News

Slovakia: Demolition of building in Romani settlement cancelled

Bratislava, Slovakia, 2.4.2014 17:51, (ROMEA) The demolition of an illegally-erected building in a Romani settlement in the village of Krásnohorské Podhradie in eastern Slovakia which was to have become a precedent for similar constructions throughout the country has been delayed. Authorities have overturned a decision taken last year by the municipality which was to have formed the basis for getting rid of the so-called "black building" owned by the Darvaš family.  full story

Analysis: Czech verdict means it's a crime to stop an armed brawl

Prague, 1.4.2014 20:57, (ROMEA) Last month the Regional Court in Ústí nad Labem handed down its first-instance verdict in the case of the violent death of Mr Ivan J. In May 2013, Mr J. was stabbed twice during the celebrations of the opening of the spa season in the Czech town of Teplice and succumbed to his wounds shortly thereafter.  full story

Slovakia: Three suspects in beheading case of Romani man now on trial

Žihárec, Slovakia, 1.4.2014 19:08, (ROMEA) Daniel Horváth was 37 years old and the father of a five-year-old girl when his murderers first beat him up and then chopped off his head while he was still alive. The case of his brutal murder is now before a court in Slovakia.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: Ethnic generalizations about crime are dangerous

Prague, 1.4.2014 17:48, (ROMEA) Commenting on recent incidents in the village of Strýčkovice, Czech Minister for Equal Opportunities, Human Rights and Legislation Jiří Dienstbier said he believes the situation is one of crimes or misdemeanors that have been committed by specific individuals. "This has nothing to do with a whole entire group as one might understand from the newspaper headlines. Generalizing is always dangerous and irritates sentiments in a direction that does not lead to improvement - on the contrary, it just exacerbates the situation," the minister told the daily Domažlický deník.  full story

EU Roma Summit: How the EU leads on integration

Brussels, 1.4.2014 17:13, (ROMEA) Politicians from EU Member States will be meeting with representatives of civil society on 4 April in Brussels. The topic of their discussion will be developments in the area of Romani integration throughout Europe.  full story

Czech MP ignores mayor, visits village that has become a tabloid sensation

Srbice, 31.3.2014 21:51, (ROMEA) The situation in Strýčkovice (Domažlice district) continues to be monitored by police. Markéta Kastnerová, the mayor of Srbice, which has jurisdiction over the village, informed the Czech News Agency of that fact today.  full story

Czech segregation of Romani children as a reality show

Prague, 31.3.2014 21:07, (Romano Voďi) In the first double issue this year of the monthly Romano voďi we have prepared a three-part series for you on the topic of foreigners and minorities in film and television. In articles about various countries - the Czech Republic, Germany, and the USA - the authors discuss film and television productions and touch on the depiction of Romani people in literature as well.  full story

Czech Republic: No larger conflicts at ultra-right demo this past weekend

Duchcov, 31.3.2014 18:15, (ROMEA) Yet another anti-Romani event took place in the northern Bohemian town of Duchcov this past Saturday. Once again, the event was convened by the Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS), which decided to demonstrate against what it views as low sentences handed down against a group of assailants from Duchcov by the Regional Court.  full story

Serbia: McDonald’s fined for discriminating against Roma

Belgrade, Serbia, 31.3.2014 17:47, (ROMEA) The Nicefoods restaurants company, which operates the McDonald’s fast food chain in Serbia, must pay a fine for not letting Romani children into one of its restaurants. The Serbian press agency, Tanjug, reports that a court in Novi Sad handed down the decision last week.  full story

Czech mayor asks media, politicians not to escalate interethnic tensions in her town

Srbice/Strýčkovice, 28.3.2014 19:32, (ROMEA) Markéta Kastnerová, the Mayor of the municipality of Srbice, which has jurisdiction over the village of Strýčkovice, issued a statement today asking the media and politicians not to escalate the inter-ethnic situation in her incorporated area. Recently the Czech national daily Právo, its online news server Novinky.cz, and the tabloid news server Blesk.cz have been publishing anti-Romani articles about the situation in Strýčkovice.  full story

