News

Romani "Obama" fights for rights at the European Parliament

Brussels, Belgium, 30.10.2013 16:45, (ROMEA) The Czech Republic is being shaken by anti-Romani unrest, France is deporting Romani people from eastern Europe and Britain and Germany are reporting similar problems. More and more politicians are playing the anti-Romani card and voters are rewarding them.  full story

Czech Republic: UIA conference supports Roma in Ostrava

Prague, 30.10.2013 0:55, (ROMEA) United for Intercultural Action (UIA) is a European network against fascism, nationalism and racism that supports migrants and refugees and brings together more than 560 organizations in 46 European countries. The organization is currently holding its international conference in the Czech Republic, which is scheduled to end on 30 October.  full story

Analysis: Why Czech ultra-right voters chose Okamura, not the DSSS

Prague, 30.10.2013 0:20, (ROMEA) Czech Senator Tomio Okamura and his "Dawn of Direct Democracy" (Úsvit přímé demokracie) party won a surprising 6.88 % of the recent vote for the lower house. The party's extreme opinions border on fascism and it is evidently no accident that its name is very similar to that of the Greek right-wing extremist party Golden Dawn.  full story

Czech Republic: Gypsy Spirit prize being revived by private foundations

Prague, 29.10.2013 22:35, (ROMEA) After a three-year hiatus, the Gypsy Spirit prize will be awarded once more for contributions to Romani integration in the Czech Republic. The award, which former Czech Human Rights and Minorities Minister Michael Kocáb modeled on one in Slovakia, will be revived by Mr Kocáb's foundation together with the Open Society (Otevřená společnost) organization.  full story

Did the Czech President invite an anti-Semitic extremist to Prague Castle?

Prague, 29.10.2013 21:32, (ROMEA) Adam B. Bartoš, a political commentator known for his anti-Semitic, extremist opinions, seems to have been one of the official guests invited to yesterday's ceremony awarding state honors at Prague Castle. The Office of the Czech President has not yet issued a formal statement regarding the circumstances of his attendance.  full story

Greek authorities work on case of British boy missing since 1991

Athens, Greece, 29.10.2013 16:58, (ROMEA) Greek authorities have recently begun intensive work on the case of a British boy, Ben Needham, who disappeared without a trace in 1991 on the island of Kos. He was less than two years old at the time and a search for him back then yielded no results.  full story

Bulgaria insisting Romani girl be returned from Greece

Sofia, Bulgaria, 29.10.2013 16:28, (ROMEA) The Bulgarian authorities are insisting on the return of the little blonde Romani girl named Maria whose parents left her in Greece with a different Romani family as an infant. Agence France-Presse reported the statement by the Bulgarian Government Agency for Child Protection today.  full story

Czech election results in Romani neighborhoods

Prague, 28.10.2013 22:48, (ROMEA) The polls have closed, the votes for the various parties have been counted, and the media are analyzing who might form the next government of the Czech Republic with whom. Let's look at how votes were cast in places where a large majority of Romani people live, as well as in the places where neo-Nazis and racists held their marches this past summer.
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Czech Republic: 50 anti-minority racists march in Plzeň, 60 Roma stand up to them

Plzeň, 28.10.2013 21:47, (ROMEA) Several dozen racists protesting against minorities and multicultural society marched through the Bory neighborhood of Plzeň on the afternoon of 28 October. The march, which was called a "Protest against violating the rights of decent citizens of the Czech Republic and privileging one group", was originally predicted to be attended by as many as 300 people, but in the end only about 50 turned up.  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis attempt pogrom in Ostrava, 500 Roma march against them

Ostrava, 28.10.2013 21:25, (ROMEA) Approximately 200 - 300 neo-Nazis gathered today at 14:00 for an anti-Romani, racist demonstration on Prokešovo Square in Ostrava. Two separate gatherings were convened against racism by the "Let's Block the Marches!" (Blokujeme!) platform, one on nearby Sokolská Street in front of a residential hotel called "Colorful Ostrava" (Barevná Ostrava), and another on Svatopluk Čech Square.  full story

