News

Czech Republic: Brutal assault began with words "why are you talking to a Gypsy?"

Bystřice pod Hostýnem, 1.10.2013 17:48, (ROMEA) A brutal assault was perpetrated this summer on a 45-year-old man who stood up for a friend of his in a bar in Bystřice pod Hostýnem. All three nationwide television stations (Czech Television, TV Nova and TV Prima) have reported on the incident.  full story

Analysis: Police in Ostrava intentionally failed to protect anti-racist demonstration

Prague, 1.10.2013 2:27, (ROMEA) I set out for Ostrava last Thursday and stayed there until early Saturday evening. On Thursday the 11th annual "Stop Drugs!" event for children and youth was convened by the Life Together association's community center in Hrušov, and the children there spent a pleasant afternoon of contests, dancing, games and songs, a special event in the stereotypical life of the ghetto.  full story

Analysis: Weekend surge of anti-Roma hatred in the Czech Republic part of larger cycle

Prague, 30.9.2013 17:55, (ROMEA) The "Let's Block the Marches!" (Blokujeme!) platform, of which the Konexe association is a proud member, has just made it through yet another busy weekend. Together we have stood up to demonstrations aiming to spark hatred in four towns - on Friday in Ostrava, and on Saturday (St. Wenceslas Day) in Krupka, Prague and Vítkov - suffering one defeat, one draw and two overwhelming victories.  full story

Russian Embassy in Prague surrounded by 1 000 Pussy Riot supporters

Prague, 29.9.2013 20:38, (ROMEA) Roughly 1 000 supporters of the imprisoned members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, as well as promoters of techno music, gathered yesterday in front of the Russian Embassy in Prague for a street party under the slogan "St. Wenceslas, expel the capitalists and fascists!" According to organizers, the slogan refers to the Pussy Riot song that cost the band their imprisonment.  full story

videoGreek police arrest head of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party and several of its MPs

Athens, Greece, 28.9.2013 22:07, (ROMEA) The Greek police undertook an extensive raid today against the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which is currently seated in parliament. Police have arrested party head Nikolaos Michaloliakos and sever members of the party, including MPs.  full story

videoCzech Republic: Three simultaneous neo-Nazi demonstrations in Krupka, Prague and Vítkov

Praha/Krupka/Vítkov, 28.9.2013 21:19, (ROMEA) Approximately 100 right-wing extremists participated in a demonstration on St. Wenceslas Day that was convened by neo-Nazis in Prague. Small groups of ultra-right radicals gathered in the lower section of Wenceslas Square before marching to the Edvard Beneš embankment of the Vltava river.  full story

videoCzech Republic: DSSS supporters attempt pogrom on Romani residents of Ostrava once more

Ostrava, 27.9.2013 22:10, (ROMEA) Supporters of the Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) attempted yet another pogrom on Romani residents of Ostrava today shortly before 7 PM. A mob did its best to attack a residential hotel predominantly occupied by Romani tenants.  full story

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