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Czech organizers cancel wrestling match featuring Hitler-tattooed neo-Nazi in response to protests

Prague, 17.5.2013 18:31, (ROMEA) Organizers have cancelled a match featuring the Hungarian neo-Nazi Attila Petrovszki that was supposed to be part of a martial arts tournament Friday, 17 May at the Sparta Arena in Prague. During the course of Thursday, 16 May, more and more people protested his participation, with the City of Prague, Czech Television, and the Pražská energetika (PRE) electric company all distancing themselves from the tournament.  full story

Růžička: Xenophobia against Romani children rising among Czech students

Lety u Písku, 15.5.2013 11:12, (ROMEA) Your Eminence, Dear Guests,  full story

Czech court initiates distraint against Přednádraží landlord, auction may result

Ostrava, 15.5.2013 7:04, (ROMEA) A court has initiated distraint against Domy Přednádraží, s.r.o., the firm that owns properties in the ghetto on Přednádraží Street in Ostrava. The decision was made at the request of Ostrava Waterworks and Sewerage (Ostravské vodárny a kanalizace - OVAK), which is owed several hundreds of thousands of crowns by the firm.  full story

Germany, other northern states want to ban “welfare tourism” by Romani people

Germany, 14.5.2013 8:15, (ROMEA) In the wealthy countries of northern Europe, especially in Germany, which will see elections to the Bundestag this fall, the expression “immigration of poverty” is now being used quite frequently. Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) reports that the immigrants at issue are specifically Romani people from the Balkans who settle in urban areas, reportedly burdening them with demands for social services and in some cases with crime.  full story

Czech Republic: Preparatory committee for new Romani Democratic Party meets

Prague, 14.5.2013 6:59, (ROMEA) The Mediafax agency reports that Romani people in the Czech Republic are preparing to establish a new political party, the Romani Democratic Party (Romská demokratická strana – RDS). Miroslav Tancoš, the head of the party’s preparatory committee, said the group met in Prague on 11 May 2013 and intends to register with the Czech Interior Ministry this week.  full story

Cardinal Duka leads prayers for Romani victims of Lety

Lety u Písku, 13.5.2013 23:15, (ROMEA) Cardinal Dominik Duka and approximately 100 other people commemorated the Romani victims of Nazism today at Lety by Písek. US Ambassador Norman Eisen, Equal Opportunities Party (Strana rovných příležitostí) chair Štefan Tišer, Miroslav Kováč of the FORUM association, Green Party (Strana Zelených) chair Ondřej Liška, Czech Pirate Party (Česká pirátská strana) chair Ivan Bartoš, and activists Imrich Horvát of Ostrava, Ivanka Mariposa Čonková and Ondřej Slačálek of Prague, Míra Brož of Ústí nad Labem, and Emil Voráč of the Khamoro association in Chodov all paid their respects to the memory of the Romani people who perished during the Second World War in the concentration camp at Lety.  full story

videoThree Gypsy Jazz concerts will be performed at the 15th Khamoro Festival

Praha, 13.5.2013 11:14, (ROMEA) The 15th jubilee year of the World Roma Festival Khamoro will start in the end of May in Prague. The NGO Slovo 21 and Studio Production Saga have been organizing the festival since 1999. This year Khamoro is held under the patronage of Prime Minister Petr Necas and Mayor of the City of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda.  full story

Czech Interior Ministry: Extremists have won over new patrons online

Prague, 12.5.2013 16:27, (ROMEA) A Czech Interior Ministry report about extremism in the country last year will be reviewed by the Government this coming Wednesday. According to the report, Czech extremists shifted their activities more to the internet in 2012.  full story

Budapest: Three neo-Nazis who assaulted WJC delegates sentenced

Budapest, Hungary, 11.5.2013 16:40, (ROMEA) The World Jewish Congress (WJC) as warned that anti-Semitism could grow in Europe as a result of the exacerbated economic crisis. A report released at the end of the three-day general assembly in Budapest warns that politicians have a tendency to dedicate less attention to this issue during times of economic hardship.  full story

New York Times visits previously segregated school in Slovakia

New York City/Šarišské Michaľany, 10.5.2013 19:01, (ROMEA) "A microcosm of one of the biggest problems in Europe" - those are the words used on the front page of The New York Times to describe a primary school in Šarišské Michaľany, Slovakia. A reporter for the prestigious US newspaper traveled to eastern Slovakia to report on the segregation of Romani children there. Last year a court in Prešov ruled against a local segregated school.  full story

