Czech Republic

Czech Republic: Poll shows mostly negative views of Romani people

Prague, 21.11.2012 17:14, (ROMEA) Most of the Czech public (71 %) holds a negative view of Romani people, a proportion of the population that has slightly fallen since April of this year. On the question of whether those polled fear Romani people, the public is divided into almost completely equal camps (43 % are afraid of Romani people, 44 % are not). Not quite one-fifth of the citizens polled (16 %) expressed sympathy for movements or people who use violence against members of the Romani minority. On the other hand, a two-thirds majority claimed to reject such behavior. Since last year the number of people representing that opinion has significantly risen.  full story

Czech victim of "machete attack" reportedly has neo-Nazi past, knew attacker

Nový Bor/Prague, 20.11.2012 23:39, (ROMEA) New facts are coming to light in the case of last year's brawl in the "Pivní pomoc" bar in the town of Nový Bor, which the Czech media refer to as the "machete attack" case. Defense attorney Klára Samková has claimed the conflict was not the first between the two groups involved, and that assertion has been upheld. One of the defendants, Antonín Sinu, and one of the victims have faced off at least one time previously during a different mass brawl, when neo-Nazis were celebrating the birthday of Adolf Hitler in a restaurant in Nový Bor. Their involvement in that incident has been confirmed by Regional State Prosecutor Radim Kadlček.  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis convene on Velvet Revolution anniversary

Brno, 19.11.2012 16:31, (ROMEA) Approximately 150 promoters of neo-Nazism marched through the center of Brno on Saturday 17 November chanting slogans against capitalism and the government and calling for "real democracy". Police spokesperson Petra Vedrová said no illegal behavior was observed. Officers monitored the event from a distance and there was no street deployment of their riot units.  full story

videoCzech Republic: Equal Opportunities Party chair addresses thousands

Prague, 19.11.2012 2:04, (ROMEA) On Saturday 17 November thousands of people attended a demonstration in the center of Prague convened by labor unions and several civic initiatives in order to protest against the Czech government. Speakers demanded the departure of the cabinet of Petr Nečas (Civic Democrats - ODS) and early elections.  full story

Czech EdMin wants stricter criteria for practical school enrollment

Prague, 17.11.2012 20:00, (ROMEA) The Czech Education Ministry wants to change the methods used for evaluating candidates for the practical (previously called the "special") schools. Within two years, preparatory classes at these schools will be closed, as will pupils' so-called diagnostic stays in them. Those are the conclusions of working materials which the ministry will present in December to the Council of Europe. The materials, which have been made available to the Czech Press Agency, are the ministry's response to a five-year-old European Court of Human Rights judgment according to which 18 Romani pupils were unjustifiably transferred to "special schools".  full story

Roma segregation remains a serious problem in the Czech Republic

16.11.2012 16:50 “The “practical schools” in the Czech Republic perpetuate segregation of Roma children, inequality and racism. They should be phased out and replaced by mainstream schools that need to be properly prepared to host and provide support to all pupils, irrespective of their ethnic origin. There are certain examples in the country that show the feasibility of this necessary paradigm shift, which will require the government’s political will and sustained commitment”, stated the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, after his four-day visit to the Czech Republic.  full story

Will professional fostering empty the Czech orphanages next year?

Prague, 16.11.2012 16:44, (ROMEA) TV RTM reports that recently-approved Law No. 359 on the legal and social protection of children will take effect as of 2013 in the Czech Republic. Through this amendment, legislators have decided to replace institutional care for abandoned children with foster care. Over time, this means some orphanages may be at risk of losing their clients.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani students meet with CoE Human Rights Commissioner

Prague, 16.11.2012 16:00, (ROMEA) A round table was held in Prague this week between those involved in the D.H. case, Romani student representatives, First Deputy Education Minister Jiří Nantl, and Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muižnieks. Video of the press conference held after the round table is available at http://www.romea.cz/cz/video/konference-seminare/sestrih-tiskove-konference-po-kulatem-stolu-ucastniku-pripadu-d-h-a-romskych-studentu (in Czech only).  full story

Czech PM meets with CoE Human Rights Commissioner on inclusion

Prague, 15.11.2012 17:40, (ROMEA) Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas believes inclusive education as an instrument for incorporating vulnerable groups into society is one of the key tools of Czech minority policy. Nečas familiarized Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muižnieks with the Czech Government's position on this issue today. Muižnieks, who is originally from Latvia, is on a regular visit to the Czech Republic as one of the European Union Member States.  full story

