News

Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner: We must know how many Romani pupils are taught as "lightly mentally disabled"

Prague, 27.9.2013 18:02, (ROMEA) At the start of this week, the Czech School Inspectorate called on the directors of all schools teaching five or more pupils with light mental disability in the 2013-2013 academic year (i.e., according to the Framework Educational Program for Primary Education of Pupils with Light Brain Dysfunction) to complete a questionnaire with updated information about their schools. One of the questions asks the directors to provide their professional estimate of the number of Romani pupils in each class.  full story

Romani candidate for Czech Social Democrats: Politicians must have the courage to condemn racist demonstrations

Prague, 27.9.2013 17:05, (ROMEA) The Czech daily Hospodářské noviny has interviewed David Beňák, a Romani man actively involved in ethnic issues whom the Prague cell of the Czech Social Democrats (ČSSD) has placed as number 9 on their candidate list for the lower house. The 34-year-old social worker says political courage is lacking in the current atmosphere in the Czech Republic.  full story

Patrik Banga: Counting Romani children in the schools? Yes!

Prague, 27.9.2013 1:07, (ROMEA) The Czech School Inspectorate has asked school directors to count the number of Romani pupils with light mental disability in their schools. The Czech Education Ministry needs this data in order to demonstrate to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg that the number of Romani children ending up with the "light mental disability" label because of prejudice has been decreasing in the Czech Republic.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion finds Předlice residents have almost no chance of better housing

Ústí nad Labem, 26.9.2013 23:42, (ROMEA) Předlice, the municipal department of Ústí nad Labem primarily known to the public because of its derelict buildings that threaten the lives of their tenants and its problems with owners not repairing them has become the subject of a study published today by the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. The research investigated how local institutions are involved in addressing the situation there and makes recommendations to the municipal department, the town hall and other public administration units on how to proceed in similar cases.  full story

Lukáš Houdek: When Romani people don't speak "gypsy" right

Prague, 26.9.2013 22:44, (ROMEA) Here it is! Romani people causing problems once more!  full story

David Beňák: Affordable housing policy would eliminate need for special welfare

Prague, 25.9.2013 17:55, (ROMEA) The general affordability of housing in the Czech Republic varies widely. There are also many problems on the housing market, including discrimination.  full story

Czech Republic: Dozens of Romani orphans being adopted abroad

Czech Republic, 24.9.2013 22:05, (ROMEA) News server Novinky.cz reports that Romani orphans have much greater difficulties finding adoptive families in the Czech Republic than non-Romani orphans do. Every year, dozens of Romani children from the Czech Republic are adopted by families abroad who have no problem raising them.  full story

Sweden: Scandal over police compiling Romani family trees

Stockholm, Sweden, 24.9.2013 17:22, (ROMEA) News server Novinky.cz reports the Swedish police have been illegally compiling information about thousands of Romani people, many of whom have never committed any crimes. Yesterday the Aftonbladet newspaper reported that thousands of children's names are among them.  full story

Finland: Fourth International Roma Women's Conference takes place in Hanasaari

Prague, 24.9.2013 16:48, (ROMEA) Romani women activists from the Czech Republic Gabriela Hrabaňová (ERGO Network) and Martina Horváthová (Slovo 21) participated in the International Roma Women's Conference on 16 and 17 September 2013 in the Finnish town of Hanasaari, where the European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF) and the International Roma Women's Network (IRWN) jointly presented a Position Paper entitled “Acting Now for an Equal Future”. The conference was organized by the Council of Europe and the Finnish Government.  full story

Greek justice system investigating Golden Dawn as a criminal organization

Athens, Greece, 23.9.2013 23:48, (ROMEA) The Greek justice system has begun collecting evidence against the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn that could lead to it being charged as a criminal organization. The impetus for this step was the murder last week of a left-wing activist who was also a popular singer, allegedly committed by a neo-Nazi extremist.  full story

Czech Republic: Non-Romani parents don't want their children in school with Romani ones

