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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

Czech Police break up cell of Russian neo-Nazi organization

Prague, 5.5.2014 19:07, (ROMEA) The Czech Police have broken up a cell of the neo-Nazi Wotan Jugend organization from Russia in the Czech Republic. Five people have been charged on suspicion of establishing, promoting and supporting a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms.  full story

Czech PM to attend commemorative ceremony at Roma Holocaust site

Lety u Písku, 5.5.2014 18:16, (ROMEA) The traditional commemorative ceremony dedicated to the Romani victims of Nazism in the South Bohemian town of Lety near Písek will take place this year under the auspices of Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman and will be attended by Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. Čeněk Růžička of the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust, which holds the event, informed news server Romea.cz of the news on 3 May.  full story

Slovakia: Demonstration in support of ethnic Hungarian

Bratislava, Slovakia, 5.5.2014 6:05, (ROMEA) On 30 April an estimated 300 people participated in a demonstration in the center of Bratislava in support of Hedviga Žáková Malinová, a former student. The Slovak Prosecutor-General has charged her with inventing claims that she was assaulted by persons unknown to her because of her Hungarian origin in 2006.  full story

Czech mayors, regional official ask EdMin not to close "practical primary" schools

Czech Republic, 4.5.2014 18:00, (ROMEA) The mayors of Chlumec nad Cidlinou and Nový Bydžov in Hradec Králové Region are asking the Czech Education Minister not to let schools providing special needs education die out. Their open letter has been signed by a regional councilor and by dozens of municipalities and schools from all over the Czech Republic.  full story

Czech Republic: Yet another fiasco for the DSSS - 10 people, not 400, in Brno

Brno, 3.5.2014 23:54, (ROMEA) About 10 people attended an election rally for the right-wing extremist Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) on the centrally-located náměstí Svobody in Brno today. Conveners of the rally had anticipated as many as 400 of its supporters to attend.  full story

videoUK: Archive of unique reportages about Roma dating back to 1910 now on YouTube

London, 3.5.2014 0:13, (ROMEA) An archive of 85 000 newsreels by the British Pathé company, which documented the events of the 20th century in the UK and elsewhere, has been published on YouTube in high definition. The archive includes unique film reportages about Romani people, the oldest of which is probably from the year 1910.  full story

PHOTO GALLERY: Neo-Nazi 1 May in Ústí nad Labem

Ústí nad Labem, 2.5.2014 23:52, (ROMEA) As news server Romea.cz reported in detail during our online coverage and follow-up articles, neo-Nazis decided to "celebrate" 1 May this year by marching through Ústí nad Labem. Of the anticipated 500 participants, only 200 of the most faithful came to town, not just from the Czech Republic, but from Germany, Italy and Slovakia.  full story

videoVIDEO: Roma demonstration against neo-Nazi march in Ústí nad Labem

Ústí nad Labem, 2.5.2014 23:41, (ROMEA) About 100 Romani people marched on 1 May 2014 from the Předlice quarter of Ústí nad Labem to the Mánesový sady park. A convoy of vehicles carrying other Romani people drove behind them. Other opponents of neo-Nazism who were gathered at Mánesový sady joined them. After the neo-Nazi march passed by, the Romani counter-protesters returned to Předlice.  full story

Deutsche Bank study says Czech Úsvit the equivalent of Greek, Hungarian neo-Nazis

Berlin/Brussels/Prague, 2.5.2014 23:13, (ROMEA) News server Euractiv reports that a Deutsche Bank (DB) study published at the end of March says a wide variety of eurosceptic parties could hold as many as 204 of the European Parliament's 751 seats after the upcoming elections. Interestingly, its analysts include the left-wing Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia among the hardcore eurosceptics.  full story

videoMiroslav Kováč: How do we stand up to neo-Nazism - with arms, or with diplomacy?

Prague, 2.5.2014 22:04, (ROMEA) Photos of yesterday's DSSS rally in Ústí nad Labem are being shared on Facebook. Among Romani people, the image that is resounding the most is one in which, after a conversation, the chair of the Equal Opportunities Party (SRP), Štefan Tišer, shakes hands with DSSS chair Tomáš Vandas.  full story

videoCzech Republic: Europe Roma Network condemns SRP chair for shaking hands with DSSS chair

Prague/Ústí nad Labem, 2.5.2014 21:12, (ROMEA) The Europe Roma Network, a Europe-wide Romani association, is condemning the chair of the Equal Opportunities Party, Štefan Tišer, for shaking hands with DSSS chair Tomáš Vandas at a rally yesterday in Ústí nad Labem. Ladislav Baláž, chair of the ERN, communicated the information to news server Romea.cz.  full story

Czech Republic: Defense and prosecution appeal Strýčkovice verdict

Domažlice, 2.5.2014 20:10, (ROMEA) Ladislav Matuš and his nephew David Matuš of Strýčkovice (Domažlice district) were given prison sentences on 25 April for assaulting their neighbor, Jiří Sýkora. David Matuš was sentenced to 10 months behind bars and Ladislav Matuš to two years.  full story