World

Slovakia: Black model in ad sparks racist commentary

11.2.2017 18:26 A hate campaign on social media has been sparked by an advertisement by a Slovak firm selling sports clothing in which a dark-skinned man is featured. The business has stood up for the black model.  full story

International Romani Union says offer to help Trump came from Rom facing traditional community justice procedure in Romania

8.2.2017 8:35 Dorin Cioabă, the self-declared "King of all Roma", has sent a letter to US President Donald Trump promising to aid him with building the controversial wall on the border between Mexico and the USA. This news, which in the Czech Republic would usually only be fit for the tabloid media, was instead reported here by public broadcaster Czech Radio.  full story

Croatia: Jewish community boycotts official Holocaust commemoration

6.2.2017 6:33 The Associated Press has reported that the Jewish community in Croatia has boycotted the official state ceremony held on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January. The decision was meant to protest the Croatian Government not doing enough, in the Jewish community's view, to suppress pro-Nazi sentiment in the country.  full story

Stano Daniel: Fico's the "gypsy", I am a Rom

3.2.2017 9:12 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico spoke about Romani people as "Gypsies" during a debate Sunday broadcast by the TA3 news station. He made his remarks in connection with the fact that businesses in Slovakia are having a problem finding employees.  full story

Slovak Prime Minister refers to Romani people as "Gypsies" during media appearances

2.2.2017 7:24 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico spoke during last Sunday's debate on the TA3 news station about Romani people, referring to them as "Gypsies". He was discussing the fact that firms today have a problem finding employees in Slovakia.  full story

Central and East European NGOs critique EU Member States barring asylum-seekers

31.1.2017 9:49 Some EU Member States in Central and Eastern Europe are making it difficult for persons fleeing war to seek asylum on their territories. They have complicated the asylum-seekers' access to protection by increasing border checks, erecting physical barriers on their borders and undertaking various police procedures to deter them.  full story

German Police arrest seven in raid on ultra-right

31.1.2017 8:13 German Police performed simultaneous raids in several states and the capital, Berlin, on 25 January. Several people from the ranks of the ultra-right who are suspected of preparing to attack asylum seekers, Jewish community members and police officers themselves were arrested.  full story

Alternative for Germany pol faces party discipline after Holocaust remarks

31.1.2017 7:28 The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will not be immediately expelling the head of its cell in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, who recently became the subject of a wave of criticism for his remarks about the Holocaust memorial in the center of Berlin. Party leadership decided last week, after a three-hour debate, to hold a disciplinary proceedings in the matter.  full story

Inclusive education from the Czech Republic to Georgia to the USA

26.1.2017 8:29 If you were to tell people anywhere else in the world that inclusive education was not required by law in the Czech Republic until 2016, they would be shocked. If you were to tell them that the main reason for this change having to be forced onto the system by the state is the absurd number of Romani children attending the so-called "practical schools", they would have a hard time believing you.  full story

Czech capital one of more than 600 marches worldwide in solidarity with women demonstrating in Washington DC

21.1.2017 20:04 The Prague Solidarity Rally with the Women's March on Washington on Saturday, 21 January 2017, was one of over 600 events worldwide organized to coincide with the demonstration in the American capital. That march attracted over a half a million people and organizers say the global "sister rallies" were attended by over 3 million.

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American Ambassador to Czech Republic Cites Roma Causes, Russian Threat in Final Press Conference

19.1.2017 13:15 Outgoing American ambassador to the Czech Republic Andrew Schapiro said that supporting Roma causes was one of the things that has made him "most proud" during his time here and cited progress to remove the pig farm at the Roma Holocaust site in Lety as another positive development.  full story

Slovakia: More than 50 children from socially deprived families institutionalized since year began

19.1.2017 8:49 Since the beginning of this year audits have been underway of the living conditions in socially vulnerable families in Slovakia during the persistently cold weather, with social workers visiting thousands of families around the country and institutionalizing 56 children as of 17 January. "The consequence of our visits is that we discovered cases in which we had to remove the children. In some cases, our colleagues had to call ambulances for them," said the head of the Slovak Headquarters for Labor, Social Affairs and the Family, Marián Valentovič.
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Slovakia: Entrepreneur organizes food distribution to the needy

19.1.2017 7:21 The entrepreneur Marián Markovič has been organizing humanitarian aid since 9 January in the town of Komárna in southern Slovakia for homeless persons and the socially vulnerable. He reached out to local restaurants Alegra, Fiest, and Neptún, which have been providing him food, and posted to his Facebook profile asking people to give the needy warm clothing.  full story

Hungary: Camerawoman gets three-year probation for kicking at migrants

17.1.2017 9:56 A court in the town of Szeged has placed Petra László, the Hungarian camerawoman for the N1TV station who kicked migrants at the Hungarian-Serbian border in September 2015, on probation for three years. The public defender is appealing and asking that his client be released.  full story

Slovakia: MP for fascist party criticizes recipients of state honors because of their origins and work

16.1.2017 10:17 Stanislav Mizík, an MP with the fascist party called "Kotleba-People's Party our Slovakia" (LSNS) has criticized Slovak President Andrej Kiska for awarding high state honors to figures such as film director Juraj Jerz and the Czech musician Michael Kocáb. The MP justified his criticism by stating that those honored were of Jewish origin and by disparaging their activities.  full story

Civil March for Aleppo in the Czech Republic receives both hate and love

15.1.2017 11:02 Many readers may have noticed in the media, or in online social networks, that the March for Aleppo is proceeding through the Czech Republic - but what is it? Last month a Polish blogger and journalist living in Berlin, Anna Alboth, made this video:  full story

Human Rights Watch: Success of populists in Europe and US endangers human rights

13.1.2017 11:15 The electoral success of Donald Trump in the USA and the triumphs of populists in Europe represent a serious threat to the protection of fundamental human rights. Today the international organization for human rights protection, Human Rights Watch (HRW), presented that finding in its annual report.  full story

Hungarian PM attacks nonprofits supported by Soros, wants to close them

13.1.2017 9:24 The BBC and the Bloomberg wire service reported yesterday that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is said to be intent on taking aggressive action against NGOs financed by billionaire George Soros. The Hungarian PM has previously been criticized by the EU and the USA for his attacks on such organizations.  full story

Slovak President gives state honors to 20 figures, including Czech politician

10.1.2017 11:45 High state honors were awarded yesterday in Slovakia to film director Juraj Herz, in memoriam to the longtime editor of the Romano nevo l'il newspaper Daniela Hivešová-Šilanová, and to the Czech politician Michael Kocáb. They were among 20 such figures honored by Slovak President Andrej Kiska at the castle in Bratislava.  full story

Germany: Berlinale Film Festival opens with film about Django Reinhardt

10.1.2017 10:55 The 67th annual incarnation of one of the most significant film festivals in the world, Germany's Berlinale, will open this year with the world premier of "Django". The feature-length film about the genius Sinti jazz musician is a directorial debut for French producer and screenwriter Etienne Comar, who is known primarily thanks to his work on the screenplay for the critically-acclaimed 2015 film "Mon Roi" (My King).  full story