Prague, 23.9.2013 23:08, (ROMEA) The new school year only began a few weeks ago in the Czech Republic, but in some places non-Romani parents are quickly changing the schools their first-graders are attending. The parents are bothered by what they view as high numbers of Romani children also attending the schools and believe their presence is holding all of the pupils back.  full story

Czech School Inspectorate wants to count Romani pupils at "special" schools

Prague, 23.9.2013 21:22, (ROMEA) The Czech School Inspectorate wants to once again count the number of Romani pupils attending the "practical primary schools" (previously called "special" schools). According to the Association of Special Educators (Asociace speciálních pedagogů - ASP), however, that is neither permitted nor possible.  full story

Czech Republic: More than 100 people demand investigation of social work in Litvínov

Czech Republic, 23.9.2013 17:25, (ROMEA) Members of the social welfare department of the Czech town of Litvínov, accompanied by municipal police and a reporter with a video camera, recently paid unannounced visits to allegedly troubled families, primarily Romani ones, to see whether adult family members were using alcohol or drugs in the presence of their children. Zuzana Candigliota, legal director of the League of Human Rights (Liga lidských práv) says the staff of these public authorities exceeded their official powers during the incidents.  full story

Greek Police arrest eight right-wing extremists in connection with murder of singer

Athens, Greece, 21.9.2013 20:59, (ROMEA) Greek Police have arrested eight people who are members of or sympathizers with the ultra-right Golden Dawn party, which is currently seated in the Greek Parliament. Yesterday police indicated they were preparing to investigate members of the party in connection with the murder of hip hop singer Pavlos Fisas.  full story

"Czech Lions" experience yet another debacle - march in Přerov cancelled for lack of interest

Přerov, 21.9.2013 20:18, (ROMEA) Approximately 40 neo-Nazis gathered today for an anti-Romani assembly convened by right-wing extremists from the "Czech Lions" (Čeští lvi) organization on T. G. Masaryk Square in the town of Přerov. The organizer cancelled the planned march 40 minutes into the gathering because of low turnout.  full story

Czech Republic: Ultra-right extremists now candidates for the "Heads Up!" bloc

Prague, 21.9.2013 18:34, (ROMEA) The "Heads Up!" (Hlava vzhůru!) bloc is running in the Czech Republic's early elections with the slogan "We fight for you!", but a more apt slogan for the group might be "We pick fights with you". Two right-wing extremists are among its candidates, as is a politician infamous for her previous racist remarks.  full story

Greek Police to investigate neo-Nazi MPs over murder of singer

Athens, Greece, 20.9.2013 18:01, (ROMEA) As part of their investigation into the murder of hip hop singer Pavlos Fisas, Greek Police are preparing to investigate members of the anti-immigrant, ultra-right Golden Dawn party, which is currently seated in parliament. Reuters reports that police have asked the state prosecutor for permission to access records of the phone calls between by two MPs from the ultra-right party and a local party leader.  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis to march in Přerov, "Let's Block the Marches!" announces counter-action

Přerov, 19.9.2013 20:47, (ROMEA) Right-wing extremists are planning to visit Přerov for an officially announced demonstration including a two-kilometer march through the town this Saturday. The route will lead past Romani localities.  full story

Greece: Golden Dawn thug stabs hip-hop singer to death

Athens, Greece, 19.9.2013 16:55, (ROMEA) The Antifa.cz website reports that a group of between 20-25 neo-Nazis and sympathizers of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party assaulted hip-hop singer Pavlos Fyssase and three of his friends just after midnight on Wednesday, 18 September in the Keratsini suburb of Athens, Greece. Fyssas, who had participated in organizing concerts against fascism under his artistic name, Killah P, later succumbed to his stab wounds.  full story

Czech Republic: Racists spread false statistics about Roma, implying they are official

Prague, 17.9.2013 23:33, (ROMEA) The Sociological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Sociologický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i.) is distancing itself from the falsified data about the Romani population in the Czech Republic now being spread through blogs and other media outlets. The data concerned did not originate with the Sociological Institute, nor was it produced by any other governmental or research organization in the Czech Republic.  full story