Czech court fails to compensate Romani family attacked by racists

Klatovy, 15.11.2012 16:38, (ROMEA) Members of a Romani family who were violently assaulted by racists in the Czech town of Nýrsko at the start of August 2011 have not been awarded compensation through the criminal courts. The District Court in Klatovy has rejected their request and instructed them to file a civil complaint in order to secure compensation. The state prosecutor will not be appealing the verdict.  full story

Czech Embassy Protest Over School Apartheid

London, 15.11.2012 15:17, (ROMEA) Showing solidarity with events in Ostrava, Prague and elsewhere, Roma and supporters from several countries protested outside the Czech Embassy in London on 13 November against the failure of authorities there to end apartheid in schools despite a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.  full story

Czech Govt takes report on Romani minority under advisement

Prague, 14.11.2012 23:23, (ROMEA) The Government today took under advisement a report on the state of the Romani minority in the Czech Republic for the year 2011 but will not be taking any follow-up action to it. The aim of the report was to evaluate the development and fruitfulness of measures underway in this area.  full story

Czech Govt proposes closing Human Rights Section

Prague, 14.11.2012 16:31, (ROMEA) The Office of the Czech Government has announced through its spokesperson Michal Schuster that it is preparing for possible changes in its organization. One of them might even be the closing of the Human Rights Section there and the transfer of its advisory bodies to various ministries. News server Aktuálně.cz quotes the daily Insider's previous reporting on this issue and says Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková has confirmed it is a possibility. The Government is arguing that the step would increase the efficiency of the state administration and reduce operational costs.  full story

Czech Republic: Nazi graffiti at primary school in Jihlava - again

Jihlava, 13.11.2012 22:13, (ROMEA) Deník.cz reports that a right-wing extremist vandal struck again last weekend at the Jungmannova Primary School in the Czech town of Jihlava. Two Nazi swastikas and the inscription "Sieg Heil" have turned up on the wall of the school gym in the exact same spot that similar graffiti appeared a month ago.  full story

New report shows anti-Romani violence is a pan-European phenomenon

Prague, 13.11.2012 17:10, (ROMEA) The European Association for the Defense of Human Rights (AEDH) and the Czech Helsinki Committee (Český helsinský výbor - ČHV) have issued a fundamental condemnation of the violence faced by Romani people in Europe. The organizations have written about this topic in a joint report entitled "Roma People in Europe in the 21st Century: Violence, Exclusion, Insecurity" (available in English at http://www.helcom.cz/dokumenty/Roma%20REPORT.pdf). Below you will find a translation of the AEDH/ČHV press release about this report and a translation of the Czech summary of the report:  full story

Czech Republic: Romani evacuees leave gym for residential hotels

Ústí nad Labem, 13.11.2012 15:38, (ROMEA) Romani tenants who have been evacuated from an unsuitable building on Beneše Lounského street in the Czech town of Ústí nad Labem have now left their temporary housing in the gym of the primary school in the Předlice quarter and have moved into a residential hotel in the Krásné Březno neighborhood. The 36 tenants, 27 of whom are children, were initially meant to move directly into the residential hotel after being evicted, but rejected it as untidy at the time. News server iDNES.cz reports that a female evacuee says the residential hotel has now been cleaned up and painted.  full story

Czech Roma Still Face 'Educational Apartheid', Despite Court Ruling Five Years Ago

Prague, 13.11.2012 10:33, (ROMEA) The Open Society Foundations is urging the Czech government to end the institutionalized segregation of Roma children within its schools, five years after it was ordered to do so by the European Court of Human Rights.  full story

Former Czech Human Rights Minister on Romani issues

Prague, 12.11.2012 16:54, (ROMEA) News server Novinky.cz has published an extensive interview with former Czech Human Rights Commissioner Michael Kocáb. Romea.cz is publishing in translation the sections of that interview related to his most recent time in politics, including his approach toward Romani issues.  full story

Czech Republic: More cases of dysentery in Ostrava area

Ostrava, 12.11.2012 15:31, (ROMEA) The number of cases of contagious bacillary dysentery in the Ostrava area is rising. The disease began to spread in mid-August, particularly among people living in buildings in disastrous condition and in residential hotels. The epidemic has not been stopped yet. Both adults and children are falling ill. During the last week alone, 12 people, most of them children, caught the disease.  full story

Czech students against neo-Nazi concerts in their town

Žatec, 10.11.2012 18:55, (ROMEA) News server iDNES.cz reports that hundreds of people in the town of Žatec have signed a petition organized by local students against the fact that neo-Nazi bands perform concerts several times a year in the restaurant of the People's House (Lidový dům) there. Because the restaurant is privately owned, the town does not have many options for intervening against the neo-Nazi events.  full story