Czech Republic: Ultra-right plans provocation in Duchcov tomorrow

Duchcov, 28.3.2014 18:33, (ROMEA) With the first days of warmer weather in the Czech Republic, right-wing extremists from the Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) are once again heading to the streets of the northern Bohemian town of Duchcov. Tomorrow, 29 March, neo-Nazis will protest against the Konexe NGO and against what they view as the low sentences recently handed down in the case of those who attacked a married couple in Duchcov last year.  full story

Czech refugee NGO says MP's remarks are racist and xenophobic

Prague, 28.3.2014 17:13, (ROMEA) The Organization for Aid to Refugees (Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům - OPU) is outraged by recent remarks made by Czech MP Tomio Okamura, the chair of the "Dawn of Direct Democracy" (Úsvit) movement, about immigrants. The group considers the politician's statements racist and xenophobic.  full story

Maja Saitovic: To Achieve Roma Equality, Europe Must Address Health Disparities

EU, 28.3.2014 10:22, (ROMEA) Like all Europeans, we represent the patients, caregivers, and families—as well as the doctors, nurses, and paramedics—who make up Europe’s health systems.   full story

Czech Republic: First Romani Charity Ball raises CZK 30 000 for hospital

Ústí nad Labem, 27.3.2014 23:31, (ROMEA) The organizers of the first-ever Romani Charity Ball, held in mid-March in Ústí nad Labem, presented the proceeds of their event, CZK 30 000, to the head physicians at the children's oncology and children's surgery wards of Masaryk Hospital in Ústí nad Labem. Organizers announced the donation on their Facebook page today.  full story

Czech Republic: Hundreds plan to demonstrate against neo-Nazis on 1 May

Brno, 27.3.2014 22:16, (ROMEA) If neo-Nazis gather publicly on 1 May in Brno, there will also be a public assembly by those opposed to them under the name BRNO BLOCKS 2014! (Brno blokuje 2014!). While around 600 promoters of the right-wing extremist Workers' Youth (Dělnická mládež - DM) organization are scheduled to come to Brno that day, conveners of the counter-demonstration hope to bring out 2 000 opponents of neo-Nazism.  full story

Commentary: TV Nova turns Romani murder victim into sausage thief

Prague, 27.3.2014 19:12, (ROMEA) In its main news reporting on the evening of 25 March 2014, TV Nova presented a report about an attack committed last May in Teplice, Czech Republic during which a Romani man was murdered. The degree of false information in that report is unbelievable.  full story

Czech city of Ostrava saw crime rise, right-wing extremist threat last year

Ostrava, 27.3.2014 18:42, (ROMEA) The crime rate in Ostrava rose slightly last year after declining in 2012. Police officers had to address 17 630 crimes last year compared to 16 765 the year before.  full story

Ukraine: Police brutality targeting Romani people

Kiev, 27.3.2014 16:49, (ROMEA) At first, just like the vast majority of Ukrainians, Romani people in Ukraine experienced euphoria. They believed better times would come after the toppling of Yanukovych's thieving regime.  full story

Karel Holomek: Czech PM should have a Romani advisor

Brno, 27.3.2014 16:04, (ROMEA) The Czech PM has assembled 36 advisers for a mere half a million crowns, but the money is not the point. The sheer number of his advisers strikes me as fearsome.  full story

A Roma Reality Check for the UK

London, 27.3.2014 10:19, (ROMEA) Recent months have seen politicians and the media in the UK predicting an influx of Roma migrants from Bulgaria and Romania. Roma have been portrayed as a threat to British society in the form of welfare tourists and beggars. The reality is rather different. The UK is not among the preferred destinations of Roma from other EU countries, and the small number of Roma who have arrived in the UK have much to offer.  full story