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Czech commission plans to draft social housing plan by year-end

Prague, 8.5.2014 1:27, (ROMEA) Design of a new social housing model for the Czech Republic began yesterday. A commission of representatives from ministries, municipalities, NGOs and Regional Authorities has been set up to draft it.  full story

Pitomio Bandas Manic of the Workers' Dawn of Healthy Imprudence: Eradicate inadaptability from the EU!

Czech Republic, European Union, 8.5.2014 0:35, (ROMEA) Pitomio Bandas Manic, the chair of the Workers' Dawn of Healthy Imprudence (Dělnický úsvit zdravého nerozumu - DÚZN), who is its leading candidate for the EP race, would like to enforce the abolition of the European Union. Before he succeeds with that, he will fight for reduced unemployment and restrictions on immigration.  full story

Miroslav Kováč: GRRP is "unduly interfering in the internal affairs" of the Equal Opportunities Party

Prague, 7.5.2014 22:32, (ROMEA) Miroslav Kováč of the Equal Opportunities Party (Strana rovných příležitostí - SRP) believes the Committee of Romani Regional Representatives (Grémium romských regionálních představitelů - GRRP), which has challenged the party to find a new chair, is "dictatorially, unduly interfering in the internal affairs of a properly-registered political party". News server Romea.cz publishes his statement here in full translation:  full story

Czech Jewish community says online anti-Semitism rising sharply

Czech Republic, 7.5.2014 21:53, (ROMEA) Manifestations of anti-Semitism in Czech on the internet doubled during 2013 compared to 2012. That is the conclusion of an annual report about anti-Semitism in the Czech Republic published by the Jewish Community in Prague.  full story

Czech Roma group asks Equal Opportunities Party to recall chair after handshake with ultra-right

Prague, 7.5.2014 20:59, (ROMEA) The Committee of Romani Regional Representatives (Grémium romských regionálních představitelů - GRRP) and members of its Facebook group have called on members of the Equal Opportunities Party (Strana rovných příležitostí - SRP), to recall party chair Štefan Tišer from his post. They are bothered by the fact that, following an emotional discussion during the 1 May demonstration in Ústí nad Labem, Tišer shook hands with the chair of the anti-Romani Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS), Tomáš Vandas.  full story

Hungary: Vice-Chair of Parliament is former neo-Nazi leader

Budapest, 7.5.2014 15:44, (ROMEA) Hungarian MPs have approved the leadership of their newly-elected legislature, including a former neo-Nazi leader who is now the Vice-Chair of Parliament. Hungarian President János Áder has also called on Parliament to re-elect Viktor Orbán as Prime Minister.  full story

Bartoloměj Oláh: We can't have educated Roma running around here

Prague, 7.5.2014 0:39, (ROMEA) Ever since I was a child, I have often encountered people here who "mean well". These are people who have thought about my needs, who didn't want to hold me back, who didn't want me to live on the fringes of society, or to be come a "classic aggressor" because, as a Romani child, that might be the only way for me to excel.  full story

European Center of Romani Music production about Lety concentration camp for Romani people

Prague, 7.5.2014 0:04, (ROMEA) The European Center of Romani Music in Prague, in collaboration with Slovak director Dana Račková, is producing a musical theater performance entitled "Lety - 1942". The production tells the story of the fates of the victims of the Czech concentration camp of Lety by Písek, which was called a "Gypsy Camp" at the time.  full story

Czech Republic: Unique meeting of gay and lesbian Roma in Prague

Prague, 6.5.2014 23:30, (ROMEA) A unique meeting of gay and lesbian Roma took place this past weekend in Prague with the aim of awakening interest in this very specific group among Romani people themselves and among members of the majority society. The meeting took place under the auspices of David Tišer, a well-known Romani activist, with creative lectures by fashion designer Pavel Berky and photographer Lukáš Houdek.  full story

Czech Green Party EP candidate mocks xenophobic campaign by Úsvit

Prague, 6.5.2014 22:55, (ROMEA) Šádí Shanáh, a candidate for the Green Party (Strana zelených - SZ) in the Czech Republic running for the European Parliament, has decided to respond to the xenophobic campaign being run by the Úsvit ("Dawn of Direct Democracy") movement of Czech MP Tomio Okamura and has posted his own e-fliers, called "Shanáh's Statement on the launch of the campaign 'Humor against Hatred - Šádí Shanáh's Dawn of Human Decency'" on the Facebook profile of the Úsvit movement and of Okamura. News server Romea.cz brings you the full translation of that statement below.  full story

