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Czech residential hotel issues remain unresolved

Varnsdorf, 14.6.2014 0:38, (ROMEA) All of the Czech Republic was shocked three years ago by the footage of otherwise honorable citizens marching side by side with ultra-right radicals and chanting "Gypsies to the gas chambers" in the town of Varnsdorf. Residential hotels for socially vulnerable people were the thorn in their side.  full story

Young Roma demand UN representation

Sri Lanka, 13.6.2014 23:53, (ROMEA) During the World Conference on Youth in Sri Lanka last month a declaration was issued by young Roma demanding representation for the Romani nation at the United Nations. News server Romea.cz publishes the declaration in full:  full story

Ukrainian Roma: The government treats us like stepchildren

Kiev, 13.6.2014 23:21, (ROMEA) Ukrainians are enduring a serious hangover after the euphoria of Maidan. Romani people in Ukraine are also being most painfully affected by the current crisis.  full story

Slovak court awards compensation to Roma refused service

Bratislava, 13.6.2014 21:13, (ROMEA) A Slovak court has awarded compensation of EUR 600 to a Romani couple who were refused service by a bar in the east of the country five years ago. The non-governmental organization Counseling Center for Civil and Human Rights (Poradna pro občanská a lidská práva), which represented the Romani clients before the court, has issued a press release about the verdict.  full story

Commentary: Slovakia's Fascist governor and racist beauty queen

Bánská Bystrica/Bratislava, 13.6.2014 20:31, (ROMEA) Racist calls for the isolation, deportation and even the shooting of Romani people, as well as fake reports of fabulously high amounts of welfare being drawn by them, are turning up in both public and virtual spaces in Slovakia more and more frequently. The center of this Fascist ideology, inciting a war by "decent citizens" on "social parasites", has become the Bánská Bystrica Region ever since the election of ultra-nationalist Marián Kotleba as governor there, but other parts of the country are not immune.  full story

Czech Republic: False rumor spreading that Roma access local pool for free

Most, 13.6.2014 19:56, (ROMEA) As happens every summer in the Czech Republic, various towns are having to issue statements refuting the rumors that Romani people get free entry to local swimming pools because of their nationality. This year the lie is spreading in the town of Most.  full story

Slovak Academy of Sciences: No need to fear growth of Romani population

Bratislava, 12.6.2014 22:17, (ROMEA) Romani population predictions were one aim of a recent monograph produced in Slovakia entitled "Reproduction of the Romani population in Slovakia and prognoses for Romani population developments to 2030". The research was presented by the Forecasting Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava last month.  full story

Scotland as a model for social housing legislation

Prague, 12.6.2014 19:57, (ROMEA) Robert Aldridge is the executive director of Homeless Action Scotland, an umbrella organization bringing together service providers involved in the problem of homelessness. He has also been a member of the City of Edinburgh Council for 22 years  full story

videoFamous Romani players in world football

Prague, 27.5.2013 22:32, (ROMEA/HATTRICK) Just a few notes by way of introduction: The first famous Romani man or Gypsy to join his country's football team was Rab Howell of England. The small center-half for Sheffield United (height 165 cm, weight 57 kg) first wore the famous uniform with the three lions on 9 March 1895 in a match between England and Scotland that was played at Derby. It was a victorious debut. The English won 9:0 and Howell scored a goal. He was always proud of his Romani heritage. By the way, the first Black player did not join the English national team until 83 years later (Viv Anderson in 1978).  full story

Holocaust survivors want Poland to arrange more school trips to Auschwitz

Warsaw, 12.6.2014 16:58, (ROMEA) The International Auschwitz Committee (IAC), which brings together Holocaust survivors worldwide, has called on the Polish government to financially support excursions by schoolchildren to the memorial at the former Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz. Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reports that the number of Polish visitors to Auschwitz has sharply fallen in recent years.  full story

Commentary: Deadline for adopting Czech social housing concept is unrealistic

Prague, 12.6.2014 1:48, (ROMEA) Three months have elapsed since the Czech Government approved its program declaration stating that social housing is a priority. We have heard from many government politicians that work is underway on the Social Housing Concept and how important it is.  full story

Czech foundation supports work in places where anti-Romani marches have taken place

Prague, 12.6.2014 1:12, (ROMEA) The Open Society Fund Prague has distributed CZK 400 000 (EUR 15 500) to organizations working in places where right-wing extremists have been holding anti-Romani marches. Of the 18 requests for funding received, the expert commission has so far selected four winning projects for its "Together Without Prejudice" (Společně bez předsudků) grant call.  full story

Czech town recalls councilor for violating strategic agreement on real estate sales

Obrnice, 12.6.2014 0:40, (ROMEA) Members of the town council of Obrnice (Most district) voted last month to recall Boris Ležal (Czech Social Democratic Party) from his position as a town councilor. The municipality says Ležal violated a strategic agreement concluded with the local government on the sale of apartments or apartment buildings.  full story

Czech Muslims plan Constitutional complaint over raid on mosque

Prague, 12.6.2014 0:09, (ROMEA) The Center of Muslim Communities in the Czech Republic (Ústředí muslimských obcí v ČR) is preparing a constitutional complaint over a recent police raid on their mosques in Prague. Munib Hasan Alravi, chair of the center, informed the Czech News Agency of the move on 5 June.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani figures rebuke Romani entrepreneur for anti-Roma slurs

Brno/Prague, 11.6.2014 23:22, (ROMEA) The Brno-based entrepreneur Rastislav Lučanský, who recently ran as an EP candidate, will be leaving the Romani Democratic Party (Romská demokratická strana- RDS) to establish his own political movement. Lučanský is said to have failed to reach an understanding with his RDS colleagues.  full story

International Islamic organization demands apology from Czech President, he won't budge

Prague, 11.6.2014 22:21, (ROMEA) The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the recent remarks made by Czech President Miloš Zeman during the celebrations of Israel's Independence Day at the end of May. Commenting on the recent attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels, Zeman said attacks by Islamist fanatics are an outcome of their ideology.  full story

Germany: Courts say President may call extreme right-wing xenophobes "crazy"

Berlin, 11.6.2014 21:18, (ROMEA) German President Joachim Gauck did not violate the Constitution when he called adherents of the ultra-right National Democratic Party of the Germany (NPD) "crazy" last year. The decision was made yesterday by the German Constitutional Court, to whom the NPD turned with a lawsuit against the head of state.  full story

France: FN chair distances herself from her father's remarks

Paris, 11.6.2014 20:43, (ROMEA) Marine Le Pen, the head of the nationalist Front National (FN) in France, has taken down a video channel on the party's website in which her father, FN honorary chair Jean-Marie Le Pen, has been regularly commenting on current events. The decision came after Mr Le Pen outraged the public with yet another obviously anti-Semitic remark on Friday.  full story

Roma who won lawsuit against Czech Republic still can't find jobs

Prague, 11.6.2014 20:13, (ROMEA) It was a surprise in 2007 when 18 Romani schoolchildren from Ostrava won their lawsuit against the Czech Republic. The European Court for Human Rights recognized at the time that the state had discriminated against them in their access to education.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: Success will be equal representation of minorities in inclusive education

Prague, 10.6.2014 23:29, (ROMEA) Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democrats - ČSSD) says the will of local politicians and the securing of popular support are the basic prerequisites for a good starting point for including minorities into mainstream society. He made the remarks in an interview with the Czech daily Lidové noviny which the ČSSD party has published on its website; news server Romea.cz brings you that interview in full translation.  full story