Czech President: More police needed in areas of conflict

Chomutov, 27.10.2013 18:06, (ROMEA) Speaking on Friday during a discussion with local residents in the town of Chomutov, Czech President Miloš Zeman said increasing the number of police officers could be a solution to situations in regions of conflict where non-Romani people are complaining about their co-existence with the Romani minority. Chomutov locals have complained primarily about problems with crime in some parts of town and in nearby Jirkov.  full story

Czech Republic: No Romani candidates seated, populist Dawn (Úsvit) gets 7 % of the vote

Czech Republic, 27.10.2013 2:55, (ROMEA) The elections to the Czech lower house have once again been won by the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) by the smallest of margins, just as they were three years ago. This year the second-place finish went to the ANO 2011 party instead of the Civic Democrats (ODS), who have now lost almost four-fifths of their MPs.  full story

The long road of active resistance to racist marches in the Czech Republic

Prague, 27.10.2013 2:50, (ROMEA) The anti-Romani marches in the Czech Republic were the winning subject in the "News" category of this year's World Press Photo competition here. More than 30 such marches have been held around the entire country this year.  full story

Czech elections: Social Democrats gain only slight lead over ANO 2011

Czech Republic, 26.10.2013 19:10, (ROMEA) The elections to the lower house have once again been won by the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) with only a slight margin of victory, just like the elections of three years ago. The ANO 2011 political movement ended up closely behind the ČSSD.  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis to march on state holiday Monday

Plzeň, 26.10.2013 18:45, (ROMEA) Neo-Nazis are scheduled to march through several towns in the Czech Republic on the state holiday Monday, including Ostrava and Plzeň, where they are expected to march through the Bory quarter. Plzeň Police spokesperson Jana Tomková told the Czech News Agency yesterday that police are preparing security measures involving the Aliens' Police, an anti-conflict team, canine units, criminal investigators, riot police and traffic police.  full story

Greece: Another couple arrested for buying a Romani child

Athens, Greece, 26.10.2013 18:01, (ROMEA) Greek Police have begun investigating yet another case of possible child trafficking. Yesterday police representatives informed the public that they had arrested a childless couple in Athens who allegedly purchased a Romani girl just a few months old for EUR 4 000.  full story

Czech elections to the lower house underway

Czech Republic, 26.10.2013 3:07, (ROMEA) Elections to the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic began Friday 25 October. Polls opened at 14:00 and closed at 22:00. Voting will also take place on Saturday 26 October from 8:00 to 14:00.  full story

Czech Republic: Perpetrators of machete attack get up to 17.5 years

Prague, 26.10.2013 0:16, (ROMEA) Vojtěch Husák has been convicted of perpetrating an attack with a machete in Nový Bor in 2011 and will spend 17.5 years in prison, while his accomplices Antonín Sinu and Jakub Žiga will spend 15 years in prison each. The High Court in Prague handed down its verdict Friday 24 October and it has taken effect.  full story

Elena Gorolová (SRP), Romani candidate to the Czech lower house: I want to help those in need

Ostrava, 25.10.2013 23:02, (ROMEA) An unusually high number of Romani people are running in this year's early elections compared to years past. The monthly Romano voďi, published by the ROMEA association, has done its best to interview all the candidates running for the lower house and will run those interviews in addition to publishing analytical material about the elections.  full story

videoDNA tests confirm child removed from Greek Roma has Bulgarian Roma parents

Sofia, Bulgaria, 25.10.2013 17:39, (ROMEA) DNA tests have confirmed that the mother of blonde Maria, who was discovered living with a Romani couple in Greece last week, is Sasha Rusev, a Romani woman from Bulgaria. International wire services reported the source of the news as a spokesperson for the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, Svetlozar Lazarov.  full story