea.cz previously reported on here. According to the indictment, the group used the Internet to call for violent attacks on minorities, political party headquarters, representatives of the Government or the police and planned to attack specific individuals.  full story

France: Clear majority has negative perceptions mainly of Muslims and Romani people

10.4.2015 20:37 A clear majority of French people (82 %) continue to view Romani people negatively, while 74 % of French people view Muslims negatively as well. The minority group that is best-received in the country is that of Jewish people, but prejudices against them persist as well, such as the sentiment that they wield too much power and that they have a specific relationship to money.  full story

Czech Republic: Victims of illegal sterilizations could receive CZK 300 000 in compensation

10.4.2015 19:17 Victims of illegal sterilizations could receive compensation from the Czech state in the coming years of CZK 300 000 (EUR 11 000). Persons who underwent such surgery between 1 July 1966 and 31 March 2012 without giving informed consent would be eligible.
 full story

Czech Republic: Romani students honor their role models

9.4.2015 18:55 International Romani Day was celebrated at the MeetFactory club in Prague yesterday. In addition to a rich musical program during which representatives of the younger generation of Romani musicians met with their older colleagues onstage, Romani students also symbolically paid their respects to those they consider their role models, people whose life and work serve to aid Romani people and improve their relationships with the majority society.  full story

Czech sociologist says attending "practical school" reduces employability by half

8.4.2015 23:56 Speaking on Czech Television on 8 April, sociologist Daniel Prokop presented the results of a survey called Roma Survey 2011 organized by the United Nations Development Programme. The Czech Republic section of the research was performed by the Median agency among 750 Romani and 350 majority-society households.  full story

Czech Platform for Social Housing: Fire shows children must be rescued from living in residential hotels

8.4.2015 23:16 On the night of 6 April, six children who had been forced to live in a residential hotel in the town of Ostrov near Karlovy Vary almost burned to death. Tenants were standing with their children in the windows of the building planning to jump in order to escape the flames.  full story

Czech Television humiliates Romani people on their International Day

8.4.2015 22:30 Czech Television's programming on 7 April ahead of International Romani Day featured somewhat embarrassing dramaturgy and a documentary film promoting antigypsyist stereotypes and clichés. The public broadcaster had announced last week that a program of many documentary and feature-length films would be shown in honor of 8 April.  full story

Ambassadors to Czech Republic: Discrimination of Roma still exists

8.4.2015 19:55 On the occasion of International Romani Day 8 April, seven ambassadors to the Czech Republic have signed a declaration in support of the Romani community. In their statement, the ambassadors emphasize that this day is an occasion to celebrate Romani culture and heritage and is also a day for awareness of the fact that this group of people, frequently living on the outskirts of society, faces discrimination across Europe.  full story