UK: TV presenter gets last warning from BBC over alleged racism

Prague, 6.5.2014 20:43, (ROMEA) Jeremy Clarkson, one of three presenters of "Top Gear", a popular British TV show about cars, has received his final warning from the BBC over the fact that he allegedly used an offensive expression for a dark-skinned person when filming one of its episodes. The term "nigger" allegedly was used by Clarkson during recording in 2013; the footage was never used but has now been brought to light by a British tabloid.  full story

Czech EP candidate brought down by video of him singing Nazi anthem

Prague, 6.5.2014 19:39, (ROMEA) The political career of 23-year-old Milan Zavada has ended before it could even begin. The youth who has been running for the ANO movement of Czech Deputy Prime Minister Babiš in this year's EP elections has had his hopes dashed by an imprudent home video recording of him at a drunken party of adolescents.  full story

Belgium: Mayor bans and then disperses anti-Semitic, ultra-right assembly

Brussels, 6.5.2014 18:57, (ROMEA) Authorities in Belgium have banned an assembly at which several figures of the French ultra-right, including the controversial French comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, were scheduled to appear. Police used water cannon to disperse the mob after city officials in Brussels decided the assembly should be dissolved.  full story

Czech Police unable to find founder of Facebook page calling for murder of "gypsies"

Czech Republic, 6.5.2014 18:21, (ROMEA) During the past few weeks, various pages promoting hatred have turned up on Facebook in the Czech language with names such as "We demand gypsies be shot dead with impunity" (Požadujeme beztrestné vystřílení cikánů), "Disabled children must be mercilessly killed" (Postižené děti je třeba bez milosti zabíjet), or "My stoned wife is available for sex" (Nabízím na sex svou zfetovanou manželku). All of these pages have listed their telephone contact as that of a Jaromír Merhaut, who has nothing whatsoever to do with them.  full story

Austria: Former Czech Foreign Minister warns of racism

Vienna, 6.5.2014 16:36, (ROMEA) The Austrian Press Agency reports that yesterday former Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg was asked to address the Austrian Parliament as an honorary speaker on the occasion of the Day of the Fight against Violence and Racism there, where he called for vigilance regarding manifestations of racism. Austrians annually commemorate WWII-era persecution on 5 May, and this year's commemoration was dedicated to the victims of Terezín.  full story

Czech Agency for Social Inclusion director: Roma shouldn't have to remind us they are here

Prague, 5.5.2014 23:42, (ROMEA) The A2 biweekly magazine has published an extensive interview with the director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. Martin Šimáček, about its work in excluded localities, opportunities for Romani emancipation, the participation of Romani people in integration, and efforts to influence social integration policy at the level of the Government. News server Romea.cz presents the interview in full translation below.  full story

31 % of British voters would send ultra-nationalists to the EP

London, 5.5.2014 20:34, (ROMEA) According to public opinion polls in Britain, the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) could win the upcoming elections to the European Parliament. A survey conducted by the YouGov institute for the daily paper The Times said 31 % of Britons would vote for the party if elections were held today.  full story

Czech ministers to visit Šluknov district to address excluded localities

Prague, 5.5.2014 20:14, (ROMEA) Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec, and Czech Labor Minister Michaela Marksová Tominová (all Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) will be visiting the Šluknov district next Monday. The ministers will be addressing the problems of socially excluded localities together with the mayors of local municipalities.  full story

Greece: All Golden Dawn MPs now stripped of immunity

Athens, 5.5.2014 19:53, (ROMEA) The Greek Parliament has voted by a significant majority to strip the immunity of the last four Golden Dawn legislators to have preserved it. There are a total of 17 legislators for the neo-Nazi party in the legislature.  full story

Czech Republic: Towns in northern Bohemia fear more anti-Romani demos

Prague, 5.5.2014 19:30, (ROMEA) The Saturday edition of the Czech daily Lidové noviny reported that mayors of 18 municipalities in northern Bohemia are concerned that the upcoming municipal elections will mark the resumption of anti-Romani demonstrations in the region. In a letter to the Czech Government, they have complained that no one is addressing the situation of the Romani minority in the Šluknov district and that this failure could result in a new wave of the violent racist protests that inflamed the region three years ago.  full story