Romani students from Czech Republic excelling at British school

Leicester, 10.5.2013 17:19, (ROMEA) News server Aktuálně.cz has run a photo-essay on Babington Community College in the English town of Leicester. At first glance it seems no different from other English schools, but it is actually a very specific facility. More than half of its pupils (54 %) are children whose mother tongue is not English. They are the children of the local immigrants who comprise a significant proportion of the town’s population.  full story

Victims of the breakup of Czechoslovakia have one year left to resolve their situations

Ústí nad Labem, 10.5.2013 2:38, (ROMEA) On Tuesday, 7 May 2013, a round table was convened in the Czech town of Ústí nad Labem by the Counseling Center for Citizenship/Civic and Human Rights (Poradna pro občanství/Občanská a lidská práva) on the issue of new draft legislation about citizenship. The round table was attended by 20 experts from local authorities, NGOs, and Czech Police.  full story

World Jewish Congress: Anti-Semitism in Europe may grow as a result of crisis

Budapest, Hungary, 9.5.2013 17:17, (ROMEA) The World Jewish Congress (WJC) has warned that anti-Semitism may grow in Europe as a result of the aggravated economic crisis. A report released at the end of the WJC’s three-day general assembly in Budapest warns that politicians have a tendency to devote less attention than is necessary to this issue during economic difficulties.  full story

Slovakia: Romani Union Party says it is organizing a month of street protests

Bratislava, Slovakia, 8.5.2013 16:28, (ROMEA) News server Redakcia1.blogspot.cz reported on 23 April that the Romani Union Party in Slovakia (Strana romské unie - SRU) intends to organize a month of protest marches on the streets of towns throughout the country. Below is a full translation of the party’s declaration and a call from its chair, František Tanko.  full story

Norwegian MP tars Bulgarian, French and Romani people with the same brush

Oslo, Norway, 8.5.2013 15:27, (ROMEA) Agence France-Presse reported on Friday, 3 May that an MP with the second-strongest party in the Norwegian Parliament, the populist “Progress Party”, has called for the monarchy to close its borders to “organized groups of Roma, Bulgarians and Frenchmen”, labeling them notorious criminals. MP Per Sandberg, whose party scores political points through its anti-immigrant rhetoric in particular, proposed taking “three immediate steps to stop the influx of beggars and criminals” into the country.  full story

videoSlovakia: Romani political party presents project to President Gašparovič

Bratislava, Slovakia, 7.5.2013 18:59, (ROMEA) Ivan Gašparovič, the president of the Slovak Republic, in response to a letter from the Romani Union Party of Slovakia (Strana romské unie Slovenska), has received a visit from party representatives to discuss Romani people and their life together with the non-Romani population in Slovakia. “Cooperation must consist of seeking compromises,” the president said of the visit.  full story

Commission: EU funds should support Romani social inclusion from 2014 on

Brussels, Belgium, 7.5.2013 17:17, (ROMEA) The European Commission has announced that the Member States should ensure that their plans for investment from the EU funds during the next seven-year period (2014-2020) also count on the social inclusion of the Romani population. Romani nonprofit organizations and experts on this issue should therefore participate in designing this next period of funding.  full story

videoCzech Republic: “Slave of Race” initiative holds “happenings” to launch petition

Ostrava/Prague, 7.5.2013 0:28, (ROMEA) A newly-created initiative called “Slave of Race” (Otrokem rasy) launched its activity today with two happenings, one in front of the Czech Interior Ministry in Prague and another in front of the Ostrava town hall, where people sought signatures on a petition in support of those remaining in the Přednádraží ghetto. Because the situation in Ostrava has drastically deteriorated, the initiative is focusing its activities on that topic.  full story

Germany: 500 police officers keep the peace at Munich trial of neo-Nazis

Munich, Germany, 6.5.2013 21:47, (ROMEA) Many demonstrations against racism and rallies for justice are taking place today under tight police supervision in front of the State Court in Munich where the much-publicized trial is scheduled to begin of Beate Zschäpe, a member of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), and four of her alleged assistants. Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports that many people waited in line all night to get into the courtroom today, but only the first 50 were allowed in. The streets near the courthouse are lined with news crews and their broadcasting vehicles.  full story

Hungary: Ultra-right protests World Jewish Congress in Budapest

Budapest, Hungary, 6.5.2013 21:00, (ROMEA) Experts say Jewish people in Hungary are facing a rising anti-Semitism spreading from right-wing extremist groups to the core of society. Representatives of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) gave that as the reason they decided to hold their quadrennial meeting, which began yesterday, in Budapest.  full story