News

Czech Republic/Slovakia: Ida Kelarova seeks singers for Romano drom summer school

Prague, 22.5.2014 19:11, (ROMEA) "Romano drom" is the name of a summer school organized by the Miret association in collaboration with choral director, musical producer, musician, singer and voice teacher Ida Kelarova. This year it will take place in eastern Slovakia near the town of Lipany (Prešov district) from 26 July - 10 August 2014, dedicated to working with 60 talented Romani children from orphanages, Romani settlements, and socially vulnerable families.  full story

Czech annual report on extremism: Anti-Roma sentiment remains the main threat

Prague, 22.5.2014 18:33, (ROMEA) Last year extremists in the Czech Republic held 272 events, 135 fewer than in 2012. However, the number of extremist crimes rose from 173 to 211, mainly due to a series of demonstrations linked to socially excluded localities.  full story

Czech documentary by Roma about Roma celebrates success at French Institute

Prague, 22.5.2014 2:33, (ROMEA) On Monday 12 May about 100 people gathered in the cinema at the French Institute in Prague for the premiere of three documentary films created as part of a project called Europe: A Roma Homeland, which will result in a five-part feature length film called "Our Dream". One of the films screened was a Czech documentary called "Because There Is Hope" (Protože je naděje), which tells the story of Jožka Miker, an activist with the Konexe organization, and a group of Romani youth from Krupka whom he took under his wing.  full story

Czech priest asks local Muslims to condemn Sudanese death sentence for pregnant women, they agree

Prague, 22.5.2014 1:22, (ROMEA) Tomáš Halík, a much-loved priest who was recently awarded the prestigious Templeton Prize, has sent an open letter to all Muslims in the Czech Republic asking them to clearly speak out against the fact that a court in Khartoum, Sudan has sentenced a pregnant woman to death for refusing to convert to Islam. The letter was published today by the Press Center of the Czech Bishops' Conference.  full story

Germany: Granddaughter of Nazi concentration camp commander writes book

Hamburg, Germany, 21.5.2014 20:16, (ROMEA) German author Jennifer Teege has released a book called Amon: My Granddad Would Have Shot Me. In it, the author describes her painful self-discovery and search for her roots after recently learning she is the grandchild of Amon Göth.  full story

Czech intelligence service: Ultra-right using anti-Romani protests for publicity

Prague, 21.5.2014 19:31, (ROMEA) Jan Šubrt, spokesperson for the Security Information Service (Bezpečnostní informační služba - BIS) said yesterday that the service did not note any extremist activity that might represent any kind of immediate, real threat to the democratic foundations of the Czech Republic last year. However, the number of crimes related to extremism did rise slightly last year.  full story

Cyril Koky: We must solve our own problems - Brussels won't solve them for us

Prague, 20.5.2014 23:51, (ROMEA) When we talk about the European Union in the Czech Republic, it is often linked mainly to the Schengen area, but how does the EU help the socially disadvantaged? The Kolín daily recently conducted the following interview with Cyril Koky, the Central Bohemian Coordinator for Minority Affairs, about this issue.  full story

Czech Republic: ANO to win EP vote, Úsvit down to 1 %

Prague, 20.5.2014 22:40, (ROMEA) One-fourth of the voters in the Czech Republic, according to the Center for Public Opinion Research (Centrum pro výzkum veřejného mínění - CVVM) say they would vote for the ANO movement in the EP elections if they were held today. Support for the Czech Social Democrats (ČSSD) has risen to 23 % since April and the Communists (KSČM) have improved their standing as well.  full story

EU: Ultra-right could win EP seats in almost half of the Member States

Prague, 20.5.2014 22:09, (ROMEA) The Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, which does not hide its admiration for Adolf Hitler, the Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik), which is often charged with anti-Romani agitation and anti-Semitism, and the UK Independence Party, which declaims against immigrants and is demanding Britain's exit from the European Union - all of these eurosceptic, ultra-right parties are well on the way to winning seats at the EP in the upcoming elections. Even though surveys show the EP will continue to be dominated by mainstream parties, the radical right has already significantly influenced political events across Europe.  full story

Czech Republic: "Hating the Roma won't make your life better"

Czech Republic, 20.5.2014 19:31, (ROMEA) The following the story of a man who was brutally beaten because he is Roma, and it is worth publishing for several reasons. As a supervisor, he was responsible for evaluating the work of a colleague, which makes this a fairly banal story - except that he is Romani and the man he supervises is a member of the ultra-right.  full story

