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Estonian Parliament approves registered partnership law

Tallinn, 11.10.2014 23:19, (ROMEA) Yesterday the Estonian Parliament became the first country on the territory of the former Soviet Union to approve a law on registered partnership that applies to same-sex couples. The new "law on coexistence" was approved by a close majority of 40 votes in favor and 38 against with 10 abstentions.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani candidates win three council seats in Trmice

Trmice, 11.10.2014 22:58, (ROMEA) A group of Romani candidates who decided to run in the local elections in Trmice has enjoyed success. The "Together for Trmice" (Independent Choice) movement, led by Martin Bajger, ended up winning 19.22 % of the vote, coming in second place and seating three people on the Trmice council.  full story

ERTF reproaches Czech Republic for being too restrained in combating racism

Paris, 11.10.2014 22:22, (ROMEA) The European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF) is reproaching several European states, the Czech Republic included, for their "restraint" in combating anti-Romani racism and improving everyday life for Romani people. Agence France-Presse reports that the ERTF named the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and four other countries in a report published yesterday as examples.  full story

System of negative and positive votes in the Czech Republic could increase participation

Prague, 11.10.2014 21:23, (ROMEA) Karel Janeček, the founder of the Foundation against Corruption (Nadačního fondu proti korupci - NFPK), told the press on Thursday that the NGO is performing a survey to test a new voting system called Democracy 2.1 during the ongoing local and Senate elections. The system would consist of people directly casting ballots for two candidates for mayor or senator instead of one.  full story

Gyulla Banga: Roma Pride or a cheap circus?

Prague, 11.10.2014 1:03, (ROMEA) This year, just like last year, I did not attend Roma Pride. Just like hundreds of other Romani people in Prague, who should completely logically outnumber other Roma from around the country, I wasn't there.  full story

Czech Republic: Academic appointment sparks international protest

Prague, 10.10.2014 23:12, (ROMEA) As of 1 October, Doc., PhDr. Marek Jakoubek, PhD, an anthropologist and internal instructor at the Anthropology Department of the Philosophy Faculty of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň, has taken the helm of the Institute of Ethnology at the Philosophy Faculty of Charles University in Prague. Docent Jakoubek was named to the position by the Dean of the Philosophy Faculty of Charles University in Prague, Doc. Mirjam Friedová, at the recommendation of an independent commission.  full story

Czech Police investigating possible vote-buying in some towns

Litvínov/Lovosice, 10.10.2014 21:51, (ROMEA) The Czech Police are investigating possible vote-buying in the towns of Litvínov (Most district) and Lovosice (Litoměřice district). Polcie spokesperson Alena Bartošová told the Czech News Agency that some residents of the Janov housing estate were said to have received offers of financial remuneration for their votes.  full story

Czech ombud: Discrimination against Roma underreported

Brno, 10.10.2014 19:08, (ROMEA) In a recent interview with Czech ombud Anna Šabatová, news server iDNES.cz touches on many current topics related to her work. In addition to discussing the much-publicized case of Muslim nursing students who left their studies because of a school's ban on head scarves, the ombud answered questions about her deputy, Stanislav Křeček, the adoption of children by registered same-sex couples, and extensive discrimination against Romani people in housing, on the labor market, and in other areas of life.  full story

Czech Republic: Interview with local Romani candidate Ladislav Sivak

Prague, 10.10.2014 17:18, (ROMEA) Ladislav Sivak, the leading local candidate in Prague for the Romani Democratic Party (Romská demokratická strana - RDS) grew up in the Žižkov quarter of the capital. He apprenticed as a chef/waiter and worked in hospitality for 30 years.  full story

The Purge: Czech local and Senate elections in 2014

Prague, 9.10.2014 23:01, (ROMEA) Aggression, hatred and vulgarity: These are the main features of the campaign in the runup to this weekend's local and Senate elections in the Czech Republic. What's more, intolerance, racism and xenophobia are not just fads being followed by what are traditionally extremist, obscure, small movements and parties.  full story