Czech Republic: Sir Nicholas Winton to receive the Order of the White Lion

London, 19.5.2014 23:14, (ROMEA) Sir Nicholas Winton, the man who saved hundreds of Jewish children in Czechoslovakia from the Holocaust, will be awarded the Order of the White Lion later this year. Czech President Miloš Zeman has decided to award him the country's highest state honor.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: Communication not working in Duchcov

Duchcov, 19.5.2014 22:13, (ROMEA) Czech Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democrats - ČSSD) says the problem of the northern Bohemian town of Duchcov, where last year's attack on a married couple sparked anti-Romani sentiment, is the difficult communication between a local nonprofit organization and the town hall. The minister is scheduled to visit the towns of Kadaň and Krupka today as well.  full story

France: Czech film at Cannes dramatizes the lives of Roma

Cannes/Prague, 19.5.2014 21:38, (ROMEA) Czech Television reports that for the first time in 16 years, Czech cinematography has managed to fight its way onto the list of films that audiences attending the renowned festival at Cannes will be able to see. The social drama "The Way Out" (Cesta ven) by documentary filmmaker Petr Václav will be presented to an international audience there.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister visiting Duchcov, Kadaň and Krupka today

Prague, 19.5.2014 19:59, (ROMEA) The Czech Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation, Jiří Dientsbier, who is also responsible for the Human Rights Section at the Office of the Government, will be visiting more towns in northern Bohemia on Monday 19 May 2014, specifically, Duchcov, Kadaň and Krupka. The minister and his team will be meeting the mayors of these three towns and representatives of the non-governmental sector focusing on the issues of human rights and social exclusion.  full story

Slovakia: TV anchor taken off air, loses job over racist statement

Slovakia, 19.5.2014 19:19, (ROMEA) Kristína Kormúthová, a sports anchor for the Slovak public broadcaster RTVS who published a racist status update on her Facebook profile, has been taken off the air and then fired. Organizers of the country's International Gypsy Fest have also announced that she will not be moderating their fashion show in Bratislava.  full story

Czech Republic: Blockade of pig farm on Roma Holocaust site ends, activists meet with farm owners

Lety u Písku, 19.5.2014 18:24, (ROMEA) On Saturday, 17 May, activists ended the blockade of the pig farm at Lety by Písek through which they had launched a campaign for its closure. The farm is partially located on the site of a former WWII-era concentration camp for Romani people.  full story

UK: Rescuer of Jewish children from Holocaust turns 105

London, 19.5.2014 17:49, (ROMEA) Today Sir Nicholas Winton, the man who saved 669 Jewish children from the Nazis in Czechoslovakia, celebrates his 105th birthday. After celebrating yesterday with his family at his home in Maidenhead, he is scheduled to attend another party today at the Czech Embassy in London to which many of those whom he saved have been invited and where his daughter, Barbara Winton, will launch a book about her father's life.  full story

Czech PM at Terezín: It is important to stand up to anti-Semitism

Terezín (Litoměřice district), 19.5.2014 3:33, (ROMEA) Jaroslav Vodička, the chair of the Czech Freedom Fighters' Union, said today that German President Joachim Gauch's recent visit to the former Jewish ghetto at Terezín was a courageous step and a gesture of partnership. Hundreds of people remembered the victims of Nazism during WWII today at a commemoration ceremony in Terezín.  full story

Czech Republic: Protest against pig farm on Roma Holocaust site blocks highway

Lety u Písku, 17.5.2014 20:08, (ROMEA) For five days, activists have been blockading access to the pig farm at Lety by Písek. They object to the fact that the farm is standing on the site of a former forced labor camp for Romani people.  full story

Jarmila Balážová: The Czech media have neither the desire nor the time for the truth

Prague, 17.5.2014 0:09, (ROMEA) Jarmila Balážová has been working as the press spokesperson for the Czech Human Rights Minister since March. Prior to that she was a correspondent for Czech Radio 6 who moderated the programs "Focus on Human Rights" (Zaostřeno na lidská práva), "Studio STOP", "Dissuasion" (Rozmluvy), "Focus on Youth" (Zaostřeno na mladé) and "Science Talk" (Hovory o vědě).  full story