Commentary: Mayors and racism in the Czech Republic

Prague, 9.10.2014 0:28, (ROMEA) The "inadaptables" are once again scoring points in the runup to the local elections. Just as they did four and also eight years ago, many local politicians are competing to see who can promise a more aggressive intervention against the "inadaptables", subliminally understood to mean homeless people, migrants, Romani people and anyone else not favored by society (for various, often irrational reasons).  full story

Czech Republic: Interview with local Romani candidate Milan Horvát

Prague, 8.10.2014 22:44, (ROMEA) "When I first parked my car as a newly-elected councilor for Prague 3 in 2010, it was a big moment for me," recalls Milan Horvát, a local candidate for the Czech Social Democrats (ČSSD) who is running again on their number 7 ticket. "The guards asked me how I dared to do that - what was I doing there? When I told them I am a councilor and proved it by showing my identification card, they literally could not believe their eyes - a Romani man had become a councilor."  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis hack websites of human rights NGOs

Prague, 8.10.2014 22:00, (ROMEA) The website of the Czech Helsinki Committee (ČHV) has been targeted for attack by "nationalist" hackers from the White Media group. The hackers publicly announced on their own website that they attacked the human rights organization as part of their annual "Week against Anti-Racism and Xenophilia", which began on 28 September.  full story

Czech trial of alleged neo-Nazi hard core postponed indefinitely

Prague, 7.10.2014 23:48, (ROMEA) Yesterday the third-instance trial of the allegedly hardcore members of a group called National Resistance (Národní odpor - NO) began in the Czech Republic. Its alleged members face up to eight years in prison for promoting Nazi propaganda as an organized group.  full story

Commentary: Czech mayoral candidate would use EU money on the wrong problem

Prague, 7.10.2014 18:54, (ROMEA) Martin Štěpánek, a candidate for mayor in the upcoming local elections in Ostrava, has recently explained the vision behind his campaign slogan, "I reject trafficking in poverty", in an interview for the Czech daily Mladá fronta DNES (published Monday 22 September). At first glance it might seem that this striking slogan is aimed at the abuse of welfare by the owners of residential hotels for the socially vulnerable - the "traffickers in poverty".  full story

Czech Republic: Interview with Romani teen about his experiences in foster and state care

Prague, 7.10.2014 0:21, (ROMEA) ALBÍN AUGUSTÝN BALÁT is a Romani 17-year-old who has grown up in children's homes and foster care. His vision is clear - despite the initial obstacles he has faced in life, he wants to succeed in society and achieve his aims.  full story

Czech candidate assaulted, blames all Roma

Ostrava, 6.10.2014 22:05, (ROMEA) News server iDNES.cz reports that 23-year-old Lukáš Král of Ostrava underwent a traumatic experience last week when he was attacked by an 18-year-old man just before noon at a tram stop and robbed of his mobile phone. Král, a local candidate on the list of the ANO movement, described the incident on Facebook, sparking an emotional, racist discussion.  full story

videoRoma Pride 2014 in Prague, Terne Čhave perform

Prague, 4.10.2014 21:41, (ROMEA) Prague has hosted yet another Roma Pride parade. Along with Romani people, rather a lot of people from the majority part of society, migrants living in the Czech Republic and tourists enjoyed the event as well.  full story

Czech Senator Lebeda caught in lies about Romani people

Prague, 3.10.2014 19:22, (ROMEA) News server Romea.cz has caught Czech Senator Pavel Lebeda in several lies he told during an interview with the tabloid server Parlamentní listy. Lebeda claimed, for example, that Romani families whose children attend high school receive CZK 1 000 a month from the Education Ministry and that the ROMEA organization pays them CZK 21 000 per year.  full story

Ukraine: Neo-Nazi Right Sector fighters attack pro-Russian MP

Kiev, 3.10.2014 18:39, (ROMEA) Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov addressed an emphatic warning to neo-Nazis from the Right Sector organization on 1 October. In response to an attack committed Tuesday by right-wing radicals against a pro-Russian MP, Avakov declared that America and Europe could turn away from supporting Ukraine if similar incidents persist.  full story